Elden Ring Update Prepares It For Ray Tracing And Possible DLC
In November 2021, FromSoftware revealed that ray tracing would be added in a post-launch patch to Elden Ring. Nearly an entire year later, it looks like support is finally arriving as the newest update has added menu strings relating to the feature.
One string reads, "Enabling ray tracing will lock performance settings to prioritize quality. The ray tracing setting will only be applied after returning to the title menu." Not only is ray tracing underway but, expectedly, it looks as though it's coming with two or more modes, one for performance and one for quality. That's quickly becoming the current-gen standard.
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These strings were uncovered by @sennoutantei on Twitter along with a few other finds. Firstly, there are two previously cut incantation books that are no longer marked with [ERROR] messages meaning that they might return to Elden Ring at some point in the future. There were also four new empty entries added to the loading screen text which could either be "cut content expunged from the files" or a hint that "upcoming DLC has new mechanics worth loading screen tips".
There's further evidence of upcoming DLC in the new update files with references being found to two maps that don't exist in the game data. We could see a DLC launch alongside the ray tracing update, though right now it's purely speculation as FromSoftware hasn't officially announced DLC or the release date for the ray tracing patch.
In the meantime, there are ways to play Elden Ring with ray tracing, though you'll need a beefy PC rig. Back in March, modders added RTX support along with "more details, more AO, better reflections, better shadows, [and] optional
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