Elden Ring becomes a survival game thanks to this mod that adds features like hunger, thirst, and disease

Elden Ring gameplay
(Image credit: FromSoftware / Bandi Namco)

Elden Ring becomes a survival game thanks to a new mod.

With fearsome enemies around every corner, life in The Lands Between can be tough. But if you're tired of having your Tarnished always meeting their end in battle, you can now mix things up by having them die of dehydration, starvation and disease too.

The Elden Ring Survival Mode mod comes courtesy of modder Grimrukh and adds an assortment of survival mechanics to From Software's latest. Crafting will be essential to staying alive as you'll need to whip up items to fend off hunger, thirst, and even temperature effects. And don't expect your horse to be of much help in this hostile place as, according to the mod's description, "Torrent is also nerfed". 

To add to your woes, weapons can't be found or purchased, so if you don't want to be stuck pounding enemies with your fists, you'll have to craft those too. Various diseases are also now rampant in the Lands Between, which you can randomly contract. A video of the mod posted by Grimrukh on Twitter shows their Tarnished come down with a disease called the 'Plague of Limgrave', which sounds anything but pleasant. As the footage shows, travelling around Caelid is also much more of a pain thanks to its fierce heat. 

Lastly, you'd best stock up on carrots or invest in a good torch as nighttime is now much darker. If you think you're up to the challenge, the Survival Mode mod is available to download right now on NexusMods.

In other Elden Ring news, the manga that inspired both Dark Souls and Elden Ring is returning after the passing of its author Kentaro Miura last year. Berserk will now be spearheaded by Miura's close friend Kouji Mori.

This year has seen some great releases already, and there's a lot more still to come. Take a look at our guide to the new games 2022 and beyond to add to your wishlist now.

Anne-Marie Ostler
Freelance Writer

Originally from Ireland, I moved to the UK in 2014 to pursue a Games Journalism and PR degree at Staffordshire University. Following that, I've freelanced for GamesMaster, Games TM, Official PlayStation Magazine and, more recently, Play and GamesRadar+. My love of gaming sprang from successfully defeating that first Goomba in Super Mario Bros on the NES. These days, PlayStation is my jam. When not gaming or writing, I can usually be found scouring the internet for anything Tomb Raider related to add to my out of control memorabilia collection.