Elden Ring's most notable moments come from its boss fights, and Rykard, Lord of Blasphemy is no exception. Unlike most boss encounters in Elden Ring, Rykard stands out as more of a spectacle fight where players are intended to use a specific weapon to beat him instead of relying on what players have specialized in.
Spectacle fights in Soulsborne titles are not known to be the hardest among FromSoftware's catalog of grueling battles, but they can be an empowering refresher where the player is the one who has control over the situation. They have been around since the Storm King in Demon's Souls and can be fantastic when pulled off well.
Rykard is arguably the best of the spectacle fights since he still poses a challenge even when players have the weapon he is weak to. Still, with his fight being so well done, it poses a question of whether FromSoftware should attempt to have another in the same vein as Rykard in Elden Ring's upcoming DLC Shadow of the Erdtree, or if it should focus solely on constructing fights that give players a challenge.
Should Shadow of the Erdtree Have a Spectacle Fight?
One of the biggest reasons it can be argued that Elden Ring's DLC should have a spectacle fight is because Rykard's fight shows an evolution in From Software's boss design within this specific category. He's fun to go up against because although stuck in the arena's center, he still has a decent variety of moves that add challenge even if he is slow at pulling them off. This makes it contrast with the fight against Yhomr the Giant from Dark Souls 3 since his move set was limited on top of being slow.
That said, Rykard is a challenging and interesting fight if he can pull off his attacks. Spectacle fights in Soulsborne games are often the easiest because they rely on a gimmick and can be trivialized if the boss can be stunned by it. Rykard is mostly an exception to this rule, as his second phase can only be staggered by hitting his head enough times or when casting a spell. Having a spectacle fight in Shadow of the Erdtree would have to be balanced so that the gimmick attached to it works without trivializing it.
A counterargument to this is that it might be nice to have at least one easy fight in the DLC. It could serve as a palate cleanser for players who might be struggling to make it through as Shadow of the Erdtree will no doubt contain some of the toughest fights in Elden Ring since the content will be likely geared toward players with a great deal of experience already playing it.
Arguably the biggest point against having a spectacle fight is that it would be tricky to outdo the Rykard fight without recycling it. Dedicating time toward another fight reliant on a gimmick could also prove divisive since the DLC in FromSoftware games often has fights made specifically for pushing players' builds to their limits. Fights can even be spectacles without the need for a gimmick attached to them. This is best evidenced by Sister Friede's fight from Dark Souls 3 being visually stunning while not having a particular gimmick.
Having a fight focused on the spectacle is nice to have once in a while, but having one in Elden Ring's DLC might stand out negatively. One already exists in the main game, and another could end up taking the place of a more difficult fight that can stand out in its own way. Perhaps it might be best to have FromSoftware's next spectacle fight be in an entirely new game so that it can stand out better, with no risk of being overshadowed by Rykard.
Elden Ring is out now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
