After years of waiting, Switch users will finally get to experience Fire Ring in the palm of your hand. I was skeptical at first, given the lower overall power of the console, but the Switch 2 has proven to be more than capable of handling some pretty intense games, so those concerns are all in the past. What's perhaps more surprising than the launch itself is that we'll see some brand new content, both in its entirety Shameful edition and the $5 surcharge for PCs and other consoles.
The Ring of Fire: Tarnished Edition brings in two new starting classes and a few sets of armor and weapons, but perhaps the most interesting addition comes in the form of skins for Torrent. Many others and I had been asking for a way to customize the trusty steed ever since the game was released back in 2022, and finally we're getting three official skins to make the journey across the Lands Between a little more personal. However, I'd argue that after a major DLC drop, a spin-off, and with a movie in the works, it feels much more like an afterthought than a meaningful addition, and speaks more to the missed opportunity that FromSoftware refused to capitalize on throughout the IP's lifecycle.
Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition's new Torrent Skins
Lips have been pretty tight about the exact contents of the Shameful editionbut we have had a few glimpses of the new Torrent skins. So far they've shown a lighter variant and a skin similar to the Night Cavalry, with the third being hidden for now. I personally really like the white and silver version, as I think it really fits with the celestial theme that runs through large parts of the game, and it's nice to see a good contrast in the content, rather than just some extra browns.
Now, as nice as the skins are, I can't help but feel a little disappointed. When I first heard the phrase “Torrent customization”, my eyes lit up and I started thinking about matching sets and color options, as I've always valued aesthetics over power in FromSoftware's games. But the fact that there are only three new options, which are frankly pretty lazy recolors/asset flips, feels like a kick in the teeth, especially given the small but still unnecessary paywall.
Night rule clearly showed that the developers aren't afraid to reuse and rehash old or existing models, so I'm not entirely surprised by the decision to go down this path. Still, I would have much preferred that they had added this content years ago, perhaps to coincide with the release of Shadow of the Erdtreewhether included or optional, as by introducing Torrent customization now, a large part of the player base will miss out on what is a genuinely cool and exciting new feature.
One of the best parts about Fire Ring, in my opinion the slow development of your character over the course of 100+ hours. You start as a shiny blade with a basic set of gear, and after fighting your way through the Caelid and conquering the mountaintops, you end up as a seasoned warrior, with a shiny blade and a menacing outfit to go with it. But no matter how far into the game you get, Torrent remains exactly the same. You get no bonuses, no skins, no extra buffs that make certain areas easier to handle, which I've always thought was pretty odd.
The fact that there are only three new options, which are frankly pretty lazy recolors/asset swings, feels like a kick in the teeth, especially considering the small but still unnecessary paywall.
I would venture to the lakes and then go on in ravines and on top of ravines, and all the while my little horse would trot on as if nothing had ever happened. Interestingly, in the DLC, after getting to the Abyssal Woods, Torrent actually becomes unusable as if it were an indoor location, despite it being a very open area. This showed me that FromSoftware was constantly thinking about Torrent and how they interact with the wider world, and I have no doubt that they at least considered adding a few more built-in features along the way to launch.
The reason I find the lack of horse content odd is because of how the entire game is set up from the start. You're supposed to go out and explore new areas, get upgrades, hone your build, and I think having some minor buffs or just some skins for Torrent could fit perfectly into the existing loop, without fundamentally breaking it. On the mechanical side of things, I would also argue that the game balances how Torrent works in combat very well. In some cases you can happily sprint around and avoid boss attacks, and it actually makes for some pretty interesting encounters, as we saw in the final boss, while in others Torrent is dimmed and locked until a wider location appears. So I think if Torrent gave you some sort of physical buff to your stats, exploration would work the same way, and I think giving you +5% damage when taking on a giant dragon would be perfectly reasonable considering how easy it is to knock you down.
This may come as a surprise to some, but you've been able to access Torrent skins for over four years. Users like
loccipocci and HonorKnight26 have been giving us Torrent mods pretty much since the beginning, ranging from basic reskins to brand new mods, some of which are beyond absurd, like Metal Gear Rising Blade Wolf. Even if you treat these as proof-of-concept, I'd say they're very clear indications of what kind of content we could have had in the base game.
In fairness to FromSoftware, the customization when it comes to your armor and weapons is pretty basic for a reason. They don't want you running around as a bright pink warrior on the back of a mechanical beast, so I can understand why they'd want to limit the aesthetic options at least to some degree. But I have and saw a lot of room for Torrent armor and variants, and it feels weird that there are so many different horse enemies in the game, from bosses to regular enemies, and yet we're stuck with just one. I'm not saying you should be able to dress up as Commander Gaius or Putrescent Knight, but give us something more to look forward to as we conquer these barriers one by one.
Looking to the Future: The Duskbloods
The future of Fire Ring is still very uncertain. On the one hand, I would absolutely love a sequel or another game in the series, and considering how Night rule end, I can definitely see the potential for some kind of follow-up down the line. We have the movie to look forward to, and there are clearly more FromSoftware projects in the works, but the biggest question is now Duskbloods. An exclusive PvPvE action game for the Switch 2 that looks to blend almost every game in their catalog into one, and if it hits the nail on the head, I think we're in for a real treat.
I looked and saw a lot of room for Torrent armor and variants, and it feels weird that there are so many different horse enemies in the game, from bosses to regular enemies, and yet we're stuck with just one.
What fascinates me the most Duskbloods is what it represents for the future of FromSoftware's game design. We see jetpacks and dinosaurs, and a mounted player galloping through the streets, indicating that they are far from done with horseplay. Also, I'm optimistic that all the lessons and experiments they perform will carry over to the next big single player release, whether it's a sequel or something completely new. At the end of the day, if we could ride a goat-like horse up the side of a mountain, and will take to the skies very soon, who's to say where the ceiling of mobility lies?
