Over 2 Years Later, Elden Ring Finally Fixed Its Most Annoying Issue

screenrant.com:

For over two years, a relatively minor but ultimately significant issue plagued , but the game's most recent patch has finally addressed it. The expansion was confirmed to be the only DLC in the works for FromSoftware's latest RPG, but that hasn't stopped the studio from making continued changes to the game. Balance adjustments were the primary changes in 's version 1.13 patch, mostly bringing overdue changes to Spirit Ash Summons and tweaks to various Ashes of War, but perhaps the most relieving part of the patch concerns Torrent.

Since the game was released in February 2022, a UI interaction has resulted in countless deaths when players attempted to re-summon Torrent after the spectral steed's health had been reduced in battle. The Tarnished's most loyal companion requires the use of a Flask of Crimson Tears to return to battle, and so players don't accidentally waste this precious resource, provides a prompt to make sure players are willing to accept the trade. While it's an understandable safety net, the menu has heretofore defaulted to the "" option, requiring a second button press in the heat of battle.

Elden Ring is a staggeringly large, nearly perfect culmination of everything FromSoftware has developed since the release of Demon's Souls.

Among the long list of changes in the 1.13 patch notes on the Bandai Namco website is the crucial change to how the Spectral Steed Whistle works. If Torrent has been killed, and the player attempts to use the Spectral Steed Whistle to re-summon him to the fight, "" on the menu that asks for confirmation. This won't save players more than a split-second most likely, but such thin margins can be the difference between death and survival in a game that has such fine-tuned combat.

As a spectral being, Torrent can't actually be killed in combat. The Surging Frenzied Flame item description suggests the Frenzied Flame is the only thing that can permanently destroy spirits: " "

Aside from needing Torrent to efficiently traverse