Numerous Elden Ring secrets and hidden mechanics are built into the game - not just treasure chests behind waterfalls and oblique meanings to statements made by NPCs, but elements to gameplay that you might not have ever thought about, and Elden Ring isn't quick to mention. Did you know that weather effects magic? That falling leaves mean something good? Or how a horse can make you immortal?
Elden Ring's gameplay was already layered, but these secret mechanics make it all the more nuanced and clever. Not only that, but these systems can be used to ensure you're all the more powerful, if you're clever about how they're used. With that in mind, here's 10 of the best Elden Ring secrets that you (probably) didn't know - and how you can use them to your advantage in combat.
1. Weather affects your spell damage
We've discussed it on 12DOVE before, but it bears repeating - spell damage changes with the weather. Specifically, the one that seems to have an impact is rain: if it's pouring torrents on your Torrent, fire damage will be reduced, but lightning damage will go up! It's only a 10% change either way, but it's a cute quirk that can still make the difference in long-term fights, especially for those who have a lot of spells to choose from.
2. Mounting your horse makes you briefly invulnerable
Much like how combat rolls give you a brief window of invincibility, so does summoning Torrent with the Steed Whistle. It's very quick, but there's a moment in the animation when your character is getting onto Torrent where they'll take no damage! Applied carefully you can use this to avoid fatal damage from single strikes, even in boss fights like the Fire Giant.
3. Big enemies inflict friendly fire damage
You might've noticed that some enemies can inflict friendly fire on enemies, while others don't, and there's a reason for that: size. For some reason, anything notably bigger than you is considered either a lumbering oaf or uncaring killer, and will deal damage on any other enemy caught in their attacks - including the equally big ones. The giant swamp crabs, the lumbering trolls, any colossal dragon - these can all kill their allies as easily as they kill you. Ride around on Torrent and you can potentially bait them into bludgeoning each other - it won't aggro them against their teammates, but damage is still damage either way.
4. Gold leaves falling at night improves your Rune farming
There's a chance at night that players will get a rare weather effect with gold leaves drifting down from the sky, even when there's no tree immediately overhead. That's not just aesthetic - the blessing of the Erdtree means that players will get a small increase to Runes earned from killing enemies while this is happening.
5. Lightning attacks that hit water radiate outwards
This can potentially be either an advantage or a threat, depending on who's doing the casting. Any lightning spell or attack that hits a watery surface (such when you're exploring Liurnia of the Lakes) will have a little bonus effect where electricity damage radiates outwards from that contact point in a circle. It doesn't go too far, a few metres or so, but it means that a single lightning bolt can hit multiple close opponents, or any bolt that misses your target might get it anyway. Keep in mind that this can work against you as much as for you - from what we gather these radiating electric circles never hurt the caster, but that doesn't mean a crafty foe can't zap you with their own expanding shockwaves.
6. Combo attacks stack damage, some more than others
Every weapon has a standard combo achieved by mashing R1/RB, but these combos actually increase in power the longer you can keep them going! It's not a huge difference, but each hit does an extra few bits of damage, and some weapons increase the damage more than others. Try them out and see which of your favourites stacks up more!
7. The Quickstep and Bloodhound's Step Weapon Arts are great for getting through swamps and lava
A lot of speedrunners and pro players are using this one, but the Quickstep Weapon Art and improved version, the Bloodhound Step, cause players to do a little rapid hop or teleport. They're not better than sprinting in most cases, as they drain FP, but if you're trapped in one of Miyazaki's poison swamps or up to your ankles in lava, both of which slow your character down, you can still move rapidly through them by quickstepping! Just hop through them and swig a Flask of Cerulean Tears at the end to get your FP back.
8. The fire-spewing pillars in catacombs can be taken down from a distance
If you've explored many catacombs and dungeons, you've probably seen the raised pillars with imps spitting fire down corridors in regular intervals. You probably also know that a good hit with a sword or hammer will cause them to retract into the floor - but it doesn't have to be a melee weapon! As obvious as it sounds, a damaging spell or arrow shot sent down the hall will cause them to recline into the floor as effectively as any blade, so you don't ever need to risk getting burned by the fire on the approach.
9. Rolling through poison swamps will make things a lot worse
Back to the poison swamps - standing in them is bad enough, so it's the instinct of every player to start rolling through them, trying to get out as fast as they can. Bad idea! Rolling in swamps coats your character head to toe in that poison, so that you'll continue to take the status affliction for a while ever after leaving the swamp itself. Use the Quickstep method above or look for stepping stones in the ooze to give yourself a chance to recover your health.
10. You can escape grab attacks faster by mashing the trigger buttons
This has been a secret thing in Souls games for a while, but it's true here too. If an enemy gets you in a grab attack, start furiously mashing either R1/L1 or RB/LB, depending on your controller (it seems that any action buttons work, but these are easiest to rapid-press). You won't break out immediately, but grab attacks that do multiple instances of damage will release you sooner than they would have. If one of the rolling iron maidens pulls you inside, it's time to thrash and mash.
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