FromSoftware has released Patch 1.17 for Elden Ring, live now ahead of the Tarnished Pack DLC, delivering “improved parry performance” for the Parry, Storm Wall, and Thops’s Barrier skills alongside attack power increases on five offensive Perfume Bottle variants, according to PCGamesN.
The patch applies whether or not you’re buying the DLC. FromSoftware has also changed certain items found in the field or dropped by powerful enemies in the Realm of Shadow to higher-tier items or other treasures, though anything you’ve already picked up won’t be affected retroactively.
The Tarnished Pack itself adds the Idus Knight and Heavy Knight as alternative starting classes, plus new merchants, with their gear equally obtainable by exploring the world once you own the DLC. It’s set to release Thursday, August 27 at 3pm PT / 6pm ET / 11pm BST, which lands at midnight CEST on August 28 – worth noting if you’re tracking the exact drop time rather than just the date. You’ll need to download and apply Patch 1.17 regardless, since it’s required for online play, and it’s a reasonable moment to check in on how Elden Ring has been performing lately as FromSoftware keeps the base game active years after launch.
Here’s the context: the parry and shield changes are the meatier story here, even though the DLC is what’s generating headlines. Using Parry with Daggers, Curved Swords, or Small Shields now lets you perform other actions faster afterward, and Storm Wall’s FP cost has been removed entirely – a small but real quality-of-life change for a skill that was previously a resource drain. Greatshields and Towershields across the board get increased guard boost, with some also shedding weight, which should matter to anyone building around stamina-based blocking rather than pure aggression.
Great Katanas also got two overdue fixes: they were hitting less hard than intended against large enemies, and their jumping attacks could erroneously be parried by opponents. Both are now corrected. The catch is that FromSoftware‘s notes don’t explain exactly what “improved parry performance” means in mechanical terms – no specifics on timing windows or hit detection – so the real effect on PvP and defensive builds won’t be clear until players have had time to test it against the current meta. That’s also true of the DLC’s actual scope; the source confirms new classes, weapons, three Spectral Steed Attire variants, and two additional NPC invasions, but nothing beyond that about its commercial reach.
Beyond parries and perfumes, the balance pass touches a wide range of gear:
- Weapon-throwing attacks – stronger on the Smithscript Greathammer, Smithscript Axe, Smithscript Spear, and Spear of the Impaler
- Critical hit power – increased on the Smithscript Dagger and Rellana’s Twin Blades
- Golem Fist – extended range on its heavy attack
- Sorceries and incantations – increased power for Founding Rain of Stars, Carian Retaliation, Feather of the Divine Bird, and Rain of Fire, plus faster casting on Meteorite and Meteorite of Astel
- O, Flame! – expanded attack range
- Gravitational Missile – no longer explodes immediately upon striking terrain like the ground or a wall
- Carian Sorcery Sword – Intelligence scaling now increases attack power across all damage types
- PvP nerfs – Rakshasa’s Great Katana, Rugalea’s Roar, Rotten Breath, and Ekzykes’s Decay have all been toned down
What remains unclear is how much of this list is exhaustive. The source itself notes that based on how past Elden Ring updates have gone, it’ll likely take time for the community to surface every unmentioned tweak buried in the patch. There’s no full accounting yet of every affected shield or perfume beyond what’s explicitly listed, and the eventual shakeout in PvP lobbies and boss fights is still an open question – a familiar rhythm for anyone who followed FromSoftware’s broader single-player output or watched other studios navigate similar balance passes, like the recent Grim Dawn patch.
What to watch: the Tarnished Pack’s actual launch at 3pm PT / 6pm ET / 11pm BST on August 27 (midnight CEST August 28), how the community’s early testing of Parry, Storm Wall, and Thops’s Barrier shakes out, and whether more hidden changes surface as players dig through the regulation files. Given the online-play requirement, expect adoption to be near-universal within days.
Are you more interested in testing the reworked parry timing and shield buffs, or finally giving those Perfume Bottles a shot now that they hit harder? And which single change on this list – weapon, spell, or PvP nerf – do you expect to matter most once players get their hands on it? Keep an eye out for more Elden Ring patch coverage as the meta settles.
