What you need to know
- Elden Ring patch 1.05 has been deployed, and it brings NG+ changes, performance improvements, and tons of bug fixes.
- The update allows players to keep using unlocked Bell Bearings when they begin a NG+ cycle, fixes an exploit with the Pulley Crossbow, removes the Ice Spear Ash of War's ability to bypass shields, and removes "chain casting."
- The patch also makes Elden Ring run much better on all platforms, improves loading times on Xbox, makes multiplayer more stable on PlayStation, and adds a Quit to Desktop option on PC.
After nearly two months since the previous 1.04 update for Elden Ring was released, Bandai Namco and FromSoftware have launched patch 1.05 for the game on Xbox, PlayStation, and PC. The update is primarily focused on fixing bugs and improving performance, though there a small number of interesting balance and quality of life changes included in the patch as well.
Arguably the biggest change included in the patch is an adjustment to how Elden Ring's Bell Bearings work. These rare items allow players to buy infinite amounts of upgrade materials and other useful crafting supplies when given to the Twin Maiden Husks in Roundtable Hold, but whenever players began a new NG+ cycle in Elden Ring, all collected Bell Bearings would reset and they would need to be found again in the new playthrough. Patch 1.05 has updated this system so that Bell Bearings persist into NG+ cycles and don't have to be reobtained, which is a great quality of life change.
The update also fixed a glitch with the Pulley Crossbow weapon that allowed players to apply the effects of buffs given to their right-handed weapon to their off-hand crossbow. These buff effects, when stacked with bolts that built up the same status effect (ex. Sleep, Poison, Scarlet Rot), allowed players to inflict these status effects in PvP significantly faster than intended. Another bug fix that has a significant impact on balance is the update's Ice Spear Ash of War change, which stopped it from being able to perform unguardable attacks. While this was a glitch, it made Ice Spear one of the only strong PvP counters to high guard boost greatshields. Elden Ring's "chain casting" glitch that allowed players to cast fast spells and then quickly cast slower ones directly afterwards has also been removed.
Some other notable additions and changes in the update include an option to directly Quit to Desktop in the PC version, faster loading times for Xbox consoles, stability improvements for multiplayer between PS4 and PS5, and a fix for an issue that occasionally caused the Malenia, Blade of Miquella boss to start her second phase with critically low health.
Overall, it's good to see Elden Ring get some much-needed improvements to its overall stability, and the changes to Bell Bearings in NG+ cycles is nice, too. However, it's unfortunate that there were almost no balance changes or fixes for critical exploits in patch 1.05, such as the infamous Glintstone Crown health regeneration bug. Hopefully Bandai Namco and FromSoftware deploy an update that addresses balance and exploits soon, as Elden Ring PvP isn't in the greatest state right now.
Elden Ring is finally here, and it's available for $60 on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, and PC. It's one of the best Xbox games you can play right now if you're a fan of challenging RPGs, and we strongly recommend it.
