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

Summary Elden Ring's version 1.13 patch mostly includes balance changes, but there is also a welcome adjustment to how Torrent funcitons.

Re-summoning Torrent in battle will now have the menu default to the "OK" option.

The menu previously defaulting to "Cancel" has annoyed players since launch, and the change will help immensely in certain combat situations.

For over two years, a relatively minor but ultimately significant issue plagued Elden Ring, but the game's most recent patch has finally addressed it. The Shadow of the Erdtree 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 Elden Ring'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, Elden Ring 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 "Cancel" option, requiring a second button press in the heat of battle.

Related Elden Ring Review: Hands Across America Elden Ring is a staggeringly large, nearly perfect culmination of everything FromSoftware has developed since the release of Demon's Souls.

Re-Summoning Torrent Now Defaults To The "OK" Option

A Change Players Have Been Requesting Since Launch

Among the long list of changes in the Elden Ring 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, "the default selection position is now OK" 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: "Spirits are eternal, and yet frenzied flame melts them away regardless."

Many Large Enemies Are Easier On Torrent

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Aside from needing Torrent to efficiently traverse the expansive base game and Shadow of the Erdtree maps, the spectral steed is invaluable in many combat encounters. Fighting run-of-the-mill mobs in the open world is effectively optional in many circumstances, but the extra damage dealt on horseback and the additional speed allowed by Torrent can help make quick work of enemy groups. Perhaps more importantly, though, Torrent is a huge boon in many field boss fights, especially those who are also on horseback or have significant size.

Fighting the first Tree Sentinel right next to where players enter Limgrave, for instance, is made much easier by gaining a few levels and acquiring Torrent. Similar can be said about Flying Dragon Agheel and the many other dragon bosses found throughout the game. Torrent's nimbleness helps players outrun AOE attacks and strike quickly when the window of opportunity opens.

Such fights can often be frantic, leading players to mash buttons in an attempt to re-summon Torrent quickly. This frequently resulted in accidentally selecting the "Cancel" option, or wasting precious time navigating a menu rather than focusing on the fight itself. It was a minor but impactful issue that many players have noted since Elden Ring's release over two years ago, and this fix is a very welcome change, even if it's coming after a frustratingly long time.

Source: Bandai Namco Entertainment