The Elden Ring Fia hug blessing and debuff explained

Deathbed Companion Fia in Elden Ring, often known as "hug lady" in the community, grants a debuff and a blessing if you choose to accept her embrace, but what exactly both of these things do isn't exactly clear. And with Elden Ring being as lethal as it is, this isn't a game where you can afford to have uncertain elements that might come back to bite you.

With that in mind, I'll explain below whether you should hug the lady Fia in Elden Ring, what the nature of both the debuff and Baldachin's Blessing is, and what the effect to poise can mean for you!

Fia's Hug and Debuff in Elden Ring explained

Whether you should hug the lady Fia, Deathbed Companion in Elden Ring is up for debate, but you probably should if you're a shield-focused character who's about to go into a boss fight very soon. Hugging Fia does the following:

• Reduces your max HP by 5%
• Adds Baldachin's Blessing to your inventory

Baldachin's Blessing is an item that has its benefits, but to summarise quickly: using the blessing from your inventory temporarily increases your poise, but you'll suffer the Debuff UNTIL you use it.

Whether this exchange is worth it is basically dependent on your character build, as Poise is more important to some builds than others. Using up the Blessing gets rid of the debuff, but you'll have to go back to Fia and hug her again to get a new blessing and debuff with it.

Elden Ring Red square debuff explained and how to remove it

The red square added for hugging Fia the Hug Lady is, as mentioned, a marker for a debuff - specifically, a debuff that reduces your maximum HP by 5%, so the actual numerical loss varies according to how much health you started with. 

This sounds pretty grim, but don't worry, it's not permanent. Using Baldachin's Blessing, along with its standard effect, will cure you of the debuff. If you regret the hug, simply use the blessing and the whole thing is over. Of course, you might think that the blessing is worth it, because of its effect.

What is Baldachin's Blessing in Elden Ring?

Baldachin's Blessing is a single-use consumable item that costs 20 FP to use, but temporarily increases the player's Poise (the actual amount increased seems to vary according to player level and stats).

Poise itself is a stat that impacts your ability to take enemy attacks without being staggered. It won't stop you from being hurt by them any more than normal, but you're less likely to get knocked back or leave yourself open as a result. It's a very good stat for those who block attacks more than they dodge them, especially shield users.

Should you hug Fia in Elden Ring?

All this is why Fia's hug isn't so simple as being bad or good. A health penalty isn't nice, but it's not a massive one and the sooner you use the blessing, the less of an issue it is. Meanwhile, the ability to take blows without getting thrown across the room won't help ranged fighters much, but for frontline shield-wielders, it's a pretty good item to have.

It's also worth mentioning that Fia will hug you whenever you want. If you used the Blessing and decide you'd like another, just head back and speak to her - she'll be happy to oblige. 

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