Yes, you can beat Elden Ring without attacking

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Pacifist runs of Elden Ring are officially a thing thanks to one peaceful player

Elden Ring
(Image credit: FromSoftware)

One player has beaten Elden Ring without a single attack.

Yesterday on April 3, Elden Ring and general FromSoftware expert Iron Pineapple uploaded the video just below to their YouTube channel. The 29-minute ordeal sees Iron Pineapple striving to beat FromSoftware's latest without a single attack, worming their way through the game via a combination of exploits and Ash Summons.

And yes, they actually do manage to beat Elden Ring without dealing a single attack. The entire video is a fascinating exploit of FromSoftware's game design. Iron Pineapple has to work hard at buffing their Ash Summons, like the Radahn Soldiers, through items like the Commander's Standard gained through defeating Commander O'Neill, which buffs allied minions.

Magic is the crux of this entire feat, and so the player starts out as a Prophet and never really looks back, putting points into Faith, Arcane, and other magic-related attributes to bolster Incantations which can heal Ash Summons. It's not just the main story bosses that Iron Pineapple faces off against, though; they also fell tough optional foes like Rykard and Starscourge Radahn.

There are some real points of struggle in the journey, like overcoming Margit the Fell Omen with just a pair of imps and the NPC summon Sorcerer Rogier, but Iron Pineapple is able to pull off the heroic venture and claim victory. This is an excellent teardown of Elden Ring's remarkably freeform design, and we'd highly recommend watching the journey in its entirety. It might inspire some strategies to use in a normal, not-so-peaceful run. 

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Hirun Cryer
Hirun Cryer
Freelance Writer

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.