The Low-Tech AI of Elden Ring

Elden Ring's AI uses a surprisingly simple low-tech system built on Havok Script, implementing enemy behavior through a stack-based "Goal" system rather than complex finite state machines. Each frame, NPCs update their current goal, which can push sub-goals onto a stack that execute in sequence, with each goal returning Continue, Success, or Failure to control the flow. Boss and NPC encounters are designed through weighted random selection between predefined actions that consider world context and the actor's parameters, allowing FromSoftware to create challenging and diverse encounters with minimal complexity.