Unleashing the Power: Revolutionary Weapon Changes in Elden Ring's DLC

Highlights

Currently, the meta in Elden Ring revolves around a select pool of weapons that have remained popular since the game's release. However, the upcoming DLC has the potential to disrupt this meta and offer players a chance to explore diverse builds and strategies.

FromSoftware's DLCs are renowned for introducing powerful weapons, and it will be intriguing to witness their compatibility with the already formidable choices in Elden Ring. The DLC possesses the potential to inject freshness into the game and enhance its overall vitality.

By this point, Elden Ring has firmly established itself as a popular game. With a staggering twenty million copies sold within a year and a half since its release, numerous players have completed their initial playthroughs of the Lands Between and shared their experiences with others. The community has amassed a comprehensive online knowledge base, and the Colosseum update provided welcomed support for PvP. While Elden Ring has upcoming DLC, it will only serve to further enrich a game that is, by all measures, already comprehensive and whole.

Stagnation Is Evident in Elden Ring’s Most-Used Weapons

Despite this, there is still immense anticipation for the upcoming DLC. Known as Shadow of the Erdtree, this significant expansion promises to enhance the already content-filled open world RPG by adding countless hours of gameplay. Details about this DLC remain scarce for now, with only a mysterious poster featuring Miquella, Torrent, and a withered Erdtree providing fodder for speculation. On a positive note, players can expect an abundance of new content comparable to the DLCs of previous Souls titles, including a wide array of new weapons that will undoubtedly shake up the game's meta builds.

When it comes to discussing Elden Ring's meta, it becomes a complex matter that encompasses both PvE and PvP aspects, as well as individual player preferences. With a multitude of options available, including 308 weapons, armor pieces, accessories, spells, Ashes of War, Spirit Ashes, and buffs, there is never a shortage of build variety. Unviability is rarely an issue, as very few options can be considered completely ineffective. As a result, there is no consensus when it comes to weapon tier lists, with separate rankings often created for different stats to cater to varying priorities. Although some initially powerful weapons like the Moonveil and Rivers of Blood katanas have been adjusted in patches, they can still find a place in many different builds.

Of course, there are still a plethora of weapons in Elden Ring that are widely considered to be the best, and a considerable number of them bear names that players have been acquainted with since the game's inception. It is worth noting that none of the aforementioned katanas have become obsolete, and both the Rivers of Blood and the Reduvia still reign as essential components for Bleed builds. The Blasphemous Blade has proven its ability to carry virtually anyone through the most challenging battles in Elden Ring, while even the humble Greatsword has become more effective thanks to buffs received by all slow, strength-oriented weapons. And let's not forget about the weaponry tailored for Intelligence-focused builds. Despite the changes in Elden Ring's meta, a significant portion of it has remained unchanged.

How Shadow of the Erdtree Can Freshen Up Elden Ring’s Builds

Fortunately, the upcoming DLC is set to bring some much-needed excitement, as constantly nerfing a popular weapon can backfire and render it too feeble. FromSoftware has a reputation for introducing incredibly potent weapons through its DLCs, and it will be intriguing to witness how this translates to Elden Ring, given the already imposing arsenal available. The level of devastation achievable with an optimized Elden Ring build is unparalleled compared to most other FromSoftware games, prompting the developers to push the boundaries of difficulty and equipment strength in order to keep up.

Shaking up the top tier weapons in Elden Ring will benefit the game in the short term. The Greatsword, Uchigatana, Blasphemous Blade, Moonveil, and Rivers of Blood, which are considered the best in each stat, have become overly prevalent. Despite the presence of other strong weapons, these top tier ones are still everywhere. Introducing more diversity to the average player's build is the ideal goal for Shadow of the Erdtree, and hopefully, this is precisely what FromSoftware aims to achieve with it.

Elden Ring is currently available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.