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I'm talking about a DPS test dummy. A punching bag in the hub that you probably missed because the Elden Ring Nightreign servers crumbled for hours, prompting FromSoft to apologize and consider "an additional Network Test" in the future to make up for the disruption.
If stumbling servers blocked you from trying out the soulslike co-op spin off, then you can get the full rundown with GamesRadar's Elden Ring Nightreign preview. I wasn't lucky enough to go hands-on myself, but our resident Elden Ring sicko Austin Wood informed me that the opening hub area - as in, the moody castle where you jump into matchmaking from - houses both straw dummies and one of those clockwork-like wood puppets from the main game, letting you test out your moves, builds, and weapons, before properly jumping into the game's gruelling 30-40 minute matches. You can even parry and backstab the poor things.
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It's a feature FromSoft players have been asking for since as far back as I can remember, but demands got noticeably louder when Lies of P - the best soulslike made outside of the Dark Souls House - had its own test dummy. It was a handy little feature to let you gauge your character's damage output or the range of certain moves, so I'm happy to see FromSoft borrowing from some games in the very subgenre it spawned.
Kaan freelances for various websites including Rock Paper Shotgun, Eurogamer, and this one, Gamesradar. He particularly enjoys writing about spooky indies, throwback RPGs, and anything that's vaguely silly. Also has an English Literature and Film Studies degree that he'll soon forget.
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