Elden Ring’s new Ash of War turns Tarnished into martial arts experts
FromSoftware / Bandai NamcoAn Elden Ring player has put away all their deadly swords and magic spells in favor of some old-fashioned Kung Fu fighting to defeat the deadly bosses in Shadow of the Erdtree.
Shadow of the Erdtree has added countless weapons to the already massive armory found in Elden Ring. However, as one player has perfectly demonstrated, there’s only one weapon all Tarnished warriors can always rely on – their hands.
The new Hand-to-hand Arts weapon category came with Shadow of the Erdtree, which stylishly lets players throw punches and kicks. As seen in the clip, players have even been able to punt enemies into a wall while in mid-air, as one poorly timed Vulgar Militaman learned the hard way.
The DryLeaf Arts, acquired from defeating NPC Dryleaf Dane, ditches all weaponry for a long flurry of melee attacks. Players were instantly impressed by the showboating of this Kung Fu master’s combat.
“Haven’t played DLC yet, but that was a move right out of Sekiro,” one compared Shadow of the Erdtree to FromSoftware’s Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, in which Wolf uses karate as well as his katana with the “High Monk” combat skill.
However, the over-the-top style of Hand-to-Hand martial arts has left some disappointed by the lack of flair in other weapons. “After using Dryleaf and Beast claws, I just can’t go back to any of the normal fist/claw weapons. The movesets are just so boring compared to them; it just doesn’t feel nearly as satisfying.”
Unfortunately, while the new weapon wins in the pure cool factor, it seems to be all style, no substance, as another player added: “It’s so mid against bosses because of the range and poise damage, but it’s so fun against regular enemies that I keep it equipped just for them.”
Shadow of the Erdtree is now available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. However, PC players may want to think twice about purchasing the DLC as performance issues have been plaguing the platform.