Summary: FromSoftware has officially crushed the final sliver of hope held by veteran players. After four long years of waiting, Elden Ring's highly anticipated Torrent customization system has finally arrived, only to reveal three completely uninspired static reskins.
There is no signature "Fashion Souls" depth, zero mechanical upgrades, and the much-requested "mount poise buff" is completely absent. For a companion that has saved players' lives countless times, FromSoftware's perfunctory treatment of our favorite cyber-donkey is genuinely insulting.
Sticker-Tier Quality! This Doesn't Deserve the "Fashion Souls" Label
Target Audience: Perfect for hardcore collectors who spend hours tinkering with armor combinations in "Elden Bling."
The Reality Check: This section exposes the lazy design of this paid pack, saving you from wasting your hard-earned money.
The Lazy Truth
The €4.99 Tarnished Pack offers just three un-splittable, un-dyeable full-body skins, including "Snow White" and a "Night's Cavalry" variant. There are no modular armor pieces to mix and match, and no faction-specific crests.
For a studio world-renowned for deep customization, settling for a lazy "one-click recolor" is a massive letdown. Considering how much time players already spend collecting Elden Ring Items to perfect their builds and appearance, limiting Torrent customization to three static skins feels especially underwhelming.
Zero Gameplay Upgrades! Torrent Remains a One-Hit-Topple Glass Cannon
Target Audience: For hardcore players who ride across the map daily and suffer from high blood pressure due to Torrent's fragile build.
The Reality Check: Lower your expectations completely; riding a horse in high-difficulty areas of the Lands Between remains a death sentence.
Unresolved Pain Points
The updated Torrent is still made of paper-high falls remain fatal, and a single sneeze from a minor mob will still knock you flat on your back.
FromSoftware easily could have designed a heavy "Starscourge Barding" that traded movement speed for poise and elemental resistance. Instead, your newly reskinned steed will hit the dirt just as fast as the old one.
Exploration Dead on Arrival! A Wasted Opportunity for Lore-Driven Upgrades
Target Audience: Lore hunters and FromSoft scholars who enjoy dissecting the narrative and hunting for hidden map secrets.
The Reality Check: This highlights the brilliant features FromSoftware skipped, proving how this update actively harms the game's core exploration loop.
A Complete Waste
Mount upgrades should have been tied to legendary questlines.
FromSoftware could have hidden "Sacred Horseshoes" in secret corners to unlock a higher double-jump or rot-pool immunity. They could have unlocked a "Storm Skin" after defeating the Divine Beast Dancing Lion, or added a starlight aura after completing Ranni's quest.
Instead, these are bundled into pre-order bonuses and direct cash purchases, completely stripping away Elden Ring's magical sense of discovery.
The Ultimate Buyer's Avoidance Guide
For Virtual Photographers
If you have five bucks to spare and just want a new horse color for landscape screenshots, this pack is perfectly adequate.
For Hardcore Map Explorers
Do not buy it.
Torrent's hitboxes and stagger mechanics are entirely unchanged. You will still get knocked off constantly, meaning this pack adds zero value to your traversal experience.
For Lore and Story Enthusiasts
Expect nothing.
This customization gimmick exists purely as a marketing tool to coincide with the Switch 2 console launch. It is highly unlikely FromSoftware will ever add deeper mechanics or story integration to this system in the future.
