Terrifying Shadow of the Erdtree animation glitch turns one of the DLC's cool new swords into a kind of body horror that would fit right into Bloodborne

Elden Ring DLC launch trailer invader
(Image credit: Bandai Namco / FromSoftware)

Elden Ring's players have discovered a terrifying animation glitch in Shadow of the Erdtree that turns Tarnished everywhere into Marionette soldiers.

FromSoftware has opened the floodgates to Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree's massive new regions, and everyone loves that. What everyone loves a whole lot less than that is the downright horrifying animation glitch seen just below, which has sent a Tarnished's torso and arms repeatedly revolving around their body like they're something out of Bloodborne. 

Ummmmm……I don’t think that’s right from r/Eldenring

This thing is horrifying, but it could very well have its uses - it's effectively a permanent extension of the 'Unending Dance' unique skill for the Dancing Blade of Ranah, so you could theoretically go tearing through packs of soldiers. It's a bit of a shame that the weapon's unique skill name has come back to bite it in a very ironic way here.

Unfortunately, this player wasn't the only one to have experienced the glitch - GamesRadar+ also has first-hand experience with the very odd glitch. You don't need to do anything special to activate the animation glitch whatsoever, as just holding down the ability button for us made sure the Unending Dance was quite literally unending. 

This is all a crying shame because the Dancing Blade of Ranah is definitely one of the better weapons in Elden Ring right now. The 'B' rating for its Dexterity scaling is brilliant, meaning any Dex-dedicated Tarnished out there are going to have a great time with it. Not even a few hours ago I saw someone kill Messmer the Impaler with the weapon in under 60 seconds. 

If you're struggling through the Lands of Shadow, check out our guide on where to find Scadutree Fragments in Shadow of the Erdtree to level up your Tarnished.

Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.