This huge Elden Ring mod now has new bosses, timed deflection mechanics, and so much more

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"It is not about easier or harder, but more interesting and balanced combat"

Elden Ring
(Image credit: FromSoftware)

This mod for gruelling Souls-like Elden Ring overhauls the game, adding new features and smoothing out existing ones to make it a well-balanced experience for all.

FromSoftware's games are notoriously punishing, and Elden Ring is no exception. Nexus community modder Kirnifr's Elden Ring Reforged mod could even the playing field, and according to the description, it offers a lot more than a new boss or two. 

According to Kirnifr's notes on Nexus Mods, Elden Ring Reforged is an offline mod that seeks "to create a more balanced experience with fair, but still challenging, combat." They reiterate that it's not about making the game easier for those of us whose pets are far better at it, but enriching the experience and addressing balance issues.

As well as improving enemy hitboxes and adding unique camera angles for battles, the mod adds mechanics such as Deflection and Fortunes. "Deflects are powerful timed blocks that give more skill and power to blocking," Kirnifr writes, whilst describing Fortunes as a "new class system that gives new themed abilities to the player." 

These features might come in handy to even the most die-hard Dark Souls fanatics, adding a new layer of skills-based expertise to master if you want to parry a blow just right.

The mod also adds a complete enemy bestiary for us to keep track of the foes that have already been encountered, as well as rebalancing player equipment and status effects to make room for new spells and Affinities. We will also be able to adjust our difficulty from Sites of Grace during those fireside chats with Melina, and if you fancy having another whack at one of the hench bosses you've already slain, they can be resurrected at the Roundtable Hold.

The additions and gameplay tweaks of Elden Ring Reforged seem authentic to the world of the game, fine-tuning our journey through the Lands Between without spoiling the challenge. That being said, it does sound like many aspects will address those infamously harsh difficulty spikes, making it a little bit more accessible to those newer to the genre.

If you thought you were good at Elden Ring, watch this streamer play it using her brain signals alone. 

Jasmine Gould-Wilson
Jasmine Gould-Wilson
Senior Staff Writer, GamesRadar+

Jasmine is a Senior Staff Writer at GamesRadar+. Raised in Hong Kong and having graduated with an English Literature degree from Queen Mary, University of London, she began her journalism career as a freelancer with TheGamer and TechRadar Gaming before joining GR+ full-time in 2023. She now focuses predominantly on features content for GamesRadar+, attending game previews, and key international conferences such as Gamescom and Digital Dragons in between regular interviews, opinion pieces, and the occasional stint with the news or guides teams. In her spare time, you'll likely find Jasmine challenging her friends to a Resident Evil 2 speedrun, purchasing another book she's unlikely to read, or complaining about the weather.