Taking us one inch closer to an Elden Ring DLC, the 1.07 patch FromSoftware released a week ago introduced balance changes to PvP, magic and incantations, Skills, and a few welcome bug fixes. It’s had a few days to settle, and players are already noticing that, while the patch has allowed all types of builds to stretch their legs, with general poise increases and even more increased attack power for some spells, it has been particularly favourable to people who like to poke with one of the game’s many thrusting swords.
“We got endure pokers, we got shield pokers, we got resolve pokers, we got bull goat pokers, everybody get your pokers!” one Reddit user wrote in a thread about post-patch PvP. Is it time to embrace the poke? Have you been transported suddenly to Facebook in 2011? I’m happy to let you know.
Should I be using Death’s Poker or a thrusting sword?
Sure, if you want. The nice thing about the 1.07 patch is that it passes around a little treat for everyone. Poison Mist, for example, gained an increased status buildup, and useful big boy spells like Loretta’s Greatbow and Bloodflame Talons don’t suck up as much FP. Strength weapons like Hammers and some Colossal Weapons are better at dealing poise damage, and some traditionally sluggish Colossal Sword attacks even move faster.
That said, in terms of Skills or weapon art, thrust weapons got a general boost that players are reporting to be increasingly common in PvP matches. The Skill Impaling Thrust now has increased motion speed and attack power and reduced timing between being able to perform any action, like a roll or HP top-up, and starting or ending the Skill. Other thrust Skills like Piercing Fang and Repeating Thrust got, more or less, the same benefits.
They are important benefits, good for long-range attacks with force behind them and, since they can be slender, thrust weapons are often complementary to staff or shield-wielders.
But since the 1.07 patch is helpful for so many kinds of builds, don’t feel like you need to scramble and totally readjust your approach to a thrust weapon just because everyone seems to be using them for PvP. Know their benefits, test out a few, like Lance, Godskin Stitcher, or Bloody Helice, if you’re curious. But PvP, in my opinion, can feel most entertaining when everyone is playing with a unique build they love to play with.
As for Death’s Poker, though its name perhaps helped inspire Reddit’s distaste for “poking,” the strength-scaling greatsword is actually not quite as poke-y as other, more lithe thrust weapons. Its Ghostflame Ignition Skill, however, creates an interesting, powerful, ghostflame jab or explosion. It’s a formidable weapon and worth a spin, but it was not updated in the patch.
What do I do about Endure?
In addition to noting a lot of pokers, PvP players feel frustrated with the ubiquitousness of the Endure Skill and Ash of War post-patch, which also often gets combined with the ubiquitousness of the aforementioned poke.
Following 1.07, Endure, which boosts poise and mitigates damage taken, lasts longer, can’t be broken with blood loss or frostbite, and has reduced delay between non-attacking activities, like using an item. It’s powerful. Some might even say too powerful. And because it makes a player very difficult to stagger, it’s tedious to go up against.
Some players report simply waiting for Endure effects to wear off before even attempting to land a hit on an opponent using it, but you can also try the Sacred Relic Sword, which has a Wave of Gold, faith-scaling Skill able to break an Endure user. I imagine the next patch will subdue Endure, but if it doesn’t, it should! Good luck.
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