It’s time again for an outline of 6 combat items introduced in the DLC that are hard to put down. From a new weapon to a new armor set, they offer things that no previous item did, filling out new niches and creating PvP chaos. It’s important players understand which new items are as powerful as they look. They are making waves, rising to prominence as peerless combat tools, or giving you powers you never knew you wanted.
In this list, I have analyzed some of the most used DLC items to understand what makes them a superior addition to your Elden Ring fantasy. Enjoy!
New Weapon: Backhand Blades
This weapon shares its name with the new weapon category it’s a part of: Backhand Blades. It has infested PvP and PvE highlight reels, for good reason. It’s like dual Curved Swords on crack. It has good damage, shockingly low weight, extreme mobility, and spontaneous speed. It’s the most seamless combo weapon out there alongside Milady. Regular attacks chain into Ash of War attacks so rapidly and the running R1 doesn’t even interrupt your sprint. That alone is a game-changer for running down enemy players.
These default Backhand Blades are heaven-sent to dexterity players, appearing right at the start of the DLC. It comes with a brilliant Ash of War already attached, Blindspot. This ability is an instant dodge and a startling stab attack in one. Dark Souls 3 players have pointed out it’s so much stronger than its older counterpart. For a move to be so tricky and damaging at the same time is fairly busted.
Elden Ring has always contained some tyrannical dexterity weapons. Bloodhound’s Fang, Rivers of Blood, and Scavenger’s Curved Sword are all nimble weapons that have been abused for their status affliction and relentless aggression. Backhand Blades joins the list as a spammable weapon, paired with Bloodflame Blade or Blood Grease for insane damage output. Expect Bleed mobs and running attacks.
Swift Slash is the second deft and tricky AoW unique to backhand blades. It’s also causing the most uproar for being overpowered in PvP. *Edit: recently nerfed as of Patch 1.12.3, decreasing damage and stagger. But it’s still powerful and noob-friendly due to its fundamental strengths. It’s a super-quick dashing slash, followed by a storm of cuts similar to Waterfowl Dance. The mixture of unpunishable speed and massive hitbox on this attack makes it a spammable pain in the arse.
This ability is quite specific to acquire, yet still, PvPers should expect to see it everywhere. The blades are unpunishable enough, but this AoW ups the ante and even has a lot of innate mobility. It’s not that difficult to avoid but rather difficult to counter or play into.
New Armor: Rakshasa Set
This armor set is powerful in a way no other is. It has a special effect that reminds me of Ghost of Tsushima: it buffs your attack power but lacks damage negation. They’re modest modifiers by themselves, but Elden Ring stats multiply each other.
Every piece of the armor contributes to the effect, totaling 4%. It’s a great addition for players that need to stack as much damage as possible. This is relevant to challenge runs and instant kill builds seeking to break the game, and plenty of long-range nuke abilities benefit from this kind of damage tradeoff. The Scorpion Charms and Deathbird items that boost your damage at critical health already exist for this trade-off, so put it all together if you’re looking for record damage.
But this armor also performs well in pressured situations. Stacking damage on nifty abilities is also an excellent way to approach PvP. Elden Ring PvP is mostly a contest of damage rather than defense. New attacks are still taking players by surprise, so now is the best time to use the armor to control the battlefield.
The set also gets points for looking cool. It’s made of stark metal spattered with blood that suits its purpose and lore. Its design seems inspired by Sir Alonne, the samurai knight from Dark Souls 2, and for players who would like a heavier samurai getup, it’s your best option. It has a nice east-west synthesis going on.
New Weapon: Rellana’s Twin Blades
This powerful Int/Faith weapon is even better than the mighty Sword of Night and Flame. It’s an elegant dual Light Greatsword with an elemental Ash of War very similar to that sword. Entering a special Moon-and-Fire Stance, R1 unleashes a hail of projected magical blades. R2 unleashes an infernal whirlwind that traps enemies in Messmer’s flame.
These moves reflect just how powerful the boss, Rellana, is. Each AoW technique is a super move in its own right, but you get to pick and choose which is best for the situation. The magic attack has greater reach and superior single damage, while the fire attack is more immediate with superior group damage. Free access to both magic and fire is no joke either, as you get more opportunities to exploit enemy weaknesses.
The moveset is as you’d expect from Light Greatswords. Crisp, elegant looking, and with a nice mixture of thrusting and slicing attacks. But as it’s a unique double weapon, it also has a different dual moveset altogether. It’s more ferocious and forward, akin to Rellana.
The waiting Stance itself has a very cool elemental look, and for a good reason. While Stance animations are usually seen as delays that you need to get through for a powerful attack, Rellana’s Cameo changes incentives. It’s a Talisman that buffs the damage of your attack if you hold the Stance longer than usual. This pairs excellently with Rellana’s Twin Blades, as Moon-and-Fire Stance is a scary attack with good reach, so the wait is worth it.
Related: 7 Craziest Abilities Shaking Up the Game in Shadow of the Erdtree
New Weapon: Greatsword of Damnation
Of all new weapons, the Greatsword of Damnation should probably be nerfed. To begin with, it’s a strong Strength/Faith Greatsword that borrows Claymore’s R2 thrust. This attack pattern has much more utility. Pierce is a great source of damage due to the Counterattack bonus it has against attacking enemies. This is more pronounced in PvP, where opponents are attacking all the time, and the reach of thrusts catches them off.
This weapon’s AoW, Golden Crux, is exceptional because it’s a devastating grab attack. It traps players in a massively damaging grab animation on contact. The grab looks gnarly, gives the attacker immunity during the animation, and it’s really hard to dodge. It often catches players at an unreasonable distance from impact, suggesting its hitbox needs a fix. Such a brutal attack should not be so easy to hit.
There’s only one other grab attack in the game, Inescapable Frenzy, and it’s worse than this one in every respect. It’s an Incantation, its range is extremely short, and it misses often. Golden Crux has good leaping range, it’s a spammable AoW, and when it misses it follows into a ground attack. Such grabs don’t work against enemies but against player opponents, this weapon is a menace.
New Ash of War: Savage Lion’s Claw
This punchy Ash of War is a straight upgrade of Lion’s Claw, which was already very useful. It was the cornerstone of so many Strength builds because it’s smashing and almost impossible to interrupt. It has good reach, damage, stance damage, and poise, and it comes out fast. And it has a pancake effect so it will put light mobs and players down on the ground. For PvE, Lion’s Claw is adored as the best source of free damage and pressure in the game. In PvP, it’s no slouch, as the windup can throw players off balance, and it can tank through spells.
The ‘savage’ variant adds two more leaping strikes to the attack as an optional follow-up. It’s not exactly inventive, but Lion’s Claw is such a working man’s AoW that this upgrade is a no-brainer. Using the follow-up is less safe, but it will destroy enemies while they’re down and surprise players.
This surprise is no joke. Because the initial strike looks identical to Lion’s Claw, players will struggle to predict the follow-up, especially if you delay it. Even if you know about the new move it’s hard to distinguish them. The full attack might very well blend them to death.
Whether you can make epic plays or not, Savage Lion’s Claw is an upgrade of an AoW that was already on top. It has the full ease of use of its predecessor with additional flexibility and damage potential. It should be feared and expected on the battlefield.
New Armor: Solitude Set
The Solitude Set armor is a beautiful defense kit. It’s a super-heavy armor with damage negation and poise akin to Lionel’s Armor and the Bullgoat Armor. That alone makes it armor to look out for in the community. But it’s become appreciated as the best-looking armor in its class, and it can be accessed at the very start of the DLC
While armor sets with similar utility look bloated and chunky, this one has a far sleeker and sharper finish. It’s way more aesthetically pleasing and knight-like. The cape and helm look gorgeous, and the accompanying Greatsword is a nice match. Because the limb pieces appear very compact for their weight class, they’re a great option to mix with other sets for a significant defense boost that doesn’t sacrifice fashion. For players who have long sacrificed their resilience to avoid looking fat and ugly, this armor is a savior. It will influence your armor choices whether or not you can wear the full set.
Armor like this serves as the essential difference between a miserable playthrough and a triumphant one. Elden Ring enemies are notorious for their damage output, and the DLC only emphasizes this. Surely, the armor’s placement at the beginning of Shadow of the Erdtree was no mistake. It’s a tool to make the game fundamentally more manageable in its most unfair moments, especially for less capable players. The olive branch is working because they’re gravitating to the Solitude Set en masse.
The armor difference is even more essential in PvP. Players are at the cutting edge of damage output, and other defense options like talismans are nerfed heavily. With limited healing and hectic player mobs around every corner, survivability takes on a new meaning. So some of the faces of the PvP community have adopted this armor eagerly as their new default, and it’s risky to put it down. What’s more, the armor offers extremely high Focus. Focus is the Resistance stat that governs how resistant you are to Sleep and Chaos afflictions. These are most prevalent in PvP, and no other heavy armor has a comparable Focus. This makes the Solitude Set an undeniable PvP mainstay.
Overall this armor is resounding in both form and function.
The Guide Hall continues exploring every nook and cranny in Elden Ring and Shadow of the Erdtree. We’ll have more from the Shadow Lands and Lands Between soon!