Elden Ring patch nerfs the infamous Rivers of Blood, expands summoning

polygon.com:

Elden Ring developer FromSoftware released a new update for its open-world action RPG on Tuesday, fixing a long list of bugs and making numerous balance changes. Those changes include nerfs to the Rivers of Blood sword’s Corpse Piler skill and the Bloodhound’s Step Ash of War — two elements of Elden Ring PvP you may have been very annoyed by over the past six months — and buffs to heavy weapons.

Patch 1.06 for Elden Ring also adds something new: the ability to send summon signs to summoning pools in multiple areas, including “distant areas,” FromSoftware says in the game’s newest patch notes. Players can now help friends and strangers from far away, or invade their enemies in a larger area if they see fit.

For players who play Elden Ring offline, the patch also brings a change to part of White Mask Varre’s questline, letting players battle a new NPC instead of fighting other Tarnished in multiplayer. (Varre’s quest previously required three invasions and access to online multiplayer servers.)

PvP enthusiasts should expect to see fewer instances of Bloodhound Step and Rivers of Blood, as both tactics are now less effective. Patch 1.06 decreases the travel distance and the number of invincibility frames when using Bloodhound’s Step — the closest thing Elden Ring had to a teleportation move — and further reduces its performance when used continuously. A close equivalent, the skill Quickstep, has been given a bit of a boost, though its performance is also reduced when used continuously.

Finally, pour some blood out for the Corpse Piler weapon skill, the default skill for the Rivers of Blood katana. FromSoftware has decreased Corpse Piler’s damage and the bleed build-up of the spraying blood attack, but damage done with the