Elden Ring surprise 1.12 update makes huge change to final boss: Full patch notes

FromSoftware has made a ton of tweaks to Elden Ring courtesy of the 1.12 update, and alongside buffs, nerfs, and gameplay adjustments, the final boss has undergone a shocking change.

Elden Ring is back in 2024 to wreak havoc with the long-awaited Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. With content rightfully being praised around the world, Shadow of the Erdtree continues the legacy of Elden Ring. Now, less than a day before launch, 1.12 update makes a whole host of changes to Elden Ring, including to the final boss.

This change comes as a shock to many, so let’s rifle through the patch notes, Tarnished, to find out what’s changing in the Lands Between.

Everything included in Elden Ring’s 1.12 update (June 20)

You’re getting more help against the Elden Beast

In a bold move, the developer decided to add a “new feature to summon spectral steed during the Elden Beast boss battle.”

This means once you have overcome Radagon of the Golden Order and moved onto the second phase—the Elden Beast—you can summon Torrent to ride around the arena.

One of the biggest frustrations with the fight is how the Elden Beast can easily maneuver away from you and create a huge distance. The ability to summon Torrent is a game-changing addition and should help players struggling with the final fight close the gap faster.

Crucial PvP changes

The ongoing battle to make PvP as competitive as it can be in Elden Ring continues with the 1.12 update, too. A ton of adjustments and tweaks were made to weapons, including changing poise damage from Greatswords, Greataxes, Hammers, Halberds, Katanas, and Spears.

The patch also makes adjustments to Baldachin’s Blessing and Radiant Baldachin’s Blessing to increase the Poise value and Physical damage negation in PvP.

Finally, in the colosseum, the crafted consumable items you use during the battle will be replenished the end of your session. This is a great timesaver and sure to help you save on supplies.

New summon changes and extra map features

There are also new summoning pool features and extra Map Functions added to the game’s map screen.

Firstly, Summoning Pools now carry over to New Game Plus (a nice bonus), and “individual Summoning Pools can now be enabled / disabled in the newly added Map Functions Menu.” These are positive changes that will be welcomed by those who enjoy summoning and being summoned.

There are also new Map Functions that likely include quality of life enhancements, but the exact nature of these changes isn’t yet known. Elden Ring should receive a nice sales boost with the DLC, and improvements to the map and menu are bound to aid newcomers.

A whole host of tweaks, fixes & general improvements

On top of everything else, Elden Ring 1.12 makes further improvements and changes to many more aspects of the game: Weapons in general, Skills, adjustments to the Steam version, and the usual list of big fixes.

You can check out every change made in the complete FromSoftware Elden Ring 1.12 patch notes.