Elden Ring’s PvP mode is an extremely popular aspect of the game that many players enjoy dipping into. But, as with every recent FromSoftware RPG that has feaured PvP, an extremely dedicated community of PvP players has formed in Elden Ring, and certain arena style areas of the map have become hot spots for those who want to try to best other players. PvP not only tests a player's skill, but also of the quality of that player’s specific build, as everybody has access to the same weapons and spells.
However, there is an element of the PvP community that continues to plague FromSoftware’s games, and these are the cheaters, who give themselves an unfair advantage in Elden Ring's PvP. Many of these hackers simply want to cause grief for other Elden Ring players. But some cheaters, perhaps even more bizarrely, try to play the game fairly until it begins to look bad for them, at which point they cheat in order to instantly win.
A Reddit user named __elda__ recently encountered one such cheater in a PvP duel in Elden Ring. From the Reddit user’s clip, it seems that the PvP duel begins normally, with both players using standard in-game weapons. But after the Reddit user parries the enemy player and drains them of almost all of their health in one attack, the cheating player panics and activates a ludicrous attack which fills the arena with AoE lightning spells. The Reddit user is then forced to start rolling to avoid the lightning, and does so quite admirably for a time.
Unfortunately, the lightning storm also fills status effect bars such as Death Blight, and once this status bar is filled, the status effect instantly kills the player. The cheating player’s ridiculous spell continues as the Reddit user's screen fades to black and they return to their own game world. But the prevailing question from the comments under __elda__’s post is: Why do cheaters even bother playing PvP when there is no contest or challenge involved?
There are many theories from the comments as to why hacking is so prevalent in Elden Ring’s PvP mode, with some fans stating that Elden Ring cheaters just like to annoy people. Death is such a common aspect of Elden Ring and FromSoftware games that many players aren't that bothered by it, and PvP players are especially aware that they will either win or lose every match they take part in.
Another proposed theory is that these cheaters really do want to play PvP normally, but simply can't stomach losing to another player. This could be why the PvP duel appeared normal at the beginning and why it was only after the Reddit user landed a devastating parry attack that the cheater decided to deploy the guaranteed win lightning storm attack. However, many other dishonorable Elden Ring players also use PvP as a way to farm runes.
Elden Ring is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.