Glintstone Nails is a magic sorcery found fairly early in Elden Ring DLC

[AlfonsVogel]

The recently released DLC for Elden Ring, Shadow of the Erdtree, has shaken up the PvP meta with new powerful items and abilities. One of the most impactful additions are the upgraded Glintstone Nails spells that are now effectively homing missiles.

Glintstone Nails is a magic sorcery found fairly early in the main game. It casts a barrage of small blue projectiles that fly straight towards enemies. While effective at taking down weaker foes, the spells weren't highly regarded in PvP due to their slow travel speed and relative ease of dodge.

However, the new scaling of power with higher Intelligence has transformed Glintstone Nails from a mediocre spell into a deadly Seeking Betrayal-esque moveset. At the softcap of 80 Intelligence, the nails track opponents much more aggressively. What was once a minor annoyance is now an inescapable barrage of homing pains.

Top level mages in the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC are taking advantage of this buff by pairing Glintstone Nails with other upgraded sorceries and items. Common strategies include spamming Nails from a distance while the opponent is juggling other spells. It's nearly impossible for melee builds to get close through the shield of tracking projectiles.

Some key Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree items for mages looking to thrive in the new PvP meta include:
Lusat's Glintstone Staff: This upgraded staff from Azula allows spells to dish out even more damage at the expense of HP. At 80 Intelligence, Glintstone nails become a three hit kill.
Graven-Mass Talismans: Boosting Intelligence and Magic damage further stacks the pain of Nails. A typical loadout uses two Graven-Mass for hard hitting ranged combat.
Terra Magicus AoE: The upgraded magic-boosting Physick Miracle gives strong synergy with spammable spells. It allows mages to pepper opponents with nails from a safer distance.
Greatshield Talisman: Used with a staff in the off-hand, this talisman further increases holy defense for surviving incidental riposte damage.
Cerulean Hidden Tear: The magic-boosting crystal tear Physick enables burst damage potential right from the start of encounters. Nails become lethal immediately.
Radagon's Icon Talisman: This iconic talisman increases casting speed, a necessity for landing nails before opponents can retaliate. It further cements the spam-heavy nature of the new playstyle.
Of course, not all players are thrilled with the shift towards more 'homing' abilities in PvP. Many veterans prefer the skill-based dodging and reaction required in Dark Souls. Some accuse newcomers of relying too heavily on training wheels like Glintstone Nails.

Time will tell if FromSoft tone down the tracking properties of spells with future patches, as they have done with other overtuned items before. For now though, any mage stepping into the ominous Shadow lands of the Erdtree should prepare for chaos rains of blue projectiles locking on from any range. Elden Ring's renowned build diversity faces a new challenging approach centered around staying locked and loaded with pesky yet powerful homing nails.