While Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice may not be an official part of the Soulsborne franchise, as an action RPG developed by FromSoftware, it shares a lot of similarities with Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and the developer's latest title, Elden Ring. Sekiro, however, introduced a lot of experimental ideas into FromSoftware's usual formula. It had a linear story, for example, which didn't lead most players down a Google rabbit hole in order to be figured out. Most obviously, though, Sekiro's biggest departures came in the form of its combat, with things like parrying and the prosthetic arm being very unique mechanics.
Some of Sekiro's influence has made its way into Elden Ring, but for many fans, it is clear to see that FromSoftware wanted to base its latest title on games like Bloodborne and Dark Souls. However, this hasn't stopped some Elden Ring modders from trying to instill the game's combat with a Sekiro feel. The Sword Mastery - Total Combat Overhaul mod was created by AntiSteak and looks to do exactly what the title suggests.
Adding new combo attacks and changing up the way Elden Ring's melee weapons work, the Total Combat Overhaul mod is an impressive rework of a lot of the systems in the game. Of course, with a mod that looks to add some of Sekiro's mechanics to Elden Ring, deflections have been brought into the game as well. While there isn't a posture bar like the one in Sekiro, which lets a player know when they can go in for a death blow, Elden Ring's deflections will give the player a short burst of stamina regeneration.
Deflections also appear easier to land in Elden Ring, as AntiSteak explains that the mechanic shows an icon to the player when they can stop an incoming attack. However, the modder also promises that this won't give Elden Ring an easy mode, as it's not possible to block multiple heavy attacks in a row. To avoid those heavier strikes, a player can use the overhauled dodge mechanic to step quickly away from an attack in any direction. If they dodge around the newly introduced "perilous attacks," an Elden Ring player will also have a chance to punish their opponent with a guard counter.
Moreover, when facing a humanoid enemy or one wielding a sword, clashes have been introduced to Elden Ring as well. One of the lesser-known mechanics of Sekiro, a sword clash occurs when both player and opponent strike at the same time, leading to an impressive visual that can give a fight more of an epic feeling. There are plenty of other changes brought about in the Total Combat Overhaul mod, but for any Elden Ring player who doesn't want to change up the melee mechanics of the game, there are a number of other options. Elden Ring has a whole host of mods available for it that can bring changes to the gameplay, character models, and more.
Elden Ring is available on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: Nexus Mods