"Elden Ring" players on PC have another big problem aside from their version of the game's myriad bugs and performance issues.
elden ring steam
According to GamesRadar, people who are playing the latest "Soulsborne" game on PC are having their save files corrupted by invaders, who are using an exploit similar to what folks used back in "Dark Souls 3." This exploit, according to several players, is sending their characters trapped in an endless falling deathloop.
Twitter user Mordecai who is running the "Elden Ring" Update page posted a video of the exploit in action:
According to the tweet, some "Elden Ring" invaders will deliberately crash people's games. But when they relaunch their game, the character gets trapped in an endless falling spiral.
FromSoftware hasn't addressed the issue formally yet, so PC players are turning to makeshift fixes for now. One fix provided by Reddit user Draiganedig offers a way out of the loop, though it requires you to stay quick on your toes. Here are the directions:
- Whenever the game loads after you've been hacked, there's a split-second before your character dies. Press Alt + F4 BEFORE you die to close the game and buy you more time to open your map with your next login.
- Once you've logged in again, open your map by pressing the corresponding button you've mapped it to, then press the button which shows you available Sites of Grace. Spam the Confirm button and you'll be able to teleport to a Site of Grace away from the infinite falling deathloop.
According to Draiganedig, however, this ifx is no confirmation that you'll be completely safe from a hacker ruining your save file. As such, they recommend that you back up any of your future saves in case the hacks "get more sophisticated."
Read also: Graphics Card Names EXPLAINED: What Is GTX, RTX, Etc...
Another 'More Obvious' Option For 'Elden Ring' Players
Here's one fix, however, which could be the most effective (if also not the most obvious one): just play offline for a while until the problem gets an official fix.
According to GamingIntel, going offline will basically lock out all invaders from your game until you summon them on your own, summon a co-op player, or use a Taunter's Tongue. But this might not fly among players who actually like the online component of FromSoftware games, so try to do it at your own time.
Or maybe, you could avoid an invader by doing what this one guy did: pretend to be an NPC.
Tech Times reported earlier in the month about a certain "Elden Ring" player who ran (or walked, rather) circles around their invader by tricking them into thinking they're an NPC. They donned similar-looking armor, equipped a torch, and then just walked back and forth while the invader tried their damndest to look for them-walking by the player numerous times and being none the wiser.
Have you gotten an "Elden Ring" invader ruin your save file lately?
Related: Elden Ring Mods: Easy Mode, Hard Mode Made Possible by Modders
Story posted on GameNGuide
Written by RJ Pierce