The designs of bosses from Elden Ring often draw from the history of FromSoftware's expansive catalog, with the Death Rite Bird and its variants being the strongest example of something that could be leftover from Bloodborne. Considering how much eldritch, cosmic horror appears in Elden Ring's world and lore, that is a high title to give away to a creepy bird that stalks The Lands Between at night.
Standing alongside terrestrial bosses like Astel, Fallingstar Beast, and even the Elden Beast, Death Rite Birds are in plentiful company throughout Elden Ring. That being said, it's the terror and horror that the Death Rite Birds embody that elevates these bosses among the other eldritch enemies that linger in craters and underground.
Elden Ring Warps the Familiar for Tragic Terror
It can be easy to showcase the fantasy and strangeness of Elden Ring for how it separates from the real world, similar to the majority of FromSoftware game worlds for that matter. However, the way that the developer draws from the familiar in the design of the Death Rite Bird is what makes this specific boss so difficult to stomach on the first encounter. The wings and beak might initially make the creature look like any other bird, but the awkward shape of its head gives it an almost humanoid and infantile look compared to the standard monster in the same way that Bloodborne often twists innocent designs.
This baby face in particular is the most disturbing part of the design of the Death Rite Bird, taking details of innocence and twisting them into something more horrifying thanks to the implied tragedy. Combine that hint of familiarity with the twisted body and black death flames, and this boss starts to represent terror through both the lore and the fact that it can easily wipe the floor with the player. Even when players manage to survive a fight with Elden Ring's Death Rite Birds, the effect it has when first appearing is to add terror to the night as horrific nightmares threaten to appear at any moment and lead to a quick death.
Death Rite Birds Stalk Night and Day Alike
The first few time that players run into Death Rite Birds and their weaker Death Bird variants will most likely be as these bosses spawn during the night of Elden Ring's daily cycle. This could happen as early as Elden Ring's Liurnia of the Lakes, or even all the way to a hidden corner of the Altus Plateau. However, not all of these bosses appear only when the moon is out and the cover of the night leads the player to expect to see some dark horror break into the world.
In some of the later areas where Death Rite Birds can be challenged, they can often break the rule of arriving at night and descend upon the player in the bold light of day. The most notable example of this happening comes from the Death Rite Bird in Mountaintop of the Giants, which appears right before heading to Castle Sol and challenging Elden Ring's Commander Niall. Not only can this appear as a surprise for players who might not have fully explored some of the more hidden or dangerous corners where other variants of this boss are found, but it almost acts like a pre-boss for Castle Sol.
Having these enemies establish a trend, and then subsequently break this trend goes a long way toward making them appear even more threatening with every new version. Unlike enemies such as Elden Ring's Burial Watchdogs who appear too frequently without escalation beyond bloating their attack and health, the Death Rite Birds manage to shift the player's perspectives on them throughout the game. It's a horrific Bloodborne-esque nightmare that eventually breaks through its original confines in order to oppress the player's sleeping and waking worlds.
Elden Ring is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
