Tarnished Edition's Heavy Knight Class doesn't cause FOMO

The Ring of Fire: Tarnished EditionThe Nintendo Switch 2 port of FromSoftware's groundbreaking open-world RPG is set to release this year, delayed to 2025 due to some rough early impressions. Reports have indicated that things are looking a bit better for the Switch 2 release, as issues like massive FPS drops have allegedly been alleviated.

That would be a shame The Ring of Fire: Tarnished Edition ended up being underwhelming or poorly optimized, since it's the first time the game is coming to a Nintendo device. In fact, this version of the Fire Ring will be only the second FromSoftware souls game ever to launch on a Nintendo system, with the first Dark Souls Remastered. Before Duskbloodsit will be nice to see these two Japanese giants cozying up to each other some more. Part of this new working relationship appears to be a stream of new content coming with the launch of Shameful edition. But if you're worried about missing out on these bonuses, don't be: they're not quite as exclusive as you might think.

The Ring of Fire: Tarnished Edition will also include Shadow of the Erdtree DLC.

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What's coming to Elden Ring with the launch of Tarnished Edition?

The Fire Ring gets a new class: Heavy Knight

First and foremost, The Ring of Fire: Tarnished Edition will add brand new classes to the game, something that even Shadow of the Erdtree did not. One of these classes, called the Heavy Knight, has the following starting stats:

Power: 14
Think: 8
Endurance: 17
Strength: 15
Skill: 11
Intelligence: 7
Faith: 8
Unbelievable: 9

The Heavy Knight also starts with a unique set of armor and a new curved greatsword, which will also reportedly be paired with a new Ash of War. This equipment, along with the high Vigor, Endurance, and Strength stats, make the Heavy Knight a seemingly strong choice for melee-oriented players, especially those less interested in speed and agility.

Rearrange the cases in the correct US release order.

Light (5)Medium (7)Hard (10)

Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition adds new outfit options for the player – and for the torrent

Shameful edition will see the arrival of four new armor sets, according to FromSoftware. Heavy Knight and Knight of Ides introduce new armor as part of their starting gear, but Shameful edition The reveal trailer also highlights a matador-like outfit that is very reminiscent of Dark Souls 2's Lucatiel of Mirrah; the fourth new armor set doesn't seem to have been revealed yet. The game will also see three added customization options for ande steed Torrent – a customization feature completely absent from the base game.

You don't have to miss Tarnished Edition's new content, even if you don't have a Switch 2

After FromSoftware announced Duskbloodsan upcoming gothic horror co-op game launching exclusively for the Switch 2, some fans were a little worried that the company would bet on Nintendo. Whether these concerns are justified or not is another discussion, but the main pain point seems to be as follows: FromSoftware is “abandoning” its core audience, most of whom do not prioritize Nintendo devices, by releasing so much exclusive content for the new Switch.

While it's understandable to be frustrated with some industry exclusivity practices, this is a case where it doesn't really seem to matter that much. FromSoftware has stated that the new content included in the Shameful edition will be released as add-on packs for other versions of the game, so you'll be able to access things like Heavy Knight and Torrent's new outfits regardless of where you play.

Of course, there is still the question of when this content will be made available and for how much. FromSoftware has hinted that Shameful edition content will be released for all platforms at the same time, but nothing has been confirmed; after the 2025 delay Shameful editionrelease plans for the new content feel as unpredictable as ever. The other possible obstacle is pricing, because if Shameful edition content is selling at a premium (eg over $20 USD), then FromSoftware should probably be prepared to incur the wrath of angry consumers. At worst, this will be another armor debacle, literally.

Still, the content was added The Ring of Fire: Tarnished Edition falls into the category of “nice to have” rather than “need to have.” It's not like Shadow of the Erdtreewhich feels like an essential part of the bigger picture Fire Ring experience. Make no mistake, the new outfits look cool, especially the Torrents, but they don't seem to provide any major or unusual gameplay benefits. Likewise, the new weapons, while ostensibly bringing new Ashes of War, are of the same type as pre-existing weapons in the game; they don't have new movesets or anything like that.

As for the new classes, it's worth remembering how FromSoftware tends to handle this RPG staple. Instead of informing your playstyle like in other games, classes in a game like Fire Ring are more like starting points, designed to give you an edge for a particular build, but the stat benefits are small and easy to change. This isn't to say that these new classes are useless by any means—the starting weapons are new enough—but they're not as game-changing as they would be in another type of RPG.