Elden Ring has undergone a notoriously quiet development. It's uncanny how little the From Software has had to say about the game, but all signs indicate it's still underway. However, the silence from the main source looks like it might finally have been broken by outsiders. A few pieces of Elden Ring concept art seem to have emerged over the last few weeks, finally giving fans something to quench their thirst. Although From Software didn't release any of this information itself, it seems reasonably reputable. One set of information comes from a close collaborator on properties like Dark Souls, while other leaks come from an artist who developed concepts for the E3 2019 Elden Ring trailer.
These leaks aren't too much to go off of, but they provide a lot more information than From Software has. With the help of this art, Elden Ring's many fans can finally get a picture of what the game's enemies might look like. What's more, Elden Ring's supposedly gigantic map can start to materialize in fans' minds, as some of the game's aesthetics have apparently been revealed. Ideally, these leaks will prompt From Software to make official statements on the game in the near future, but for now, they're the best clues that fans can get.
Monsters of Elden Ring
Just two days into 2021, two pieces of art emerged, appearing to depict two creatures from Elden Ring. One of them is instantly recognizable. The Elden Ring trailer featured a long shot focused on a red-haired warrior in heavy armor, riddled with arrows and slowly disintegrating, and one of these arts shows a very similar warrior wielding two swords and charging into battle. If this is one of the game's enemies, the Dark Souls influence on Elden Ring shines through. Nothing could be more Dark Souls than hulking armored warriors issuing a challenge to the player, and odds are, players will want to tap into skills honed in Dark Souls to outmaneuver enemies like this warrior and take them out.
The second piece of art shared by the Chinese Dark Souls insider is much stranger. It shows a blue snake-like creature with the face of a bearded man, sitting atop a tangled heap of its own limbs. This might be an enemy found in some dungeon or ruin that the player explores, based on what look like lights on a wall behind it. If this creature is in the game, its eldritch appearance emphasizes the dark fantasy aspect of Elden Ring. It's unclear how exactly something like this would fight, but its implied size and limbs might make it strong in melee. A creature like this might also wield magic, since it clearly seems connected to the supernatural. One thing's for sure: if both this snake and the warrior are in the game, Elden Ring won't lack diversity of enemies.
The Making of the Trailer
More recently, an artist named Gabriel Bjork Stiernstrom who worked on Elden Ring's trailer revealed some pieces he created. They mostly center around a mystical female blacksmith who eventually became the smith famously depicted in the trailer. While Stiernstrom insists that his art was merely conceptual and he has no knowledge of the game, the aesthetics of his pieces could be very telling of Elden Ring's general look. Stiernstrom explained to the Elden Ring subreddit that his art's style was shaped by From Software's wishes. It's clear that the interplay of dark and light, pale magic, and barren settings in Stiernstrom's concept art pleased From Software, since the trailer's smith was very similar.
The game's settings will probably have some environments similar to this, so players might expect the game's dungeons to have untouched magical places that are almost unsettling in their emptiness or scale. Color and light are sure to be important too. From Software's designers will probably make very intentional choices about how much color to put into enemies or a dungeon. The brightly colored enemies in the concept art might intentionally contrast with pale, dark dungeons, while well-lit places may prove meaningful both mechanically and in Elden Ring's story. The game's rumored dynamic weather will surely affect the lighting too.
Elden Ring on the Horizon
There's one more crucial leaked detail that will define Elden Ring's setting. Apparently it's taking heavy inspiration from Norse and Celtic sources. That might mean a very diverse world map, featuring both cold and unforgiving mountains and lush rolling hills. Elden Ring's large scale will benefit from such diverse environments, giving players unique places to explore. These two cultures' differing sensibilities also mean diverse architectural aesthetics will come to the forefront. Anything from nature-focused Celtic druidism to Norse Viking mythos could have inspired George R.R. Martin in writing Elden Ring's setting. The hollow tree containing the smith in Stiernstrom's work may indicate such a crossover.
From Software hasn't commented on these supposed leaks yet. If Elden Ring is as far along in development as other rumors indicate, From Software might not think it's worth it. For fans' sakes, hopefully that's the case. The game could just around the corner, which would be great, considering how these leaks have whetted appetites. Official news is long overdue, but these leaks have done more than enough to excite the community ahead of release.
Elden Ring is in development for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
