I was pretty clear that my Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree adventure was over after I beat Bayle and the final boss, whose name I will omit so that this post is spoiler-free as far as the main story is concerned. I also thought that this series of posts was closed, but FromSoftware’s ways are inscrutable.
A few days ago, I traveled back to the Shadowlands to ride Torrentera and take some screenshots of memorable places. Nothing that deserved a post like this. I noticed that there was a plateau that was too empty and it was strange because the maps of Fire Ring They don’t usually leave any space without grace. In addition, there was a huge rectangle. Miyazaki doesn’t do anything for no reason.
The Fort of Rebuke and some breathtaking views in Elden Ring
I’ll never understand how I missed this area of the Shadowlands. I passed very close, but for some reason I never went that far south. In my mind I had already explored it and I equated it with a different location. The only explanation is a combination of absent-mindedness and forgetfulness, caused by a distraction called the Moorth Ruins. I entered through those ruins and never looked back.
It was obvious there was something going on, so I traveled to the ruins and scoured the land for new locations. I found a dungeon west of the main path and continued south instead of taking the main route. I ended up on the large plateau, Altus Umbra. That was the first big decision of this adventure.
I explored the lake area a bit and approached a small ravine. When I looked up from the edge, I saw a dark stone castle rising in a natural pot-shaped structure. The only entrance was the cave where the path is lost when reaching the plateau. I jumped down the ravine and activated the grace in front of the large structure.
“How the hell did I miss this for something?” I rhetorically asked a friend I was on a call with on PS5. I didn’t know what he was talking about, so I turned on screen sharing so he could watch my gameplay. It didn’t look like a very big dungeon, but with Miyazaki you never know. You can walk into the most ordinary place and end up on a one- or two-hour descent into hell itself. It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve ever seen one. Fire Ring.
I set out to explore the fortress in search of new weapons, spells, amulets and other valuable items. I don’t want to lie to you either: there’s nothing worthwhile. There isn’t even a boss per se. You encounter a couple of elite enemies, some weaker ones and the Black Knight Edredd, who acts as the fortress’ boss. He was blown up in less than 20 seconds with my great blood mace.
The discovery of the Fort of Rebuke itself was the real reward for me, because I don’t recall being particularly excited about anything in the way of items. And I would have been even more pissed off if I’d had to face the madness before entering the cave leading to the fortress.
Perhaps most interesting were a couple of Maidens on the outer walls. I was tempted to get caught in case they were teleporters, like in the base game, but the floor messages made it clear that there were too many lying players.
The most exciting thing about this mini-adventure wasn’t the fortress, but the last two discoveries. I took the path to the cave to see if there was anything defending the entrance and I came across a spectacle: a dragon fighting with the troops of a camp. It didn’t have the body to fight, especially against a dragon… another of the many generic ones that are scattered throughout the DLC.
I ended up killing the dragon with a little help from the soldiers, although Miyazaki needs to review the AI priorities of Fire Ring. Many chose to attack me instead of the dragon. Maybe I’m talking crazy, but maybe the beast should be the priority of everyone involved in the scene.
I killed them all. Not even the little animals that run around the area were left alive. I know this because I collected a lot of bones and meat from the battlefield. It was time to focus my attention on the location that really interested me: a Miquella cross on top of a huge mountain. Going up was not difficult, although I admit that the climb was a bit difficult.
Unlike Fort Rebuke, Shadowview Cross was a real reward for exploration. I’d be willing to say without fear of being wrong that it’s one of the best views in all of Shadowlands. I’d even say the best. You can see a lot of the map.
And there I stayed, taking in the views and looking for every little detail of each horizon for 10-20 minutes. I took the pictures I was looking for in the beginning, sat my character down and thought that this was a good place to end my adventure. And I think I did well, because I don’t think there is another more beautiful place in the whole DLC.
I’m sure I still have a few things left to see, but I’m pretty sure I’ll take my character to that point before I uninstall the game. If you’ve never visited, I highly recommend finding this Miquella cross. Believe me, the views are way more worth it than the fortress and dragon encounter I mentioned in this story. Now, I’m done with these posts. Fire Ring…although I don’t rule out some spin-off.
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