FromSoftware’s 2022 RPGElden Ringshares quite a bit of DNA with theDark Soulsseries. While there are no overt references to the preceding franchise present inElden Ring, the emphasis on high skill-cap melee combat, sprawling dark fantasy world, and intricate yet obfuscated lore borrow quite a bit from the trilogy for which the developer is primarily known. With that in mind, one Reddit user posits that even some ofElden Ring’s enemies bear direct similarities to those seen in theDark Soulsgames.
In a post on theElden Ringsubreddit, Cheri474 likenedthe game’s notoriously tough-to-take-down Tree Sentinelsto the giant guards patrolling Anor Londo inDark Souls. Coincidentally, those enemies were referred to as Sentinels, and they seem to boast a connatural armor set and brandish large halberds not at all dissimilar to those wielded by the Tree Sentinels. The only major difference seems to be that one enemy type is fairly immobile while the other makes use of a mount.
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Response to the post seems to be fairly mixed, with some pointing out similarities between the movesets and attack patterns of both enemies and others arguing that they only appear to be similar because they’re both humanoids. More interesting still are the comparisons linking the Tree Sentinels to Havel the Rock, a notorious hostel NPC found inDark Souls, and to Gyoubu Oniwa, a notable equestrian boss fromSekiro: Shadows Die Twice. In fact, Gyoubu seems like aboss who could seamlessly fit intoElden Ring.
There’s also proof that the Tree Sentinels aren’t the onlyElden Ringenemies that share a deep connection to theDark Soulsseries. In a video uploaded by soulsborne YouTuber Zulie the Witch, it is discovered that an Erdtree Avatar was originally intended to serve as the first boss encounter instead ofElden Ring’s relentlessly creepy Grafted Scion. However, the Erdtree Avatar actually shares some of the animations originally used by the Asylum Demon inDark Souls, and it could be that the developer wanted to avoid direct comparisons between the two. This lends credence to the idea that certainElden Ringenemies were influenced by oldDark Soulsdesigns.
Beyond that, some ofElden Ring’s enemies are recycled from earlier FromSoftware projects. The curse-inflicting Basilisks found primarilyin the hard-to-reach Deeproot Depths area, for instance, were seen in the first and thirdDark Soulsinstallments.Elden Ringis a massive game, and it’s tough to fault the developers for borrowing from previous efforts to expedite the development process, but this also suggests that there’s moreDark Souls-influenced content hidden inElden Ringto which players are not yet privy.
Elden Ringis available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
