The Highlanders

Although now defined by Erdtree civilization, there was a time when Altus Plateau was rife with barbarians. A scarab rolls up Barbaric Roar at the base of Liurnia’s waterfall streaming from Altus. Another, invisible scarab stamping along the Altus highway amusingly collects Earthshaker, which uses blunt or otherwise inelegant weapons like large hammers and axes […]

Farum Colonies

Preface When first compiling my, very lengthy, analysis for Godfrey, I was amazed to discover just how much I kept coming back to characters and events largely unrelated to him. Despite him and Marika defining the world order, the Elden Lord’s rise and subsequent reign were very much informed by what came before. If not […]

Chalice Dungeons

Several characters mention the tomb of the gods beneath Yharnam. Although we cannot reach this graveyard by conventional means — through some path in the cityscape available to us — we are still able to explore the place via the Chalice Dungeons. These dungeons, drawing upon the concept common to fantasy RPGs rather than strictly […]

Caria

Preface FromSoftware is no stranger to magic kingdoms, or queendoms for that matter. However, these countries tend to have a simple, relatively bloodless history. “Simple” might still describe the Carian regime, with its one queen. Yet the tale of an organized Liurnian state is fraught with intrigue and power politics, the sorcery aspect almost superfluous. […]

Ancient Dragon War

Preface After analyzing Dark Souls for so long, I can’t deny that a conflict between dragons and gods feels familiar. But like so much of FromSoftware‘s lean on callbacks, the similarities end with the outline. The nature of both parties in this war and the worlds they exist in makes Elden Ring‘s crack at the […]

Garris

Although now a necromancer, Garris was once just any other sorcerer living in Sellia. Perhaps the man of reason had unconventional sympathies to his Erdtree’s overlords, given his known arts require faith. Maybe he even came from a faith background — his name is more accurately Gareth, (ガレス) a knight of Arthurian legend, and he […]

The Great Jar

Whenever coming up on the Caelid Colosseum, it is inevitably the giant pot which first catches our eye. The jar practically blocks the whole arena from in front of the entrance, making it impossible to miss. Even accounting for artistic license, it is obvious that this vessel is intended to be far larger than any […]

Gaius

Gaius took an unconventional path for an Albinauric of his ilk. His missing legs affirm that he is a first-generation silver creation. At the same time, the old man received the opportunity to learn sorcery at Sellia alongside the much younger Radahn. This was in all likelihood because the elder had accompanied the young prince […]

Gael

Gael’s life was arguably a series of misfortunes. The sole weapon he has owned before any other is his greatsword, which the description affirms was originally for executions by beheading; hence its heavy resemblance to the Executioner’s Greatsword. In other words, before undeath, Gael lived as a headsman. But unlike a certain depraved executioner, Gael […]

Soul Appease

Among the miracles available to us in our journey through Drangleic, none is quite so unique as Soul Appease. This tale of the gods manifests the power to tremendously damage Hollows while dealing absolutely no damage to non-Hollows. This is captured in the spell’s name, chinkon referring to the “repose of the soul” (鎮魂) when […]