It's no secret that Elden Ring is home to some major unfinished content, and a modder just pointed it out by accessing a preview build.
A well-known figure in Soulsborne circles, modder Lance McDonald has been hard at work since he released Elden Ring back in February. After previously analyzing the Elden Ring network test in November 2021, where he discovered that he could originally get NPCs drunk, he now has access to the Elden Ring beta, streaming it yesterday (Aug 11) to via Twitch.
Confirmed via Twitter (opens in a new tab), McDonald's revealed that this beta is "two months before game launch." This includes "loads" of unfinished content such as "various items, enemies, mechanics, character names, and full debug camera mode." To do this, McDonald used a jailbroken PS4 and advised viewers to "use the network test UI" of this beta.
Interestingly, this debugging chamber allows you to detach yourself from the playable character, finding new discoveries like various shipwrecks in the Western Sea. Confirming "it's my own work" (via NME), McDonald said that he patched the game to enable this feature, uploading "a bunch of code to make it work." It's a fascinating preview, and you can watch Lance McDonald's Elden Ring Twitch stream (opens in a new tab) here.
I'm live on Twitch for something special, playing a preview version of Elden Ring (from 2 months before the game release!) with a LOT of unfinished stuff, different items, enemies, mechanics, character names and debug cam mode complete. . GO https://t.co/qDYEQN4VLs pic.twitter.com/c7Nc2XN5yWAAugust 11, 2022
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endless discoveries
It is a known fact that video games always cut content during development. Sometimes a feature just doesn't fit with the team's current plans anymore, or maybe it's a necessary sacrifice to reign in scope. FromSoftware games are no exception to this rule and nearly six months later, Elden Ring reveals are still plentiful.
We have seen it several times in the last few months. In June, YouTuber Sekiro Dubi discovered that the merchant Kalé once had a larger role in Elden Ring, where he would have appeared in a series of quests at the end of the game. Back in May, Twitter user JesterPatches uncovered plans for a weapon and armor durability system, and there's likely much more to come.
We still see occasional official updates as well. FromSoftware just released Elden Ring patch 1.06, which weakens one of the most frustrating abilities in the game, Bloodhound Stop, and we also know that the developer secretly changed the Elden Ring map between updates. It's hard to say what's next, but hopefully the first Elden Ring DLC isn't too far off.