Patch 1.17 Is Live
FromSoftware and Bandai Namco dropped Elden Ring version 1.17 on August 27, 2026. The update does two things at once: it lays the groundwork for the Tarnished Pack DLC (which went live the next day on August 28), and it delivers one of the more sweeping balance passes the game has seen, touching shields, Smithscript weapons, parry skills, and several sorceries.
The patch is required for online play across all platforms.
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| App Version | 1.17 |
| Regulation Version | 1.17 |
| Patch Date | August 27, 2026 |
| Platforms | PS4 / PS5 / Xbox One / Xbox Series X|S / Steam |
| Online Required | Yes |
Source: Bandai Namco Europe — Official Patch Notes v1.17
The Tarnished Pack: Four Years Later, Torrent Finally Gets a Wardrobe
The Tarnished Pack launched on August 28 across PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC. The DLC was built as the exclusive bonus content for the Nintendo Switch 2 Tarnished Edition — Elden Ring's debut on that platform — and Bandai Namco made the call to package it separately for everyone else rather than keeping it Switch 2-exclusive.
What's in the Pack
| Content | Details |
|---|---|
| New Starting Classes | Heavy Knight, Idus Knight |
| Torrent Skins | Tree Sentinel, Silver of Caria, Funereal Night (3 total) |
| New Armor Sets | 4 sets (includes 2 new starting class sets) |
| NPC Invasion Events | Caelid (1 event); Leyndell Royal Capital (1 event, pre-Ashen Capital only) |
Price: €4.99 standard (regional pricing varies)
The Torrent skins are the headline item for many players. Torrent customization has been one of the most consistently requested features since the base game launched in 2022 — the three skins unlock at the Site of Grace menu after being found in the world:
- ▶Tree Sentinel Attire — found in Stormveil Castle
- ▶Silver of Caria Attire — found in Liurnia of the Lakes
- ▶Funereal Night Attire — found in Altus Plateau
One thing worth noting: the equipment from both new starting classes can be purchased from in-game merchants or found in the Lands Between without buying the DLC. What the DLC gives you is the starting class itself — the unique base stat spread and the ability to start a fresh save as that character archetype.
“"All additional content included in the Nintendo Switch 2 edition of ELDEN RING can be purchased separately on PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4; XBOX Series X|S and XBOX One; and Digital PC under the name 'Tarnished Pack'."
Balance Changes — The Full Breakdown
Smithscript Weapons
The Smithscript weapon line gets a double upgrade this patch.
| Weapon | Change |
|---|---|
| Smithscript Dagger / Rellana's Twin Blades | Critical hit damage increased |
| Smithscript Axe / Smithscript Spear / Spear of the Impaler | Throwing attack stamina cost reduced; throwing attack damage increased |
| Smithscript Greathammer | Throwing attack damage increased |
| Carian Sorcery Sword | Intelligence scaling now increases attack power across all damage types |
| Golem Fist | Fist-launching heavy attack range increased |
| Perfume Bottles (all five types) | Attack power increased |
The Carian Sorcery Sword change is worth flagging for build-makers: it was previously only scaling one damage type with Intelligence, meaning mixed-damage builds were leaving damage on the table. That's fixed now.
Shields — A Broad Overhaul
This is the largest category change in 1.17. More than 30 shields receive guard boost increases, with several also getting weight reductions.
| Change Type | Notable Shields |
|---|---|
| Guard Boost ↑ + Weight ↓ | Lordsworn's Shield, Briar Greatshield, Icon Shield, Golden Beast Crest Shield, Manor Towershield, Black Steel Greatshield, Erdtree Greatshield, Ant's Skull Plate |
| Guard Boost ↑ | Wooden Greatshield, Cuckoo Greatshield, Redmane Greatshield, Golden Greatshield, Eclipse Crest Greatshield, Jellyfish Shield, One-Eyed Shield |
| Weight ↓ only | Haligtree Crest Greatshield |
If you run a shield build, this patch is likely the most impactful update since 1.12. The consistent guard boost improvements make blocking more viable across a wide range of options, not just a handful of top-tier picks.
Skills
| Skill | Change |
|---|---|
| Parry | Parry window improved; faster recovery with daggers, curved swords, or small shields |
| Storm Wall | No longer consumes FP; parry window improved |
| Thops's Barrier | Parry window improved |
Storm Wall losing its FP cost is a meaningful quality-of-life change. Previously, players using Storm Wall on a shield build had to budget FP for every block attempt — that friction is now gone.
Sorceries
| Sorcery | Change |
|---|---|
| Founding Rain of Stars | Damage increased |
| Carian Retaliation | Damage increased |
| Meteorite | Cast time reduced |
| Meteorite of Astel | Cast time reduced |
| Gravitational Missile | No longer explodes on contact with terrain (ground, walls) |
The Gravitational Missile fix is actually more significant than it sounds. The spell would often detonate the moment it grazed a surface rather than reaching its target — frustrating against enemies near walls or in tight spaces. That behavior is corrected now.
Incantations
| Incantation | Change |
|---|---|
| Feather of the Divine Bird | Damage increased |
| O, Flame! | Attack range expanded |
| Rain of Fire | Damage increased |
PvP-Exclusive Nerfs
| Incantation | Change |
|---|---|
| Rugalea's Roar | Reduced power against other players |
| Rotten Breath / Ekzykes's Decay | Reduced duration of movement-stopping effect on hit |
Weapon Nerfs
| Weapon | Change |
|---|---|
| Rakshasa's Great Katana (general) | Delay before right-hand weapon attack after left-hand attack increased (slower mixup cadence) |
| Rakshasa's Great Katana (PvP) | Increased damage taken from other players while attacking |
Bug Fixes
| Category | Fix |
|---|---|
| Great Katana criticals | Critical hits dealt lower-than-expected damage against large enemies — fixed |
| Great Katana jump attacks | Jump attacks could be parried — fixed |
| PC — Mouse camera | Camera control with mouse was unavailable during NPC dialogue — fixed |
| PC — Keybind reset | Resetting keyboard/mouse settings in the system menu did not restore all defaults — fixed |
Who This Patch Affects Most
Shield and deflection builds are the clearest beneficiaries. The combination of 30+ shield guard boost improvements, parry window upgrades across three skills, and Storm Wall's FP removal amounts to a coherent buff to defensive play styles that were often considered suboptimal in high-level content.
Smithscript build players see both damage and stamina efficiency gains. The throwing-weapon style, which sits in an unusual niche between melee and ranged, becomes meaningfully stronger.
Sorcery builds benefit from the Gravitational Missile terrain fix and faster Meteorite casts, with Founding Rain of Stars and Carian Retaliation seeing raw damage gains.
PvP players will feel the Rakshasa's Great Katana timing change most acutely — the weapon's left-to-right-hand mixup cadence was a key part of its pressure toolkit.
Is the Tarnished Pack Worth It?
At €4.99, the DLC is priced at the low end for any meaningful content addition. The two new starting classes offer legitimate replay value for veterans wanting a fresh stat profile without respeccing. The Torrent skins add cosmetic personalization to an element of the game that has been cosmetically static since 2022.
| Buyer | Verdict |
|---|---|
| Returning player wanting a fresh run | Strong value — two new class archetypes at low cost |
| Cosmetic-focused player | Three unique Torrent skins; armor sets add options |
| Completionist | Everything here is discoverable in-game except the class selection screen |
| Nintendo Switch 2 newcomer | Included in Tarnished Edition; no separate purchase needed |