Summary
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtreedoes a great job at adding features to the gameplay, with new areas to explore, weapons, and bosses to fight. It also explains and elaborates on story elements that were in the base game. This makes sense, given that most of the DLC’s lore was taken from earlier notes made by legendary author George R. R. Martin and expanded upon to make one of the biggest expansions around. The added context also changes how players will look at the lore, especially with some twists that lie in wait.
[Warning: Spoilers for Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree.]
An example ofShadow of the Erdtreeexpanding on the base lore, especially with bosses, includes the introduction of theboss Metyr, Mother of Fingers, and how the Greater Will operates, but she is not the only boss that adds lore. While many enemies have tragic lives that make players feel sorry for them, after the anger of dying constantly at their hands has faded,Bayle has one of the coolest backstories around, explaining an entire faction, sect of magic, and elaborating on another boss entirely while giving players one of the best pieces of voice acting.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree Review - FromSoft’s Greatest Hits
Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC is a victory lap for FromSoftware, bringing in elements from past games without losing what made it special.
And Where Drakes Came From
Bayle the Dread’s fightis perhaps FromSoftware’s magnum opus when it comes to dragon boss battles. Found at the top of the Jagged Peak,Bayle is an ancient and heavily wounded dragon that awaits a final battle, with torn wings and a missing leg, leaving more questions than answers at first glance. The model of the boss even has two dragon heads attached to it that have bitten into the body, and these belong to another dragon boss, Crumbling Farum Azula’shidden Dragonlord Placidusax.
Placidusax may have been the Dragonlord, but he was not the largest of his people. Greyoll, Gransax, and the unnamed dragon at the foot of the Jagged Peak are all larger.
Bayle is the Father of the Lesser Dragons (also known as Drakes) and once challenged Placidusax, which one would assume would be for the title of Dragonlord. The two fought to a stalemate, but left each other heavily wounded,explaining why Placidusax is missing several heads and why Bayle has broken wings. After the battle, Bayle and some of his Drakes retreated to the Land of Shadow, where the Tarnished now finds them, but Placidusax had plans to properly rid himself of his ancient enemy.
Wanting to end Bayle and his Drakes once and for all, Placidusax had his servants shepherd humans into hunting them.This laid the foundations for the Dragon Communion, which covet the Drakes' hearts in order to gain more power. This explains where all theDragon CommunionIncantations come from as well as possibly elaborating on the origin of the Dragon-Men. It also explains how the Dragon Communion gained enough backing to create both a Church and a Cathedral, even if both now lie in ruins.
The Greatest Voice Lines In FromSoftware History
With the Dragon Communion in place and Bayle, along with his brood of Drakes, lurking firmly in the Jagged Summit, things enter a strange stalemate. Although plenty of Drakes have been slain and their hearts have been consumed,Bayle still lives by the time the Tarnished makes their way to the Land of Shadow, which makes the Dragon Communion a partial failure. That isn’t for lack of trying, however, as can be seen with the now famous NPC, Igon, who swears that Bayle will die.
Due to similarities in names, it is believed that Igon is a reference to Aegon, while Bayle is a reference to his dragon, Balerion, from George R. R. Martin’s World of Ice and Fire.
Igon is a member of the Dragon Communion and had previously attempted to fight Bayle, but was left mutilated and in great pain despite being a powerful Drake Warrior. For the most part, pure spite towards the dragon is the only thing keeping Igon going as he drags his wounded body across theLand of Shadowbefore interacting with the Tarnished.He seeks to consume Bayle’s heart, although this looks unlikely in his state, and has an entire questline, which further involves the Dragon Communion in the Land of Shadow.
Igon’s quest culminates in him being summoned to fight Bayle The Dread, in which he will deliver one of the most emotional and, quite frankly, amazing bits of voice acting in all of FromSoftware’s library. He curses Bayle in an anger-fueled rant about a hail of harpoons, which could very well make Igon a reference to Moby Dick’s Captain Ahab and his obsessive revenge, and shows great relief when the Dread has finally been slain. In killing Bayle,the Tarnished technically fulfills the original purpose of the Dragon Communion.
Shadow Of The Erdtree Is Smart For Abandoning This Annoying Elden Ring Feature
One thing that Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree leaves behind breaks tradition, but it definitely seems like the wisest course of action.
Bayle Is One Of Elden Ring’s Best Beast Boss Fights
And His Lore Matches His Mechanics
Bayle’s inclusion in theElden Ringexpansion helps explain many elements, and a few mysteries, in the base game. He explains where the Drakes, specifically, came from, why Dragonlord Placidusax is missing a few heads, andwhy the Dragon Communion was founded in the first place, other than granting humans the powers of dragons. It also corrects some previous assumptions, since dragons were at war with the Golden Order at some point, and it was believed by some that Placidusax could have been wounded in this war.
The story of Igon and Bayle is endlessly entertaining too, especially because of how spiteful Igon is when the dreaded dragon probably doesn’t even know who he is. By the end of it all,both Igon and Bayle are dead, in typical FromSoftware fashion, allowing the Tarnished toget Igon’s Great Bowand some new Dragon Communion Incantations with Bayle’s heart. The Tarnished essentially fulfills the Dragon Communion’s original purpose in completing Igon’s quest, but there is a chance that Placidusax isn’t alive to enjoy the victory.
FromSoftware has a history of adding dragon boss fights to its games, and although they can be hit or miss at times, expansions seem to be where they shine, both mechanically and lore wise.Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree’s Bayle The Dread is similar toDark Souls 3: The Ringed City’s Darkeater Midirin that both added optional yet amazing dragons with lore that changed elements of the base game. Bayle in particular explains so much with the lore that it’s almost odd that he’s an optional boss.
Elden Ring
Elden Ring is a popular game released by From Software, creators of games such as Armored Core, Dark Souls, and Bloodborne. Players assume the role of a Tarnished, a being once exiled to the Lands Between and has returned to repair the Elden Ring after the events of “The Shattering.” “The Shattering” occurred when the offspring of Queen Marika battled to claim the shards of the Elden Ring, known as Great Runes. Their war has brought lawlessness, destruction, and chaos to the land, and the player will challenge them with the assistance of a Maiden known as Melina as they travel towards the great Erd Tree to face their destiny and to become the one true Elden Lord. Players can tackle the game how they choose and can adventure across realms as they build their character how they want - be it a powerful magic caster or a brutal swordsman - they will have complete control over their build.
