Elden Ring isn't even out but players are already killing bosses with fall damage

Elden Ring bosses
(Image credit: Bandai Namco)

Elden Ring is still a few months away, but thanks to the recent network test, players have already found how to cheese bosses by knocking them off ledges. 

As our friends at PC Gamer spotted, Elden Ring fans wasted no time testing the limits of level design, gravity, and boss behavior. Reddit user Professional_Ease765 managed to lure the dragon Agheel, who's normally fought in a swamp (and preferably on horseback, per our guide on Elden Ring bosses), up and off a nearby ledge, one-shotting the dragon in the process. They weren't the only one, either; Redditor Survivalhorrorz pulled off a similar feat, seemingly by accident. 

watch_out_guys_its_slippery_out_there from r/Eldenring

For a lethal fall, this one is weirdly low and slow. This would be like three steps on a dragon-sized staircase, for crying out loud. Plus, as we said in our Elden Ring hands-on preview, fall damage is pretty forgiving compared to previous FromSoftware games, but apparently that doesn't go for dragon – perhaps a trade-off for being able to fly. 

Agheel wasn't the only victim of fall damage in the network test, either. Reddit user G4GamingYT saw the final boss of the test, Margit the Fell, ironically fall off the whole dang level and instantly die. Anyone who's fought Margit can tell you that this boss jumps around a lot, but he's always careful about where he lands. Well, almost always.

Elden Ring fans have beaten bosses using more than just fall damage, too. This is the fanbase that cheesed Demon's Souls bosses by killing them without even passing through boss fog walls. You know they're gonna find some degenerate strategies in a world as vast as Elden Ring's. Sure enough, one player recorded an utterly unfair match with the Tree Sentinel boss, who normally mows you down on horseback but apparently can't overcome the might of a three-foot rock. If you lure this horseman to any kind of elevated terrain, you can safely plink away at him with magic or ranged weapon skills. Maybe get a longer halberd next time, buddy. 

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Austin Wood
Senior writer

Austin has been a game journalist for 12 years, having freelanced for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree. He's been with GamesRadar+ since 2019. They've yet to realize his position is a cover for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he's kept the ruse going with a lot of news and the occasional feature, all while playing as many roguelikes as possible.

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