In the last big Elden Ring update, version 1.03, Radahn-one of the major and most difficult bosses in From Software's latest-was nerfed. Before we get into them, it's important to note that the nerf details are not official Elden Ring update notes, but rather findings from the community after version 1.03 was released, as From Software doesn't like to release patch notes with details. What's interesting about all of this is that some of the Radahn nerfs were unintentional due to a bug. Let's talk about it, shall we?
Why was Elden Ring Radahn nerfed?
Even after his nerf, Radahn is really tough for some. Before the nerf he'd earned a reputation for being one of the hardest (and most memorable) bosses in the game by a long shot. Part of this was his large number of hard to dodge, one-shot kill attacks that were called unfair by some. However, before we go into detail, let's get the version 1.03 nerfs out of the way:
- 40% smaller hitboxes.
- 10% less attack damage.
- Gravity projectiles have been slowed, including phase 1 homing arrows. You can outrun them on your horse now.
- Meteors can also be outrun now. Homing has been reduced and they deal much less damage.
- Summons have been buffed.
- Radahn is now seemingly able to be staggered more easily and has less health.
That's a lot of nerfs. And even then, to some players, he is still a hard fight. To others after the nerfs, he was way easier than his reputation said he would be. Now Radahn will be a little closer to his pre-nerf state due to From Software discovering that one of their nerfs to the boss was a bug:
- Fixed a bug in the balance adjustment of the boss "Starscourge Radahn" in update 1.03, in which the power of some attacks was unintentionally reduced.
What are "some attacks"? Well, once again the changes are not shown in detail by From Software. Despite this, the community has once again gone to work, noting that the damage from his bow and a few other attacks have been buffed. While this is still not overly detailed, it's better than just "some attacks". It does mean that the hitbox changes, speed tweaks, and more are still there, meaning Radahn isn't quite the monster he was on launch.
For many who haven't taken down Radahn yet, these buffs are a good thing, but to others this is a good start but it's still not even close to what Radahn used to be. The community generally seems somewhat split on the issue (did From Software go to far?) but it seems generally agreed upon that he was probably a little to strong and some (probably not all) of the nerfs were warranted. We'll see if From Software keeps adjusting the boss (and perhaps other bosses) as time goes on. We'll keep you posted.
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