The free Elden Ring update adds a PvP Colosseum in which to murder other players

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FromSoftware’s games aren’t for the faint-hearted. With grueling boss battles and punishing consequences galore, the litany of unspoken Soulslike-specific rules can be seriously off-putting for newbies, well, you’ll get to see what you’re made of now a dedicated PvP arena is coming toElden Ring.

Despite its divisiveness,Elden Ringhas stood its ground in the gaming zeitgeist since its February 2022 release – and it’s finally getting a free content update.

Just one day before its release, FromSoftwareannounced the Colosseum Update. The teaser trailer shows arena-based combat, telling us that players can “Battle for glory in new PvP modes”. Now you can jump back into Elden Ring and experience a lesser-seen corner of The Lands Between, where people are the real villains.

Those who’ve fought their way through the other Souls games should find these PvP arenas familiar, however; FromSoftware seems quite fond of Gladiator, and of pitting its players against each other in general

FromSoftware, with love

Christmas is coming early to the Lands Between. The Colosseum Update will be free to all current owners of Elden Ring, whether they’re onXbox Series X│S,PS5, orPC.

From the trailer, you can head to PvP-specific arenas to duke it out with other online players. It seems to allow both 1v1 and 2v2 gameplay, with the characters in the trailer summoning allies to their aid.

Of course, this is nothing new for longtime Souls fans. We first saw arenas introduced in the Dark Souls: Prepare To Die Edition back in 2012, when the PC version saw the introduction of the Battle of Stoicism gazebo.

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Players first had to beat a miniboss, Artorias the Abysswalker, before they could access the gazebo. Similarly,Dark Souls 3saw the return of PvP-specific zones in the form of the Hollow Arena, but you needed to have either the Ringed City DLC or the Ashes of Ariandel Season Pass to enter the arena. The two modes, Duel and Brawl, gave players the choice between a straightforward 1v1 scenario or a chaotic six-person free-for-all.

Judging by FromSoftware’s track record, and since this update is free, likely, those who wish to battle each other in the Elden Ring arena will need to defeat yet another gargantuan beast before proving themselves worthy of the Colosseum. You might want to pick up a freshElden Ring armorset; something stabby this way comes on December 7.

Jasmine is a freelance writer and podcaster based in the UK. Whether it’s a Sims 4 lore deep-dive or a guide to securing kills in Dead By Daylight, her work is featured on TheGamer as well as the door of her mother’s fridge. When she’s not aggressively championing the Oxford comma on Twitter, you can find her scoping out the local music scene or buying gaudy Halloween decorations all year round.

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