Elden Ring has a new meta for the Colosseum, and no one likes it

Elden Ring colosseum locations
(Image credit: Bandai Namco)

Elden Ring's PvP meta is forming for Colosseum fights, less than 24 hours after the feature launched.

Earlier today on the Elden Ring subreddit, the post below gained plenty of traction, in which the poster complains about someone using a "meta" weapon. However, as the comments are quick to point out, the user in question is also using what's considered to be a "meta" weapon.

This is basically the Elden Ring PvP builds meta forming before our eyes. The meta goes something like this: use a weapon that causes a chuck of burst damage to another player, drains FP, and also stuns your opponent, should they get caught by the attack in any way whatsoever.

Considering these powerful attributes of a weapon, it's not hard to see why a meta is forming around them. If a weapon can stun-lock an enemy player, leaving them open to a follow-up attack, and also drain their FP, taking away their ability to cast spells, why wouldn't anyone take that advantage?

What Elden Ring players are bemoaning about this meta is its lack of fun, basically. Players naturally want to go up against opponents using a variation of different tactics and weapons, thus making PvP gameplay effectively more fun through sheer variety. This very focused meta threatens to take that away.

No one can say this meta has come as a surprise, however. Before the new Elden Ring Colosseum update even launched yesterday, players were already fearing a meta surrounding the dreaded Rivers of Blood katana, which can do many of the things players are now decrying in the subreddit post above. We'll have to wait and see how the meta shakes out in the coming weeks.

Elden Ring Colosseum PvP is a fun but dishonorable free-for-all that rips up the rule book.

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.