Here's how to invade and play PvP in Elden Ring

Elden Ring Scarlet Rot Image

Had enough of jolly cooperation? Then it's time to mess with some players in their worlds.

Elden Ring, like the majority of FromSoftware's games, may be a perfectly playable as a singleplayer adventure, but it's built with an extensive online component as well. A lot of the time, that means summoning players — both friends and strangers alike — to clear through a section of enemies together, culminating in taking on a boss. However, just as longstanding is the tradition of invasion, of arriving unexpected in another player's world and trying to kill them. If that sounds fun, we've got you covered.

Elden Ring: Where to get Festering Bloody Fingers

When you want to invade another player in Elden Ring, you'll need Festering Bloody Finger. There are a few places you can go to get one fairly early on in your adventure.

Mistwood Merchant

Elden Ring Mistwood Merchant

At the southern edge of the Mistwood area, there's a merchant just before you reach a castle being overrun by Demi-Humans. This merchant sells five Festering Bloody Fingers for 1,000 Runes each. This is by far the easiest way to grab some Festering Bloody Fingers early on. We've marked the location of this merchant on the map above.

Rose Church

Elden Ring Rose Church

A little ways into the game, after acquiring your first Great Rune, as you progress through Liurnia of the Lakes and head towards Raya Lucaria Academy, you can take a detour farther into the west of the swampy marshland. If you do so, you'll eventually come upon the Rose Church. In front of the Church, you'll find a man who previously called you Maidenless. Speak with him, and when he asks your impressions of the Two Fingers, answer that something doesn't feel right. He'll then give you five Festering Bloody Fingers for free.

Note that if you run into a dangerous dragon, you've gone too far north, though you can kill that dragon for a Dragon Heart. We've marked the location of the Rose Church on the map above.

Elden Ring: How to invade

Elden Ring Festering Bloody Finger

Now that you've got a truly rancid finger or three, it's time to invade. Obviously, you'll need to be online, so make sure you've launched Elden Ring in online mode and that your internet connection seems stable. From there, simply go into your Inventory or Multiplayer tab, either one works, and use the Festering Bloody Finger. If it works, you'll receive a message that you are invading another player. Festering Bloody Fingers ignore multiplayer passwords, so you won't be matched only with your friends if you currently have a password set. This also means you won't be protected by using a password.

Keep in mind that Festering Bloody Fingers are single-use items, so if you're successful in invading, the finger will be used up. When you invade a player, they'll be within your basic level range, which is a design decision to help keep things a bit random without letting you be truly overpowered when fighting someone, or vice-versa. Keep in mind that you can only directly invade someone who hasn't beaten the boss for an area yet.

As such, if you're having trouble finding a successful invasion, try a different spot. In particular, look for "hotbeds," or rather, areas that lots of people will probably have some trouble getting past a boss. Early on in the game, these could be bosses like Margit the Fell Omen or Godrick the Grafted.

Once you're in another player's world, act fast. You win if you kill the other player; you lose if they kill you or manage to escape to a boss fight. Players will receive warning that you have invaded, so be careful, as they'll have at least a few seconds (if not much longer) to plan and think of ways to defend themselves. Remember that because Elden Ring is an open-world game, you won't have access to the entirety of the world when you invade. Instead, it'll be sliced off into a section, with grey fog preventing leaving that particular zone.

Elden Ring: How to be summoned for PvP

Elden Ring Duelists Furled Finger

Random invasions aren't the only way to fight a Host of Fingers in some classic PvP. If you're feeling more sporting, there's also a special item you can unlock that allows other players to summon you for fighting. It's called the Duelist's Furled Finger and fortunately, it's fairly easy to grab.

Head to the Warmaster's Shack, which is slightly southeast of Stormveil castle.
From there, head directly north.
Run past or kill the enemy camp in your path.
Keep going north until you come upon some massive ruins.
The Duelist's Furled Finger will be on a body in front of the door.

If you're having trouble finding it, we've marked the location on the map above. Unlike the Festering Bloody Fingers, the Duelist's Furled Finger is an infinite use item, so no matter how many times you win or lose fights online, you'll always have it with you.

It's important to keep in mind that due to the nature of someone willingly summoning someone else for a fight, generally speaking, these players will be far more dangerous than someone whom you randomly invade. Make sure you've got your best gear and magic equipped, because otherwise it's possible that you'll get stomped.

What goes around comes around

There's nothing unsporting about invading other players in one of the best Xbox games available. After all, it's been a part of FromSoftware's formula since the days of Demon's Souls. Just understand that you might also get invaded, and perhaps consider being sporting and fair when you fight others online. Unless they're unsporting first, in which case you can and should bust out every dirty trick in the book.