Can you swim in Elden Ring?

Elden Ring’s world is vast, allowing hours of exploration for the Tarnished. There is plenty to see in The Lands Between, and you can spend quite a bit of time walking around. However, while Tarnished can heft large swords, cast powerful spells, and run around in the heaviest of armor, they struggle a bit when it comes to water.

Tarnished can do incredible things and take on formidable enemies and challenging bosses. Yet, when it comes to crossing open water, they fall short. Unfortunately, they drop to the bottom of the deepest pond, lake, or ocean like a stone. (It must have something to do with all that armor they wear). You’re free to travel the world on your mount or run through fields on foot, but step in the ocean or a large body of water, and you’ll drown instantly. The next thing you’ll see is the famous you died screen.

It’s a rather odd choice considering Elden Ring is an open-world action RPG. To add to the sinking feeling, there isn’t an upgrade or powerup that allows your character to swim. It’s a shame the blacksmith can’t make armor that floats.

You can’t swim in Dark Souls or Demon Souls, but you could do in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.

About the author

Scott Roepel

Scott Roepel, also goes by Dorian, is a writer, journalist, and co-author of the fantasy book series Thread of Souls. Ever since he could pick up a controller, he's been playing games. His passion for storytelling led to him starting a homebrew TTRPG campaign that he now co-authors as a book series with his wife. A lover of stories and fantasy, if he isn't playing a video game, he's writing about one or creating his own world.

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