Ashes of Warfare and Weapon Arts in FromSoftware’s newer video games have actually spoiled us—it was once you bought your R1, R2, and a few movement-dependent assaults, and that was it. Now once I go right into a Soulsborne, I would like some spice. I would like the Rakuyo double-bladed katana’s mixups, the Farron Greatsword’s straight-up Samurai Champloo breakdancing, or the Marais Executioner Sword (opens in new tab)‘s Jedi telekinesis nonsense.
I have been just a little nervous that FromSoft simply will not be capable of prime the wonderful and various armory already in Elden Ring, however modder clevereraptor6 (opens in new tab) over on NexusMods has been quietly toiling away on customized weapon movesets that show simply how a lot juice is left within the animations and results FromSoft has already created.
Take my favourite work of Intelligent’s: the Icefrayed Blade (opens in new tab). I make it no secret that I am a katana man in Soulsborne video games, and my all-timer is Darkish Souls 3’s Frayed blade. This reward for beating secret megaboss Darkeater Midir has a badass samurai “unsheathe right into a thousand cuts” assault that feels unbelievable and can also be well-worth utilizing over your primary strikes. The Icefrayed Blade mod transposes it into Elden Ring whereas additionally including the frost buildup standing impact—maybe a bit OP, however I noticed it and instantly thought “oh, I’d commerce my beloved Moonveil (opens in new tab) for this.”
Intelligent’s newest is the Deathwalker – Berserking Ghostflame Moveset (opens in new tab), which replaces the usual Extremely Greatsword two-hand assaults with the sort of acrobatic Guts strikes utilized by Artorias or Slave Knight Gael, with some added flare from the Deathbirds’ ghostflame magic.
In addition they nail one of the vital vital options of an excellent Soulsborne distinctive weapon: usability. Why would you’re taking a particular weapon right into a troublesome PvE boss encounter if its particular assault simply is not workable? I had that difficulty with Elden Ring’s Royal Greatsword—its particular transfer is method too drawn out (even whether it is visually spectacular), and it simply cannot beat an trustworthy, lunch pail, frost-infused customary Extremely Greatsword.
Intelligent has some superior weapon ideas value trying out in a separate, offline-only save file (it is a disgrace Elden Ring’s EasyAnticheat does not provide a less complicated strategy to mod your sport outdoors of multiplayer and keep authorized together with your vanilla saves), however I would actually prefer to see an identical creativity from Shadow of the Erdtree’s armaments. Fromsoft DLC weapons are sometimes simply pretty much as good as their standout bosses and ranges, among the greatest in every respective sport, and this long-awaited growth would be the good alternative to prime the series-best movesets already included in Elden Ring.
I wish to see acrobatics, hole closers, particle results, standing buildup, and I would like these strikes to be actual rivals to your primary assaults, spammable stuff. I would like it to be nasty, and I would like YouTubers to demand they be nerfed! Within the meantime, I can advocate another alternative mods from Intelligent like their even extra telekinetic Marias blade (opens in new tab) moveset, Deathborne Odachi (opens in new tab), and even this ludicrous Earthbending (opens in new tab) that replicates Avatar: The Final Airbender’s magical martial artwork with the assistance of Elden Ring’s gravity sorceries.