Elden Ring Patch 1.12 ā€” Is Your Build Still Good?

When Patch 1.12 dropped alongside Shadow of the Erdtree, I opened the patch notes expecting the usual FromSoftware treatment: "Adjusted various parameters" and "Fixed miscellaneous bugs." Instead we got 40+ specific changes including weapon rebalancing, the Scadutree Blessing rework, and PvP damage reduction.

I spent 15 hours testing the major changes in-game because FromSoftware's patch notes are allergic to actual numbers. Here's what changed, what it actually means, and whether your build survived. If it didn't, our best builds tier list has been updated for Patch 1.12.

The 5 Changes That Actually Matter

| Rank | Change | What It Means | |:--:|--------|---------------| | šŸ”“ | Blasphemous Blade Taker's Flame -15% | Still S-tier, press L2 one more time | | šŸŸ¢ | All Colossal weapons: faster attacks + more poise | Greatsword builds are back on the menu | | šŸŸ¢ | Scadutree Blessing now diminishing curve | Early fragments worth double, explore first ā€” see our preparation guide for where to find them | | šŸŸ” | Global PvP damage -8% | Duels last longer, one-shots are rarer | | šŸŸ¢ | 50+ weapons and spells buffed | Off-meta builds become viable, DLC weapons get love |

Weapon Changes: Who Got Hit and Who Won

The Nerfs (Don't Panic)

Blasphemous Blade ā€” Taker's Flame Damage -15%

- Skill base damage: 100%
+ Skill base damage: 85%
- Fire scaling coefficient: 2.2
+ Fire scaling coefficient: 1.9

I tested this against Godfrey at level 150 with full buffs. Pre-patch: Taker's Flame hit for about 3,200. Post-patch: 2,750. The lifesteal was not touched. You press the button one extra time per fight. Blasphemous Blade is still the best PvE weapon in the game.

I've seen people in comments sections acting like their build is ruined. It's not. You went from deleting bosses in 20 seconds to deleting them in 25 seconds. Calm down.

Rivers of Blood ā€” Corpse Piler Range -15%

+ Skill range reduced by 15%
+ Bleed buildup slightly lower per slash

Still a top-tier Arcane/Bleed weapon. You just can't bleed enemies from across the room in PvP anymore. PvE clearing takes slightly longer because you need to be closer to hit multiple targets. The "stand back and L2" playstyle that dominated PvP since launch is finally less oppressive.

Moonveil ā€” Transient Moonlight -6% Damage

+ Damage reduced by 6%
+ Poise damage reduced

Barely noticeable in PvE. The main target was PvP ā€” Moonveil's draw speed plus damage was too oppressive in duels. The poise damage nerf means you can't just spam Transient Moonlight to interrupt every attack your opponent tries. Moonveil users in PvE won't feel this at all.

The Buffs (These Are Big)

All Colossal Weapons ā€” Speed + Poise Damage Up

This is the single biggest buff direction in the patch and I'm genuinely happy about it. Colossal weapons have been too slow to use against DLC bosses since Shadow of the Erdtree launched.

| Weapon Class | What Changed | |-------------|-------------| | Colossal Sword | R1 +8% faster, charged R2 +12% faster | | Colossal Weapon (hammers) | R1 +10% faster, jump R2 poise +15% | | Great Hammer | R1 +6% faster, charged R2 +5% damage | | Greataxe | R1 combo recovery -10% |

For Guts Greatsword enjoyers: your jump attack DPS increased by roughly 8-12%, and the reduced recovery frames mean you have actual windows to dodge after attacking. The Starsourge Greatsword build I abandoned months ago feels playable again.

DLC Weapons ā€” Across-the-Board Improvements

A bunch of DLC weapons had their base damage and skill damage increased:

| Weapon | Change | Is It Good Now? | |--------|--------|:--:| | Backhand Blade | Base damage +8%, Blind Spot FP 12ā†’9 | Yes, was mid, now strong | | Light Greatsword (Milady) | Skill damage +15% | Yes ā€” Wing Stance rivals Colossal burst damage | | Beast Claw | Bleed buildup +10% | For bleed builds, yes | | Throwing Blade | Throw range +20% | Fun but still niche | | Dryleaf Arts | R1 chain +6% faster | Martial arts builds finally feel decent | | Great Katana | Charged R2 +10% damage | Solid buff |

Milady's Wing Stance is the standout. The light/heavy attack mix-ups are genuinely dangerous in PvP now and the skill damage rivals some Colossal weapon numbers. If you haven't tried it since the patch, it's worth revisiting.

Spells and Incantations

| Spell | Change | |-------|--------| | Rellana's Twin Moons | Damage +20%, cast speed +10% | | Messmer's Orb | Damage +15%, AoE +10% | | Knight's Lightning Spear | FP 24ā†’19 | | Glintstone Nail | Damage +25% (finally usable) | | Roar of Rugalea | Def debuff 15sā†’30s | | Aspects of the Crucible: Bloom | Damage +18% |

Rellana's Twin Moons finally does damage worth its 70 INT requirement and 48 FP cost. Pre-patch it was outperformed by a single Comet. Now it's a legitimate boss-killer. The Glintstone Nail buff is funny ā€” it went from "literally why does this exist" to "okay, that actually hurt."

Scadutree Blessing: The Big System Change

The Blessing system was linear at launch: each level gave a flat 5% damage and defense boost, maxing at +100% at level 20. Patch 1.12 changed it to a diminishing curve:

OLD: Level Ɨ 5% per level, Level 20 = +100%
NEW:
  Level 1-5:   +8% per level  (rapid early gains ā€” explore first!)
  Level 6-12:  +5% per level  (steady growth)
  Level 13-17: +3% per level  (diminishing starts)
  Level 18-20: +1% per level  (marginal)
  Level 20:    ~+92% total

The design intent is clear: FromSoftware wants you to prioritize fragment collection early rather than grinding levels and ignoring Scadutree until later. Early fragments are now worth nearly double. If you explore the Gravesite Plain thoroughly before challenging Belurat Tower Settlement, you'll be at Blessing 3-5 with ~40% damage and defense ā€” which makes early DLC bosses feel properly tuned instead of overtuned.

I wish they'd done this at launch. The "I'm level 150 and getting one-shot" panic that flooded Reddit could have been avoided if people knew that exploring for fragments was more important than grinding runes.

PvP: Duels Are Longer and Dual Spears Are Dead

Global -8% Damage

All PvP damage: -8%
Result: Duels last 10-15% longer, one-shots are rarer

Strength builds benefit most from this ā€” Colossal weapons now have more time to land follow-up hits before the duel ends.

Specific PvP Changes

| Change | Detail | |--------|--------| | Dual Spear running attack | -20% damage (finally) | | Moonveil poise damage | No longer one-shots poise | | Swift Glintstone Shard | -12% damage | | Bloodhound's Step | FP 5ā†’8 |

The dual spear running attack nerf is the PvP community's most celebrated change since the game launched. That tactic had essentially no counterplay ā€” the running L1 tracked too well, did too much damage, and came out faster than most weapons could respond. It's still usable, just not oppressive.

Bug Fixes Worth Knowing About

| Fix | Why It Matters | |-----|---------------| | Messmer Phase 2 AI freeze | He'd get stuck and stop attacking. Honour Mode runs were dying to this. | | Putrescent Knight FPS drops | PS5 was dropping to 20 FPS during this fight. Particle effects optimized. | | St. Trina questline failure | Miquella-related quest could break under certain conditions. | | Scadutree Fragment counter | Display bug where collected fragments didn't update the count. | | Bayle fire terrain hitbox | Visual effect didn't match where damage actually was. Now it does. | | Co-op disconnects in DLC | Frequent connection drops in DLC areas ā€” mostly fixed. | | Torrent collision in Gravesite Plain | Invisible walls would stop Torrent dead. Smoother now. |

The boss AI freeze and Putrescent Knight FPS fixes are the most impactful. Those two bugs ruined runs for a lot of people, especially on Honour Mode.

Winners and Losers

Happy People

| Build | Why | |-------|-----| | Greatsword / Colossal enjoyers | Global attack speed + recovery buffs | | Milady / Light Greatsword users | Skill damage massively buffed | | Pure sorcery (Rellana's Twin Moons) | Spell damage significantly increased | | DLC weapon users | Across-the-board base stat increases | | PvP Strength builds | Damage reduction gives slow weapons more room | | Early DLC explorers | Scadutree early fragments now worth double |

Slightly Less Happy People

| Build | Why | |-------|-----| | Blasphemous Blade spam (just L2) | Damage -15% ā€” still good, press button twice | | Rivers of Blood spam | Range reduced | | PvP dual spear run-attack | Direct 20% nerf | | PvP Moonveil duelists | Poise interrupt capability gutted |

FAQ

Should I respec?

If you're running Blasphemous Blade or Rivers of Blood ā€” no. Changes aren't drastic enough to invalidate your build. But if you previously abandoned a Strength build because Colossal weapons felt too slow, now is the perfect time to come back. The speed buffs are noticeable.

Are DLC weapons worth upgrading now?

Absolutely. Backhand Blade, Milady, and Beast Claw are all strong post-buff. Milady's Wing Stance now matches some Colossal weapon single-target damage. If you've been sitting on a pile of upgrade materials waiting for the right DLC weapon, now's the time.

What's the new PvP meta?

Colossal weapons will see more use with the speed buffs. Halberds may become the new PvP darling now that dual spears are nerfed. Moonveil is still strong ā€” just no longer mindlessly oppressive.

Did FromSoftware actually tell us the numbers?

No. They never do. Every percentage in this guide is community-tested, not official. FromSoftware patch notes remain aggressively vague. Some things never change.

Last updated: July 23, 2026. Elden Ring 1.12. All damage numbers from in-game testing ā€” FromSoftware won't give us exact figures, so these are best estimates.