Elden Ring Patch addresses Graphics Cards but not Arcane Weapons.
Today’s patch contains an Elden Ring fix. This patch fixes an issue in the PC game that made it not recognize graphics cards and default to integrated graphics. It was less than ideal. Other problems such as “micro-stuttering” and odd frame rate drop persist. They seem to be a lot better than the launch version. The Elden Ring autosave should now be available to PlayStation 5 users. They used to manually “Quit Game” every time their console was in rest mode or turned off. Sure, there are some arcane issues, but none of these involve my Arcane issue — which is that many Arcane weapons in Eldenring aren’t scaling correctly.
Yes, this patch note news is being railroaded into my soapbox about an annoying bug that has slowed my efforts to build an Elden Ring Arcane. There will be MINOR SPOILERS as I discuss spells and weapons that aren’t working correctly. Below is the tweet that details the update 1.02.2. You will not receive additional patch notes other than “Fixed Other Bugs.”
However, I can confirm that the “other bugs” didn’t include a broken Arcane weapon — Rivers of Blood or the Marais Executioner’s Sword. This isn’t reassuring, mainly because I chose the Stonesword Key keepsake at Elden Ring. I was sent down a secret dungeon right at the beginning of the game (i.e., Inside the tutorial area, I found a Dragon Communion Seal. I used the magic focus to increase my Arcane character stat. This led me on a quest for non-combat abilities. It’s been quite disappointing to discover that Arcane weapons in late-game aren’t functioning right now.
As you can see, Arcane does not have combat utility such as Intelligence or Strength. It is the “luck” stat. It increases enemies’ drop rate of items. Unless you have a weapon that “scales” using Arcane, this is the top way to increase a weapon’s damage with Elden Ring, beyond simple upgrades. You see, upgrades only increase the fixed amount of damage to each weapon. Scaling increases that settled amount over time. Most weapons experience some scaling from stats such as Strength and Dexterity. This is also true for Intelligence (which boosts spells called sorceries or incantations) and Faith (which are usually reduced). Arcane is only available to a few items that specifically require it.
This makes it a little more difficult to build around the stat and a lot more fun. FromSoft has rewarded this esoteric endeavor with powerful late-game weapons that use Arcane (or Luck, as it was known in previous games). This is still true. An entire side quest is available in Elden Ring that involves Churches of Dragon Communion. To steal their power and hearts, you can hunt down dragon bosses spread across the game. These can be scaled with Arcane. Because I discovered a weapon that increases Dragon Incantations very early in my search, I immediately set out to collect them all.
You will still need a melee weapon to make the most out of this build. Arcane is a preferred weapon. These weapons can still be used. Reduvia, a fast-slicing knife, inflicts blood loss ( bleeding and poison) and fires coagulated blades. However, I prefer something with more power. One of the Legendary Armaments that are hidden in the Lands Between. Something similar to the Marai Executioner’s Sword.
This was a prize I had to fight for in one of the most challenging boss battles I have ever experienced. The greatsword is also a beast. The theory is true, at least. However, the “Legendary Armament,” which has a fantastic telekinetic drill attack, does more damage per hit than the quicker, easier-to-find Reduvia of the same level. The Marais Executioner’s Sword has zero scales at the moment, just like many Arcane-focused weapons. The section that shows the base damage number with a small “+” (indicating how much additional damage you get from scaling) is missing. The entire equipment menu is empty. These supposed powerful and attractive weapons are now laughably weak.
This is a real bummer. This is also a problem I haven’t heard much about compared to the performance issues. Elden Ring remains a great game. It still allows me to set other personal goals and then follow them through. Sadly, I cannot see the first achievement I had for myself after 140 hours of playing the game. It’s not the way that I want. I hope the Arcane scaling issue is addressed soon. Perhaps just in time for my next playthrough.
