Elden Ring's grand Colosseums are filled with players ripping each other apart, but the update leaves one potential area of combat lacking. Elden Ring received a surprise PvP update on the eve of The Game Awards that richens the already deep and expansive world of FromSoftware multiplayer combat with dedicated arenas and modes for duels and brawls. Similar features have appeared in prior FromSoftware games to expedite the searching, summoning, and invading process, but were often lackluster and poorly implemented.
Elden Ring's Colosseum update introduces a more centralized and convenient spot to search for multiplayer content, along with a few modes conducive to online play. The main mode is of course one-on-one duels, the most popular way to fight online in FromSoftware games. Another mode is team combat, one of the more interesting things to do in Elden Ring after beating the game. Yet another mode is a brutal free for all between up to six Tarnished, following similar respawn and point rules as the team combat. The Caelid arena even allows the use of spirit ashes in fights, but this is where it becomes plain one feature could have become more than what it is.
Elden Ring's Spirit Ashes Could Benefit Greatly From Colosseum-Only Balance Changes
Elden Ring's Colosseums could integrate another part of classic gladiatorial combat - pitting monsters and beasts against each other. There are a great number of Spirit Ash summons in Elden Ring, enough that a Pokémon-esque monster battler would be quite appealing and interesting to players (as long as Elden Ring's infamous Mimic Tear Spirit Ash is banned). While technically possible in the game already with players agreeing to simply walk to opposite edges of the arena and summon their spirits, there's little room for interesting interaction between summons or players, and usually boils down to a simple slugfest between the two summons.
Spirit Ashes can be tweaked and changed considerably with rules applying only to when they are featured within the Colosseum, just like the PvP-exclusive balance changes. FP requirements can be tuned with team compositions in mind, multiple Spirit Ash summons at once would immediately introduce diversity in Elden Ring's PvP deul mode, and changing element damage and resistance would introduce even more Pokémon-esque type matchups that could further richen Spirit Ash combat. One can only dream of some of the interesting combinations for team fights between some of Elden Ring's more unique and strange Spirit Ashes.
Modders have pitted FromSoftware enemies and bosses against each other since the very first Dark Souls and continue to do so even in Elden Ring, but the Colosseum presents the first real chance where FromSoftware could be able to integrate that into the base game properly. It's highly unlikely there will be sweeping balance changes for this specific part of the community, but the possibilities for such activities is certainly tantalizing. If nothing else, it might inspire modders to look into such a game type to enjoy Elden Ring's bloodsports with less direct involvement.
Source: Bandai Namco Europe/YouTube