When they’re not dreaming about a Netflix show set in the Lands Between, worrying about getting horse armour as DLC or trying to fight crabs in real life, Elden Ring players tend to spend a lot of time replaying the game.
Sometimes these playthroughs come with caveats or additional challenges to help make things more difficult, such as controlling The Tarnished with a drawing pad or only using one hand, or trying to avoid getting hit.
However, one element of each fresh run that a lot of players probably don’t look forward to is having to re-do all of their precious grinding. Thankfully, a modder is now offering a possible solution to this conundrum.
Are you looking forward to replaying Elden Ring without having to consult the wiki?
The mod that does so is called ‘Time Saving Saves’ and is the work of modder TheSkyCloud, whose previous work has revamped Dark Souls Remastered’s starting classes and added some loot to Dragon Age: Inquisition’s prologue in order to make it less grindy.
This time they’ve brought the ethos of that last mod to Elden Ring by developing a range of unmodded downloadable saves that’ll seemingly allow you to skip past tasks like gathering flask upgrades or smithing stones, while still starting off at level one and being able to take on all of the game’s bosses.
There are seven files in total, with the first couple being more minimalistic and simply providing you with all of the maps and medallions you’ll need to explore on your own, while the latter options provide you with more items and resources to help you make it through the first few levels rather rapidly.
For example, one gifts you all of the crystal tears you’ll need for the Wonderous Physick Flask without having acquired any that require defeating bosses. Another will have you step in after a Teardrop Scarab massacre has occurred, ensuring that you’ll have almost every Ash of War the game has to offer.
The final save goes even further, having used an exploit involving the Non-Hostile Sleeping Dragon to gift you 100k souls and, TheSkyCloud claims, “Also includes the nice benefit of saving you all from being the monsters that kill the poor old defenceless dragon by slowly beating it to death with a bleed weapon, so you can sleep at night.”
However, don’t worry about being left with nothing to do other than battle bosses, as you’ll still have to acquire all of the Talismans, Glovewort and Spirit Ashes you might need as you scythe your way through the game.
Regardless of whether you’re now revelling in the rewards resulting from someone else’s hard work, make sure to follow us for coverage of more Elden Ring mods.