Elden Ring – Put your foes to sleep all across the Lands Between & see their sleeping faces

Written by. Nick Mosier based on the original Japanese article (original article’s publication date: 2022-05-14 16:34 JST)

With Elden Ring crossing the 2-and-a-half-month mark since its release, many players have likely already cleared the game. But the fun offered in Elden Ring doesn’t just stop at beating the game as there are many other ways to entertain yourself in the Lands Between. One I’d like to introduce to you today is the power of the sleep effect.

Please be aware this article may contain spoilers for Elden Ring.

Among the many status effects in Elden Ring, sleep doesn’t stand out all that much. It doesn’t do damage to enemies, and compared to effects like the high-powered bleed, frostbite, or scarlet rot, it’s hard to see sleep’s usefulness in combat. Plus, weapons that have sleep properties are limited, and the number of enemies it’s effective against is low.

However, sleep has its own special charm that you won’t find anywhere else. First, it’s very effective against certain enemies. And more importantly, it allows you to gaze at defenseless foes you normally wouldn’t have any time to look at closely. Armed with the sleep weapons Sword of St. Trina, St. Trina’s Torch, and Sleep Pots, I (the original author of this article) set off across the Lands Between to bring restful slumber to its many inhabitants.

Let’s first take a look at what kinds of enemies tend to be susceptible to sleep and see just what these sleeping beauties look like when catching some z’s.

Restful animals and insomniac NPCs

Sleep is effective against animals and weaker classes of enemies like the tired-looking soldiers walking around. On the other hand, stronger enemies in heavy armor will mostly only be staggered for a moment by it. Perhaps their sense of duty is too strong for a nice nap.

Wild animals from sheep to bears will be sound asleep when you build up the status effect, and each one has their own unique way of doing so. Wolves will flop onto the ground exposing their bellies, while the squirrel-like animals curl up their tails into little balls. Sleep even works on the murderous Runebear. I didn’t have any luck with the Warhawks at Stormveil Castle, though.

Sleep also isn’t very effective against NPCs. It basically only staggers them for a moment. It also won’t work unless you attack them enough to turn them into enemies. But it hurts to see someone turn their blade on you just because you wanted to see their sleeping face. There are also NPCs like the nomadic merchants that can’t be put to sleep at all, so don’t expect your favorite NPC to give you a glimpse of what they look like when they sleep.

But there are cases where non-human NPCs will go right to sleep such as Boc the Demi-Human and Iron Fist Alexander. This may be because the species of these characters are weak to the sleep status effect.

Formidable foes that are weak to sleep

Sleep isn’t very effective against large enemies and bosses. But there are some exceptions like the previously mentioned Runebear. In addition, it’s also decidedly strong against trolls and other so-called “dumb” enemies.

There’s also a boss fight that’s made much easier by using sleep as it’s against a Godskin Apostle and a Godskin Noble. When fighting against Godskin Duo, if you go into battle with something like a Sleep Pot, you can put one to sleep and make the match a 1v1. It’s rare to see sleep work on a boss, but since it’s effective in one of the most difficult fights in the game, it definitely has its value.

But sleep is more than something that’s just useful in combat against strong enemies, as a sleeping enemy is way cuter than what you’ll normally see in the game. Facing off against Godskin Duo is normally a brutal fight to the death, but when put to sleep, they’re just like a couple of cute little babies.

The trolls and Mad Pumpkin Heads also sleep similarly to how my daughter did when she was little. It makes me want to grab a soft blanket and tuck them into bed.

But it’s not just the burly beasts of the Lands Between that look cute when they sleep. Living Jars big and small are easy to put to sleep and it’s adorable to get a group together for a little nap. And even Iron Fist Alexander will curl up his limbs and show you the peculiar way Living Jars lay down to get their rest. Hopefully the extra sleep helps them to grow up big and strong.

The Albinauric look cute when they sleep as well. While they may have creepy little alien faces, it’s not so bad once they fall asleep. They close their eyes, but their mouths remain open like how a kid might sleep. The cuteness almost makes you hesitate for a second before defeating them. But after viciously wiping them out by the thousands, perhaps it’s a little too late for me to be thinking about that.

The crab, shrimp, and octopus-like enemies are also easy to put to sleep but aren’t very cute. A lethargic sea creature mostly just looks like something you would see at a fish market. On the other hand, Land Squirts both big and small cannot be put to sleep.

With sleep, you can have even more fun in the Lands Between.

In the end, there aren’t many situations where sleep is effective in combat. It works for some enemies but not others and tends to be ineffective against bosses and magic-wielding enemies. For enemies like Crucible Knights, dragons, and skeletons, no matter how much FP or jars I tried to use, they didn’t even flinch. But as we saw earlier, there are a few unexpected exceptions.

With that being said, sleep does offer a unique experience in its own right as you can at least enjoy what some enemies look like when they lay their heads down to rest. One unfortunate point is that the sleep marker will obscure the sleeping character’s face making it harder to observe. Or maybe I’m the only person who thinks that.

And after you’re done observing, you can discover the joy of delivering that fatal blow to your sleeping target. That is to say, its intended purpose.

If you can’t get enough of Elden Ring, I encourage you to grab some sleeping weapons or Sleep Jars as you travel the Lands Between. The world of Elden Ring still has more fun waiting to be discovered.