Elden Ring's 1.09 update has introduced a critical bug that inhibits the damage output of magic wielders in the game.

The massive blockbuster hit is still receiving support via updates and patches over a year after its massively successful launch in 2022, though some of these updates have been causing more headaches for Tarnished players in The Lands Between.

FromSoftware's move to a giant open world setting with Elden Ring was a welcomed one. It offered players a sense of freedom never felt in any Soulslike game before it. Adding to this level of freedom is the ability to create a full-on magic build if one so chooses, completely forgoing the need for melee combat altogether. The Lands Between offers a bountiful supply of incantations and sorceries that can be bought from merchants or found through exploration. Additionally, some spells and consumables can provide temporary damage buffs to many of these damage-dealing sorceries and incantations, opening up a wealth of combinations for magic users to experiment with at range.

These damage buffs can become essential for the success of magic builds in the late game, but a bug in update 1.09 seems to have removed their effects, leaving magic users scratching their heads. Reddit user Flint_Vorselon posted a video testing out different combinations of sorceries and incantations in both versions 1.08 and 1.09 of Elden Ring. The video highlighted that the increased damage from buffs they were dealing in version 1.08 was no longer being applied, with those same buffs active, in version 1.09.

Among the incantations tested was Flame Sling, an incantation where players sling a fireball at their enemies.

In both versions 1.08 and 1.09 the base damage for Flame Sling is 308. When the Howl of Shabriri buff is added, that Flame Sling damage jumps up to 385, a 25% increase in damage output. However, in version 1.09, with that same Howl of Shabriri buff active, Flame Sling still only does 308 damage. The same thing happens with Golden Vow, an incantation that's supposed to grant the player a 15% damage buff. Flint_Vorselon went on to express that every spell and incantation in the game is affected by this bug, listing other spells and consumables like Rallying Standard, Exalted Flesh and Flame Grant Me Strength.

This may not seem like a huge deal at first, but even the slightest difference in damage output could mean life or death in Elden Ring. Considering this is such a widespread issue that touches every spell and incantation in the game, every magic wielder in The Lands Between will feel the effects of this bug. Damage buffs are an important part of any RPG, but especially in such a challenging game like Elden Ring. It's safe to assume that this is a bug that will eventually be fixed by FromSoftware, but until then magic wielders might feel inclined to pick up a sword in the meantime.