NEW ELDEN RING UPDATE! Patch 1.12.3 Brings Lots of Nerfs and buffs Shadow of the Erdtree

Evaluations test the impact of patch nerfs on various weapons and builds in Shadow of the Erdtree, including Rolling Sparks with Perfume Bottles, the Bloodfiend's Arm, thrusting shields, and Smithscript throwing weapons.

Rolling Sparks paired with Perfume Bottles shows reduced total damage and no longer consistently eliminates certain targets in one shot, though it remains usable.

Bloodfiend's Arm exhibits lower heavy attack damage, reduced blood loss buildup dropping from over 200 down to 172, and delayed bleed procs that fail to trigger on initial contact.

The Dueling Shield or Thrusting Shield drains substantial stamina when blocking and striking simultaneously, but it supports Ashes of War like Flamespear or Royal Knight's Resolve.

Smithscript throwing weapons such as the heavy-attack thrown spear deal low damage despite receiving a range improvement.

The operational efficacy of Rolling Sparks and Perfume Bottles after patching.

The performance and bleed rate reductions for the Bloodfiend's Arm.

Stamina consumption and Ash of War customization for thrusting shields.

Damage output and range characteristics of Smithscript throwing weapons.

The specific count of Rolling Sparks hits needed to defeat a particular enemy is not established.

The choice between blood affinity and flame affinity for the shield is undetermined.

The exact functional difference between executing a Shield Strike versus a regular strike with the shield is not clarified.