Gamescom 2021 has come and gone, and with it, more coverage on Elden Ring has been released. Various press members and influencers were invited to private showings of a 15-minute long demo reel of a player showing off everything about FromSoftware's upcoming game, and responses have been extremely positive. It sounds like the approach of expanding a typical Dark Souls world and the amount of customization is working marvelously, and the new features and Sekiro elements are all a natural fit. Elden Ring is all but guaranteed to start 2022 in gaming off with a bang, and it's good to see that FromSoftware still hasn't lost its touch.
The public wasn't left completely without its own Elden Ring teaser, however. Six images were released to the public, showing a wide variety of new monsters, magic, and mysteries. These images were good counterparts to the massive surge of information that came via previews, including how parts of Elden Ring's in-game map need to be found to be properly viewed, and Sites of Lost Grace (the new bonfires) could be fast-traveled to anywhere in the overworld. Some sort of subterranean portion of the world was teased, and the specifics of how multiplayer would work in this radically different Soulslike experience were elaborated on. The images taken by themselves are a lot more mysterious and bereft of context, but some information can still be pieced together from them.
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The Dragon's Challenge
The first image is a fairly simple one. It presents the picture of a mounted knight squaring off against a dragon, common imagery that can be found throughout the fantasy genre. In this case, the showdown is happening in a swampy region, with the moon partially visible in the background alongside the ever-present Erdtree. The least typical thing about this scene is probably the massive double-sided sword the Tarnished is wielding. The E3 2021 trailer for Elden Ring already showed a dragon, and the leaked trailer before it also showed a dragon fight. However, this screenshot seems to be showing a new specimen. This dragon almost looks like it has feathers on its wings, and has a large horn in the center of its snout. According to some reports from the Gamescom previews, there will be multiple dragon minibosses at certain points in the overworld. This one could be native to a swampy region, and may even only come out at night. The many minibosses present in the huge open world will definitely keep surprising players with new foes and situations throughout Elden Ring's runtime.
Wandering Executioners
The next image is set in a rocky region with several cliffs in the background. The focus is a pair of bizarre sentinels, serving as prime examples that FromSoftware still has its penchant for bizarre enemies. These metallic-looking beings are humanoids, but are seemingly armless and stuck on platforms of some kind. They have masked faces with a grieving woman's face carved onto them, and in the chest area of each is a stone bust of a pair of normal arms holding a baby. This raises a number of alarming thoughts, such as whether this armor serves a double purpose as both a defense mechanism and a punishment for certain maidens. Whatever the case, the massive scythes that swing from where their arms should be definitely cut an imposing figure.
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A Long-Dead Leader
The following image features a skeletal giant clad in important-looking robes. Surrounding this figure are many much smaller, twisted humanoid beings that resemble the Messengers from Bloodborne. It's not clear if any of these things are alive, but they are definitely looking towards then giant for some sort of guidance. What exactly this all means is not clear yet, but there is a slim chance that fans may have been told who this person is. The Lands Between was once ruled by Queen Marika the Eternal but now are fought over by her demigod children. This could be the queen in question, having long since passed away once the power of the Elden Ring has left her. Only time will tell if this theory holds any water, but this area will no doubt be exciting to explore once the full game comes around.
Orcish Wizardry
Succeeding that somber display is a somewhat more light-hearted image, inasmuch as a combat scene could be considered light. A group of enemies stand before the Tarnished; four resemble standard fantasy orcs, while the fifth is a giant orc with a dog's nose rearing back to cast some manner of spell. The creature's staff is coated in an otherworldly blue glow, similar to one that has been seen on the Tarnished's weapon in the E3 trailer when they are summoning a magic weapon. It's rare to see a spellcaster of this size in a FromSftware Soulslike, but Elden Ring's world is certainly large enough to accommodate it. The Tarnished is also wearing a bright blue cloak in this image, which they will keep in the next.
Grand Display of Arms
Said image features the most subtle yet striking scene yet. The Tarnished walks down a large dining hall towards a giant picture partially hidden in shadow. Discarded bottles and bowls line the tables, seemingly from a recent banquet. The picture depicts either the current or former ruler of this place, possibly one of the six demigods. Many severed arms are hanging from ropes and even other hanging arms around the room, which is not uncommon imagery in Elden Ring. It is most likely associated with Godrick the Golden, the arm-covered boss featured prominently in the E3 trailer and Gamescom previews, though it is not clear if the painting is of him. Godrick does shed a cloak before his battle, but the cloaked figure depicted here appears to be wearing the pelt of a massive beast. Perhaps it is the dragon head Godrick produces later in his fight. Players will almost certainly learn more about these mythic figures at some point in their quest.
Oh, Elden Ring
The last image is probably the most mysterious and compelling. A person dressed as a monk with a wheel around their neck kneels before an enormous sigil recalling the one on Elden Ring's cover. A couple of goblin-like creatures scurry around in the background, their purpose unknown. Even amongst a set of images with unclear contexts, this picture may be the most mystifying of all because it likely has major ramifications. This could be a character activating a Site of Lost Grace, or it could be some sort of grand spell. It's not clear if this is a cutscene or gameplay. However, whatever it is, this seems to be an event of some importance and may be tied to the shattered Elden Ring. Whatever is going on here will no doubt be on players' minds when they finally get their hands on Elden Ring to investigate themselves.
Elden Ring is set to release January 21, 2022, for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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