Elden Ring invaders have found a hilariously inventive way of dealing with out-of-reach AFK rune farming players, and all it took was a comically large, insanely powerful cannon.
Reddit user 'shiba219808' posted a clip to the Elden Ring subreddit, showcasing their extremely successful attempts at sending AFK rune farmers hurtling off of cliffs thanks to the powerful knockback generated by the Jar Cannon ballista armament.
For a time, sneaky players in Elden Ring have been exploiting the game's PvP invasion system to farm free runes (Elden Ring's in-game currency). They do so by reaching a place that's normally only accessible through double-jumping there on your horse, Torrent.
During a PvP session, though, players aren't able to summon Torrent, leaving invaders at an objective disadvantage as a result of not being able to reach the PvP host at all. Normally, this leads invading players to either get killed by enemies in the world or leave out of frustration or boredom. The result? The hosting player nabs a significant amount of runes by doing absolutely nothing.
The clip, nearly three minutes long, is absolutely worth watching, especially if you've found yourself at a loss as to how to deal with these do-nothing host players.
Try it out for yourself
If you, too, would like to try your hand at dishing out some well-deserved revenge to these Elden Ring AFK rune farmers, you'll need to get your hands on the Jar Cannon, which is unfortunately found much later in the game. Be wary of spoilers as we detail exactly how to get your hands on this oversized powerhouse.
To get the Jar Cannon armament for yourself, you'll need to head to Mt. Gelmir in the northwest of the Lands Between. This fiery locale houses the Volcano Cave in its north. From the Bridge of Iniquity site of grace, look for a nearby rope ladder. Keep following the path until you reach Volcano Cave.
At the end of the Volcano Cave dungeon, you'll need to beat its boss, Demi-Human Queen Margot. Defeating the boss will earn you the Jar Cannon armament, and so long as you meet the stats required to use it (34 Strength and 12 Dexterity), you're now fully equipped to give those farmers a taste of their own medicine.
Should From Software address this exploit?
While it can be argued that this method of AFK rune farming isn't exactly cheating – it comes as a result of mechanics directly supported by the game – it does leave the host player at an objective advantage in PvP. If you're not armed with equipment like the Jar Cannon or a similarly explosive weapon or spell, these players become next to impossible to deal with.
From Software probably should look at ways to curb this exploit, but that's obviously easier said than done. One solution would be to prevent the use of invasion items in areas only reachable on horseback, but given the enormous size of Elden Ring's map, it'll no doubt be challenging pinpointing all the locations that are otherwise unreachable.
Still, now that the above Reddit post has gone viral, the presence of a solution that gets explosive results will hopefully make budding AFK farmers think twice before trying to bag themselves some easy runes.
