I’m watching the newest Retry Elden Ring episode (Early Access) and they are in the firstt legacy dungeon–Stormveil Castle. I’m watching Rory struggle, and I remember how hard I found it in my first playthrough. Of course, there are going to be *SPOILERS* about the legacy dungeons in the game. It’s classic Dark Souls, and it’s gureling as fuck. The common soldiers of the area are hard enough, but then there are the Banished Knights who are nails hard. As indicated by their names, they were not meant to be there. They were banished from elsewhere, and they are this game’s equivalent of Black Knights from the Souls series.
Honestly, I skipped most of them the first time around because I was such a squishy little caster. They do whirlwinds that do massive health, poise, and stamina damage.
I loved the open world of Elden Ring, but I felt at home when I was in the legacy dungeons. This was my jam and where I’d spent thousands of hours (collectively). Stormveil Castle is so classic, it made me nostalgic. When I wasn’t cursing under my breath. There are fewer bonfires, er, Sites of Grace, but more shortcuts. There were branching paths that you had to make choices, and each one was difficult.
I was messaging with Ian about it, and he said that Raya Lucaria (the second legacy dungeon) might be his favorite so far (he’s less than halfway through the game). I had forgotten about Raya Lucaria, which is wizard school, by the way. It was really difficult for me the first time as a sqkishy caster, but it’s fucking breathtaking.
It’s magical, indeed, with the stone-faced wizards. The thing about it, though, is that you can miss half the level. The first time I made it to the final boss, I thought, “This dungeon is rather short. Huh.”
I don’t remember how I found out–oh, right. There’s an NPC, Thops, who asks you to find him a Glintstone key s o he can get back into Raya Lucaria. I had not found the extra key by the time I met the big boss of the dungeon. I Googled it, and it said to go up on the roofs…what??? You can go up on the roofs?
You most certainly can. Not only that, but there are other little areas that you can reach if you roof-hop. I can’t tell you how much my mind was blown when I realized taht there was another level to the level. I can’t say for sure, obviously, but roughly a third of the level is up on the roofs. And, yes, I found Thops’ key on the chandelier hanging from the ceiling.
Oh, also, there is a lower level, too. There’s not much there, but it does contain a really good armor and a secret that you can find out ahead of time if you talk to Patches. If you give Thops the key, you will find his body here later. It’s rather tragic, but then again, so are most of the NPC questlines.
There are six legacy dungeons, according to Fextralife. There are several dungeons that are structured like them, but are smaller in scale. the six legacy dungeons are Stormveil Castle; Raya Lucaria; Volcano Manor; Leyndell, Royal Capital; Crumbling Farum Azula; and, Miquella’s Haligtree. Interesting because I don’t think of Leyndell, Royal Capital or Crumbling Farum Azula as legacy dungeons–but of course they are.
The reason why is because they are not contained to a single structure–but that’s folly because there are levels in Souls games that also go outside as well. I think it’s because the first two are self-contained. I mean, there are little bits and bobs about them, but it’s mostly inside (or on top) of the structure itself.
In the video I included above, the lads visit Castle Morne, which is one of the mini-legacy dungeons. Mini leg dunj? There are several of these in the game. They are smaller and even more self-contained than the regular legacy dungeons. They don’t have the shortcuts and such, but they do feel more like the legacy dungeons than the open world.
I have to say that I am really glad there are legacy dungens in addition to the open world. I’m in the minority, maybe, but I was really worried when it was announced that the game would be open world. One thing I love about the From games is how Miyazaki gives such a guided experience that is both elegant and hard as nails. It’s easy to wax poetic about how you can go for ages, wondering when you’ll get your next bonfire. The sheer relief you feel when spotting one on unlocking a shortcut is without compare.
This is the thing. As much as I appreciate the open world in Elden Ring, it’s really the legacy dungeons that stick out for me. All the field bosses blend into each other, and I don’t like the caves and catacombs. I would be happy if there were a fourth of those and one more legacy dungeon. Or even a mini leg dunj. I am not a big fan of open worlds in general, and even though From did a good job with it in this game, there was some creep at the end.
It’s easy to forget just how good Miyazaki is at level design until it’s pointed out to you again. Like anything else, you can get too used to the fact that he has such a talent in that arena. You start taking it for granted until it’s not there any longer. Apparently, it’s not present in Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon, but that’s not the purpose of the game, anyway. Miyazaki was not the lead director on the game, and I do wonder if that’s because he’s working on the DLC for Elden Ring.
I also want to know when that is coming out. It’s been teased for ages, and I want it now. I have a charater at the end of NG waiting for the DLC. My first charecter. I haven’t used her for a while, so I’d have to get used to her all ever again.
I have played a bit of Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon, but it’s not really my thing. I knew it probably wouldn’t have been, but I was willing to give it a try because it’s a FromSoft game. I have done the first mission, beaten the first big boss, and did the second really short and simple mission. I need to spend more time with it and with the customization. I can’t help but notice, though, that I’m not eager to play it–the way I am the other From games. And that’s ok!