Elden Ring gets 'easy mode' mod, another modder makes 'hard mode' mod in protest

The Tarnished sitting at a Site of Grace — (Image credit: Bandai Namco / FromSoftware)

Debate over whether Elden Ring is too easy or too hard will likely rage until the very end of the world, but whichever side of the fence you stand on: there's a mod for that. Whether you're bashing your head against the walls of Stormveil or finding the whole affair a bit too breezy, two new mods add difficulty modifiers to Elden Ring to suit your purposes.

Easy Mode For Elden Ring is exactly that, but the changes it makes are a little more detailed than simply making enemies easier to kill. It reduces received damage by 50%, but it also adds a 25% damage buff to the player character, while also boosting rune acquisition by 10, which means you can be incredibly OP very easily, if you want.

The mod that steers in the other direction is called Prepare To Die (Hard Mode), which is pretty self-explanatory. Its changes are a little more detailed than the easy mode mod. It boosts the damage, defences and resistance of enemies up to NG+ levels—approximately quadrupling them—while leaving their health, focus and stamina levels the same. But not only that, it also enhances the enemy AI, meaning you'll probably want to use Elden Ring's stealth system more frequently.

"Enemies will see and hear you from much further now," reads the mod's description. "They will look for you longer and harder when they hear you. When going for a backstab while undetected, enemies can hear you right behind them." This aspect of the mod is still a work in progress; the AI changes have been applied to about 10% of the game as of writing.

It's not just about making enemies tougher. You won't be able to warp between every site of grace using the mod, as you can only fast travel between churches and cathedrals. NG+ will scale with these new difficulty settings, and as an added bonus, the FOV has been widened to give you a bit more situational awareness.

"I got sick of seeing all of these 'easy mode' mods being pumped out every other day so I made this mod instead," writes the modder Silentverge. Do note, that using Elden Ring mods in offline mode is absolutely essential. Follow the instructions on the mod pages.

Elden Ring mods have been slowly arriving since the game's release three weeks ago. If the above mentioned 'Easy Mode' mod is still too hard for you, you could always try this 'peaceful' mod which turns the Lands Between into a petting zoo. Though be careful: you can still die.

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Shaun Prescott is the Australian editor of PC Gamer. With over ten years experience covering the games industry, his work has appeared on GamesRadar+, TechRadar, The Guardian, PLAY Magazine, the Sydney Morning Herald, and more. Specific interests include indie games, obscure Metroidvanias, speedrunning, experimental games and FPSs. He thinks Lulu by Metallica and Lou Reed is an all-time classic that will receive its due critical reappraisal one day.