Following the landmark release of the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion last month, FromSoftware has remained diligently at work, deploying its latest update, patch 1.18, for the base Elden Ring experience. This patch, arriving in 2026, continues the developer's post-launch support tradition, focusing primarily on refining gameplay balance and eliminating persistent bugs, though it notably stops short of addressing the broader performance concerns that have lingered for some PC players since the DLC's launch.

While Shadow of the Erdtree was met with widespread critical acclaim, its PC debut was marred by reports of inconsistent frame rates and lag spikes. These technical hurdles initially led to a mixed reception on platforms like Steam. Although user ratings have since recovered to a 'mostly positive' status, a segment of the community continues to report instability. The studio acknowledges these ongoing issues in the latest patch notes but stops short of a comprehensive fix. For now, FromSoftware's primary recommendation for affected PC users remains to verify that Ray Tracing is disabled, as it may be enabling itself automatically for some, a known culprit for performance degradation.

The core of Update 1.18 is a substantial list of targeted adjustments and corrections. A significant portion is dedicated to PvP-exclusive balance changes, ensuring a fairer competitive landscape in the Lands Between. Furthermore, general balance tweaks have been implemented. For instance, the Carian Sorcery Sword has seen its Intelligence scaling increased while receiving a slight reduction to its base damage, a change aimed at rewarding dedicated spellsword builds. Weapons like the Smithscript Dagger and Smithscript Cirque have also received quality-of-life improvements, with their throwing attack range being extended.

Bug fixes are plentiful and address a wide array of unintended behaviors. Several issues with weapon skills have been resolved:

• The Rolling Sparks skill no longer deals unexpectedly high damage.

• A bug preventing Rolling Sparks and Wall of Sparks from dealing damage under certain special effect conditions has been fixed.

• Problems with skill inheritance from right-handed weapons when cast with the left hand (affecting skills like Feeble Lord's Frenzy Flame and Discus Hurl) have been corrected.

Weapon-specific anomalies have also been cleaned up. The Lightning and Frenzyflame Perfume Bottles will no longer deal double damage in specific scenarios. The Bloodfiend's Arm weapon had its unintendedly high Arcane scaling when setting an affinity corrected, and the status buildup of its heavy attack was reduced. Similarly, the Faith scaling for the Gazing Finger weapon is now applied correctly. Several Smithscript weapons and the Golem Fist, which had higher-than-intended affinities, have been adjusted to their proper values.

Boss encounters have received attention as well. Players engaging in re-fights against the formidable Golden Hippopotamus and Commander Gaius will now find them positioned identically to the first encounter, removing an unexpected variable. Furthermore, the Golden Hippopotamus's unblockable bite attack has been adjusted to not connect with players as easily as it did before. A peculiar bug causing enemies to heal when the HP reduction effect from the Black Knife Tiche spirit ash wore off has been squashed. The patch also fixes bugs related to stamina consumption on Thrusting Shields, attack recovery cancels for Backhand Blades, and unexpected damage animations from the Fire Knight's Greatsword.

For players encountering technical issues, the patch notes include platform-specific guidance. PlayStation 5 users experiencing an unstable framerate are advised to use the "Rebuild Database" option from the console's safe mode. PC players who see the "Inappropriate activity detected" message without engaging in cheating are instructed to verify the integrity of the game's files through their client (Steam, Epic Games Store, etc.) before restarting. The current application version is 1.12.3, with Regulation Ver. 1.12.4 governing game balance. Players on all platforms (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S) should ensure they are logged into the game's servers to download the latest regulation file; if the title screen doesn't show "Ver. 1.12.4," selecting LOGIN is necessary to apply the update.

This patch underscores FromSoftware's commitment to polishing the Elden Ring experience years after its initial release. While the community still hopes for a more robust solution to the PC version's performance quirks, the continuous flow of balance and bug-fix updates demonstrates an ongoing dedication to the game's health and its massive player base. The studio's approach remains one of meticulous, incremental improvement, ensuring that the foundation of their award-winning title remains as solid as ever for both new Tarnished and seasoned veterans.