Elden Ring 1.03 update patch notes: Balance changes, new NPC features, more

Brad Norton
Elden Ring gameplay

Bandai Namco has deployed Elden Ring update 1.03 as the latest major patch across all platforms adds new NPC-related features, rebalances various equipment, and squashes well over a dozen bugs.

Two weeks on from the last update and the Elden Ring 1.03 patch is now here with a ton of fresh changes and improvements. 

Questlines should be easier than ever to track thanks to a new feature that records NPC locations on the map. Various characters also have additional phases in their specific quests as well.

Furthermore, the Elden Ring update 1.03 update fixes a wide range of gameplay issues and further improves performance across the board. Not only that, but a considerable number of weapons, armor sets, and sorceries have all been rebalanced.

An image of Sorcerer Rogier in Elden Ring
Elden Ring’s 1.03 patch should make it easier to track NPC questlines.

Elden Ring update 1.03 gameplay additions

Headlining the new Elden Ring 1.03 update are a number of NPC changes. First up, an entirely new feature is now available, one that lets you mark an NPC on your map in much greater detail than before.

Upon encountering new characters, their name will now be recorded on the map to help you remember where particular NPCs are located.

On the subject of NPCs, the likes of Diallos, Nepheli Loux, Kenneth Haight, and Gatekeeper Gostoc all have “new quest phases” to keep an eye out for. This should give players an easier time advancing their individual storylines in Elden Ring.

Fans of the always-amusing Mimic’s Veil item will be happy knowing this update also came with an increase for the number of objects you can imitate.

Elden Ring update 1.03 balance changes

With the 1.03 update came one of the first major balance changes in Elden Ring. Everything from key Ashes of War to various Sprit Summons have been tweaked to some degree.

Elden Ring Hoarfrost Stomp gameplay
The Hoarfrost Stomp has been arguably the strongest Ash of War in Elden Ring, though new nerfs could knock it down a peg or two.

Perhaps most notably, the Mimic Tear Spirit Ash, one that spawns an exact clone of your character to aid you in combat, has been nerfed. Now with “decreased damage” and a change in behavior, other AI summons could soon rise to the top in Elden Ring’s meta.

Similarly, the popular Hoarfrost Stomp Ash of War, a favorite among speedrunners, has also been nerfed considerably. While a decrease to damage is one thing, casting this ability also takes more time now, meaning a spam-heavy approach to stagger bosses is no longer effective.

Elden Ring update 1.03 patch notes

You can find the full Elden Ring update 1.03 patch notes below, courtesy of Bandai Namco:

Additional Elements Added

  • Added a function to record an icon and the name of an NPC on the map when you encounter that NPC.
  • Added NPC Jar-Bairn.
  • Added new quest phases for the following NPCs: Diallos/ Nepheli Loux/ Kenneth Haight/ Gatekeeper Gostoc.
  • Added some summonable NPCs in multiple situations.
  • Increased the number of patterns of objects player can imitate when using Mimic’s Veil.
  • Added night background music for some open field areas

Balance Changes

  • Increased the drop rate of Smithing Stone for some enemies.
  • Added Smithing Stone to some early game shop line up.
  • Increased shield’s effectiveness.
  • Increased the damage for all offensive cracked pot items.
  • Increased the damage for the following items: Spark Aromatic/Poison Spraymist.
  • Increased the effect duration for the following items: Uplifting Aromatic/ Ironjar Aromatic.
  • Increased HP healing for Torrent when using the following items: Rowa Raisin/ Sweet Raisin/ Frozen Raisin
  • Reduced FP consumption and increased the damage of the following sorceries: Glintstone Cometshard/ Comet/ Night Comet
  • Increased the damage of the following sorceries: Gravity Well/ Collapsing Stars/ Crystal Barrage
  • Decreased FP consumption of the following sorceries: Star Shower/ Rock Blaster/ Gavel of Haima/ Founding Rain of Stars/ Stars of Ruin/Greatblade Phalanx/Magic Downpour/ Loretta’s Greatbow/ Loretta’s Mastery/ Carian Greatsword/ Carian Piercer/ Shard Spiral
  • Raised projectile speed and range of Great Glintstone Shard
  • Decreased Ash of War, Hoarfrost Stomp’s damage and increase cast time.
  • Increased Ash of War, Bloody Slash’s self-inflict damage while slightly lowering the damage and increasing the cast time.
  • Decreased weapon skill, Sword of Night and Flame’s damage.
  • Increased FP consumption and lower duration of Ash of War, Barricade Shield.
  • Changed FP consumption timing of Ash of War, Prelate’s Charge.
  • Decreased the damage of spirit summoned when using the item Mimic Tear Ash and changed the spirit’s behavior pattern.
  • Other enemy and weapon balance changes

Bug Fixes

  • Fixed a bug that prevented summoned NPCs from taking damage in some boss battles.
  • Fixed a bug that sometime prevented the player from obtaining item after boss battle.
  • Fixed a bug that causes dialogue to be skipped when talking to NPCs and using custom key configurations.
  • Fixed a bug that causes the player to freeze when riding.
  • Fixed a bug that causes arcane to scale incorrectly for some weapons.
  • In situation where the player cannot obtain more than 2 talisman pouches, added talisman pouch to Twin Maiden Husks shop line up.
  • Fixed a bug that prevented the user from warping to sites of grace from the map at the end of the game.
  • Fixed a bug that prevented the player from moving to the next area after the battle with the Fire Giant.
  • Fixed a bug which causes some weapons to have incorrect scaling after strengthening.
  • Fixed a bug which causes some weapons to not use stat scaling.
  • Fixed hang-ups in certain occasions.
  • Fixed a bug which incorrectly displays multiplayer area boundary when playing online.
  • Fixed a bug that allows player to activate Erdtree Greatshield’s weapon skill without absorbing an attack using a special combination of item and incantation.
  • Fixed a bug which causes Fire’s Deadly Sin incantation to have different effect.
  • Fixed a bug with the Ash of War, Determination and Royal Knight’s Resolve, where the damage buff will also apply to other weapons without that skill.
  • Adjusted the visual effect of Unseen Form spell.
  • Deleted the Ragged armor set from the game which was mistakenly obtainable in previous patch.
  • Fixed a bug that causes some hostile NPCs to drop Furlcalling Finger Remedy.
  • Fixed a bug that causes incorrect sound effect to play in some situations.
  • Fixed a bug which causes visual animation and hitboxes to not be displayed correctly on some maps.
  • Fixed bugs which causes incorrect visual and behavior for some enemies.
  • Fixed a bug that causes incorrect stat parameter for some armor.
  • Text fixes.
  • Other performance improvement and bug fixes.