After many years of waiting, Switch users are finally going to get to experience Elden Ring in the palm of their hands. I was skeptical at first, given the lower overall power of the console, but the Switch 2 has proved it is more than capable of handling some pretty intensive games, so those concerns are all in the past. Perhaps what’s more surprising than the actual launch is that we are going to see some brand-new content, both in the full Tarnished Edition and the $5 add-on for PCs and other consoles.
Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition brings in two new starter classes and a few sets of armor and weapons, but perhaps the most interesting addition comes in the form of skins for Torrent. Many others and I had been asking for a way to customize the trusty steed ever since the game released back in 2022, and finally, we are getting three official skins to make the journey across the Lands Between just a little bit more personal. However, I would argue that after a big DLC drop, a spin-off, and with a movie in the works, it feels much more like an afterthought than a meaningful addition and speaks more to the missed opportunity that FromSoftware refused to capitalize on throughout the entire lifecycle of the IP.
Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition’s New Torrent Skins
The lips have been pretty tight about the exact contents of the Tarnished Edition, but we have had a few glimpses at the new Torrent skins. So far, they have shown a lighter variation and a skin that resembles the Night’s Cavalry, with the third one remaining hidden for now. I personally really like the whitey-silver version, as I think it really fits with the celestial theme that runs through large portions of the game, and it is nice to see a good contrast in the content, rather than just a few extra browns.
Now, as nice as the skins are, I can’t help but feel a bit disappointed. When I first heard the phrase “Torrent customization”, my eyes lit up, and I started thinking about matching sets and color options, as I have always valued aesthetics over power in FromSoftware’s games. But the fact that there are only three new options, which are frankly quite lazy recolors/asset flips, feels like a kick in the teeth, especially given the small yet still unnecessary paywall.
Nightreign clearly showed that the developers aren’t afraid to reuse and rehash old or existing models, so I’m not entirely surprised by the decision to go down this path. Still, I would have much preferred them to have added this content many years ago, perhaps to coincide with the release of Shadow of the Erdtree, whether included or as an optional extra, as by introducing Torrent customization now, a huge portion of the player base is going to miss out on what is a genuinely cool and exciting new feature.
One of the best parts about Elden Ring, in my opinion, is the slow progression of your character over the course of 100+ hours. You start out as a blank slate with a basic set of equipment, and after battling through Caelid and conquering the mountaintops, you end up as a seasoned warrior, with a shining blade and a menacing outfit to go with it. But no matter how far you get into the game, Torrent remains exactly the same. You get no bonuses, no skins, no extra buffs that make certain areas easier to deal with, which I always thought was pretty odd.
The fact that there are only three new options, which are frankly quite lazy recolors/asset flips, feels like a kick in the teeth, especially given the small yet still unnecessary paywall.
I would venture to the Lakes and then push on into ravines and on top of chasms, and all the while, my little steed would keep trudging on as if nothing ever happened. Interestingly enough, in the DLC, after making your way to the Abyssal Woods, Torrent actually becomes unusable as if it were an indoor location, despite it being a very open area. This showed me that FromSoftware was constantly thinking about Torrent and how they interact with the wider world, and I have no doubt in my mind that they at least considered adding some more mounted features along the road to launch.
The reason I think the lack of horseback content is strange is due to how the entire game is set up from the beginning. You are supposed to go out and discover new areas, gain upgrades, hone your build, and I think that having some minor buffs or just a few skins for Torrent could fit perfectly into that existing loop, without it fundamentally breaking it. On the mechanical side of things, I would also argue that the game balances how Torrent functions in combat very well. In some cases, you can happily sprint around and avoid boss attacks, and it actually makes for some pretty interesting encounters, as we saw in the final boss, while in others, Torrent is greyed out and locked until a wider location pops up. So I believe that if Torrent gave you some kind of physical buff to your stats, then the exploration would function all the same, and I think it would be perfectly reasonable to give you +5% damage when taking on a giant dragon given how easily it is to knock you down.
This might come as a surprise to some, but you have been able to access Torrent skins for over four years. Users like
loccipocci and HonorKnight26 have been giving us Torrent mods pretty much since the beginning, ranging from basic reskins to completely new models, some of which are beyond absurd, like the Metal Gear Rising Blade Wolf. Even if you treat these as proofs-of-concept, I would say they are very clear indications of the kind of content that we could have had in the base game.
In fairness to FromSoftware, the customization in terms of your armor and weapons is pretty grounded for a reason. They don’t want you running around as a bright pink warrior on the back of a mechanical beast, so I can understand why they would want to restrict the aesthetic options at least to an extent. However, I do and did see a lot of room for Torrent armor and variants, and it does feel weird that there are so many different horseback enemies in the game, from bosses to regular foes, and yet we are stuck with a single one. I am not saying you should be able to dress up as Commander Gaius or the Putrescent Knight, but give us something more to look forward to as we conquer these barriers one by one.
Looking To The Future: The Duskbloods
The future for Elden Ring is still very uncertain. On the one hand, I would absolutely love a sequel or another game in the series, and given how Nightreign ended, I can definitely see potential for some kind of follow-up down the line. We do have the movie to look forward to, and there are clearly more FromSoftware projects in the works, but the biggest point of question now falls to The Duskbloods. A Switch 2 exclusive, PvPvE action game that looks to blend just about every game in their catalog into one, and if it hits the nail on the head, I think we are in for a real treat.
I do and did see a lot of room for Torrent armor and variants, and it does feel weird that there are so many different horseback enemies in the game, from bosses to regular foes, and yet we are stuck with a single one.
What intrigues me most about The Duskbloods is what it represents for the future of FromSoftware’s game design. We see jetpacks and dinosaurs, and a mounted player galloping through the streets, indicating that they are far from done with horseback gameplay. Furthermore, I am optimistic that whatever lessons they learn and experiments they are performing will be carried forward to the next big, single-player release, whether that be a sequel or something new altogether. At the end of the day, if we were able to ride a goat-like horse up the side of a mountain, and are going to be taking to the skies very soon, then who’s to say where the ceiling of mobility lies?
