Elden Ring has a major new patch today, and some of the most notable changes are to Shadow of the Erdtree’s final boss. The encounter is still tough but some of the most brutal attacks have lost their stinging edge.
Update 1.14 is out now for Elden Ring on all platforms and includes a litany of bug fixes and balance tweaks, but the changes to the boss fight capping off the game’s recent DLC expansion are what have caught players’ attention the most so far. Here’s the full list of nerfs:
[Warning: spoilers for the final boss of Shadow of the Erdtree follow.]
So if you’ve already beaten Elden Ring’s DLC, or decided to read what happens anyway, you know that Promised Consort Radahn is the final boss of Shadow of the Erdtree and he could be cheap as hell. Some of his attacks felt a bit unfair, dealing damage before they even appeared to make contact, or following so rapidly one after another that dodging them was a crapshoot.
After today’s update, this has all been dialed back a bit. He’s slower and his cross-cleave can actually be dodged. The particle effects for his Light of Miquella attack also don’t appear to be as broken, giving players more opportunities to get out of the way. One Reddit user named ChiefLeef22 put together a quick visual roundup of all of Radahn’s attacks and behaviors that appear to be different, including not just longer openings in between attacks but more visual clarity around the moves so players can actually see what’s going on.
Radahn has a long history of kicking players’ asses, going back to the base game when it launched in 2022. He was nerfed then too, though some of those changes were later reverted. More recently, an overpowered build players once relied upon to quickly melt the DLC version of Radahn was itself nerfed. With FromSoftware now making the fight a little easier again, some players are already touting their “pre-nerf” Radahn-slaying bona fides.
Update 1.14 includes a slew of other changes as well, including PVP balance adjustments like decreased damage to Backhand Blades, Pata weapon, and dual-wielded spears. Scattershot Throw is also weaker against other players. Meanwhile on the PVE front, Moon-and-Fire stance and Devonia’s Vortex were buffed, and heavy attack speed for various weapons was increased.
You can find the complete list of 1.14 patch notes below:
The following adjustments have been made to the final boss of “SHADOW OF THE ERDTREE”
Scattershot Throw
Dagger / Throwing Blade / Straight Sword / Great Sword / Colossal Sword / Heavy Thrusting Sword / Curved Sword / Twinblade Sword / Katana / Great Katana / Axe / Flail / Great Spear(Except Serpent-Hunter) / Halberd / Reaper / Whip (Except Urumi) / Hand-to-Hand Arts / Beast Claw.
Light
Darkness
Dynastic Sickleplay
Shield Strike
Moon-and-Fire Stance
Devonia’s Vortex
Rellana’s Twin Moons
Aspects of the Crucible: Thorns
Aspects of the Crucible: Bloom
Divine Bird Feathers
Furious Blade of Ansbach
Midra’s Flame of Frenzy
Bayle’s Flame Lightning