There was a time in Elden Ring PvP when Power Stance Great Spears — commonly called PSGs — were the most feared setup in the entire game. If you invaded during the pre-DLC era, you probably remember the chaos. Endless pressure. Roll catches that felt impossible to escape. Clean movement mixed with brutal aggression. Players either mastered the setup, hated fighting it, or spent hours trying to counter it. Then Patch 1.12 happened. And according to many veteran PvP players, PSGs have never truly recovered.

This guide breaks down:

· Why PSGs used to dominate

· What FromSoftware changed

· Why the setup now feels clunky

· How latency affects the weapon class

· Whether PSGs are still viable in modern PvP

· What players can do to make the setup work today

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What Made PSGs So Strong Before the DLC?

Before the DLC patches, dual great spears were infamous because they combined:

· Exceptional pressure

· Strong tracking

· Reliable roll catches

· Excellent spacing tools

· Massive damage

· Safe aggression

The setup rewarded clean gameplay and movement mastery. Skilled players could bait rolls, pivot attacks mid-animation, and maintain pressure almost endlessly. The biggest reason PSGs felt so smooth was the tracking. Back then, players could partially turn during attacks and still connect consistently. 

That meant you could:

· Outspace an opponent

· Rotate mid-animation

· Catch panic rolls

· Punish aggressive pushes

· Control neutral spacing with precision

In practical terms, a player could seemingly face away from an enemy and still have the attack curve into them naturally. This made the weapon feel fluid rather than rigid. For experienced PvPers, PSGs weren’t just “strong.” They felt elegant.

The Patch 1.12 Nerfs

Patch 1.12 changed both spears and great spears significantly. Most players initially focused on the damage nerfs, but veteran PSG users quickly realized that damage wasn’t the real issue. The tracking nerf was.

The reduction in attack rotation dramatically changed how the weapons behaved in actual combat. Suddenly:

· Roll catches became inconsistent

· Pivot pressure became unreliable

· Outspacing lost effectiveness

· Aggressive opponents became harder to punish

· Combat flow felt stiff and awkward

The setup that once felt reactive and fluid now felt delayed and clunky. For many longtime PSG players, this was the true downfall of the archetype.

Why PSGs Feel Worse Now

1. Reduced Tracking

The biggest issue is that attacks no longer rotate naturally toward opponents.

Previously, PSGs allowed players to:

· Adjust mid-attack

· Catch side movement

· Punish poor spacing

· Maintain pressure during fast movement exchanges

Now, attacks often whiff even when the read was correct.

This creates situations where:

· You predict correctly

· You space correctly

· You attack correctly

· But the weapon simply fails to connect

That disconnect is what makes the setup feel frustrating.

2. Latency Makes Everything Worse

PSGs were always somewhat vulnerable to lag because the setup relied heavily on timing and roll catches. After the nerfs, latency became dramatically more punishing.

Against high-latency opponents:

· Players can roll through pressure more easily

· Attacks fail to connect consistently

· Roll catches become unreliable

· Multi-opponent invasions become extremely difficult

Many players now feel like PSGs are one of the weakest setups against laggy opponents despite previously being one of the best pressure tools in the game.

The problem becomes especially noticeable during invasions where:

· Multiple players stack aggression

· Latency varies between hosts and phantoms

· Hyper armor trades become inconsistent

· Recovery windows get punished harder

3. Lack of Defensive Stability

Modern PvP heavily favors setups with:

· Faster pressure

· Better hyper armor

· Strong Ashes of War

· Reliable stagger tools

PSGs struggle against aggressive meta weapons because they often cannot withstand the initial hit before establishing pressure.

Weapons like:

· Curved swords

· Fast thrusting weapons

· Melee bleed setups

· Milady

· Great katanas

· Flame Strike usersIt 

It can overwhelm PSG users before they ever stabilize neutral. The setup still has damage, but it no longer controls fights the way it once did.

Why Players Still Love PSGs

Despite the nerfs, many PvP veterans still adore the setup.

Why?

Because when PSGs work, they still feel incredible.

Landing:

· Clean roll catches

· Perfect spacing punishes

· Aggressive pressure chains

· Invasion wipes

· Delayed crouch catches

Still creates some of the most satisfying gameplay in Elden Ring PvP. Many longtime users argue that PSGs were never fun simply because they were overpowered. They were fun because they rewarded precision movement and intelligent spacing. That identity is what many players feel was lost after the tracking changes.

Are PSGs Still Viable?

Yes — but they are no longer dominant. In duels, PSGs can still perform well because:

· Connections are usually cleaner

· Spacing matters more

· Players cannot rely on gank pressure

· Neutral gameplay is slower

In invasions, however, the setup struggles significantly more than it used to.

Modern invasions punish:

· Slow recovery

· Inconsistent tracking

· Lack of hyper armor

· Predictable pressure

As a result, many players have shifted toward alternatives that feel more reliable.

Better Alternatives in Current PvP

Several setups now outperform PSGs in overall consistency.

Great Katanas

Great katanas provide:

· Better pressure

· Excellent reach

· Strong hyper armor

· Easier roll catches

· More reliable trades

Shamshir

The Shamshir remains one of the smoothest weapons in PvP due to:

· Fast movement

· Excellent aggression

· Strong neutral control

· Reliable pressure loops

Milady

Milady’s speed and stagger potential make it incredibly oppressive against slower setups like PSGs.

Flame Strike Builds

The Ash of War remains one of the strongest PvP tools because it:

· Forces reactions

· Controls space

· Trades well

· Punishes panic movement

How to Make PSGs Work in 2026

If you still want to run PSGs, focus on adapting to the new reality instead of trying to recreate pre-DLC gameplay.

Prioritize Spacing Over Aggression

You can no longer rely on tracking to fix positioning mistakes. Every attack must be deliberate.

Play More Patiently

Modern PSGs reward slower pacing and calculated punish windows rather than nonstop pressure.

Use Latency-Aware Timing

Against laggy players:

· Delay attacks more

· Avoid predictable crouch chains

· Focus on punishing recoveries instead of roll catches

Build for Survivability

Higher poise and defensive stats help compensate for the lack of reliable hyper armor interactions.

Accept That Some Matchups Are Brutal

Weapons with fast stagger tools can overwhelm PSGs quickly. Sometimes disengaging is the smartest play.

Final Thoughts

Power Stance Great Spears are no longer the terrifying monsters they once were in Elden Ring PvP.

The setup still has:

· Great damage

· Excellent reach

· Stylish gameplay

· High skill expression

But the Patch 1.12 tracking nerfs fundamentally changed how the weapons feel. For many veterans, PSGs lost the fluidity that made them special in the first place.

Ironically, the setup went from:

· “Overpowered but incredibly fun” to “Balanced but frustrating”

· And for longtime PSG players, that may be the biggest nerf of all.

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