The hardcore action RPG Elden Ring doesn’t just kill you with brutal bosses. Even seemingly kind gestures, like a hug, can hide a deadly ambush. Read here on MeinMMO what a seemingly harmless gesture can cause.
What kind of hug is it about? After you have slain the first boss Margit in Elden Ring, (and sometimes even before that), you receive an invitation to the Roundtable Hold. There you can find all sorts of useful merchants and other services. Among them is a seemingly harmless woman with a gentle voice named Fia.
She apparently doesn’t mean any harm. Quite the opposite, she would love to hug your hero and feel his “warmth.” That sounds a bit creepy, but it is supposed to come with a blessing.
So what could go wrong? And indeed, Fia immediately hugs your character and contrary to possible assumptions she does not transform into a hideous monster that eats your face.
So all is well, right?
Hug costs you vitality
What happens when you get cuddled? The seemingly kindness of Fia has its price. Because in the next fight, you will see a debuff icon by your life energy. This is reduced by 5 percent.
The source is apparently Fia and her hug. Her strange talk about warmth seems to refer to your vitality, which the lady has presumably taken. This might have to do with her strange title “Deathbed Companion,” which sounds a bit like an (active) death companion.
How do you get rid of it? The debuff seems to be permanent, neither dying, resting, nor any other methods seem to help. And even if 5 percent doesn’t sound like much, it can make the difference between victory or defeat in the brutally challenging boss fights.
Moreover, there is a remedy against the hug of death.
You receive a “Blessing of the Elden Stars” for the cuddle session, which is in your inventory. When you use it, you get a temporary bonus to poise. And the debuff is also gone (although this is not stated on the item itself).
What’s the benefit? Is Fia then a nasty trap that weakens you and ultimately kills you? Not really, as her intentions seem to be pure.
You have to be careful whether you really want the blessing, as it is especially useful before tough boss fights when the attacks of the bosses regularly trip you up.
So think carefully whether you really need this right now and hug Fia only if you want a blessing.
If you also find that you can’t progress in the game and want to change your build, then pay attention to our guide on this: Elden Ring: Respec, Find Larval Tears and Redistribute Attributes – Here’s How
