Numerous details and screenshots of enemies from FromSoftware's anticipated upcoming RPG Elden Ring have recently been posted on social media, and among them is a firelit round table that seems to be the new game's version of its predecessor series Dark Souls' Firelink Shrine. Elden Ring developers have spoken about the 2022 title as the product of 10 years of work on successive third-person action-fantasy games; indeed, the heir of the Souls-like moniker looks to host many of its genre's recurring themes.
In 2011's Dark Souls, Firelink Shrine served as a place of respite for the game's characters and a connecting point between its various areas. NPCs the player interacted with throughout Lordran would meet at Firelink and offer enigmatic dialogue as well as interactive quests. The level design of Dark Souls also made Firelink a central nexus to the dungeons and environments of the game world, and players would naturally return there multiple times as they trekked the desolate kingdom, sometimes meeting new faces who rested by its comforting bonfire. Its peaceful music and its calm atmosphere became hallmarks in future FromSoftware titles. And the games that followed would include similar versions of the Shrine: Dark Souls II had Majula, and other action games in From's repertoire had their own unique versions, including Bloodborne's Hunter's Dream and the Dilapidated Temple from Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.
Posted by VaatiVidya on Twitter, Elden Ring's incarnation of the hub area acts as a torchbearer to the genre in more ways than one. The location is brightly lit with dozens of candles in a high-ceilinged stone rotunda. The walls are lined with curious crevices containing indeterminate objects, possibly crypt sepulchers where the dead are laid. The central figure to the image is a round table sporting a magical bonfire. Several swords pierce the table to support an ethereal flame, reminiscent of the imagery of Dark Souls' bonfires, which are constructed as single swords piercing the ashes of a dying fire. The round table itself bears similarities to the locale in Arthurian legend of the same name, which makes sense considering the location's role as a meeting hub.
In Dark Souls, the bonfires in Firelink Shrine and its recreations are used to heal and teleport around the games' worlds. There is also usually a maiden there that helps players level up to combat the game's fearsome enemies. A similar maiden seen at the beginning of Elden Ring's gameplay trailer has been confirmed to be similarly helpful: she'll be tasked with player upgrades, though she isn't seen in the hub image. A teleportation mechanic will allow Elden Ring players to fast travel to save points from anywhere on the map as well, but it's unclear whether the magic emanating from the swords in the hub image are connected to that fast travel mechanic in any way.
For dedicated fans of FromSoftware and its games, Elden Ring's January launch can't come quickly enough. The tantalizing lore created by Game of Thrones writer George R.R. Martin is of primary interest to players, as well as the epic design and orchestral music expected to accompany its challenging bosses. Multiplayer will also be making a return long-awaited since Dark Souls III. With luck, more gameplay trailers and news will precede its release next year.
Elden Ring releases on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/ S, and PC on January 21, 2022.
Source: VaatiVidya/Twitter
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