Highlights

  • Demi-Human Queen Gilika and her variants have unique animations that make them stand out among the other boss encounters in Elden Ring.
  • The spellcasting abilities of the Demi-Human Queens are not as challenging as other bosses in the game, but their second phase brings a flurry of intense melee attacks.
  • The Demi-Human Queens draw inspiration from Oceiros, the Consumed King from Dark Souls 3, adding a nostalgic callback to previous games while still offering unique encounters in Elden Ring.

Many of the demi-human enemies take a backseat throughout Elden Ring, due to how more powerful or lore-heavy enemies litter the more memorable locales of the Lands Between. However, several bosses, including Demi-Human Queen Gilika and her variants, stepped up the design of this class of enemy with some of Elden Ring's most unique animations.

Few things are truly unique in Elden Ring, from the animations taken from previous games, to the original enemies and bosses that appear multiple times throughout the game. The same can be said about Demi-Human Queen Gilika, as there are three versions of this boss encounter available to challenge, but the parts that make this type of boss stand out are worth repeating.

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Demi-Human Queens Make Their Mark in The Lands Between

Demi-Human Queen Gilika's Weak Spellcasting

Elden Ring Demi-Human Queen Gilika

There are a handful of bosses throughout Elden Ring who draw on various types of magic in order to hound the player and keep up the pressure from a distance. However, while this normally makes for a terrifying boss encounter, the Demi-Human Queens' spellcasting never quite measures up to tougher challenges like the magic-spamming Gideon Ofnir. Instead, Gilika and similar variants drop a few weak spells, with the start of the cast usually coming from so high that the attack will often miss as long as a player manages to stay close and keep up the pressure through the first phase.

An Enraged Second Phase Brings a Flurry of Blows

Demi-Human Queen Gilika in elden ring

The part that helps the Demi-Human Queens to stand out appears in the second phase, as the failure of the spellcasting becomes clear to both the player and the boss. So, as the boss approaches half-health, the Demi-Human Queen furiously pounds her staff into the ground before flinging it across the arena and resorting to claw swipes and crushing blows. Even though the second phase itself is still on the easier side for Elden Ring bosses, the transition itself makes the entire encounter more than worth the effort.

This phase transition excels due to the way that it pulls such a unique and impressive animation out to note how the Demi-Human Queen is abandoning magic and rushing into a feral stance. The result is a second phase that manages to separate itself from even mandatory bosses like Elden Ring's first major obstacle Margit, who transitions by pulling out an attack that will eventually become part of his normal moveset. It is an extra level of detail that could easily be overlooked in terms of boss design, especially for a set of optional fights that many players might never find on their trip through the Lands Between.

How the Demi-Human Queens Call Back to Dark Souls 3

Dark Souls 3 Oceiros

One interesting note from the Demi-Human Queens is how closely these bosses relate to Oceiros, the Consumed King from Dark Souls 3, even if it is a slightly diluted version. While the animation doesn't appear to be recycled directly from Oceiros, the Demi-Human Queens' second-phase fury and abandoning of their magic catalyst still mirrors the dragon-king's rage-fueled transition. The only thing missing from this phase change is the crushing of the boss' imaginary child that sparks the oncoming fury.

Taking the Demi-Human Queens as a reference and homage to Oceiros is one of the stronger ways that Elden Ring draws from previous titles. Demoting the boss from an incredibly difficult optional boss to a minor enemy that can be encountered multiple times actually helps to keep Demi-Human Queens from feeling like a copy and paste from an older game. The result is a series of unique encounters that help to add some much-needed variety to Elden Ring's massive boss roster.

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