More musings about the end of Elden Ring. First post here. I still haven’t figured out a way to fix the save-scum issue I have so I can get all the endings now, but I have a few more ideas to try. If they don’t work, then I’ll just have to do it the old-fashioned way. In my heart, I have the plat, even if I don’t actually have it yet. I am just glad that I chose Ranni’s ending both because it’s the one I most wanted and because it’s the most labor-intensive to achieve.
I’m upset that it didn’t work, yes, but I’m trying to remind myself that I would continue to play this game, anyway, so take a look at the long haul. It helps some, but I’m not going to lie. I’m annoyed that it didn’t work, especially as it was something that was supposedly so easy–and I made three saves just in case.
Anyway, back to Diallos. Of course, spoiler warnings from here on out. Spoilers for days! Near the end of the Volcano Manor questline, he realizes he’s not a fighter and vanishes. I think his quest is done and think nothing more of it. Then, after the game is over, I discover that there is a whole small area I didn’t even know existed. It’s because it’s down some tombstones and I hate that, but also, maybe it wasn’t there at the beginning of the game? I’m not sure. Anyway, it’s called Jarburg and it’s, yes, a town of jars. One of them is Jar Bairn, who is Alexander’s nephew. Alexander is the potboi who gets stuck in the ground and asks you to smack his behind to dislodge him. He is a warrior, meaning he’s eaten the remains of warriors and wanders around, loudly and grandly declaring his intentions. He is also a fan favorite, much in the vein of Siegmeyer, the Onion Knight. I found this area when I was watching a YouTuber and she found it. I went to it and talked to the Jar Bairn until he just repeated dialogue. It was after he asked me to be a potentate and then decided my hands were too rough. Who showed up but Diallos with his poncy hands? Which he did lament at some point. He recognizes me and is a bit embarrassed, but also defiant about serving the pots.
Simultaneously, I read up on Alexander’s quest. I had done everything organically up to the Radahn battle, then lost track of him. Next, he was supposed to be on his way back to Jarburg, stuck again. I went to get meet the Nomadic Merchant who would sell me the recipe book for the oil pot because I’d need that to unstick Alexander, but he wasn’t in the hole. I went to the next bit, killed a magna wyrm, then talked with Alexander. He was trying to bake himself in the lava to harden his pot, but he said it wasn’t hot enough. Then, I went back to Jarburg where the scene was devastating. Diallos was on the ground, dying, and most of the pots were broken or gone. They had been invaded, sadly. I talked with Jar Bairn, and he told me what happened. I talked to Diallos and he asked if he had protected the jars. I lied to him, then he died, satisfied that he had done his duty. I talked to Jar Bairn again, and he said he really admired what Diallos had done.
Then I went to meet Alexander in Crumbling Farm Azula where he challenged me to a fight to see how good a warrior he was. I took care of him rather handily (first time, I fell off the platform, sigh), and he gave me his innards while declaring himself a fraud. Then he died, which was sad as fuck!
I went back to Jarburg, of course, and gave Jar Bairn Alexander’s innards. Jar Bairn vowed to become a great champion like Uncle Alexander, then bids me adieu because a champion must walk the path alone. *sob* So, yeah, that was was an emotional hour that didn’t NEED to be there, but was.
It’s funny because when I was doing Diallos quest–or more precisely, witnessing his quest because there’s not much to do rather than run into him and talk to him, I thought when he left Volcano Manor, that was the end of it. By the by, he leaves you a weapon in the boss room that is so fucking cool. It’s been done before, but this is by far the best version of this fight. I know some people hate how gimmicky it is, but I really enjoy it. I liked it in Dark Souls III as well, especially as you can get the Onion Knight to help you if you do his questline–which, I’ll admit, is intensive. Not as intensive as some of the questlines in this game, but intensive for the game at the time.
Anyway, having Diallos questline intersect with Alexander’s really reinforced the notion that the world is vibrant and continues to spin outside of your (Tarnished) machinations and aspirations. I’ve said that in past games, there are some questlines that are pretty full, but nothing like this game. I’ve gushed about Ranni’s questline for many posts, but it’s because of the breadth and depth of this specific questline is incredible. It easily added thirty to forty hours to my playthrough and gave me my ending. It encompassed three vast areas, all underground, that is at least a quarter if not more of the above-ground map. There are several NPCS involved as well, some deeply and others tangentially. It covers several above-ground areas, too, and the death of the three major comrades of Ranni. And the ‘death’ of her doll-body as well.
Seluvis died at some point. Not sure what triggered it, but I was fine with it. I will never, ever, EVER give his dreadful potion to anyone. It’s the same in The Witcher 3, the first DLC, ah, Blood and Wine? Is that it? No, that was the second one. Hearts of Stone. In it, you have to allow the asshole antagonist (whom I LOATHED to an intense degree) to inhabit your body as Geralt. I was so repulsed by it that I quit the game and refused to play the rest of that DLC or the second one. I hated the first DLC from the start and nothing could persuade me to finish it.
Anyway, I find Seluvius so repugnant, I can’t use any of the Puppet Spirit Summons, not even the sisters who voluntarily became puppets. The scene where I found Seluvius’s secret puppet lab still haunts me, TBH. And the Carian servant who got killed be his puppets, I can’t tell you how viciously glad I was that it happened.
I just cannot get with nonconsensual behavior, even in a video game. Maybe especially in a video game? Or rather, I can’t get with it when it’s in it for no good reason. You could argue that it’s just Seluvis being a creep, which, true. But that doesn’t mean I have to do his creepy bidding for him. I read something that said if you give his potion to the Dung Eater, the latter is a great Spirit Summon. I don’t care. I am not knowingly making him a puppet. I do wish I had given the potion to Gideon earlier to see if he actually did something with it rather than wait until Seluvis died and have that questline fizzle out.
I’m strangely reluctant to move forward in this game because…I’m not sure why? I think it’s partly because I want to do everything that can be done in NG before moving on. And, of course, I want to see if I can manage the save-scum, even if it means redoing Crumbling Farum Azula.
I’m still not sure where I put this in the FromSoft pantheon. 6-3 is easy. 6. Sekiro. 5. Bloodborne. 4. Dark Souls II. 3. Dark Souls. In the old days, Dark Souls III was the first. Through most of Elden Ring, I would have put DS III ever-so-slightly ahead of ER. Now that I’ve finished ER, though, I have to say that I’ve flip-flopped the two. DS III would be 9.5 whereas ER would be 9.75. I have to sit with it for a few more days, but I think this will be my final ruling.