The "Ashes of Ariandel" DLC expansion for "Dark Souls III" is scheduled to launch before the end of October, and in preparation for the upcoming additions and changes, Bandai Namco and From Software have released a brand new patch update. This update addresses some bugs and glitches, but it also adjusts the Poise stat in the game.
The Poise stat, as it was in the previous games, prevents a player from suffering staggering penalties or stun penalties. When a player staggers, they are open to attacks, and for a few seconds, they are not capable of defending themselves. By raising the Poise stat, they can reduce this penalty and the time that they suffer from staggering.
However, as pointed out in a report from Polygon, the stat does not function in a similar manner in "Dark Souls III," and many gamers assumed that there was a problem with the game's coding, hinting the stat may have been turned off. It turns out that it is working but not in a way familiar to gamers. The new update will make adjustments to this so that the Poise stat becomes more noticeable.
According to the official update notes posted on the game's Tumblr page, the update has "adjusted poise values across the board. Poise is now more effective for heavier weapons and armor."
It should be noted that this does not mean Poise will work exactly like it did for "Dark Souls II," but it will be more noticeable for players using heavy weapons and armor. This would make sense, given that the thicker armor would help a warrior in planting their feet in the ground and withstanding an attack that would normally knock others prone.
"Dark Souls III: Ashes of Ariandel" will launch for PC, Xbox One and PS4, on Oct. 25. The aforementioned update is required before receiving the DLC content.
