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Elden Ring patch 1.18 dropped overnight, and buried within the patch notes after seven paragraphs of balance adjustments and network stability fixes is the next entry, presented without elaboration: “Added ‘Assisted Mode’ toggle to Options menu. Assisted Mode reduces the HP and aggression of Margit, the Fell Omen only. Assisted Mode prompts only after the player inputs ‘please’ via the virtual keyboard prompt displayed upon approaching Margit’s fog gate.”
FromSoftware’s patch notes offer no further context. The word “please” should be typed in lowercase. The virtual keyboard doesn’t autocorrect. If the input is left blank or another word is entered, Margit stays at standard values and the keyboard closes. Assisted Mode doesn’t carry forward to Godrick or any subsequent boss. The patch notes list this under “Quality of Life Improvements.”
PC Gamer tested the implementation and confirms it really works as described. Margit’s HP is reduced by roughly 30% and his combo extensions are trimmed to 2 hits maximum in Assisted Mode. The keyboard prompt uses a font that’s, per PC Gamer, “barely smaller than the remaining of the UI, as if the sport is watching you.” Rock Paper Shotgun’s writeup describes the experience as “the sport looking you directly in the attention and asking if you happen to’re sure.”
Subsequent patches over the past two years have continued to expand the Elden Ring ecosystem through DLC and balance updates, and FromSoftware has consistently resisted calls for a proper difficulty option. We covered the continued easy mode debate back when Shadow of the Erdtree launched, and the community position stays roughly as divided because it was at release.
Whether it is a concession, a joke, or a gesture might be debated on r/Eldenring for the foreseeable future. The implementation is functional, fastidiously scoped, and requires the player to genuinely ask for help before it prompts. That sounds very very like something FromSoftware would do on purpose. Patch 1.18 is live now on Steam. Tell us your thoughts within the forums.