The Elden Ring DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree, is just around the corner. We have enough clues to believe that it will arrive in February: the leak of a collaboration with Thrustmaster, an update to the game’s file on Steam and finally that the game turns two years old on the 25th of that month. Although it is not confirmed by FromSoftware, for many fans it is almost a fact.
The return to Elden Ring is imminent and we all know what FromSoftware experiences are like: they grab you by the neck and hijack your mind. The only way to get out of the well is for each person to reach their limit point of saturation… and even then they never completely abandon themselves. It’s like the One Ring: its influence never goes away.
Like many of you, I’ve started to catch up on everything related to Elden Ring: I have reinstalled the game on my PS5, dusted off my volume of The Book of Knowledge, Vol. 1 (I’m missing Vol. 2) and went to my trusted YouTube channel to pick up all the lore. If you are interested, his name is Jose Garres and all their videos are worth every minute of your time. However, it was on another channel where I came across a revelation.
The magic of Elden Ring’s design: a detail hidden in plain sight
I have no middle ground when it comes to talking about the design of Elden Ring: It is a work of art in every sense. I’ve played just over 200 and visited every place in the Between Lands. I’m not saying I’ve seen absolutely everything, but I can proudly say that I’ve seen every area, dungeon, and activated every available Place of Grace. I made the very complete iGamesNews guide.
Even having traveled through all of the Between Lands, I’ve always believed that the most representative image of the game’s incredible design is the first look at Necrolimbo. Do you remember that image that appeared on Reddit during the launch?
Just take a look from any high point to realize that FromSoftware has not placed a single building or road at random. Each area is designed to interact with the player and give them the answers they need at a glance, although obviously without giving away the time.
The map of the Middle Lands It is proof that FromSoftware’s souls have always led the way, despite the complaints of many players. Another very different thing is that they never make it clear where they are going to take us and all the hardships they are going to make us go through during it. The thing multiplies exponentially when it comes to the open map of Elden Ring. Even so, the main path is always hidden in plain sight.
Rise and fall in Elden Ring
I don’t mind admitting that my first hours of Elden Ring They are those of a deranged person with problems leaving any corner unchecked. I didn’t know what the hell was going on, why I had to go to Stormveil Castle or why FromSoftware decided to put a damn dragon 5 minutes from the starting area.
I explored the entirety of Necrolimbo (or almost it), got through the castle in steamroller mode, and even made the mistake of venturing to Caelid. The experience was so bad that I delayed returning as long as I could. It was after arriving at the doors of the Academy of Raya Lucaria that I began to become interested in everything that was happening (and did happen) in the Middle Lands. From then on, I let myself be dragged into the darkest depths of his lore.
Even giving myself body and soul, completing my first game with the Ranni ending and swallowing dozens of videos about lore, architecture and more; I couldn’t see the most beautiful and absurdly pleasant detail of the design of Elden Ring: their promotions and descents.
It was last Friday (January 12), spread out in my chair and overwhelmed with writing, that I came across a video called “The descent into Elden Ring” by to Jose. He’s 11 months old, so I’m a little late, but my fascination was as genuine as if I’d seen him the same day he got on. It lasts 1 hour, 4 minutes and 20 seconds, the same ones that I am going to put on for the second time as soon as I have time to turn off the light and recline the back of the chair.
The video contains a lot of information related to the lore, although it essentially focuses on the design of the Midlands of Elden Ring. My big reveal begins at 12:55, after an epic tribute to Radahn, Scourge of Stars. He comments:
Elden Ring is a continuous climb. We started in Necrolimbo, went up to Stormveil Castle and passed Liurnia. Liurnia is largely a deep lake bed, but the rest is also a climb… especially the climb to the Altus Plateaus. Once there, we went up to the Capital of Leyndell and it is at the top where we reached the Golden Tree. But the rise does not end there. Then we have to climb to the Giants’ Peaks and then to Farum Azula, the Ruined City, which is suspended in the sky. There is no higher place possible.
As the voice recounted the previous quote, I mentally retraced my departure path. Then I realized that he is very right and that I did not realize it for a single second of the more than 200 hours I have spent playing. It’s so obvious that I didn’t even think about it. However, subconsciously, “it gives us a sense of direction and constant progress.”
The connotation becomes clear: climbing is progressing, but it is also following the path marked for us. If we do what the characters tell us, follow the yellow brick road, it is as simple as always continuing up. By doing this, we can reach the end of the game and not have the slightest idea of what we have really achieved.
The implications of ascender and Elden Ring They are a little more complex and I prefer that you watch the video to know them all. The above is enough to convey to you my small and genuine feeling of discovery. And it goes without saying that it is not the first video game to use this technique.
However, what is really surprising is not in the connotations of ascending, but in descending. Descender and Elden Ring It’s very scary. It means leaving the illuminated areas and entering the darkness. Discovering the second underground map is a mix of chills and joy. And all the areas that involve descending share a common denominator:
Most of the optional areas involve a descent. All the catacombs we find go continuously downwards. The mines from which we extract minerals to improve our weapons also decrease. The Moaning Peninsula, Caelid, the interior of Mount Gelmir, the Shadow Castle, the path to the Hieratic Tree. They are all areas to which you have to descend. That is, we have to consciously go against the goals that have been imposed on us. […] Every time we go down it is because of a conscious decision.
And I’ll be damned if he’s not right! I again did a mental review of my adventure while saying the previous quote and this time I also remembered all the guides I made for iGamesNews related to the secondary characters: most of the steps usually involve descents, except when it comes to the final stretches of plot as occurs in the Cathedral of Manus Celes or Mohgwyn Palace.
I remember two especially traumatic descents: the Hieratic Tree, at the bottom of which we found Malenia, Sword of Miquella, and the Sewers of Leyndell. The latter are especially traumatic. If you find the way (explained in the video), the descent takes 1-2 hours at best. I have heard the phrase “When does this end?” dozens of times, every time I have seen someone take this route. Even I pronounced it at least seven or eight times.
It is likely that my subconscious caught the idea of the rise and fall in Elden Ring. Or perhaps I compensated for my horrible oversight with my alienated explorer spirit. Now that I look at it consciously, the design of the Middle Lands seems (if possible) more wonderful to me. I can’t stop thinking about it. It has substantially influenced the way I see this game. I recommend you watch the entire video because it’s gold.
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