Elden Ring’s Torrent is the ultimate horse companion

Elden Ring’s open world is massive and packed with detail. To move between Sites of Grace on foot, it takes patience and time. Fortunately, you can manage the entire world with Torrent the horse summon. This noble horse is a great companion Elden RingBoth more dangerous and less so, to enhance freedom, exploration and tomfoolery. You can ride Torrent to feel peace even if it is only for a short time. It allows you to travel to places that seemed impossible, but you are ultimately defeated by higher-level enemies. It’s incredible.

Torrent made it much easier for me to play FromSoftware games. You can control your character intuitively, using the same movements as normal. There are also easy methods to dismount or speed up. I can galllop and fly like a wild animal. It makes me feel less fearful of the large guys because I know that if everything fails I can always get back on horseback to escape. (I’ve outrun even you, Tree Sentinel.) It’s possible to navigate through thick enemy territory to reach other sections of the map. It’s a thrill to get out of trouble in such a short amount of time.

It doesn’t feel like a setback to die repeatedly at the feet of an enemy. The open world has many (terrifying!) wonders, and Torrent is able to take me anywhere I need. Every battle is a choice and I made the decision to stay with it. If I’m getting off of Torrent to stir up some shit, then I’m committing. Getting good at fighting doesn’t feel like an obligation, but like a concrete decision to improve a skill or try a tactic. All of these experiments lead to improvements; that’s the pleasant externality of all my messing about.

And Torrent is absolutely what has allowed me basest impulsesThose are my most wild dreams. I’m stab-happy with any creature that approaches — just to see what happens. You might see me running fast enough to escape death, or I could be crushed to unconsciousness. This is okay, as these deaths almost always make you laugh. And I don’t mind losing runes, I can always farm them if I need to.

Plus it never takes me long to get anywhere, thanks to Torrent’s faithful gait. My speed with Torrent means that I end up often in unknown areas filled with enemy soldiers who pile on top of me. Every rerun gives me another chance to discover a cave, pass or hidden hole. There’s also Torrent’s double jump, the real secret sauce of exploration — great for scaling cliff faces, or weaseling ways in.

Every time “You Died” appears on my screen, I do not suffer. Torrent would certainly be my last wish. I don’t have any agenda other than to be reckless and explore, and that is all it takes for me to want the fight with anyone. By the time the first boss and I finally meet, maybe they’ll have reason to fear me? It’s unlikely. A girl can still dream with her horse.