Elden Ring DLC ​​Gets Huge 1.12.3 Balance Update: Here Are the Patch Notes

What do you want to know?

• Just over a week after FromSoftware released the 1.12.2 calibration update for Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, the studio has released a second, much larger balance patch for the game.
• The biggest changes in the update include nerfs and fixes for broken weapons from the Elden Ring and Ashes of War DLCs, including the damage of the Lightning Perfume Bottle and Frenzyflame Perfume Bottle weapons, the effectiveness of the Rolling Sparks and Swift Slash abilities, and the stun of the Fire Knight’s Greatsword.
• Attack shields have also received a nerf to their blocking abilities, while the Carian Sorcery Sword, one of the worst weapons in Shadow of the Erdtree, has received an intelligence scaling buff.
• The Commander Gaius and Golden Hippo bosses have also received some changes: both now spawn further away from the fog wall on repeat attempts, and the Golden Hippo’s bite attack has been nerfed on its active frames.

Just over a week after developer FromSoftware updated the Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC with a major calibration update, another, much larger patch has been released for the studio’s award-winning open-world action-reality expansion. Update 1.12.3 is now available for download on all Elden Ring platforms and is required if you plan on playing online.

The most significant changes in the patch are nerfs to several of the most broken and overpowered weapons that players have been using since the DLC launched on June 21. These include tweaks and fixes to the Rolling Sparks Ash of War weapons as well as the Lightning Perfume Bottle and Frenzyflame Perfume Bottle which allowed players to nearly one-shot many bosses, the damage and animation duration of the Backhand Blades-exclusive Swift Slash ability being completely destroyed and nearly impossible to counter in PvP, a bug that caused the Blood Demon’s arm to gain higher scaling and bleed stack than intended when receiving an Arcane Infusion, and an issue that allowed the Fire Knight’s Greatsword to stun other players.

Thrust Shields, one of Shadow of the Erdtree’s powerful new weapon types, have also received a fix that reduces their effectiveness. Previously, incoming attacks blocked while thrusting with these shields would consume less stamina than intended, allowing players to endlessly backstab bosses while easily defending against non-grab attacks. This issue has now been fixed, forcing players to be more careful with the timing of their attacks.

Indeed, the bulk of the update consists of nerfs, though one weapon did receive a much-needed buff: the Carian Sorcery Sword. This thrusting sword is a unique weapon in that it’s the only one in Elden Ring that can be used to cast Sorcery spells, but its underwhelming intelligence scale made it the worst new weapon in the DLC. This update did, however, buff it considerably (and slightly reduced its base damage to help keep things balanced), so hopefully the Carian Sorcery Sword is much more viable now than it was before the patch.