MMOEXP : Elden Ring's First Scary Obstacle Is A Straight Bridge

Ludwighench

A wooden, shaky bridge in many games is just the way to get across a gap to the next level. But when it comes to Souls FromSoftware games, FromSoftware often utilizes these atmospheric flourishes for more devious goals. This is the reason that when Elden Ring Runes presented me with this obstacle just a few short moments into my new adventure I was unable to help but be hesitant.

Elden Ring opened with my character being awakened in a building known in the chapel of Anticipation. When I left the chapel, I found myself traversing a jagged jut of rock that I assume sits somewhere higher than the game's map. I say "assume" because the terrain is so that it is obscured by a layer of fog that it's impossible to see what lies below. In any location I was in, it seemed very high to the point that a single slip would mean almost immediate, screaming death as I plunged into the darkness.

After a quick jog, I came to the bridge. A sad little thing made from old, creaking wood swaying gently with the kind of robust breeze that you'd expect at this high altitude. Ropes tied it to stakes that were buried deep into the rock, but there was something that made the structure feel suspicious. Dangerous, even. But because the area surrounding that chapel Anticipation was calm mostly I had to ask myself: Did the bridge really emit negative vibes, or was I just anticipating some of FromSoftware's sinister tricks?

While Souls games are loved by players for their intense but rewarding combat, that isn't saying they don't contain some serious bullshit sets that are intended to take out players who don't know about them. The most earliest of these experiences I can remember experiencing myself is when a wall collapses that occurs in King's Field: The Ancient City and it drops you quite a bit to take you out if your health isn't at its maximum however it's an artifact that FromSoftware employs in every Souls-like ways.

The most famous of these traps is the swooping dragon found in classic Dark Souls, which briefly hits a wall of a castle and could slash you with its massive teeth if you're hurrying ahead. It's one of the earliest instances of the game teaching you that foolhardiness can be deadly. What immediately came to my mind when I first noticed the Elden Ring Items for sale bridge, however, is a similar-looking overpass in Dark Souls II. If you're spending too much time on the bridge, a dragon destroys the bridge, sending you hurtling towards the ground.