Elden Ring player pushes Level 1 limits with insane one-shot combo

James Lynch
elden ring tree sentinel

The depth of Elden Ring’s RPG elements opens the game up to significant experimentation from build crafters. One player has pushed that to the absolute limit, dealing huge damage as a Level 1 character.

As first reported by Automaton Media, Japanese streamer Koori Soda set out with the goal of dealing the highest damage possible from a single attack on a first-level character. Their first attempt resulted in a strike that dealt an impressive 33k damage against a stricken Fire Giant.

The first thing to note is that the opponent is chosen very specifically. Part of the damage from the initial method is drawn from the Hemorrhage status effect. This deals damage proportional to the enemy’s health, and the Fire Giant has one of the highest pools in the entire game.

The player is also specifically targeting the giant’s weak point on its leg, to accrue as much damage as possible alongside the bleed effect. The character is using a Blood Grossmesser (curved blade), and the Seppuku Ash of War skill, which buffs Attack Power and the ability to inflict blood loss.

From there, they went for an entirely new method and blew that out of the water. This time, they targeted the Flame Chariot. Thanks to the opening in the top of the chariot, a plunged attack can trigger a huge critical hit.

To best take advantage of this, Sooda used a Sleep Pot to put the chariot to sleep before using several buffs, including the Magic-Shrouding Cracked Tear and the Howl of Shabriri incantation for the extra health damage from the Madness status effect.

All of that results in a single attack that deals a scarcely believable 455,866 damage, destroying the chariot comfortably.

It’s nice to see players pushing the limits in the original Elden Ring. With the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC releasing soon, who knows what will end up being achievable.