// Visual Spoiler Warning! //

This blog goes into detail breaking down some of the most special moments in Elden Ring, so if you don’t want to be spoiled on said best parts, then I advise you give this one a miss for now!

Intro

When you explored the Lands Between, did you ever just have those “moments”? Moments that made you feel an intense wondrous sensation, almost like you could put your controller down and stare at the screen in awe?

This blog will be breaking down a handful of those moments that come to mind personally from my one playthrough of Elden Ring. I’ll be breaking down what makes them tick and discussing why this feeling of “wonder” is so special, yet sadly very underutilised in the gaming space currently.

An Uncharted “Disneyland”

First of all, Elden Ring sets up its game world with a strong set of core elements that greatly assist its impact in evoking these feelings.

Number one: A dark fantasy setting:

A setting such as this promotes a lot of useful dark themes that marry perfectly with Elden Ring’s gameplay. Namely, a nihilistic, unforgiving narrative world view as well as the setup for a lot of horror and depravity; the lowest lows. However, in that darkness comes little slivers of light which shine all the brighter because of it. These little inklings of light are portrayed through humour, companionship, and overcoming insurmountable odds – which are all classic facets of that Souls feel.

Number two: An “uncharted” world:

The Lands Between are heavily lacking in the world population department. Did you notice that there are no real civilisations in the open world? Yep. No dedicated hubs, city centres, bustling infrastructure, or any hint of a well established civilisation. The closest thing to it are undead-filled castles and a royal capital brimming with monsters. This is 100% intentional. It is a perfect setup for an “uncharted” world feel, a world that holds countless secrets that are yet to be discovered. The player holds all the agency. They hold the potential for change.

Number three: Punishing gameplay.

It’s 2024. I think it’s safe to say no one is a stranger to the fact Souls games are tough as nails. However, this is wholly an intentional design decision. Here’s the reasoning from the game director himself:

“I feel like our approach to these games, not just Elden Ring, is to design them to encourage the player to overcome adversity. We don’t try to force difficulty or make things hard for the sake of it. We want players to use their cunning, study the game, memorize what’s happening, and learn from their mistakes – We understand that Souls-like games are regularly associated with impossible levels of difficulty with high barriers to entry. But we try to design the games to make the cycle of repeatedly trying to overcome these challenges enjoyable in itself.”

Hidetaka Miyazaki (2022)

The punishing gameplay lets the player feel the overwhelming satisfaction of overcoming challenge, but this also helps very much in keeping the world “wondrous”. Being trodden on by all kinds of monsters and cruel environments in Soulsborne titles is simply a setup for the intense sense of relaxation and beauty when you are finally treated to that beautiful vista at the end of it. Hardship builds tension and beauty is a form of relief.

Number four: Beautiful art direction.

It’s no secret that Elden Ring is a beautiful game. Every location has an element of beauty even at it’s most grotesque or horrifying. The art of the world is core in evoking that “Disneyland” feeling; that feeling that anywhere you go, you’ll have something exciting to experience. You look into the distance and see towering mountains like jagged teeth, teetering landmarks, glistening waterfalls, and misty blue vistas dotted with ancient ruins just to name a few. It’s varied. Very varied. Thus, it creates an even more intense aura of mystery, lending elegantly into that all-important feeling of wondering just what exactly is around the next corner.

Number five: Missable content.

Having players miss content is a terrifying sentiment to many developers and it makes a ton of sense. Why would you spend all that time and money constructing such a intricate item or zone just for it to be missed? In games with small budgets, it’s very rarely a safe choice to make. FromSoftware, however, have the benefit of a large publisher, profit from previous successes, and reusable assets under their belt – and they use all of it masterfully. Souls titles have always had plenty of missable content, however Elden Ring is a particular standout due to its sheer size and premise.

Arguably in conjunction with the previous points, I would say this particular facet of design is the main reason that Elden Ring evokes such an unmistakable sense of wonder in its design. You can miss almost everything. Each moment to you feels personal, and draws you in to connect with it. That’s the magic.

Moment #1: Siofra River Well Lift

Deep in a dank forest around 10 minutes walk from your first foray out into Limgrave, you have access to a hidden lift in the Mistwood.

So far in the game, you have been conditioned into having every standard circular lift you encounter lead you a little ways down into a new dungeon at best. However, this unassuming lift goes on… just a little too long. Sat in suspense, you are left thinking “wait, how long does this go on for?”, then “where am I going?”, then “how deep does this thing go?!”, before being presented with a gigantic, beautiful, bioluminescent violet underground cave system, as if there is a world hiding underneath the one you already thought was huge enough. This is an unforgettable reveal and definitely the most iconic of the list.

This reveal is masterful for multiple different reasons we’ve covered. It’s subversive, beautiful, and reveals a whole new underground world for you to explore which is not necessary at all to complete the game. It is entirely missable as will be most of the upcoming entries.

Moment #2: Leyndell/Erdtree Secret Glimpse

Throughout the start of the game you are constantly reminded of the gigantic golden tree in the middle of the world, the Erdtree, already creating a huge sense of curiosity and being a subconscious goal to reach in the player’s mind.

However, on top of a dilapidated tower in Limgrave towards the start of the game, you can find a normal looking chest which traps you as you open it, teleporting you to a special raised area right beneath the Erdtree.

The catch is, however, that you can’t get closer to it at all. Looking at your map only confirms the fact that, yes, you are miles from home. I found myself doing this all the time in my playthrough.

Also, there’s one of those Giant minibosses. That was cool.

Moment #3: Sneak-peek at the Crumbling Farum Azula

This moment is by its very nature, missable.

To the east of the huge expanse in centre of the world, Liurnia, there is a belfry where you can spend a rare resource to unlock a teleporter of which there are three to choose from. One of them leads you to a glimpse of a stunningly beautiful late-game area, the Crumbling Farum Azula. However, you are just an observer on an exclusive look-out point far, far away from the real location which you will visit much later. The reward for exploring this area is technically an item at the end of it, but the view and stunningly captivating exclusive glimpse the player can get is the real treat and was jaw-dropping for me.

Actually, I remember Super Mario: Odyssey doing a similar “lookout point” secret that gave you a glimpse of the original Peach’s Castle for a similar effect. I think I love this trope.

Again, checking the map here just confirmed that I was truly lost. In fact, you’re so far off in the corner of the world map that it likely gave you the realisation that the world map is, again, much bigger than you first thought. Elden Ring really likes to reinforce this feeling throughout its runtime.

Moment #4: The Bridge to Raya Lucaria

This one is just straight up beautiful. A classic FromSoftware vista. After having to overcome the hardship of locating the key to get into this area in the first place, you are treated to a stunning vista of the front of the academy.

An awesome visual treat as your reward for finding a way in.

Moment #5: Discovering Nokron

This one was particularly special to me.

Throughout the game, you are constantly reminded of an ancient place that no one knows how to get to; the Eternal City of Nokron. Earlier in the blog I mentioned the Siofra River Well reveal, which actually lead to the impact of this reveal for me. In that underground area, I was constantly wondering if I could reach a mysterious temple I could see up in the distance. Was it Nokron? I had no idea, but I knew I wasn’t able to get to it yet and that thought alone drove me to want to find it.

After defeating a certain boss, the ground opens up in Limgrave and you can journey underground. Then, there it was. The location text and that classic low thrum as it fades onto the screen. I must have pumped my fist and swore a little as the words came up.

The game itself masterfully sprinkled a subtle mystery throughout throwaway dialogue lines so well that it created an overwhelming sense of excitement and intrigue in me – ultimately paying off in an unforgettable and very personal moment. A masterful combination of game, art, and narrative design.

Moment #6: First Entering Leyndell

After overcoming a tough gatekeeper, you are given a relatively long and peaceful walk into the walls of this gigantic golden capital right beneath this golden tree you’ve been seeing all game.

Suddenly, you turn a corner and you’re faced with subtle melancholic strings as the theme of the new area plays. Boom. “Leyndell, the Royal Capital”. A gigantic dead dragon collapsed in the centre of a huge city, golden crested buildings, the base of the Erdtree within reach, and some solemn creatures nearby playing a mournful tune. There is no immediate danger, you are simply bathed in a calming yet melancholic warmth of the area you have been trying to reach the whole game. You’re finally here.

At this moment, I genuinely placed my controller down, put my hands on my face, took in a deep breath, and just gazed in awe at the sight. I think it’s safe to say that no other game series has given me this experience before. The tension of a hard won fight combined with the thought of the journey’s end growing ever closer made this moment very special. Again, a beautiful FromSoftware vista that you are rewarded with at the tail-end of an arduous journey. Technically, there was nothing added by it being “missable”, but simply the sheer emotion granted by the satisfying release of tension was enough.

Fantastic.

Moment #7: Dragonkin Soldier Arena

This one is interesting.

By itself it is a very beautiful and provoking vista to look at, but the reason this one hit as much as it did for me was likely quite subconscious…

Let me explain. Throughout Elden Ring, you travel from place to place and you see many brief loading screens. One of the provoking pieces of art on them is a shot of this very arena. This gigantic dead monk sat in an appropriately giant throne. It’s almost like a meta sneak-peek into what you’ve yet to find in the game, and when you do finally come across it you want to point your finger and say “Hey! It’s that dude!”.

I’m unsure if this was an intentional design decision but it paid off for me all the same! I’ll have to ask Miyazaki if I ever meet him…

Moment #8: Lake of Rot

The first time I discovered the Lake of Rot, it was a very different feeling than the other moments on this list. There is beauty in it, but it’s the sheer sense of foreboding you get from seeing it. A gigantic horizon-spanning lake of red Scarlet Rot, probably the most dangerous substance in a Souls game, eating away even a huge health bar in seconds.

Staring at this was honestly terrifying. I remember thinking “How do I cross this thing?”. I walked around aimlessly on the small patch of land leading in thinking there was going to be some kind of solution to dampen the effects of the rot, but no.

You have to walk it. The whole thing.

The sheer sense of scale, the uniquely beautiful red expanse and the sinking feeling knowing what it was asking me to do was enough to cement this vista as a truly defining moment of the game for me. Horrific.

Wonder, Discovery, and Surprise is Underutilised in Games

So what do we take away from this?

Elden Ring takes advantage of some very special feelings we have as human beings, ones that are rare to experience and extremely special and personal to us when we do.

Video games on the whole, however, need a lot of creative thought, budget, and design intent to coax out these feelings successfully. The only other game I could say gave me any similar feelings would be a couple moments throughout the Zelda series and some metroidvanias – but nowhere near the level that this game did.

Elden Ring definitely took a risk with its brand new approach to open world design, but nailed it in all the right ways with the correct design decisions. As a result, we got a timeless classic that will surely be a cornerstone of good open world design for many years.

So, for all of you out there making a Soulslike… keep that content hidden!