While Elden Ring players were preparing for Shadow of the Erdtree to finally release, one hardened FromSoftware stan managed to one-up everyone by beating the action RPG eight times without leveling up - or dying.
Streamer itzCBD has gone ahead and pulled off the seemingly impossible, apparently becoming the first ever Elden Ring player to beat the game at level one through every single New Game Plus difficulty with zero deaths. This makes for eight full runs of an already challenging game, all made even more taxing thanks to the lack of leveling and each NG+ mode's gradual increase in difficulty. CBD also chooses to start as a Wretch, Elden Ring's own version of Dark Souls' Deprived class, which puts him at a greater disadvantage.
I just became the first person to beat Elden Ring from NG to NG+7 without dying a single time...at LEVEL 1Eight full playthroughs in a row on the same character, starting as the Wretch class, never leveling up, and never dying. We got this just in time for Shadow of the Erdtree pic.twitter.com/Mx2FvjU5ghJune 20, 2024
Playing as a Wretch means CBD's Tarnished is the lowest level possible, with no real stats or strengths to speak of and no gear to wear, either. It's the go-to class Elden Ring speedrunners and fans pick when looking for a challenge, as it turns characters into completely blank slates with no buffs - as is the case with CBD's own run. Nonetheless, the impressive streamer prevails after almost 20 hours of blood, sweat, and tears - "just in time for Shadow of the Erdtree."
Upon tackling the Elden Beast and seemingly becoming the first person to pull off the wildly difficult feat, CBD cheers and claps before simply exclaiming, "NG to NG+7 deathless, level one." He ends the challenge with a whopping 35,532,040 runes left over from never spending any, too, making for one very wealthy Elden Lord. With Shadow of the Erdtree out now, CBD is sure to break even more records - in the meantime, I'll just be dying over and over again in-game as usual.
Are you playing the new DLC? Here's every Shadow of the Erdtree guide you'll ever need.
