Elden Ring has had multiple weapons, ashes of war, and spells that got nerfed since the game’s release. The community and the developers thought these were too overpowered, which is why they were made less powerful and effective.
Swarm of Flies
The Swarm of Flies is a blood incantation that seeks an enemy, damaging, stunning, and dealing blood loss to them. It’s very effective when used correctly whether you’re fighting other players online or the most powerful bosses in the game.
Its blood loss build-up eventually got nerfed. However, its damage and stagger capabilities still make it a powerful incantation.
Ash of War: Barricade Shield
The Barricade Shield Ash of War is great for shield users. It boosts your guard rating by 40% for five seconds. This is great for blocking enemy combos without compromising health and stamina.
However, this Ash of War used to be more effective. Its duration used to be 15 seconds instead of five, and it used to cost less FP.
Ash of War: Glintstone Pebble
The Glinstone Pebble Ash of War used to have one major difference from its sorcery counterpart: the Ash of War variation used to stun enemies. This allowed users to quickly follow up the Ash of War with a powerful melee attack.
However, the Ash of War eventually got nerfed and its stagger damage got significantly reduced. It also deals less damage now. The Ash of War and the sorcery are now essentially similar, removing the incentive to equip this as an Ash of War rather than as a spell.
Ash of War: Bloody Slash
The Bloody Slash Ash of War is a great weapon art that can deal immense damage. However, it also takes out a bit of HP from the caster. Despite this, it’s a great trade-off given how powerful this Ash of War can be, even post-nerf.
Before this Ash of War got nerfed, it dealt more damage to the enemy and took out less health from the user. Its casting speed was also faster, making it harder to dodge in PvP.
Dragon King’s Cragblade
The Dragon King’s Cragblade is a weapon you can obtain by trading the Remembrance of the Dragonlord with Enia after defeating Dragonlord Placidusax. This weapon’s highlight is its Ash of War, the Thundercloud Form.
With this skill, the user becomes a red thundercloud, flying towards the enemy and thrusting down on them while the weapon is lightning-infused. It can also be charged to reach a greater distance. It’s a powerful Ash of War, but it was even more powerful before.
Its uncharged attack now deals less damage than before. Its casting time also got increased. These two changes make the skill way less effective, especially when dealing with other players in PvP.
Sword of Night and Flame
The Sword of Night and Flame is a legendary armament and one of the game’s most powerful weapons. It’s still relatively powerful when used today, but it used to be even more deadly before it got nerfed.
Its weapon skill, the Night-and-Flame Stance, allows its users to fire Night Comet and swing it around as it is set ablaze, hurling flames towards enemies. It is the ultimate weapon for Dex/Mage users and it is as powerful as it is aesthetically pleasing.
The Night-and-Flame weapon skill’s damage eventually got nerfed and reduced by 30%. Its pre-nerf version was powerful enough to wipe out bosses in just a few moments. Despite this, the weapon remains powerful enough to deal with players and PvE enemies. It may take longer to eliminate them now with this weapon alone, but it is by no means ineffective.
Ash of War: Hoarfrost Stomp
The Hoarfrost Stomp Ash of War is snappy, powerful, and inflicts frostbite. On top of these, it’s also easy to obtain. These factors make it a favorite among many players, especially speedrunners.
It might have been too effective as the developers felt the need to eventually nerf this Ash of War. It now deals less damage and more time to cast.
Hoarfrost Stomp may not be as good as it used to be, but it still remains one of the game’s most effective tools against enemies. It’s great for crowd control as well.
Mimic Tear
The Mimic Tear is a legendary Spirit Ash. It is undoubtedly one of the game’s most powerful Spirit Ashes. It was even powerful enough to defeat a lot of the game’s bosses on its own.
The developers eventually saw right through the overpowered capabilities of this Spirit Ash. It got nerfed so that its health and damage are no longer as high as they used to be.
Today, the Mimic Tear is still one of the game’s best Spirit Ashes. It can aid players in fighting bosses, singular or multiple, and it can wipe out hordes of small enemies effectively. It can no longer fight the game’s most powerful bosses on its own, though.
Bloodhound Step
The Bloodhound Step is a notoriously famous Ash of War due to its usefulness and its flashy characteristics. This allows players to “step” from one place to another, covering a significant distance and being invulnerable throughout the animation.
This makes the Bloodhound Step highly useful in moving away from enemies and attacks that cover a lot of ground. As useful as it may be in PvE, its very use makes it somewhat imbalanced in PvP as some players frequently spam it to get away from other players.
This overreliance prolongs PvP matches more than they have to as players spend more time chasing Bloodhound Step users rather than actually fighting them.
It eventually got nerfed so that it covers a shorter distance. It becomes less and less effective when it is used continuously, discouraging players from spamming it.
Rivers of Blood
Out of all the weapons in Elden Ring, perhaps the most infamous and divisive one is the Rivers of Blood. Players either love this weapon or they completely hate it. In truth, it is loved when the player is the one using it, and it is hated by those at the receiving end of it.
The main culprit of this is its weapon skill, the Corpse Piler. This fast-moving attack deals a lot of damage. It also inflicts blood loss way too rapidly. Those who can’t dodge away from this attack can have their HPs depleted in an instant.
In an effort to balance the game, FromSoftware eventually nerfed Rivers of Blood so that its weapon skill now deals less damage and blood loss. It’s still a remarkably powerful weapon, but it is no longer as overpowered as it used to be.
