Elden Ring patch 1.03 adds NPC icons, nerfs Mimic Tear and the Sword of Night and Flame

To say Elden Ring is hugely popular would be an understatement. So far, 12 million units have been sold across the world. As a result, Bandai Namco and FromSoftware have shared that they have plans to take the brand even further. However, the game has seen its fair share of bugs and performance issues which we picked up on in our review. Since launch, the development team has been tackling these issues. The latest Elden Ring update, patch 1.03, adds new elements, fixes bugs and adds nerfs to some favorite items like the Mimic Tear and the Sword of Night and Flame.

To begin, the Elden Ring patch has added a function to keep a record of an NPC on the map when you encounter one. New quest phases have been introduced for the Diallos, Nepheli Loux, Kenneth Haight, and Gatekeeper Gostoc. Also, a new NPC has arrived named Jar-Bairn, who is ready and waiting to meet you. Thanks to the patch, some summonable NPCs have been added. There has also been an increase in the number of object patterns you can imitate when using Mimic’s Veil.

In terms of balancing, the game is buffing and nerfing some items. The effectiveness of shields has been increased, and so has the damage for all offensive cracked pot items. However, the most notable adjustment in Elden Ring will be the nerfs to the Mimic Tear, as well as the Sword of Night and Flame. According to the Elden Ring Wiki page, the sword’s skills have been nerfed by a total of 30% for the Comet Azur, and 22% for the Flame. Hoarfrost Stomp also got hit with an increased cast time and lower damage. Unfortunately, the changes mean melee builds will not be as strong as they once were.

Continuing the fight against bugs

Finally, the 1.03 patch squashes some more bugs lurking around Elden Ring. This includes fixing a bug that stopped players from advancing to the next area after fighting the Fire Giant. The patch also addressed a bug which caused some weapons to not use stat scaling. There are many more fixes, so be sure to check the patch notes.

As far as stuttering issues go, that is apparently still up in the air. The patch does mention performance improvements, but doesn’t specify. Bandai Namco note that it will continue to deploy updates to make more improvements in the future.