Elden Ring isn’t an easy game at the best of times, but one player has taken on the bizarre challenge of rolling around on the floor in real life every time they roll during a boss fight, which looks just as funny - and arduous - as you’d imagine.
In a video posted to YouTube yesterday (January 15), GoodGameEthan shared the start of what’s shaping up to be an incredibly difficult (and exhausting) journey. So far, the player has taken on Margit, Godrick, the Red Wolf of Radagon, Rennala, and the Draconic Tree Sentinel (as well as the Solider of Godrick) while using these new rules.
As well as having to physically roll during boss fights, the player is also forbidden from using the spectral steed, Torrent, wielding ranged weapons (including magic), calling for summons, wearing armor, and parrying. All of these things combined mean that GoodGameEthan is essentially locked into an aggressive playstyle, which enforces close-range combat on every boss while also being extremely vulnerable to damage.
Basically, dodge-rolling is more important than ever, but with the requirement to roll in real life every single time one is performed in-game, the battles can become easily disrupted. It might even be impossible for the player to roll fast enough in real life to keep up with the action at times.
Up to now though, GoodGameEthan has made a solid start, although as you’d expect, some bosses were easier than others. Specifically, the Draconic Tree Sentinel posed an enormous issue, and with its fast moments and ranged attacks, which demand players to swiftly dodge a lot of moves in quick succession, it’s not hard to see why. However, after some perseverance, even this pesky foe fell eventually.
GoodGameEthan ended the video teasing that the challenge will continue, and I for one am incredibly curious to see if they’ll end up taking on the notoriously difficult Malenia, whose speedy slices are an issue even without the roll-in-real-life rule. It’s one way to pass the time before the Shadow of the Erdtree downloadable content (DLC) eventually releases, I suppose.
For more games like Elden Ring, be sure to check out our recommendations for the best open-world games on PC, as well as the best RPGs.
