While the PC port suffered from a suite ofperformance issues that saw the game debut with mixed review scoreson Steam, FromSoftware’s titanic 2022 effortElden Ringis otherwise a reliably stable experience. That said, fans have come across a few glitches which, though far from game-breaking, make the use of certain weapons and incantations much less intuitive than intended. Fortunately, a well-known Soulsborne YouTuber wasted no time in getting to the bottom of these bugs, procuring an answer to the problems plaguing the now-notorious Death’s Poker weapon.
On April 18, established FromSoftware fanatic Zullie The Witch uploaded a YouTube video explaining the strange lag some users have reported while using the Death’s Poker.Arguably one of the best weapons inElden Ring, the Death’s Poker greatsword can be found in Caelid’s southern regions not far from Redmane Castle. It’s capable of inflicting frost damage and bears the Ghostflame Ignition Ash of War, which is incredibly powerful if used during opportune moments. However, many players have found that, when used in close-range combat encounters, it’s strangely slow and seems to cause odd lag issues.
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Zullie the Witch elucidates that every melee weapon inElden Ringadheres to a mechanic known as hitstop. This mechanic mandates that weapons pause for a very brief period when colliding with enemies, thereby offering the impression of a collision. While it offers no specific gameplay benefit, it adds a sense of weight to the game’s weapons. It’s one of the many minute systems found inElden Ringthat contributes to the game’s impressive level of detail and polish.
Unfortunately, this hitstop mechanic seems to have gone a bit haywire in regard to the Death’s Poker. In short, the Ghostflame Ignition Ash of War seems to trigger hitstop with each tick of damage dealt, meaning that, when interacting with an enemy, the weapon causes a strange lag as it attempts to feign the feedback of a melee strike when it isn’t necessary. While Ghostflame Ignition is one ofElden Ring’s best Ashes of War, it’s a bit of a drag to use in its current state.
Given its size and scope,Elden Ringis a relatively airtight experience, though a few other glitches gained notoriety in the weeks following the title’s release, and one of the most notorious caused aWeeping Peninsula runebear to sink through the groundafter the player broke out of its grab attack. Others involved strange PvP anomalies, and others still have been put to good use, allowing speedrunners to shave significant amounts of time from their runs.
Elden Ringis available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
