Elden Ring DLC’s 1.14 balance patch hits the final boss with nerfs we all saw coming

What you need to know

• Nearly three months after the launch of Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, developer FromSoftware has released a new 1.14 update that makes a variety of balance changes to the base game and the expansion.
• The highlight of the patch notes is a series of nerfs made to Shadow of the Erdtree’s final boss, including attack hitbox tweaks, damage and stamina damage reductions, shorter ranges on certain moves, and less cluttered visual effects to improve clarity.
• Additionally, FromSoftware has also nerfed power stanced Spears and the Backhand Blades in PvP, made initial uncharged heavy attacks faster for most weapon movesets, and more.
• For the full 1.14 patch notes, make sure you read the section towards the end of this article.

In a new 1.14 update for its award-winning Soulsborne action RPG Elden Ring and its acclaimed Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, developer FromSoftware has made a multitude of balance changes and adjustments to the game. The patch is available to download now on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One consoles, Windows PC, PS5, and PS4 systems, and installing it is a requirement if you plan to play online.

I’ve pasted the full patch notes in the section at the end of this article, but by far, the highlight of the update is a series of nerfs given to Shadow of the Erdtree’s final boss (spoilers follow on that page, so click with caution). Specifically, the developers have made it less immediately aggressive at the start of its fight, adjusted the hitboxes of certain attacks, lowered some of its damage and stamina damage, reduced the range of some of its non-weapon moves, and toned down some of its visual effects to improve combat clarity.

Frankly, these nerfs are not surprising at all, as even many of the most skilled Tarnished in the Lands Between and Land of Shadow agree that the DLC’s final boss has been overtuned since the expansion launched in late June. What did surprise me, though, is that it took this long for adjustments like these to come; it’s been nearly three months since release, after all, and FromSoftware was quick to tweak a few bosses in Elden Ring’s base game back when it came out in early 2022.

The rest of the patch is largely pretty unremarkable, as it primarily consists of minor balance changes and some small bugfixes. Another big note from the update, however, is that the damage output of Spear weapons dual-wielded with power stancing has been lowered against other players — a sizable nerf to what’s been one of the best Elden Ring builds for PvP since the game’s launch. The player damage of the popular DLC Backhand Blades weapon got a reduction, too, though this notably doesn’t apply to the Smithscript Cirque that’s in the same weapon class.