Amidst all the fighting and adventuring, players will eventually realize that Elden Ring does, in fact, have a story. Some of the game's lore is presented up front and center through cutscenes and character dialogue but for a deeper understanding of The Lands Between, players have to dig into item descriptions, character quests, and explore all the locations in From Software's massive RPG. It can be a daunting task but thankfully, content creators like VaatiVidya have made a lot of it easy to digest.
Elden Ring's bosses are subjects of lore as most of them play important roles before the events of the game. One such key player is Godfrey, the first Elden Lord. Godfrey's presence in the game is not to be understated, nor should his alter ego, the powerful Hoarah Loux.
Godfrey Is A Recurring Foe In Elden Ring
The only mandatory Elden Ring boss that players have to fight more than once, Godfrey first appears as a shade on the first visit to Leyndell, Royal Capital. This apparition of Godfrey doesn't speak but rather immediately jumps into combat as soon as it sees an enemy. Using his massive axe and earth-shattering stomps, Godfrey can prove difficult but is otherwise a stepping stone to Leyndell's chief guardian, Morgott the Omen King.
Godfrey's second appearance is a two-phase boss battle in Leyndell, Ashen Capital where Morgott used to stand. In his first phase, Godfrey behaves very similarly to his shade counterpart in that he primarily uses his huge two-handed axe and wide-reaching stomp attacks. Using the same tactics they employed in the previous fight, players can quite easily adjust to the boss and take him down to his second phase.
Godfrey's second form is unlike anything players have seen. After killing what looks like a lion shade that was resting on his back, Godfrey becomes more savage and adopts the name of Hoarah Loux, Warrior. This name change is accompanied by a massive shift in the boss's moveset. No longer armed with an axe, Hoarah Loux takes any chance to grapple his enemies and bludgeon them with his fists. While he still employs his ground pounds, Hoarah Loux prefers close-range melee combat and moves with the strength and ferocity of the lion-like beast he just sacrificed.
Hoarah Loux Is Godfrey's True Nature
Looking deeper into Elden Ring's lore will reveal that it was not Godfrey that initially transformed into Hoarah Loux but the other way around. Prior to his role as Queen Marika's first consort, Hoarah Loux was a chieftain and a fierce warrior. When he was chosen to be the first Elden Lord, Hoarah Loux did everything in his power to control his bloodthirsty nature. He changed his name to Godfrey and took the Beast Regent Serosh on his back, which is the lion-like apparition players see accompanying Godfrey during the boss fight. In this manner, Godfrey was able to act more like a lord in others' presence.
When players return to the foot of the Erdtree in the destroyed Leyndell, they can find Godfrey expecting another audience with Marika and the Elden Beast. He assumes that he is being called once again to become an Elden Lord—a title that was taken from him and passed onto Radagon.
Coming face to face with the Tarnished makes Godfrey realize that it is not he who is being summoned, and his anger soon turns to the player. He attacks them with everything he has, even going so far as to return to his old self to best his opponents. And while he may succeed many times, the persistence and skills of the Tarnished see him defeated.
Elden Ring is available for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
