How to survive an invasion in Elden Ring

Invasions return from previous Souls games in Elden Ring. Here’s what you need to know to survive a PvP Elden Ring invasion.

The environment, AI enemies, and even bosses are the least of your worries in Elden Ring, as other players will occasionally invade your world with one purpose – to kill you and take your runes. Like they are in other Souls games, invasions in Elden Ring are tense PvP battles in which there can be only one survivor.

Once your world is invaded in Elden Ring, you’ll usually switch focus from whatever it is you’re doing in the game and prepare for the imminent fight against another player. The invader will also quickly be trying to get the lay of the land, preparing their own strategy for taking you down.

Here’s what to do to increase your chances of survival from an invasion in Elden Ring.

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Take advantage of your environment

The host player is at a disadvantage in many ways when an invasion takes place in Elden Ring. This is because the world remains hostile to the player, while enemies and traps ignore the invader. It makes an already deadly world even deadlier.

However, the invader has entered your world, and even if they know the game environments well, they don’t know how you’ve influenced it. So don’t rush to battle an invader, fight them on your terms.

You can do this by picking a location and waiting for their assault. This could be somewhere where they can be easily pushed off a ledge or where you have a vantage point. Also, pick somewhere with cover that’s easily defendable. It pays to be able to see them coming, but somewhere where they can’t see you.

Many invaders will use similar tactics, attempting to ambush you in a dangerous spot or lure you to a location that houses a lot of dangerous enemies. Although, most will be keen to hurry the battle along to get onto their next invasion.

This is because a lot of invaders are farming runes, so efficiency is important to them. Delaying the fight could make them reckless, and therefore more vulnerable to making a mistake. If an invader attempts to get you to follow them, don’t do it.

The sheer fact that they’re running from you, and not towards you, betrays a lack of confidence in their abilities or build. An invader that knows they can kill you one-on-one won’t need to lure you anywhere — they’ll just come right for you with casual confidence.

Do everything you can to make life difficult for an invader. In time, this game of cat and mouse will become cat and cat, which is what some invaders fear. However, some also relish a worthy opponent.

Summon support

Unless they’re crazily good, or just plain crazy, the one thing invaders dread is entering a world where they’re outnumbered. This often happens when the host has already summoned one or more Blue Phantoms to aid them, so the invader needs to fight multiple players.

In this circumstance, the hunter becomes hunted and while it’s possible to fight off multiple players, the invader usually fails. Players that are exceptionally good or lucky can succeed, but two experienced players tend to beat just one.

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Therefore, if you’re somewhere with a high concentration of PvP, consider summoning some aid to counteract the predatory tactics of invaders.

Helping another player

You may get invaded when you’re in another player’s world rather than your own. When this happens, it’s essential to keep the host alive and protected from the invader. The host’s death will end your session, leave the invader victorious, and mean you don’t get any reward – so take them down first.

In this situation, you and the host will have the advantage as the invader will be outnumbered. Most invaders will then revert to sneaky tactics to kill you and the host, so will probably avoid fighting you both at the same time.

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Our advice is to keep the pressure on them. Cause them to panic and act rashly for an easy victory. Press your numbers advantage and run directly at the invader like they’re just another enemy rather than a significant threat.

You confidence will likely unnerve the invader and they’ll back off to get away from you. Should they retreat rather than fighting you directly, then you’ll know this strategy is working. Most invaders are used to being the predator rather than the prey, so they are used to hosts fighting defensively.

Having a summoned player rush them fearlessly will likely upset their strategy and cause them to fight on the back-foot. It will communicate to them that even if the host doesn’t, you know what you’re doing, and they are not the only player to be feared.

This essentially throws them off their game, and makes it easier for you and the host to surround and kill them. If you and the host are near a boss gate, then simply entering the boss arena will see the invader sent back to their own world empty-handed.

Get good

Or “git gud” which is how members of the Souls community usually phrase it. They’re not wrong, either. The best way to improve at Elden Ring PvP is to practice. This means do it more and learn to enjoy invasions. See them as an opportunity to shake things up and defeat another player.

It’s even worth invading players yourself and learning how it works. This will give you an insight into their mindset and tactics. Not only will it improve your Elden Ring PvP skills, but you’ll also learn the advantages and limitations of being the invader.

This will increase your confidence and help you turn the tables when it happens to you. Learn to welcome being invaded in Elden Ring, it’s a rush, and overcoming a wily, opportunistic invader can be a thrilling experience.

So that’s how you can best prepare to survive an invasion in Elden Ring. In the meantime, be sure to get ahead of the curve with our Elden Ring page and brush up on all the latest guides below:

Elden Ring PC requirements | Elden Ring multiplayer | Elden Ring character classes | Elden Ring character creator | Elden Ring New Game Plus | Best Elden Ring class for your first run | How to level up in Elden Ring | How to get the Horse in Elden Ring | Elden Ring stats explained

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