The Battle of Dreams: Astel's Arena Comes Alive With Elden Ring's Ray Tracing Update

Elden Ring's most recent update brought with it a new graphical feature for players to explore – Ray Tracing. But as gamers have already discovered, this new graphical option has come with its fair share of issues, from instability and latency to technical performance. Things became even more peculiar recently when a visual glitch during a boss fight with Stars of Darkness transformed the arena into an unexpected fever dream.

The Reddit video, posted by Mysterious_Cause5298 and titled “Astel has feelings about Ray Tracing,” shows a fight between Tarnished and Astel, with two other players taking part. The battle normally runs until Astel begins to teleport, and then a blast follows, completely inverting the colors of Astel and the surrounding arena. The effect made it look like Astel’s explosion had been a disco ball, temporarily transforming the battlefield into a dream-like spectacle.

The official response to the Elden Ring Ray Tracing glitch was surprisingly positive, with commenters on Reddit unanimously agreeing that it was actually pretty awesome. Even though the visual bug was unintended, it could easily fit with the lore and aesthetic of Astel. Another point of discussion was the game’s performance with the graphical feature enabled, with some players wondering how it was running at a playable framerate. 

Still, Elden Ring’s Ray Tracing update has made some gamers hesitant. While the visual bug showcased by Mysterious_Cause5298 may have been spectacular, it’s yet another example of the struggles players have already faced since the game’s launch. If FromSoftware is willing to make such a significant update, one hopes that further technical improvements can also continue to be made in the future. 

In the end, the Ray Tracing update has provided Elden Ring players with a unique twist on a familiar boss fight, bringing the arena of Astel to life in a way no one could have expected. While the video offers a reminder of the technical issues players may still be facing, it also shows the potential of the new graphical feature – especially when it comes to giving battles with powerful bosses a unique twist.