Summary

  • Elden Ring builds on past game mechanics, but the Bleed mechanic stands out as odd in its design.
  • The Bloodtinge stat in Bloodborne interacted with Blood damage, while Elden Ring relegated the popular mechanic to the Arcane stat.
  • FromSoftware's next game could bring back a stat like Bloodtinge to make Bleed builds feel more special.

Bloodborne set the tone for subsequent FromSoftware games in several key ways, with Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree being the culmination of what the studio has established over the course of more than a decade. It has succeeded by adapting many of the Soulsborne approaches to stats, gear, and skills, while also making direct changes that were necessary to fit into its vast, open-world design. One of these choices, however, has ended up sticking out as odd when considering the continued prevalence of one specific damage type in Elden Ring's Bleed.

Status-based Hemorrhage, or "Bleed" builds are still some of the best in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, offering viable routes for mixed Strength and Dexterity-based weapons alike due to being tied to Arcane. This stat can also govern the likes of Dragon Communion Seal Incantations and any other status build-up, making it incredibly versatile beyond just Bleed's percentage-based Blood Loss damage. Bloodborne, on the other hand, had an entire dedicated stat in Bloodtinge which specifically interacted with Blood-damage-associated weapons. As FromSoft heads into its next project, the return of an option like Bloodtinge might be appropriate if Bleed continues to play such a major role.

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Bloodtinge's Role in Bloodborne's Combat and Worldbuilding

A Dedicated Blood Stat Which Strongly Reflected Themes

Before Bleed was a status in Elden Ring, there was the similar Rapid Poison Ailment that could only be wielded by the player via Bloodborne's Chikage. Bloodtinge scales with direct Blood damage done by Firearms and certain weapons like the Bloodletter instead of building up a status. This ties into the game's lore of blood communion and the usage of Quicksilver Bullets, seemingly improving their damage through the "quality" of the player's own blood.

The Evolution of Magic Stats in FromSoftware Games Left Bloodtinge Behind

Arcane was originally a stat in Bloodborne which resembled Intelligence in other games, but Elden Ring's new incarnation of Arcane largely took the place of Bloodtinge through scaling with Bleed and esoteric abilities of its own. Now that status builds around Bleed have taken up their own chunk of the meta for PvE and PvP alike, there's a gap left by Bloodtinge that could be filled.

The Potential for Bloodtinge in Future FromSoftware Games

Strong Bleed Builds Deserve a Specialized Stat Moving Forward

At launch, Elden Ring's Rivers of Blood katana had to be severely tuned down in patches to balance the game, but Bleed builds as a whole remain incredibly strong. Weapons like the Bloodfiend's Arm and buffs like Bloodflame Blade are potent enough to dominate an entire playthrough. If the Bleed mechanics that enable these are going to a major aspect of the studio's releases, they probably deserve their own unique version of Bloodtinge which can further refine and enhance this popular playstyle over relegating it to sharing a stat. While it's true that the somewhat similar Scarlet Rot and Sleep builds in Elden Ring use Arcane in the same way, their situational strength is hardly comparable to the mostly reliable, percentage-based damage that Bleed can deliver to even endgame bosses.

Bringing back a new take on Bloodborne's Bloodtinge could offer players a more thematic and focused approach to Bleed in the title that follows Elden Ring. Despite the plethora of Arcane build options that can be melded into one of these builds, Bleed often takes priority as the most potent source of damage. Allowing for characters to be crafted with a clear, blood-based focus has the potential to not only enrich the roleplaying experience, but provide more nuanced routes for game balancing by not conflating all Status effects into one stat investment. It's not known if the Firearms of Bloodborne and their respective damage type will ever appear again, but the return of Bloodtinge might be needed to serve an entirely new purpose.

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Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree Tag Page Cover Art
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
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Released
June 21, 2024
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WHERE TO PLAY

DIGITAL
Checkbox: control the expandable behavior of the extra info

Shadow of the Erdtree is the first and only DLC expansion for FromSoftware's groundbreaking Elden Ring. It takes players to a whole new region, the Land of Shadow, where a new story awaits the Tarnished.

ESRB
M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
Base Game
Elden Ring
Developer(s)
FromSoftware
Multiplayer
Online Co-Op, Online Multiplayer