Elden Ring 1.03 update patch notes: Balance changes, new NPC features, more

February 2023 · 6 minute read

Bandai Namco has deployed Elden Ring update 1.03 as the latest major patch across all platforms adds new NPC-related features, rebalances various equipment, and squashes well over a dozen bugs.

Two weeks on from the last update and the Elden Ring 1.03 patch is now here with a ton of fresh changes and improvements. 

Questlines should be easier than ever to track thanks to a new feature that records NPC locations on the map. Various characters also have additional phases in their specific quests as well.

Furthermore, the Elden Ring update 1.03 update fixes a wide range of gameplay issues and further improves performance across the board. Not only that, but a considerable number of weapons, armor sets, and sorceries have all been rebalanced.

Elden Ring’s 1.03 patch should make it easier to track NPC questlines.

Elden Ring update 1.03 gameplay additions

Headlining the new Elden Ring 1.03 update are a number of NPC changes. First up, an entirely new feature is now available, one that lets you mark an NPC on your map in much greater detail than before.

Upon encountering new characters, their name will now be recorded on the map to help you remember where particular NPCs are located.

On the subject of NPCs, the likes of Diallos, Nepheli Loux, Kenneth Haight, and Gatekeeper Gostoc all have “new quest phases” to keep an eye out for. This should give players an easier time advancing their individual storylines in Elden Ring.

Fans of the always-amusing Mimic’s Veil item will be happy knowing this update also came with an increase for the number of objects you can imitate.

Elden Ring update 1.03 balance changes

With the 1.03 update came one of the first major balance changes in Elden Ring. Everything from key Ashes of War to various Sprit Summons have been tweaked to some degree.

The Hoarfrost Stomp has been arguably the strongest Ash of War in Elden Ring, though new nerfs could knock it down a peg or two.

Perhaps most notably, the Mimic Tear Spirit Ash, one that spawns an exact clone of your character to aid you in combat, has been nerfed. Now with “decreased damage” and a change in behavior, other AI summons could soon rise to the top in Elden Ring’s meta.

Similarly, the popular Hoarfrost Stomp Ash of War, a favorite among speedrunners, has also been nerfed considerably. While a decrease to damage is one thing, casting this ability also takes more time now, meaning a spam-heavy approach to stagger bosses is no longer effective.

Elden Ring update 1.03 patch notes

You can find the full Elden Ring update 1.03 patch notes below, courtesy of Bandai Namco:

Additional Elements Added

Balance Changes

Bug Fixes

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