Elden Ring players uncover monster bears and a hidden boss after getting outside the network test

Elden Ring players have been glitching out of the network test's boundaries and finding some monsters in the process.

Over the past weekend, FromSoftware hosted a closed network test for Elden Ring, where a select number of players got to explore a limited open-world portion of the upcoming RPG. As Kotaku first reported earlier today, however, players have succeeded in passing through the fog wall marking the network test's boundaries, jumping into areas where they weren't meant to tread.

In the process, players have discovered one horrific creature. As one YouTube user found, they rode out of bounds on their horse, only to come face to face with a monstrous bear-like creature, which summarily ripped them apart with ferocious attacks, inflicting both bleeding and poison effects in the process. That's one deadly combination for anyone to deal with.

Another player actually managed to find a hidden boss in the network test. As published on YouTube, a video shows the player jumping through a complex series of portals near the southern border of the Elden Ring technical test, before facing off against an unseen boss called Crucible Knight Floh. Unfortunately, the player doesn't actually get a look at the boss themselves, because they drop through the world as soon as they enter the arena.

Last but not least, one player over on YouTube managed to find the exact point at which Alexander (also known as Pot Boy) should have been located. The player in question manages to again glitch out of the network test's boundaries, and this time finds themselves along the exact same cliff edge where Alexander resided in a recent gameplay demo, quickly freeing him by whacking him with a big sword.

Elden Ring launches next year on February 25 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S. While the closed technical test for the action-RPG has now drawn to a close, you can check out our full Elden Ring preview for what we made of our hours spent with the technical test before it officially went live.

Additionally, you can read up on our 10 Elden Ring tips guide to see what awaits you in the grand adventure early next year.