Things In Elden Ring You'll Never Be Able To Experience Again

"Elden Ring" has been available to players for a while now; and though the critically acclaimed title was eventually dethroned as the best-reviewed game of 2022, players still flock to the game as a premier FromSoftware experience. The game offers almost-unparalleled player freedom, allowing gamers to explore, equip, level, and take down demanding bosses at their leisure. With the agency to personally develop a character from the ground up and decide how they'll handle all the challenges encountered within the Lands Between, players have been able to do remarkable things — like create Sonic the Hedgehog-themed builds or discover the hidden alternate use for certain items.

While newcomers can still jump into "Elden Ring" and experience many of the opportunities that have earned the title notoriety, there are a few things that have changed in-game since it initially launched. In some cases changes came as a matter of removing an unintended bug while others were the result of rebalancing. Here are the things players will never be able to experience in "Elden Ring" again.

While some fans might be worried to learn that there are things in "Elden Ring" that can't be experienced anymore, some benefits come from removing some experiences. One notable example is how the duo bosses have changed since the game was first released. In "Elden Ring," players will encounter a handful of encounters where they are tasked with fighting two (or sometimes more) bosses at the same time. As any newcomer might imagine, these bouts were intense, frustrating, and left little margin for error. Now, gamers will find that one adversary has a tendency to politely watch while the other boss engages.

Another boss-related change to "Elden Ring" was the fight with Starscourge Radahn. The foe was originally a significant milestone in a player's journey, presenting a formidable challenge that stopped more than a few in their tracks. However, as part of the 1.03 patch, Radahn's performance accidentally plummeted, leading to an encounter fans thought was too easy. While some fans were happy for the chance to beat the boss without much trouble, others wanted the fight back to the way it was. FromSoftware eventually rebuffed Radahn but left with some hitbox adjustments in place. There are still some players who lament the loss of the original incarnation of Radahn, but in the end, the boss retains much of its initial difficulty without pesky interference from hotboxes that aren't working the way they should.

Some ways "Elden Ring" has changed are for the better, but other alterations eliminate any opportunity for players to experience the god-like feeling of using an overpowered item or build to charge through whatever obstacles the title presents. This was the case for the Great Turtle Shell shield. Upon release, the item offered complete physical damage negation, among other protections, and boosted stamina recovery — making it a favorite for players even if they were wearing it on their backs. 

Unfortunately, it wouldn't last forever, and the shield was eventually nerfed. It still offers some respectable defenses, but the Great Turtle Shell is no longer the impenetrable bastion it had been. There was also a similar case with the nigh-breakable Barricade shield. But, of course, shields weren't the only thing getting eyed up after FromSoftware saw how players' ingenuity set to work after "Elden Ring" was released. Several weapons and builds also saw their initial power deplete once the game was in players' hands for a short while, including the infamous Fire's Deadly Sin glitch and the iconic Sword of Night and Flame. The sword, in particular, proved too strong with its significant melee damage and inlaid ability to shred foes with magic. It ultimately saw a power reduction, and while still no slouch, it isn't quite making short work of bosses as it had.

Perhaps the most significant experience fresh "Elden Ring" players will be without is the sense of exploration in a new and untamed world. Soulsborne titles tend to showcase large, lore-rich settings where players have to work for every scratch of narrative. "Elden Ring" is no different in this regard. It doesn't tell its story to players directly, instead showcasing it through scenery, boss encounters, and the odd bits of information found in item descriptions. When "Elden Ring" was released, players eagerly jumped into the game to be a part of that discovery.

This grand adventure into the uncharted isn't something new players will be able to participate in. Sure, "Elden Ring" will be a frontier to the newcomer, but the community of players, modders, and dataminers that came before have largely exhausted the game of its secrets and surprises. Even something as novel as NPC locations appear to be reflected in this sense that the age of exploration is over. Initially, "Elden Ring" didn't mark NPCs on the map, offering manually placed icons for marking points of interest. By the time NPC locations became readily available online, an update permanently labeled the characters.

Sadly, this sense of discovery isn't liable to return until new content makes its way into the game.