You’ve spent three hours fighting Malenia. Your heart is hammering. She’s finally down, and as she dissolves into golden dust, you think, "Man, I wish I could’ve seen that from a better angle." But the camera is stuck to your character's back like glue. It’s frustrating. Elden Ring is a visual masterpiece, yet FromSoftware refuses to give us a proper photo mode.
Honestly, it’s a crime. The Lands Between are filled with details you literally cannot see because the camera is restricted by gameplay logic. That’s where the freecam mod elden ring community comes in. Specifically, the work of Frans Bouma, known online as Otis_Inf.
His tools are basically the industry standard for virtual photography. If you've seen those jaw-dropping screenshots on Twitter where the camera is inches away from a boss's face or hovering high above Leyndell, 90% of the time, it’s this mod. But here’s the thing: it’s not just a "press button, take picture" situation. Using a freecam in a game protected by Easy Anti-Cheat (EAC) is like trying to sneak a camera into a high-security vault.
🔗 Read more: How Many Eevees Are There Explained (Simply)
Why you can't just "install and go"
First off, let’s clear up the biggest misconception. You cannot use a freecam mod while playing online. Period. If you try to inject a camera tool while EAC is active, you aren't just risking a ban—you’re basically guaranteed one. The game sees any external tool as a potential cheat.
To use the freecam mod elden ring safely, you have to go completely offline.
Most veteran virtual photographers use a specific workflow. You start by disabling EAC entirely. The most common way is to create a file named steam_appid.txt containing the number 1245620 and placing it in your game folder, then launching the .exe directly rather than through Steam. Some people prefer the "Anti-Cheat Toggler and Offline Launcher" from Nexus Mods because it’s a simple one-click solution.
Once the game is "blinded" to the internet, you can finally play with the camera. It’s a bit of a hassle, but for the shots you get? Worth it.
The Power of the Otis_Inf Camera Tools
What makes this specific freecam mod elden ring setup better than a simple cheat engine script? Control. It’s about the nuance of the shot.
- Timestop: This is the big one. You can freeze the entire world mid-animation. You can catch the exact moment a Dragon Communion spell ignites or the frame a parry sparks.
- FOV Control: The in-game field of view is designed for combat awareness. For photography, you often want a tight, compressed FOV to make landscapes look more epic or portraits more intimate.
- Hotsampling: This sounds technical, but it’s basically magic. It lets you render the game at 4K or 8K resolution even if your monitor is only 1080p. The mod resizes the game window, takes the shot, and snaps it back.
- Pathing: You can actually set "nodes" for the camera to follow. This is how creators make those buttery-smooth cinematic trailers.
I’ve spent nights just flying the camera through the Siofra River. When you aren't worried about a clayman poking you in the ribs, you realize how much work went into the ceiling of that cave. It’s not just a texture; it’s a meticulously lit void.
📖 Related: Why My Singing Monsters Noggin is Still the Game's Most Important Character
The Learning Curve is Real
Don’t expect to be a pro instantly. Moving the camera with a numpad while trying to manage depth of field (DoF) is a bit of a brain-bender.
Usually, the Insert key enables the camera. Then you're using Numpad 8, 4, 5, 6 to move and the arrow keys to rotate. If you’re using a controller, it’s a bit more intuitive, but you lose the precision of keyboard shortcuts.
One thing people always forget: Disable Motion Blur. Seriously. If you pause the game with the mod and motion blur is on, your frozen subject will look like a smeared mess. Go into the game settings and kill it before you start your "photo shoot."
Is it Free?
Here is where the community gets divided. Frans Bouma’s most advanced tools are behind a Patreon. He puts an incredible amount of work into updating them every time FromSoftware drops a patch—which, after Shadow of the Erdtree, happened a lot.
There are free versions on GitHub and Nexus, but they often lack the "game speed" controls or the advanced "hotsampling" features. If you just want to look around, the free scripts work fine. If you want to be the next big virtual photographer, you’ll probably end up on that Patreon.
What about the DLC?
The freecam mod elden ring community had a minor heart attack when the expansion launched. New versions of the game engine often break the "pointers" these mods use to find the camera.
Thankfully, the tools are now fully compatible with the Realm of Shadow. Seeing the Scadutree from its base, looking straight up, is an experience the developers never intended for you to have. The scale is terrifying. You realize the tree isn't just a backdrop; it's a physical, haunting entity in the world space.
Actionable Steps for Aspiring Photographers
If you're ready to break the bounds of your character's head, here is how you actually do it without breaking your game.
💡 You might also like: How to Use the Sims 4 Traits Cheat to Rewrite Your Sims' DNA
- Back up your save. Seriously. Go to
%AppData%/EldenRingand copy those files somewhere safe. If you accidentally trigger an "Inappropriate Activity" flag, you’ll want a clean save to revert to. - Get an EAC Bypass. Use the "Anti-Cheat Toggler" on Nexus. It’s the safest way to ensure the game stays offline.
- Install ReShade. While the freecam lets you move the lens, ReShade lets you change the "film." Use it to add professional-grade color grading or to fix the game's slightly washed-out shadows.
- Use the "Invisibility" toggle. Most good camera mods include a toggle to make enemies ignore you. This is vital. There's nothing worse than lining up the perfect shot of the Erdtree only to be headbutted by a goat.
- Watch your VRAM. If you use hotsampling to take 8K screenshots, your GPU will scream. Do not leave the game at that resolution; just snap the photo and go back to your native monitor size.
Taking photos in Elden Ring changes how you see the game. It stops being a series of brutal challenges and becomes an art gallery. Just remember: stay offline, keep your saves backed up, and for the love of Marika, turn off the HUD before you hit that shutter button.
The next time you find yourself at the top of the Divine Tower of Caelid at sunset, don't just look at it. Fly out over the ocean, turn the camera back toward the tower, and capture the scale of your journey. That’s what this mod is really for.
Next Steps:
- Download the Anti-Cheat Toggler from Nexus Mods to prep your game for offline modding.
- Visit the Otis_Inf Photomode site to check for the latest version compatible with your current game build.
- Experiment with ReShade presets like "Cinematic Reality" to enhance the lighting before you start your first photo session.