Elden Ring players are already tricking bosses into falling off cliffs

Elden Ring - A player leaps towards a many-armed enemy with sword and shield raised.

(Image credit: FromSoftware)

Elden Ring's closed network test came and went over the weekend, briefly introducing players to FromSoftware's first open world Souls-style game and a handful of the bosses that inhabit it. Players quickly started getting familiar with the more vertical world of the Lands Between, but it looks like some of Elden Ring's bosses haven't quite found their footing just yet.

Flying Dragon Agheel in particular seemed to struggle against the almighty force of gravity. We saw Agheel swoop down to fight a player in an open world encounter during the 15 minutes of footage FromSoft debuted ahead of the network test. Agheel looked frightening enough to contend with while on horseback, but it turns out this giant dragon isn't quite so confident with climbing.

watch_out_guys_its_slippery_out_there from r/Eldenring

Players in the network test were able to lure Agheel up on top of a nearby ledge. In an attempt to swipe at the player standing at the bottom, it initially looks like Agheel is going to climb down the vertical face of the cliff. Instead, Agheel takes a tumble off the edge and succumbs to an instant death at the bottom. Clumsy dragon.

I noticed that fall damage in Elden Ring appears to be much more forgiving than in Dark Souls. That said, Agheel fell from a height of about two Flying Dragons—ten or twelve meters, maybe—which seems like it should have been an inconsequential stumble. Perhaps Elden Ring's fall damage isn't so forgiving to enemies.

Other players are encountering Agheel's ill-fated fumbles too. One explains how he seems to fall off the cliff if he touches another enemy. Another had a similar experience where a fall took the remaining fifth of Agheel's health.

Agheel isn't the only boss who struggled with edges. We put together a guide to another one of Elden Ring's bosses on how to beat Margit the Fell Omen. Luring Margit over the edge of the platform you fight on was not one of our tips, but it sure was effective for this player.

margit_literally_fell_lol from r/Eldenring

By some lucky accident, Margit's huge hammer jump attack carries him right over the edge of the area and kills him instantly. These bosses really need to watch their step.

Finding cheesy ways to kill bosses is of course nothing new in FromSoftware games. Bosses in Dark Souls can occasionally be lured into similar traps. The Taurus Demon in the original Dark Souls, for instance, can be baited into falling off the ledge of the crumbling ramparts you fight it on. Maybe it's not all that surprising that Elden Ring's open world allowed for these corny strategies to be honed in on so quickly during a weekend of three hour play sessions.

When Elden Ring properly launches in February 2022, do keep an eye on your footing. You wouldn't want to take a nasty spill like Agheel, but you may be able to use some of those steep drops to your advantage.

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Lauren has been writing for PC Gamer since she went hunting for the cryptid Dark Souls fashion police in 2017. She joined the PCG staff in 2021, now serving as self-appointed chief cozy games and farmlife sim enjoyer. Her career originally began in game development and she remains fascinated by how games tick in the modding and speedrunning scenes. She likes long fantasy books, longer RPGs, can't stop playing co-op survival crafting games, and has spent a number of hours she refuses to count building houses in The Sims games for over 20 years.