Elden Ring was the clear frontrunner for Game of the Year in 2022, deservedly wracking up dozens of awards across the industry. It was undoubtedly a step forward for open-world games, brilliantly fusing exploration with the hard-boiled combat of the Dark Souls franchise. Despite all its strengths, however, there’s still one area where Elden Ring has continuously fallen short, PvP. Ray Tracing lighting and shadow effects may be the headlining feature of Elden Ring’s new Patch 1.09, but its array of changes to the PvP system is by far the more meaningful addition.
