Today is the day. Elden Ring has finally received its first round of new content in a PvP-focused update that opens up three colosseums. These colosseums have long been suspected of being potential DLC, and today they open their doors to offer Tarnished a new way to hone their skills in The Lands Between.
In addition to colosseums in Limgrave, Caelid, and Leyndell, update 1.08 also brings a new balance pass to get Elden Ring ready for its dedicated PvP game modes. Specifically for PvP, Elden Ring has reduced thrusting sword counterattack damage, guard efficiency when attacking with shields up for some weapon types, and reduced poise damage for straight swords, thrusting swords, heavy thrusting swords, curved swords, axes, spears, twinblade swords, and katanas. The spell Carian Slicer has also had its power nerfed, as has the poise damage of the incantation Bestial Sling.
Balance adjustments both inside and out of PvP include increased speed and reach for attacks with daggers, axes, hammers, and dual-wielding flails, increased speed and reduced recovery time for some attacks with a two-handed twinblade, reapers, fists, and claws, increased poise when attacking with a two-handed hammer, and slightly increased speed of crouching and rolling attacks with colossal swords. Thrusting and heavy thrusting swords have had their crouching attack speed nerfed, poise damage has been reduced from hammers, great hammers, and some colossal weapons, and dual-handed heavy thrusting swords have had their stagger damage reduced from jumping attacks.
Update 1.08 has introduced at least one bug that PvPers should be aware of. As noted by Reddit user CE94, "using a thrusting sword in the offhand will make every weapon have crouch poke." You can see this in action in the video above. This will certainly catch some Tarnished by surprise, so watch out for it.
Elden Ring's update 1.08 is out now on all platforms.