After a certain point of exploring the Lands Between, Elden Ring players may notice a small red square at the top-left of their screen. The icon sits beneath the Stamina bar, indicating an active Status Effect on the player. While the small image doesn't have an official title, such as Blight or Madness, Tarnished in Elden Ring have come to know its effect as the "Red Square Debuff" or "HP Debuff."
The Red Square Debuff is a direct result of the player embracing Fia, an NPC that Tarnished will meet in a small bed-chamber within the Roundtable Hold. When Elden Ring fans first encounter Fia, she will hold a brief conversation that ends with the dialogue options of the protagonist choosing to hug or not embrace her. Accepting the seemingly innocent offer will trigger a short animation of the player character kneeling down to allow Fia to hold them in her arms. What players may not realize is that the moment she presses their head to her chest, their HP bar in the upper-left corner will slightly deplete. Hence the Red Square Debuff will be activated, inflicting the Tarnished with 5% less maximum HP.
Some Tarnished may wonder why this particular feature in Elden Ring is available in the first place. The answer lies within the gift Fia bestows to the player after her embrace - Baldachin's Blessing. While it may sound intangible, Baldachin's Blessing is a Consumable Item in Elden Ring that players can use to remove the Red Square Debuff. However, this is not all the blessing does.
Upon consumption, it takes several moments for Baldachin's Blessing to dispel the player's HP Debuff, yet during this time, players will receive a buff in place that temporarily boosts Poise. For those who aren't as familiar with the Souls franchise, Poise is a crucial Base Stat in Elden Ring that determines the degree to which the Tarnished can resist being staggered from enemy attacks. In other words, having a high level of Poise allows players to be more resistant to being stunned or their attacks being interrupted.
Therefore, hugging Fia grants players the ability to invoke several seconds of higher Poise while sacrificing a minute yet significant portion of their health. Even 5% HP can make a huge difference in surviving a fatal blow; thus, players must ensure they understand what they are giving up in exchange for the Baldachin's Blessing. On the other hand, players can accept Fia's embrace for free emotional support and immediately use the restorative blessing afterward. After all, Elden Ring shows no mercy to Tarnished players.
Elden Ring is available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC.
