Elden Ringplayers are used to frequent and frustrating deaths as the game’s unforgiving enemies and traps come together to create a world that is lying in wait to cause mayhem and misery. The worst kind of death inElden Ring, though, is one that happens when the player is so close to salvation and safety that they can practically taste it.
This salvation and safety come in the form of Sites of Grace, theSouls bonfiresofElden Ring,where players can level up using Runes, assign flasks to replenish health or Focus Points (FP), assign Ashes of War to weapons, pass time, sort the gear chest, or just talk to the maiden Melina. When out exploring the world, players long to see the familiar Site of Grace in the distance, signaling a moment of respite from the dangers around them.
RELATED:Elden Ring Cut Dialogue May Reveal Godrick’s Secret Son
However, the player is not technically safe until they reach theSite of Grace inElden Ringand then interact with it, so it is still very possible to die in the vicinity of one. This is exactly what Redditor azucar202 witnesses as he touches a few bloodstains on the steps leading down to a Site of Grace to see many fellow Tarnished dying as they near salvation. The last one in the clip is particularly heartbreaking as the player dies literally on top of the Site, just before being able to interact with it.
Bloodstains in Souls gamesshow short, ghostly images of other players' deaths and serve both as a warning that danger is near and as foreboding, tone-setting environmental storytelling. The online features forElden Ringbrew camaraderie in many different ways and watching the spectral deaths of the Tarnished that came before is one of them.
Before there were online gaming features, there was the concept of taking a video of one’s gameplay and showing it to a friend so that when they play the game themselves, they are aware of the dangers. The bloodstains inElden Ringserve that same purpose and also remind players that safety and security are often an illusion and they should always have their shields raised.
An internet connection is required formessages and bloodstains inElden Ring, so a lot of players prefer to turn on Offline Mode so that they are not spammed with hundreds of glowing things on screen in a game in which there are already many assets to look at. However, as the clip above shows, connecting with fellow Tarnished can be a therapeutic experience as well as a reminder that death inElden Ringis seemingly everywhere.
Elden Ringis available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
