Stop hugging the lady in Elden Ring, it’s bad for you

One Elden Ring NPC isn't quite as benevolent as she might seem.

You would think calling a character ‘Fia the Deathbed Companion’ is warning enough to keep your distance. Not so. Most players have been encountering Fia right after their first real boss fight, with Margit the Fell Omen. She resides in the Roundtable Hold, a safe zone that’s home to merchants and a blacksmith, and in which players have apparently been letting their guard down.

Fia is flattering and forward - asking if the “great champion” will let her hold them, just for a moment. But afterwards, players will notice the new red square on their UI, with a descending arrow that signifies a 5% hit to their vitality.

Thankfully, it’s easily dealt with - Fia’s hug also bestows a consumable called Baldachin’s Blessing, which temporarily increases Poise and removes the curse. A quickly-learned lesson on getting intimate with strangers in a strange land, all via  VG247.

You can’t help but wonder how George R.R. Martin is getting on with all this. The writer provided Elden Ring’s backstory, but had no hand in its NPCs and dialogue, so much of the game is a mystery to him too.

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