The 5 Scariest Enemies in ‘Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree’
It took me a little over a week, but some 35 hours later, I have finally bested The Land of Shadow. We don’t need to talk about how much of that time was dedicated to Shadow of the Erdtree’s outrageously challenging final boss, but my first jaunt through Elden Ring’s new, expanded land has concluded. No different than other titles in FromSoftware’s catalog of works, the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion was packed with as much wonder as terror. The studio has always been unusually adept at imbuing their Western fantasy with cosmic, Lovecraftian terrors, and at pretty regular intervals, Elden Ring, especially this expansion, might as well be a survival horror game.
Hundreds of deaths later, I’m here to spotlight the five scariest new enemies roaming The Land of Shadow. These are the foes that challenged me, terrified me, and filled me with elation when I was finally able to knock them down.
Gamers beware, for there are plenty of Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree spoilers below.
Man-Flies
It’s expected by fans at this point, but for those unfamiliar with FromSoftware’s design philosophy, it’s worth mentioning how the studio often forgoes conventional storytelling. Instead, there are diegetic hints hidden throughout a given game, and the player is tasked with assembling those disparate lines of dialogue and item descriptions into something meaningful. Take the Man-Flies. They’re giant fly/man hybrids of the Jeff Goldblum variety. While they’re aesthetically creepy on their own (especially when they start vomiting on the player), their lore is even more terrifying. They’re mutated versions of The Land of Shadow’s Hornsent, a culture that existed in the land before Marika’s ascension to Godhood. It’s dense, but broadly, just know it’s a tragic fate that befell a once thriving culture. And they’re gross. Really gross.
Aging Untouchable (Winter Lantern)
If you were unfortunate enough to stumble into Shadow of the Erdtree’s hidden area The Abyssal Woods, you’ll know who these guys are. These wandering ghouls are almost unkillable. While a perfect parry can knock them over, players like me (with abysmal parry timing) stand no chance. Instead, Elden Ring shifts into full-borne survival horror mode, tasking players with stealthily evading these wandering menaces. Lore-wise, they’re still an unknown quantity, though speculatively, they sap the player’s sanity and store it in their head which “resembles a sprig of ripe grapes.” They are presumably aligned with Midra, an optional Remembrance Boss players can find deep in the Abyssal Woods. Which, speaking of…
Midra, Lord of the Frenzied Flame
The base game of Elden Ring features several different endings contingent on which actions (and questlines) the player completes throughout their playthrough. One is the Lord of the Frenzied Flame ending. Basically, the player becomes a Lord of the Frenzied Flame and destroys the world, reverting it to a primordial state. The theory, broadly, is that with everything destroyed, there is no more suffering, because, well, there is no one left to suffer. The Frenzied Flame is believed to be one of the world’s Outer Gods intent on burning the world until “all is One again.” Cue NeNe Leakes saying, “Okay… whatever that means.”
What does this have to do with Midra and The Land of Shadows? Well, when the player finds Midra in Midra’s Manse, he’s wallowing in despair, afflicted by the Frenzied Flame. At first, he’s content to let the player smack him around. Midra begs you to leave him alone, desperate to keep the Frenzied Flame and subsequent madness at bay. You’re a rabble-rouser, though, and after you beat him up long enough, you’ll trigger a cutscene. Midra starts with, “Enough. I have endured… more than enough.” He removes a branch from his eye socket (severing his head in the process) and succumbs to the Flame’s power. It’s tragic and terrifying in equal measure.
Glow Worms
I have not been able to find any substantive lore on who exactly these guys are. When Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree’s first gameplay trailer was released in February of this year, the internet was obsessed with these spectral blue worms. They have little arms, goofy faces, and little wisps of hair. Cute, right? Maybe I’m in the minority here, but I find them deeply chilling. What do they want? Why are they regularly placid yet inexplicably aggressive at times? What do they know? What secrets do they yield? I want to know, but I also don’t want to hang out long enough to find out.
Metyr, Mother of Fingers
No. No! Get to the end of Count Ymir’s questline, and you’ll be tasked with visiting a hidden section beneath the Cathedral of Manus Metyr Site of Grace. Count Ymir’s quest has him working through a lot (seriously, a lot) of mommy issues. He’s so mad at Marika, the world’s big Mommy figure, that he’s decided to make his own, I guess?
He regularly cradles a finger monster, treating it like a child, so it’s no wonder Metyr, Mother of Fingers is hiding in what amounts to his basement. This monstrosity (also a Remembrance Boss) is not only a pain to fight, but also a pain to look at. The base game’s Fingercreepers were my least favorite enemy, and Metyr dials that body horror to eleven. She’s grotesque. I mean, to each their own, but one look at that thing, I abandoned any sense of logic and simply wanted it gone.
There is plenty more horror awaiting in The Land of Shadows. What do you think? What Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree enemy is most liable to cause you nightmares? Let me know over on Twitter @Chadiscollins. And be brave, out there, my fellow tarnished.
Categorized:Editorials
