Spoilers, but posting these here. Some images have leaked from the Elden Ring DLC Expo.
A few areas not seen in the trailers yet
A few areas not seen in the trailers yet
Soulsborne Discussion, Feats & Analysis
- Thread starter Papa Nier
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select people and review sites have had access to the first 3 hours of the game. I haven't had a chance to watch much, but read one of them. Obviously don't read if you plan on going into the game blind, but I'm really only highlighting two things I think have some lore/feat significance
the Lion Dance boss can control the weather. It uses not just thunderstorms but also snowstorms. There is another boss called "Twin Moon Knight" which is fascinating, first character we have seen with an allegiance to both major moons?
There's also a character who fought alongside Radahn before coming to the Land of Shadows, so interested in that
There's also a character who fought alongside Radahn before coming to the Land of Shadows, so interested in that
Vaati thankfully notated every single item description and piece of dialogue he encountered when he got to play, obviously spoilers inbound
been following updates closely as I can so my initial impressions/theories (any item descriptions I'm referencing are mostly from Vaati's video, as he's the only person so far to document them)
EDIT: other theory regarding the Omen
There's a heavy emphasis with the Crucible/Lion Dancer culture about Divinity, "Divine Beast" is a unique classification, and for the first time Heavens are mentioned, which Storms represent (could this tie into Placidusax's storm outside time? More pressing though, when the Lion Dancer is killed, there's another npc called the Empyrean Grandam who narrates the cutscene, and refuses to speak to you. They hate you and Marika (they basically call Marika a whore, I'm taking this also to mean Messmer is a bastard child as others have theorized), but they specifically say the Divine Beast was sent from a Higher Sphere, so we could be getting some truly revelationary cosmology in this DLC. This is the first time a higher plane beyond the universe is implied at all.
There's another, very minimal line, I haven't seen anyone speak on, but the Solitary Knights have two crests and one represents the "light of birth", given the tower of Belarut leads to the "Gate of Divinity", I think this light is where Marika became a god, and why the trailer scene of her ascending the fleshy steps, has two skies in it, one resembling the Elden Beast's summoned realm and one being more of a purple stormy hue. Also the strings Marika pulls from the unknown womblike object(?) resemble not just the strings of the Elden Ring in her hammer in early trailers, but also the galactis supercluster Laniakea in real life, which the strings in the Elden Beast's body resemble.
There's also been debate about the timeline, as the Wicker Men have Fire Giant heads on their waists, even though Fire Giant war was at the very beginning of the Erdtree. Now that we have clearer footage, these look to be metal masks modelled after Giants. My current theory is Messmerflame (it's actually called this) was modelled after the Giant's Flame of Ruin, which is why his fire is given so much emphasis in the trailer. The color is similar, and he is the only character to have a flame named after himself, which emphasizes its unique and important properties, possibly similar to Giant's Flame being able to burn something that only exists in abstract non-physical form.
One big lore bomb mentioned offhand is an item called Marika's Blessing,, this one's a major spoiler so I'll keep it under a second lock
There's another, very minimal line, I haven't seen anyone speak on, but the Solitary Knights have two crests and one represents the "light of birth", given the tower of Belarut leads to the "Gate of Divinity", I think this light is where Marika became a god, and why the trailer scene of her ascending the fleshy steps, has two skies in it, one resembling the Elden Beast's summoned realm and one being more of a purple stormy hue. Also the strings Marika pulls from the unknown womblike object(?) resemble not just the strings of the Elden Ring in her hammer in early trailers, but also the galactis supercluster Laniakea in real life, which the strings in the Elden Beast's body resemble.
There's also been debate about the timeline, as the Wicker Men have Fire Giant heads on their waists, even though Fire Giant war was at the very beginning of the Erdtree. Now that we have clearer footage, these look to be metal masks modelled after Giants. My current theory is Messmerflame (it's actually called this) was modelled after the Giant's Flame of Ruin, which is why his fire is given so much emphasis in the trailer. The color is similar, and he is the only character to have a flame named after himself, which emphasizes its unique and important properties, possibly similar to Giant's Flame being able to burn something that only exists in abstract non-physical form.
One big lore bomb mentioned offhand is an item called Marika's Blessing,, this one's a major spoiler so I'll keep it under a second lock
which indicates Miquella was blessed by her for his journey into the Shadowed Lands. This is pretty huge and I have no idea what to make of it, as it had long been thought Miquella, like many other characters, was working against Marika. The more I learn about her the more of a puppetmaster character she is.
EDIT: other theory regarding the Omen
In the DLC there's a people called the "Hornsent", like the Omen and Crucible tied things in the base game, they are covered in horns, and I assume Lion Dancer is one of them. I don't actually think there is anything different about them from the Omen, as we are never clearly given a reason WHY the Omen are hated in the Lands Between, it's just weird fantasy racism. The Hornsent are considered like royalty in the Lands of Shadow, and give they are enemies of Marika, this racism could entirely be based in cultural bias due to her stamping out the Shadow Lands cultures and people. iirc the Omen's souls don't return to the Erdtree, but given Marika hates the Crucible and reformed it into the Erdtree, I can easily see how this just reinforces this, not contradicts it.
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someone compiled all dialogue and descriptions vaati provided
Closer observation on the Empyrean Grandam's dialogue
Closer observation on the Empyrean Grandam's dialogue
She speaks of the Divine Beasts as being something from the higher sphere/heaven that she prays will inhabit the body of the Lion Dancers. This is really goddamn interesting and I think also goes a way towards explaining why the hell the Elden Beast is considered a Beast at all, something that always confused me. There's also Zullie pointing out recently the Elden Beast has five fingers, and the Beastmen are said to have gained intelligence along with their 5th digit. Something going on here
big updates and more lore from another participant of the early 3 hour playtest, he also clarifies that the Big Spoiler I mentioned earlier was not actually true, it’s something else
The extra secret spoiler dialogue Vaati was keeping for later has been posted, interesting stuff
not a spoiler at all but an analysis on the physics of comets and magnetic fields and why shard spiral and comet azur function how they do
red bull did their livestream yesterday with some new footage and reveals, I didn’t see anything super lore spoilery but there is one really cool thing we are getting
Ashes of War based on Malenia’s dive when she uses scarlet aeonia, and one where we can do General Radahn’s psycho crusher style gravity spiral attack. Sick as hell