Elden Ring got a surprise update on July 4, and Bandai Namco just released the patch notes. There are a few big changes to overperforming weapons alongside the usual bug fixes, and surprisingly, the patch also changes the placement of two major DLC boss encounters.
Here are the full patch notes for Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree version 1.12.3.
Elden Ring DLC patch 1.12.3 notes
PvP
- Nerfed damage and “damage animation” of the Swift Slash Ash of War’s shearing vacuum.
Swift Slash was definitely overperforming in PvP, so it’s good that FromSoftware nerfed it so quickly. Shadow of the Erdtree adds lots of fun, effective new skills, and this change makes them all more viable by comparison.
General
- Buffed Carian Sorcery Sword‘s Intelligence Scaling and nerfed its base damage.
- Buffed throwing range of Smithscript Dagger and Smithscript Cirque.
- Changed boss placement during refight with Golden Hippopotamus and Commander Gaius to be the same as the first fight.
The Carian Sorcery Sword was clearly broken, so this change could make it a powerful weapon for melee-caster hybrids.
“Changed boss placement on refight” refers to when you challenge the Hippo or Commander Gaius after dying in their boss arena. After the patch, you should have a few more seconds to breathe before the bosses start charging toward you.
Bug fixes
- Fixed a bug that made Rolling Sparks deal too much damage.
- Fixed a bug that sometimes made Rolling Sparks and Wall of Sparks deal no damage.
- Fixed a bug that made right-hand weapon buffs apply to Feeble Lord’s Frenzied Flame and Discus Hurl.
- Fixed a bug that made Thrusting Shields consume less stamina when blocking.
- Fixed a bug that stopped players cancelling Backhand Blades’ two-handed strong attack recovery animation by rolling.
- Fixed a bug that caused Lightning Perfume Bottle and Frenzyflame Perfume Bottle deal double damage.
- Fixed bugs affecting Bloodfiend’s Arm, Gazing Finger, Fire Knight’s Greatsword, the Smithscript weapons and Golem Fist.
- Fixed a bug causing Black Knife Tiche to heal enemies.
- Fixed a bug affecting summoned NPC behavior.
- Fixed a bug making the Golden Hippopotamus’s bite attack connect more easily than intended.
- Fixed a bug affecting display text.
- Additional performance improvements and bug fixes.
It’s hugely validating to know it was too easy to get hit by the Golden Hippo’s bite attack. There were so many times I could’ve sworn I dodged it, only to get gobbled up at the last second. The Hippo should be much easier now, especially with the change to its placement.
The Perfume Bottle bug fixes are expected because they were doing far too much damage thanks to the bug. The Smithscript weapons are fun but didn’t seem hugely powerful, so fingers crossed the patch makes them viable contenders for a full playthrough.
You can read Elden Ring’s full 1.12.3 patch notes on Bandai Namco’s official site.
