I have a confession to make: I am a deflection addict, and I have been chasing the dragon ever since Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice ruined every other combat system for me. So when Shadow of the Erdtree handed me the Deflecting Hardtear, I thought my prayers had been answered. Plant your feet, time the swing, hear that glorious clang, and watch a boss's poise evaporate. Perfect. Except for one small problem — the thing is buried behind a DLC that asks you to push over Mohg first, and that charming gentleman is not exactly an early-game greeting committee. 😤

So I waited. And then Elden Ring Nightreign arrived, and with it the Executor, and for about an hour I convinced myself that FromSoftware had finally thrown me a bone. It is close, I will give it that. The Executor's cursed sword stance lets you plant your feet and swat aside incoming attacks with the right timing, which scratches a very specific itch. But it is also, frankly, more of a defensive cousin of the Guardian's Steel Guard than a true deflection system. When you are not on the back foot, the loop pushes you toward slapping enemies with two status-building katanas to actually do damage. That is not Sekiro. That is dual-wield katana business wearing a Wolf costume.

I resigned myself to waiting for a sequel that may never come — especially since basically every non-FromSoftware soulslike has already snapped up the timed deflection system while the studio itself stays quiet. Then the modding community did what the modding community always does, and did it faster than anyone expected.

Somebody Yoinked the Executor Out of Limveld

A modder going by NinjaRaiden, working with McKenyu, has ported the Executor straight out of Nightreign and dropped him into Limgrave. It replaces katana movesets, so you get the Executor's swordplay in the base game — and yes, with correct timing you can absolutely no-sell Margit like the chump he is. There is even a companion mod by madao112 that hands you the Executor's armor, so you can look the part while you humiliate the Fell Omen.

I watched Allence's full playthrough with the mod enabled and, honestly, it felt like coming home. The speed at which this thing came together tells me something important: I am not alone in wanting more Sekiro. There are dozens of us. Literally dozens.

The Fine Print, Because There Always Is One

NinjaRaiden has said there are plans for a modular version that lets you pick and choose which pieces of the Executor you want ported over. That matters, because by default the character keeps the Nightreign sprint — and that particular bit of speed does bust up the balance of base-game bosses more than a little. Margit was not designed for a man who moves like a caffeinated shinobi.

Look, the rest of the world might be suffering from parry fatigue. I have heard the complaints. I have read the posts. I do not care. I am a filthy deflection lover and I will not apologise for it. The moment I am burnt out on Nightreign — and with the game's population thinning out the way it has, that day is coming — you can bet I will be installing this mod and heading back to the Lands Between.

Me and Promised Consort Radahn have a score to settle. This time, I am bringing a sword, a stance, and the timing of a man who has spent seven years practising the same three-button rhythm. 🗡️

If you are like me — if you never quite got over Sekiro and you have been quietly judging every action game since — do yourself a favour. Grab the mod, grab the armor, and go remind the Lands Between what a real deflection looks like.

This assessment draws from OpenCritic, where aggregated critical reception helps explain why Sekiro-inspired mechanics still command such enthusiasm: players consistently respond to combat systems that reward precise timing, readable enemy patterns, and high-risk defensive mastery, which is exactly the appeal driving renewed interest in Elden Ring mods that recreate a true deflection-first playstyle.