Going AFK in Elden Ring is becoming a competitive sport

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Players compete to find the most efficient and amusing ways to AFK

Elden Ring sacred relic sword how to get build
(Image credit: FromSoftware)

Elden Ring players are still going AFK all the time, but they aren't just farming runes by exploiting PvP anymore – at least not in the normal lazy way. 

A few weeks ago, players discovered that you could easily generate Runes by continually luring in Invaders and auto-summoned defenders after getting into a normally inaccessible position. Without access to Torrent, Invaders couldn't easily kill or even reach you, so they'd often die to the defenders or simply to gravity. This has become so disruptive to PvP in some areas that players have since rallied around killing these AFK players however they can, and this in turn sparked an arms race to find the most inventive way to AFK. 

how_to_afk_farm_properly from r/Eldenring

At the other end of the spectrum, plenty of players have demonstrated why farming runes through PvP is not only annoying, it's inefficient. Why suck the fun out of multiplayer when you could get way more Runes without any risk just by optimizing (read: macroing) the famous blood palace farm? 

a_nontoxic_way_to_afk_farm from r/Eldenring

In the immediate aftermath of PvP's AFK infection, some players flipped the script and started hiding in plain sight, using sneaky items and armor choices to cosplay the local enemies. This didn't always work, but it's a heck of a lot more inventive than jumping to a far-off ledge and walking away from the game.

afk_farming_is_for_boys_hide_and_seek_is_for_men from r/Eldenring

Good news for Elden Ring multiplayer fans: you can't get banned for picking up hacked underwear anymore.  

Austin Wood
Austin Wood
Senior writer

Austin has been a game journalist for 12 years, having freelanced for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree. He's been with GamesRadar+ since 2019. They've yet to realize his position is a cover for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he's kept the ruse going with a lot of news and the occasional feature, all while playing as many roguelikes as possible.