Elden Ring’ Mistakes You’ll Never Be Able to Unsee

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Open world games this large always leave tiny seams, and once you spot a few in ‘Elden Ring’ they tend to stand out every time you ride through the Lands Between. None of these ruin the experience, but they are persistent quirks that players have cataloged since launch and across multiple patches.

The list below focuses on visual hiccups, audio quirks, quest logic snags, and interface inconsistencies. Each entry explains what to look for and where it is most noticeable, so you can identify the exact triggers and patterns behind these little immersion breakers the next time you play.

Hitboxes That Do Not Match Animations

Large enemies sometimes register damage or grabs before their models visually connect, which becomes obvious during sweeping limbs and tail swats. The issue is easier to notice with bosses that have wide area attacks where the damage zone extends slightly beyond the visible weapon arc.

You can test this by rolling through the outer edge of certain boss swings and observing that damage still lands when the animation appears to miss. Watching slow weapon trails on creatures like dragons or ulcerated tree variants highlights the mismatch, especially when you pause afteriframes end and still get tagged.

Capes and Weapons Clipping Through Armor

Cloth and long weapons often intersect with character torsos during cutscenes and idle stances. Back scabbards and greatswords poke through coats during emotes, and capes can tunnel into backpacks or chest pieces while sprinting.

The effect is most apparent in windy areas or when you equip layered outfits with flowing elements. Switch to side or rear camera angles, trigger an emote, then rotate slowly to see cloth layers and blades drift through meshes while physics continues to simulate movement.

Floating Messages and Bloodstains

Player messages and bloodstains sometimes hover above or sink below uneven ground. On sloped paths and rocky terrain the placement grid does not always follow the actual collision surface, leaving notes suspended a few inches in the air.

You can reproduce this on staircases and natural ramps by placing a message and reloading the area. Look closely at the shadow beneath the glyphs or compare the message height to nearby stones, and you will notice a consistent offset from the floor plane.

Abrupt Weather and Lighting Shifts at Zone Lines

Crossing from open fields into legacy dungeons can cause sudden changes in fog, sky tint, and ambient brightness. The transition zone is narrow, so the swap happens within a few steps rather than blending over distance.

Stand at an entrance, rotate the camera, and step forward and back to see the lighting profile flip. Particle density and wind audio also change instantly, which makes the swap more noticeable than in regions where weather blends over time.

NPC Pathing Into Corners and Props

Non hostile characters and invaders occasionally collide with walls or small scenery and keep walking in place. The navmesh prefers a straight path, which can trap an NPC on angled furniture or door frames until the AI resets.

You can spot this by pulling an enemy around a tight pillar or kite an invader through a doorway, then circle behind them. If they fail to replan their route, they will keep pushing forward while footstep sounds loop and attack timing drifts off beat.

Texture Pop In and Level of Detail Flicker

Ground and wall textures swap resolution as you move, which produces a shimmer when the camera pans slowly. On cliffs and castle bricks the detail layer can blink between two states when you adjust the viewing angle by a few degrees.

To see it clearly, walk sideways while keeping the camera fixed on a stone surface at medium distance. The surface normal map will sharpen and soften in steps, and thin patterns like mortar lines can appear to crawl as the level of detail system swaps assets.

Shadow Resolution Changes While Walking

Dynamic shadows can shift crispness mid stride, especially under strong sun with multiple overlapping objects. The cascade boundary for shadow maps follows the camera, so edges jump when your viewpoint crosses a threshold.

Stand near a tree and move one step at a time while watching the shadow outline on the ground. The leaf detail will snap sharper or blurrier between steps, and if you rotate the camera slowly you will see the transition line sweep across the terrain.

Reused or Confusing Status Effect Icons

A few icons share shapes or colors that look similar at a glance, which makes it harder to distinguish the exact ailment during chaotic fights. Minor differences in borders or symbols are easy to miss when the HUD is scaled down.

Open the status menu and compare effect tooltips after applying buffs or taking elemental damage. You will notice clusters that use close hues and silhouettes, so it helps to memorize the tooltip names and watch the buildup meters rather than relying only on the small icon.

Quest States That Leave Duplicate NPCs

Advancing certain questlines in an unexpected order can leave an earlier instance of an NPC in place after their story has moved on. This creates two versions of the same character in different locations until the area reloads or another quest flag resolves it.

If you track multiple quests at once, revisit earlier sites after a major step. When an old version remains, dialogue may not update or shops will reflect the wrong inventory, and resting or reloading the region usually cleans up the duplicate state.

Minor Map Seam and Marker Misalignments

In a few border areas the world map shows faint seams where tiles meet and markers can sit a little offset from the actual point of interest. Zooming in tight makes these misalignments easier to notice as the coastline or road bends slightly out of sync with the terrain.

Place a personal marker on a bend in a road, then compare its position to the ground when you arrive. If the marker is a bit to the side, the tile boundary on the map is the likely cause, and nudging the marker a small distance usually corrects your route.

Share the little mistakes you have spotted in your own playthroughs in the comments.

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