One Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree Crystal Tear Bridges a Gap Between Dark Souls and Sekiro

Highlights

• Elden Ring introduces the Crystal Tear system, allowing players to temporarily buff themselves with unique abilities.
• The Deflecting Hardtear Crystal Tear, added in Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, enhances the player’s guard and increases damage of guard counters, reminiscent of Sekiro’s combat.
• The Deflecting Hardtear has limitations, lasting only five minutes and not incorporating Sekiro’s posture system, but it is a nice touch that helps bridge the gap between the two titles.

The most anticipated game FromSoftware has ever made, speculation ran rampant before Elden Ring‘s release in early 2022. Being the first fully open-world FromSoftware game, many fans expected a swathe of new mechanics and features from the game, and FromSoftware went above and beyond in this regard. Elden Ring introduced a plethora of intricate, interweaving systems and features that fans had never seen before, and its Crystal Tear system was one of its most intriguing additions.

Fairly early in Elden Ring‘s runtime, players will discover the Flask of Wondrous Physick. A consumable that refills upon rest like the Flask of Crimson or Cerulean Tears, the Flask of Wondrous Physick allows players to temporarily buff themselves with two unique effects or abilities known as Crystal Tears. These Crystal Tears range from helpful boosts to maximum HP like the Crimsonpill Hardtear, to special abilities like the Twiggy Cracked Tear’s power to stop Rune loss on death. Elden Ring‘s recently released Shadow of the Erdtree DLC adds another handful of new Crystal Tears to the game, including one that channels a beloved element of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree’s Deflecting Hardtear Feels Like a Mix of Dark Souls and Sekiro

How Shadow of the Erdtree’s Deflecting Hardtear Captures Sekiro’s Combat

Obtained by defeating the Furnace Golem patrolling the main pathway near the Scorched Ruins, the Deflecting Hardtear essentially turns Elden Ring into Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, at least for a few minutes at a time. In typical FromSoftware fashion, the Deflecting Hardtear’s in-game description is a tad obtuse, but its mechanics are relatively easy to understand.

The Deflecting Hardtear enhances the player’s spontaneous guard. This means that if the player performs a perfect block (blocks just as the enemy’s attack is about to land), then they’ll negate the damage of the oncoming blow. Performing a perfect block while using the Deflecting Hardtear will also drastically reduce the amount of poise stagger the player takes from a hit, meaning their guard won’t be broken easily. The cherry on the cake here is that the Deflecting Hardtear also increases the amount of damage that the player’s guard counter will do, which is when the player immediately follows up a perfect block with a heavy attack. This Crystal Tear works shockingly well throughout Elden Ring and its DLC, working with even the game’s toughest bosses.

Those who have played Sekiro will likely find this Deflecting Hardtear’s abilities quite familiar. Sekiro‘s combat heavily relies on players blocking their enemy’s attacks perfectly so that they can build their foe’s stagger meter, and eventually land an all-powerful Deathblow. Perfectly blocking in Sekiro will result in the player losing no health, and negating any chance of being staggered by the enemy’s attack.

Shadow of the Erdtree’s Deflecting Hardtear Has Its Limitations

However, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree‘s Deflecting Hardtear doesn’t suddenly reskin the game to make it feel like a Sekiro sequel. The Deflecting Hardtear only lasts for five minutes, and while that’s enough time to use it effectively against some difficult bosses with lengthy attack chains, it isn’t long enough for it to effectively inform any new playstyles. Similarly, Elden Ring doesn’t feature Sekiro‘s posture system, so players can’t rely on their perfect blocks to eventually stagger their enemy.