Elden Ring's Massive Pre-DLC Update: New Hairstyles, Summoning Pools & PvP Tweaks!

Okay, Tarnished fam, gather 'round! As we're all buzzing with anticipation for Shadow of the Erdtree dropping soon, FromSoftware just gave us a massive appetizer in the form of Update 1.16. I know the servers were down for a bit—like waiting for a potion to brew while a Runebear is chasing you—but trust me, the download was worth every second of that maintenance window. This isn't just a simple patch; it's a whole new layer of polish and features that makes the Lands Between feel fresh again. Let's dive into what's new and shiny!

✨ Fresh Features for Your Journey

First up, the fun stuff! FromSoft has finally blessed us with some long-requested quality-of-life changes that feel as satisfying as landing a perfect parry.

• Five New Hairstyles: Yes, you read that right! Time for a makeover at Rennala's or the Clouded Mirror Stand. My character is finally getting rid of that default mop-top.

• "Recent Items" Tab: This is a game-changer. Newly picked-up items now get a shiny "!" mark, and there's a whole tab in your inventory just for your latest loot. No more scrolling through 100 mushrooms to find that new talisman!

• Smarter Summoning Pools: Your activated Summoning Pools now carry over to New Game+. Plus, you can finally enable or disable individual ones from the new Map Functions Menu. This is like having a personal spectral butler for your co-op preferences. Also, a huge win for invaders and defenders in Mohgwyn Palace—summoning logic there has been clarified and fixed.

• Map Functions Menu: Speaking of which, this new menu on your map is going to be your new best friend for managing all those summoning pools and, hopefully, more in the future.

• Steed in the Final Battle: You can now summon Torrent during the Elden Beast fight! No more sprinting across that vast arena like a headless chicken. This single change is as liberating as finding a hidden grace site after a brutal dungeon.

• Colosseum QoL: Used crafted consumables in the arena? They get replenished after your session. No more farming before PvP sessions!

⚔️ PvP Balance: A New Meta Dawns

This update brings a tidal wave of balance changes, specifically for player-versus-player combat. Think of the old meta as a stagnant swamp; this patch is a cleansing rain. The goal is clearly to shake things up and encourage more diverse builds.

Weapon Adjustments (PvP-Only):

Weapon Type	Change	Effect
Axes	Increased Poise Damage	More staggering power in trades.
Heavy Thrusting Swords	Decreased Damage (some attacks)	Toning down the poking meta.
All Dual-Wielded Attacks	Decreased Damage & Adjusted Poise	Less spam, more strategy.
Whips (except "Ulmi")	Increased Damage	Time for some Belmont cosplay?
Torches	Increased Poise Damage	Don't sleep on the torch poke!

Skill & Spell Nerfs/Buffs:

A lot of popular, sometimes oppressive, skills have been dialed back. It's like FromSoft went through everyone's spellbooks and skill menus with a fine-tooth comb.

• Nerfed: Spinning Slash, Flaming Strike, Transient Moonlight (Moonveil users, I see you), Ancient Lightning Spear, and Radahn's Rain all saw damage or poise damage reductions. Black Flame's Protection also has a lower physical block rate in PvP.

• Buffed/Adjusted: Kick got more poise (Kick meta, let's go!). Parry skills like Parry, Storm Wall, and Thops's Barrier have faster active frames. Bear Witness! (the Envoys' Long Horn skill) does more damage and poise damage—bubble madness incoming!

🛡️ General & PvE Tweaks That Affect Everyone

These changes are for all you solo adventurers and co-op enjoyers too!

• Great Rune Buffs: Mohg's and Malenia's Great Runes have been significantly improved. Mohg's now has a longer duration for its bleed-powered buff when your spirit summons trigger it. Malenia's rune reduces the healing penalty from the Flask of Crimson Tears and increases the heal-on-hit effect. This is huge for sustain builds!

• Craftable Ammo Boost: Arrows, bolts, and their great variants crafted at sites of grace now have higher attack power. Bow builds, rejoice!

• Weapon & Seal Scaling: Several staves (Albinauric, Gelmir Glintstone, Prince of Death's) and sacred seals (Golden Order, Clawmark, Dragon Communion) have received attribute scaling increases, opening up more hybrid build possibilities.

• Specific Armament Tweaks:

  • Troll Knight's Sword & Zamor Curved Sword: Damage increased.

  • Serpent-Hunter: Faster crouching attacks (useful even outside the Rykard fight!).

  • Ripple Blade & Ripple Crescent Halberd: Their Arcane-scaling status buildup has been decreased.

🐛 A Swarm of Bug Fixes Squashed

FromSoft has been busy hunting glitches. Some notable fixes:

• FP cost is now shown for Skills in the Ashes of War menu.

• Fixed the bug where Last Rites could damage you and your friends (awkward!).

• Critical hit exploits in the Colosseum have been addressed.

• Multiplayer stability improvements and countless menu/display bugs squashed.

• The Mimic's Veil should work properly online now—no more suspiciously large vases moving around.

Final Thoughts

This update is like the calm, focused breath a samurai takes before a duel—it's FromSoft meticulously preparing the foundation for the chaos of the Shadow of the Erdtree to come. The new features are fantastic QoL additions we've wanted for ages, and the balance changes, while sure to stir debate, feel like an attempt to till the soil for a healthier, more varied PvP ecosystem. It's a clear signal that the Lands Between are very much alive and being carefully tended to. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a date with five new hairstyles to try on and a rebalanced arsenal to test. See you all in the DLC! \[T]/

TL;DR for my fellow skimmers:

✅ 5 new hairs, "Recent Items" tab, better map/summoning pool controls.

✅ Torrent allowed for Elden Beast fight!

✅ Massive PvP rebalance: nerfs to meta skills, buffs to underused weapons.

✅ Buffs to Mohg's & Malenia's Great Runes & craftable ammo.

✅ Tons of bug fixes and stability improvements.

✅ The stage is perfectly set for the DLC. Hype is at an all-time high!