Lords of the Fallen will one-up Elden Ring challenge runs by adding permadeath and randomizer mods right into the game

24.10.2023 - 14:47 / gamesradar.com / Will

Lords of the Fallen looks set to give Elden Ring's player-created challenges a run for their money with new features like permadeath and randomizer mods. 

Since Elden Ring's launch, fans have been coming up with different ways to make The Lands Between an even more brutal place. We've seen players complete the entire game without levelling up and beat every single boss without taking a single hit. These challenges have provided endless entertainment for players and spectators alike. Now Lords of the Fallen developer Hexworks is doing one better, taking the challenge run concept and officially incorporating it into its newly launched Soulslike.

In a Steam post outlining its ongoing plans for Lords of the Fallen, Hexworks explains that it's started work on what it calls the "NG+ modifier system". Once implemented, this will allow players to fully customize their New Game Plus playthroughs using a range of modifiers. These will include a "hardcore" mode that sees you start from scratch if you die, as well as item and enemy randomizers to up the ante as you journey through Axiom and Umbral. You'll also be able to choose how many vestiges (checkpoints) you wish to have. 

"The feature set is yet to be fully defined," Hexworks explains, "but our current intention is to release the modifier system before the end of the year."

In the immediate term, the developer is introducing some "fundamental changes to ensure everyone continues to enjoy the NG+ experience." The latest patch, which rolled out yesterday, gives you the option of progressing to the next consecutive NG or replaying your current NG at the same difficulty. 

"This will allow trophy hunters and completionists to seek out any outstanding tasks without having to contend with increased difficulty, should they so choose," the developer says. Tweaks have also been made to limit how far enemies can pursue you, making legging it a more viable strategy.

On top of that, a patch arriving this Thursday, October 26, will lessen the number of enemies in the game's trickiest sections, and instead of all vestiges being removed as soon as you move to New Game Plus, they will be gradually taken away so that by the time you reach NG+3 all but the Skyrest Bridge and Adyr's Shrine vestige will be gone.

Lords of the Fallen is off to a strong start, with over 1 million copies sold. "Thanks to you, our fearless Lampbearers, the radiance of Mournstead rekindles..." Hexworks wrote in a tweet celebrating the milestone.

Elsewhere, Lords of the Fallen's lead says the RPG has the best co-op in the genre: "Sorry, I don't want to sound cocky, it's just better than other Soulslikes."