One of the biggest novelties of Elden Ring is to allow you to be able to fight on the back of your Torrent mount that you obtain by discovering your third grace. If used well, the mount can be a formidable weapon, but one that can also turn against life.
If you are new to this game, you may want to check our 15 Elden Ring tips and tricks before you start building your hero.
HORSEBACK RIDING: HOW DOES IT WORK?
Essentially, the combat system remains the same, ie your stamina bar remains the main determinant of your action abilities: speeding up consumes stamina, just like attacking. However, the commands vary slightly.
First, regardless of the weapon, you will only be able to chain (more or less quickly) a maximum of three light blows, and a single heavy blow. R1 and R2 allow to attack on the right while L1 and L2 on the left. Finally, it is not possible to block or use a weapon skill. The possibilities are therefore a little more limited than on foot.
However, Torrent gives you unparalleled mobility and speed. Indeed, when you face a very large enemy (like a dragon for example), you can easily catch him if he flees. This speed also allows you to dodge attacks. Thus, using the horse allows you to inflict one or two blows on the enemy and then leave to get to safety.
The horse is also handy against groups of enemies to avoid getting overwhelmed. You can simply rush into the heap, do good damage and leave immediately.
THE DANGERS OF MOUNTED COMBAT
Sometimes Torrent can turn into a double-edged sword. The first risk is that if your horse dies, your character will find itself immobilized on the ground for several seconds, which probably represents death in front of a boss. Sometimes, even if your horse doesn’t die, you can still be knocked down because you were knocked unconscious.
Be aware that when you use a Flask on your horse, the latter recovers a few hit points. You can also sacrifice a vial to recall again.
Faced with a very mobile enemy and a terrain surrounded by cliffs, it is not uncommon to see traces of people falling into the void because of the mobility of the horse. Indeed, changing direction takes a little time and in the heat of the moment, you can forget that there is a vacuum right next to it.
Finally, if an enemy manages to knock you down, he can simply critically hit you and even finish you off at full life. It is however also true for the enemy so do not hesitate to kill the horse of the riders at first to finish them easily then.
Playing the game but don’t know the story of the Elden Ring? Check out our article about Elden Rings story and plot twists.
