Blissfully unaware Elden Ring players are still falling victim to Fia's hugs

Elden Ring
(Image credit: From Software)

Four months after launch, Elden Ring players are still mistakenly cursing their character by accepting hugs.

Just in case you weren't aware, there's an unsuspecting character called Fia in Elden Ring's main hub area. The character offers to hug and comfort the player character, and should they accept, they'll actually be afflicted with a status which temporarily decreases their overall health.

It seems some players still haven't quite clocked that this actually happens. Just yesterday on the Elden Ring subreddit for example, one player published a question post, asking players if they could help identify a strange mark that had appeared on their HUD out of nowhere.

Others swiftly let them know that yes, this is actually a curse brought about by hugging Fia. Some mockingly scolded the player in question for being a little too eager for hugs, while other chided them for asking a widely known question (the subreddit's moderators apparently sided with the latter group, deleting the original post in question).

For what it's worth, there have also been similar posts like this over the last few on the Elden Ring subreddit, but they've all met a similar fate under the watchful eye of moderators. So it's not just a case of one player being behind the curve a little with Fia, but many. Well, perhaps we shouldn't be too harsh on newcomers to FromSoftware's massive open-world RPG, finally putting time into it after launch.

You can check out our full Elden Ring Fia questline walkthrough for the Age of Duskborn ending if you're interested in seeing everything the character has to offer. 

Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.