A new Elden Ring update is live, and it's a big one. You can now track NPCs on your map, so you should find it easier to keep track of the game's myriad NPC quests. There's also a brand new NPC, new phases for several existing NPC questlines, and more.
What's in the new Elden Ring update?
This news will likely be welcome to the millions of people who have bought Elden Ring over the past few weeks. First and foremost, the update adds a new way to track NPC questlines. You can now record an icon along with the name of an NPC you encounter on your map. Elden Ring has lots of NPC questlines, many of which are fairly obscure, so this is a welcome addition. The update has also added a brand new NPC, whose name appears to be "Jar-Bairn", along with extra phases for quests from Diallos, Nepheli Loux, and others.
There are plenty of other changes in the new Elden Ring update as well. New summonable NPCs have been added in "multiple situations", and there's new music for certain areas of the Lands Between at night. These changes come alongside a host of bug fixes and balance tweaks. Smithing Stones have been added to some merchants' wares in the early game, which should make it easier to sharpen your weapon. Several spells have had their FP consumption reduced, and Rowa Raisins will now give Torrent more HP. It's worth reading the full changelog for everything that's new; you may well find your particular bug or issue fixed by this latest Elden Ring update.
Elden Ring has had a very successful launch indeed
Just yesterday, Bandai Namco announced that Elden Ring had managed to sell 12 million copies around the world, with a million of those copies being sold in Japan. Not only is it From Software's most successful game launch, but it's also the biggest European launch of a new IP since 2016's The Division. The launch of the new brutal open-world RPG hasn't been without issues, though; as ever, there's been a lot of discourse around difficulty and accessibility, as well as the appearance of issues like certain localizations missing entire item descriptions (which doesn't seem to have been fixed by this latest update).
You can grab Elden Ring right now on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox. Be sure to take a look at our useful beginner's guide if you're struggling to get your bearings in the Lands Between. If you're looking to take on this unforgiving journey with a friend, you may also want to take a gander at our multiplayer guide, which will teach you all about cooperating with other players (or battling them if you're of a more confrontational bent). We'll bring you more on future Elden Ring updates as soon as we get it.