Well, Tarnished, September was quite the month. FromSoftware dropped two substantial patches for Elden Ring Nightreign, buffing every Nightfarer class while simultaneously preparing us for the soul-crushing brutality of Deep of Night mode. They even added safety nets so one bad run doesn’t erase hours of progress – which is either generous or ominous foreshadowing.
Beyond the patches, we tackled the eternal struggle of weapon duplication (because dual-wielding is life), questioned the combat effectiveness of reanimated death birds, and mapped the fastest route to transform boss weapons from disappointing paperweights into actual instruments of destruction.
Whether you were grinding Deep of Night, desperately hunting that second Rivers of Blood, or watching your Gravebird summon screech ineffectively at enemies, September had something for everyone.
A Quick Summary of Elden Ring Nightreign Patch 1.02.2
So FromSoftware decided to buff literally everyone right before throwing us into “Deep of Night,” and honestly? We’re not complaining. Patch 1.02.2 isn’t your standard “fixed some text errors” update – this is the “here’s some armor before we absolutely demolish you” patch, and it’s glorious.
Every single Nightfarer class got meaningful buffs. Wylder mains can finally stop getting interrupted mid-combo like some kind of amateur. Guardians became the unstoppable tank-damage hybrids they were always meant to be. Even Duchess players got upgrades despite a minor heavy attack nerf (you’ll survive, we promise). The real winner? Recluse users who can now actually cast spells without needing a coffee break between incantations.
But here’s the twist – they’re buffing you because Deep of Night is about to ruin your life. We’re talking five escalating difficulty depths, randomized Nightlord encounters (goodbye, build-crafting for specific bosses), and exclusive “Depths Relics” that come with both incredible powers and soul-crushing downsides. Fun!
The weapon rebalancing is particularly spicy: dual-wielding small weapons got significantly better for stagger builds, while those of you running dual-greatswords just lost some cheese potential. Boss fights like Everdark Sovereign got more manageable, but don’t get cocky – Night’s Tide damage increased after the second boss.
Bottom line? FromSoftware just gave us all the tools we need to fail slightly less spectacularly. Time to update, experiment with buffed builds, and prepare for the abyss to stare back. Ready to descend?
Elden Ring: Get Multiple Copies of Weapons – Complete Guide
So you’ve found your dream weapon and now you want two of them because, obviously, dual-wielding is the only way to live. The problem? FromSoftware looked at your perfectly reasonable request for weapon duplication and said “lol, no.” But don’t worry – we’ve got you covered with every legitimate method to build your collection.
The trading route is your fastest bet: have a generous friend drop their weapon in co-op, pick it up, and boom – dual-wield city. Just remember your friend loses theirs permanently, so maybe buy them a coffee or something. Oh, and weapon upgrade levels matter here, so you can’t just grab a +25 weapon if you’ve only upgraded to +12. Nice try though.
New Game Plus is the time-honored “experience the pain again” method where everything resets except your gear and sanity. The upside? Enemies drop five times more Runes early on, making it much faster to speedrun for that second copy. The downside? You’re doing it all again.
For boss weapons specifically, Walking Mausoleums are your best friend – seven in the base game plus three coffins in Shadow of the Erdtree. Duplicate those Remembrances and grab both rewards. Just don’t waste them because once they’re gone, they’re gone until NG+.
Farming is technically an option for some weapons, but with drop rates like 0.5% for the Noble’s Slender Sword, you’d better stock up on coffee and prepare to question your life choices. Pop that Silver Scarab talisman and pray to RNGesus.
Bottom line? Getting multiples requires patience, planning, or incredibly generous friends.
The Mostly Reliable Guide: Gravebird Ashes – Just a Flyby
Welcome to the spirit summon that answers the question nobody asked: “What if we took a bird, removed its ability to fly properly, and made it cost 52 FP?” The Gravebird Ashes are essentially FromSoftware’s way of testing whether you’ll summon literally anything just because it exists.
These reanimated nightmares possess all the grace of a shopping trolley with a wonky wheel and approach combat with the enthusiasm typically reserved for dental surgery. Their primary attack strategy can best be described as “aggressive hopping” combined with interpretive screeching that sounds like a rusty gate in a windstorm. Is this psychological warfare? A malfunction? Performance art? We honestly don’t know.
The gravebird’s most notable ability is making your other summons feel significantly better about their combat effectiveness. It’s like bringing your clumsy friend to a dance-off—they won’t win, but they’ll create a memorable spectacle. Enemies will legitimately question their life choices when confronted with this creature’s chaotic unpredictability.
Best use case? Deploy it when you need something to distract enemies while you contemplate why you’re still playing. It excels at clearing scattered runes through vigorous ground-pecking and serves as an excellent early warning system since its screeching alerts everything within a three-mile radius.
At 52 FP, you’re essentially paying premium prices for a rubber chicken at a sword fight. Will it help you win? Probably not. Will it confuse everyone involved? Absolutely. And sometimes, that’s victory enough in the Lands Between.
A Quick Summary of Elden Ring Nightreign Patch 1.02.3
FromSoftware just dropped Patch 1.02.3, and it’s basically them saying “okay, maybe we made Deep of Night a bit too soul-crushing.” The headline feature? Rank demotion protection at Depths 3, 4, and 5. That’s right – no more watching hours of progress evaporate because you had one bad run where someone aggro’d three boss packs simultaneously. You get protection for 1 defeat at Depth 3, and 2 defeats at Depths 4 & 5. This is huge for anyone who’s been too terrified to push deeper into rankings.
They’ve also added voluntary rank demotion, which is the gaming equivalent of saying “I need to step back and breathe” without the shame of an actual defeat. Respect.
Combat got some love too: most weapons received increased attack power and stagger damage for Dash & Strong attacks, meaning your heavy combos will actually break poise like they’re supposed to. Though dual-wielding Curved Greatswords and Heavy Thrusting Swords lost some jump attack stagger damage, so RIP to that particular cheese strategy.
Boss nerfs across the board! Ancient Dragon, Duke’s Dear Freja, Tibia Mariner, and Great Wyrm all got HP reductions. Fallingstar Beast variants are now actually vulnerable to poison, rot, and blood loss. Fights that felt like slogs should now feel… slightly less sloggy?
Bottom line? This patch makes Deep of Night more accessible without removing the challenge. The safety nets are here, the bosses are (slightly) less tanky, and your weapons hit harder. Perfect time to dive back in.
The Ultimate Somber Smithing Stone Highway to +9 Power
Tired of your boss weapons hitting like wet noodles? Yeah, we’ve all been there, watching our “legendary” armament deal the same damage as a butter knife. Good news: you can get a +9 somber weapon before even touching Margit if you’re willing to do some strategic running and shopping.
The secret? Smithing Master Iji sells stones [1]-[4], and Caelid lets you grab ridiculously high-tier stones way earlier than FromSoftware probably intended. We’re talking Somber Smithing Stone [8] and [9] before you’ve cleared Limgrave. Is this balanced? Absolutely not. Are we doing it anyway? You bet.
Here’s the express route: Skip Stormveil entirely, hit up Iji in Liurnia for stones [1]-[4], then use the Dragon-Burnt Ruins trap chest to teleport directly to Sellia Crystal Tunnel. Exit right into Dragonbarrow, grab [8] from a Scarab on a tree root near the Divine Tower, then collect [9] from corpses at the tower’s base. Add in some Volcano Manor pickups (let the Iron Maiden eat you at Raya Lucaria for fast travel), and you’re sitting pretty at +6 with zero boss fights required.
The catch? Somber [7] is notoriously the hardest to get early. Your best bet is either sleep-potting the Godskin Noble at Volcano Manor or diving into Leyndell’s sewers. No shortcuts here – you’re actually fighting something.
Want unlimited stones? Bell Bearings require boss fights, but the pickup route gets you surprisingly far. Focus on maxing one weapon before spreading resources thin, because there are only 8 Somber Ancient Dragon Smithing Stones for +10 in the base game.
Bottom line? This route turns you from Tarnished to properly dangerous way faster than intended.
Until Next Month, Tarnished
And there you have it – September in all its chaotic, patch-filled glory. We got stronger, bosses got weaker (slightly), and we learned that some spirit summons are better appreciated as performance art than actual combat assistance.
October’s already knocking on the door with who knows what FromSoftware has planned next. More patches? New content? Another round of buffs right before they introduce something that’ll absolutely wreck us? Probably all of the above, if we’re being honest.
Until then, keep those weapons upgraded, your builds flexible, and maybe give that Gravebird a rest. Your sanity will thank you.
As always, if you’ve discovered any clever strategies, hilarious summon failures, or faster routes through the content we covered, drop a comment and share the wisdom. We’re all stumbling through the Lands Between together, and the community knowledge is half the fun.
Stay sharp out there, Tarnished. The night is dark and full of bosses that really, really don’t want you to win.
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