Call and Response: Leyndell
Added 2023-02-14 15:00:04 +0000 UTCEDIT: Kole here... this went out at the wrong time because of a mistake I made! Look for the Gelmir and Volcano Manor call for responses elsewhere. Any responses sent in for this will still be collected.
Hey folks! It's time to write in with your responses on Leyndell in Elden Ring. The relevant areas are Capital Outskirts and the Royal Capital itself. Submit your response as a comment on this post! As always, keep some guidelines in mind.
1.Keep your responses and stories specific to Leyndell.
2. Please keep your responses brief. Think two short paragraphs, or around 200 words.
3. Specificity is preferred over generalities.
4.We tend to get a lot of responses, so please don't feel bad if we omit your response, or edit it for length.
The deadline is the end of the day, Tuesday February 21st!
Comments
There are a lot of Capital moments for me, but the one that stands out is the Misbegotten praying to a statue of Marika, near one of the stairs that lead to the outer wall. For then on, I made it a point to not attack anything that didn’t harm me first and found a surprising amount of enemies would leave you alone even if you were in their threat range. I’d have to see if it still works on the current patch, but I remember distinctly that some of the Beastmen in the Faram Azula and a few Albinauric’s around Mohg’s palace will just let you walk right by. After Leyndell, I realized that with Torrent, the calculus of violence has completely changed compared to previous From Software games. It is very rare that you meet a danger on the overworld that you can’t escape. I was raiding a fortress as a matter of habit and realized I was unlikely to find anything I’d use, so why not let them be? Maybe you can chalk that up to being fatigued with the copy-pasted encounters, but it also hit me that it was kind of sick to be murdering creatures for wealth I didn’t need, or just the challenge of it, no matter how you choose to rationalize their level of awareness or morality. I don’t think it’s accidental in the overarching store of Lords and God’s that you always have that choice. Especially once you reach the point where you can roll in and destroy a group of “lesser beings” with the same impunity that the bigger players in the story routinely show mortals.
Wil Wright
2023-02-21 15:13:10 +0000 UTCThe Holy Trinity, as a concept, never made sense to me. I never got a straight answer from Christians about how they reconcile a monotheistic religion treating God as one entity or three depending on the context. But when I got to Leyndell and saw "Radagon is Marika," I wasn't caught up in the mechanics or logic of it. By getting me invested in these gods as characters first and holy beings second, the game made me care about the emotional truth of this reveal rather than the literal truth. This feeling, that something made sense but not caring about connecting all the dots, gave me insight into the Christian perspective on consubstantiality. I still think the Holy Trinity is dumb, but I don't care about making it make sense anymore, I'm only interested in its lore implications.
Zaynation
2023-02-16 04:31:54 +0000 UTCMt Gelmir, and specifically Volcan manor, is an area I truly wish I could experience again for the first time. Not because I was so entranced with the town sinking into a volcano, or that I particularly liked Rykard as a boss, but for the opposite reason. I didn't explore the manor properly until NG+. On my first playthrough I entered the area very late, when I was exploring Mountaintops, and I ended up beelining the Recuscants' questline and was very unceremoniously thrown into Rykards arena. I felt lost, and incredibly underwhelmed. On NG+ I made a point of exploring the manor properly, but I was so over-leveled that it was interesting but definitely not challenging. I wish I could have gone through the area as I had with Stormveil or Raya Lucaria, but I will have to wait for DLC to experience that feeling of exploration that From games deliver on so well.
Johnathan Glupker
2023-02-15 15:43:23 +0000 UTCI loved this ecosystem so much. My favorite was the reveal that Radagon and Marika were in fact the same person to some extent. This reminded me specifically of the Hindu God Ardhanarishvara, who themselves was a bi gender composite Shiva and his consort Parvati, where not only is the duality of non-opposing gender confluence present, but it also intersects with a sexual and/or romantic relationship as it does with Radagon and Marika. These parallels aside, the idea that the main catalyst of the story is can be interpreted as gender fluid, intersex, and/or bigender. Again, this game absolutely smacks of gender and you can expect my manifesto on St. Trina and Miquela when you reach the halig tree. Trans rights are human rights. Protect trans kids. Don’t play the wizard game.
Dani Murano-Kinney
2023-02-14 23:28:46 +0000 UTCIf this was Guppy, I’d post my response for Gelmir/Volcano Manor here, then post my response for Leyndell in the Gelmir/Volcano Manor post. But I won’t do that to Kole.
Aaron A. Aaronson
2023-02-14 19:35:53 +0000 UTCMy first playthrough I was a spellblade that mainly relied on night sorceries. Leyndell was an extremely fun area for me. Jumping from rooftop to rooftop and descending on patrols of Leyndell soldiers was the most batman I've ever felt in a non-batman game. I AM THE NIGHT!
Daniel Hancock
2023-02-14 18:40:46 +0000 UTCYes. We'll put out a call for that as well!
Duckfeed.tv
2023-02-14 18:39:19 +0000 UTCIsn't the Gelmir/Volcano Manor Roundtable going to be before the Leyndell episode?
Toby
2023-02-14 18:11:07 +0000 UTCSorry about the length. I cut it down as much as I could, but I probably should have done this as episodes on previous responses. Feel free to summarize or cut. On my third run through ER, I decided to try saying "no" to Melina's offer and see how far I could get. I hoped for a Dishonored 2-style challenge mode, possibly with some unique dialog. I was halfway right. No Melina means no Torrent, no spirit summons, no Round Table, and no levelling. I knew Hyetta eventually became a maiden, so I rushed to the capital, hoping she could help. I got to the door behind the Draconic Sentinel and was reminded that I needed 2 shards. No problem! A quick run through Stormveil and Raya Lucaria, and -- still locked. Maybe Rennala's rune doesn't count? So I got gud, and beat Radahn. Still locked. Apparently, you must talk to Enia to unlock the door. Fine! There's another way in. I'll fight my way through Nokron and go in through the gate by Fia. A few days and some intense hatred for gargoyles and Rogier later, the portal's locked, too. You can't stop me, Miyazaki! I used the wrongwarp glitch to get into the capital from the bridge, and ran to Mohg in the sewers. I beat him after a few attempts and discovered -- another locked door, this time locked by Morgott. At this point I was getting fed up, so I used the shackle AI glitch to beat Morgott, and was slightly surprised to be allowed out of his arena without talking to Melina. Unfortunately, the door to the Three Fingers was still locked. And that's where I gave up. I talked to Melina for the first and only time in Morgott's arena, then immediately pledged myself to the Three Fingers.
Steven E Southall
2023-02-14 16:57:04 +0000 UTCHow good is the music in Leyndell? In terms of lore, ambience and playfeel coming together, it just sits up there so perfectly. I'm also a big fan of the music in Subterranean Shunning Grounds and Elphael, where I sense a similar mournful beauty.
Mystic Referee
2023-02-14 16:46:49 +0000 UTCUpon viewing the map I was not very excited about the outskirts knowing a great city awaited me. Luckily I can’t help myself but to check every nook and cranny before moving on to a new area so I persisted only to find I was mistaken in my lack of excitement. Also I must point out the Attack on Titan vibes put a good size smile on my face. There are two stand out encounters that stick in my mind. The first thing I did was go check out the cave that at the time I had no idea would lead to a great tower and any area with an illusory wall gimmick is most likely an area I’ll enjoy. Then coming across an unassuming guy standing in the road only for him to turn into a boss I’ve already slain really put me on my toes as I was not prepared for such an encounter but the panic added to experience. Then finally after experiencing everything the outskirts had to offer and getting to the first grace in the city and the first enemy I see is a snowman with a trumpet, Hell yeah man.
John Turner
2023-02-14 16:25:41 +0000 UTCIt was amazing to be able to explore a city in it's entirety, something that I had personally not seen in a video game before. However, this led to me feeling a little overwhelmed while playing this level. I do appreciate the level of detail put into this area, and it was really well done, but for me it felt a little too big. My favorite part was being able to fight alongside Melina in the Morgott fight.
Chris Gartner
2023-02-14 16:06:53 +0000 UTCI'm replaying Dark Souls currently, and arriving at Anor Londo I am struck by how many queues that Elden Ring takes from that game with Leyndell. The fallen splendor, the soft amber lighting on everything, and of course a truly devious gauntlet of enemies leading to some very tough bosses. More than anything, this section feels the most Dark Souls to me. It also recalls the structure of Dark Souls, in that the royal capital is the undeniable high point, with the game settling into a downward slope of enjoyment going forward (not that the rest of Dark Souls or Elden Ring isn't worth playing, of course).
Naveen Sivakumar
2023-02-14 15:35:32 +0000 UTCLeyndell was such a fascinating take on a game's major city. All the pomp and circumstance of arriving in Novigrad or Solitude, complete with marveling at architecture and so many hidden little nooks and crannies to explore. But instead of a bevy of new quests and NPCs turning the experience into a fetch quest-a-palooza through crowded streets, the whole thing is a dungeon. It's so perfectly FromSoft in that way, as it really feels like their version of the big fantasy game city right down to the extreme hostility, reminding the player of exactly what they signed up for to become Elden Lord. More than anywhere else, it makes this feel like a land that has completely fallen from Order.
Lucy Diavolo
2023-02-14 15:32:49 +0000 UTCLeyndell is where the ambient soundtrack is at its best. Approaching that first ledge where you get a breathtaking view as the music hits is a singular experience. I feel like the music is a perfect blend of regality and eeriness as you navigate this once proud city. And of course we can’t forget the combination with the Oracle Envoy horns which is the icing on the cake. Easily one of my favorite FROM areas for the music alone.
JM Rallo
2023-02-14 15:14:47 +0000 UTCThere's a lot to Leyndell, a hellavu lot, but to me you only need to say the name and the only thing I can think of are the bubble-blowing marshmallow jazzboys. That, to me, is the key iconography of Leyndell and the ne plus ultra fucked-up-little-dude of the game
Charlie Frame
2023-02-14 15:11:44 +0000 UTC
