PC Gamer - UK (2022-06)

I

’m an invader. The
nuisance who drops
into games to wreak
havoc on folks just
trying to overcome
challenges. About halfway through
my first playthrough I realised I
might like fighting other players
more than bosses, and the easiest
way to do that is by being a pain in
the ass. Except, well, lately my
invasions have gotten a bit weird.

It all started, as many things do, with
fashion. Deep underground in the
Ainsel River lies the Eternal City
Nokstella – and when I first set eyes
on the ten-foot tall swordswomen
that reside there, I knew I had to get
their fit. But once my cosplay was
assembled, I had another thought:
what if I invaded people here, lurking
in the depths of the city as a kind of
player controlled mini-boss?

So, for the next few days, that’s

what I did. I stalked the corridors

and stairwells of Nokstella with my

NPC comrades, cutting down

intruders about as often as I was cut

down by pesky overpowered wizard

builds. But sometimes, you’d come

across less, well, aggressive players.

See, Elden Ring gives you a whole

load of tools to mess around. Mimic

Veils that let you disguise as props,

gestures for communicating all

manner of intent. Yes, most of the

time you’ll be summoned straight

into a hunt – but the best invasions

are the ones where you’re greeted by

a friendly crate and spinning trees.

TURNCOAT

Eventually, I would leave the depths,

taking my hunt to the cold northern

wastes of The Lands Between. It was

here where things started to get truly

weird – my blade pulled into

everything from futile punch-ups to

the brilliant realisation that the

mimic library up here contained a

spectral deer, leading to outrageous,

impromptu herds of ghostly babes

gliding across the snow.

But the wildest night, by far, came

when I invaded a battle already in

Breaking conventionsas an invader in ELDEN RING

“The best invasions are ones where

you’re greeted by a friendly crate”

I STALKED THE CORRIDORS

OF NOKSTELLAWITH MY

NPC COMRADES

She slices,
she dices.

106

CONTINUED ADVENTURES IN GA ING

EX T R A LIFE

NAT CLAYTON

THIS MONTH

Became amercenary-for-hire

in The Lands Between.

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