Bonfireside Chat 221: Academy of Raya Lucaria (Part 2)
Added 2022-08-07 20:32:58 +0000 UTCThis week we conclude talking about the Academy of Raya Lucaria by storming the quad, and then the library, where Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon, has been locked up. We spend the majority of the episode talking about the encounter with Rennala, as an aesthetic triumph and as a truly tragic and horrifying tale.
Comments
Oh I did the Carian Manor first. I thought most ppl did
Jessie joy
2025-04-21 03:49:11 +0000 UTCThe "give me two more caveats" line killed me.
Nathaniel De La Cruz
2023-01-31 16:05:12 +0000 UTCOh nevermind, you mentioned it later in the episode :-)
Harald Luff
2022-08-26 06:18:20 +0000 UTCAbout the metal ball trap on the stairs: There is a somewhat hidden ladder on the side of that building. It leads you to the room from which the ball is dropped. There are 2 wizards and a pumpkin-head. To me this implies that the wizards magic the ball up there, and the pumpkin-head pushes it onto the stairs.
Harald Luff
2022-08-25 15:31:20 +0000 UTCjust wanted to say the way you described the Sweetings, their joyful empty smile and the entire boss arena aesthetic was so exceptional and on point. beautiful work! thank you
Jason Creer
2022-08-20 13:27:11 +0000 UTCI think that's the idea, we talk about it at some point. It's just sort of an unsatisfying split to me, the subject having to have it in their possession being a hard differentiation between the person operating the rebirth having it. It makes it feel less magicy, to me personally. -GB
Duckfeed.tv
2022-08-13 03:14:04 +0000 UTCMy thought on the Great Rune of the Unborn is that you need to have it "on you" for the rebirthing to work properly. Doesn't matter who the "rebirther" is, just whether or not the "rebirthee" has the rune. This is why it says "Perfects those who have been born anew." Another possibility about Rennala being imprisoned in the library is that the scholars tried killing her but she just kept coming back because of the power of the egg and the rune. Of course, the Carian Knight outside suggests they don't really have access to the room. Also, I can never hear the words "Carian Queen" without hearing them set to Billy Ocean's "Caribbean Queen." If this were the early 2000s there would have been a parody video released on YouTube within two days of Elden Ring's release. EDIT: A fun fact is that in true pop song fashion "Caribbean Queen" was written so that the adjective before Queen would be interchangeable. So "European Queen" and "African Queen" versions were also recorded. And that is the Doki Doki Fact for the day.
Kyle Thompson
2022-08-12 20:49:14 +0000 UTCThe lack of dialogue with Ranni about this fight is a real bummer.
Kyle Thompson
2022-08-12 20:36:53 +0000 UTCI thought Rennala was a beautiful fight. It's worth noting that she's *not* easy for casters. I had to level up DEX enough to wield a sword the first time I fought her, since she shrugs off most spells attacks. Another wrinkle: I offered service to Ranni *before* fighting Rennala, but Ranni still interfered in the fight. I've heard theories that Ranni's role in this fight is basically a prerecorded message/illusion that springs like a trap, which makes a certain amount of sense. It is necessary to beat Rennala to complete Ranni's questline, but at points in Ranni's questline she is very much in no position to challenge you when you fight her mother.
Joseph
2022-08-11 02:29:26 +0000 UTCI think that the Rennala ghost you fight was a contingency left by Ranni because I had already joined her before this fight and she never had any dialog about it.
Guardian Gnosis
2022-08-11 02:23:34 +0000 UTCDid I miss any talk about the rooftop run where you wind up getting the int scaling crossbow (name is escaping me)? The one that was symbolic of Radagon and Rennala's marriage and does better with holy bolts? One of the more flavorful weapons for a high faith/int build
Eric
2022-08-10 19:33:15 +0000 UTCFirst point: I knew that but I just missed it. That's my bad for having a sort of shitty sound situation on my tv, so directional sound is tough for me to pick up. Second point: Fair! I do think that's undercut a little bit by her just dropping it here? Like, in the timescale of the game, her first appearance and this aren't that far apart, and as far as I know, nothing changed on her end to cease the need for secrecy? But I do think that's probably what they were going for, along with just underlining the deception macro theme of the game of people and things not being what they purport to be. -GB
Duckfeed.tv
2022-08-10 18:05:49 +0000 UTCGreat episode guys! 2 quick points of errata for you: 1) You might have noticed this and just not mentioned it during the episode, but the the Sweetings with the gold aura around their heads that you have to kill in order to break Rennala's floating orb are actually all singing a song (the source of the aura). The song seems to double as a spell that protects Rennala and keeps her airborne, which is why when you take out the singing sweetings, the orb breaks and Rennala falls to the floor. I found that this added an eerie ambiance to the fight that really left a strong impression, but the words to the song are very interesting as well, basically worshiping the process by which they are reborn via "mother's umbra". Vaati included the lyrics in one of his videos for your reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikHozRC8uPQ *The second point includes a few small SPOILERS related to Ranni (nothing major, but fair warning to anyone reading past here) 2) You guys also implied that it was unnecessary that Ranni uses an alias when you first meet her, which I have to disagree with. Ranni is in hiding. Gideon admits that her wherabouts are unknown, and clearly she is (at very least) the prime suspect for the Night of Black Knives, so the forces of Morgott are likely searching for her as well. She's been evading baleful shadows sent after her by her own 2-Fingers since she disappeared, so the Greater Will is hunting her as well. So yeah, makes a lot of sense that she would don an alias, change her appearance, and hide off in a remote and well protected forgotten corner of the world.
ChipHand_Z
2022-08-10 15:37:14 +0000 UTCA little frustrating that you were so dismissive of the Zulie video drawing parallels to the cut Rosaria fight from DS3. I get that people like to get a little kooky with the lore and cut content, but you did a really poor job summarizing the points Zulie made when you could have either: not commented on it or rewatched the 3 minute video to remember the actual details. My 2 cents!
Josh Bays
2022-08-10 01:53:04 +0000 UTCBro will no one mention that site of graces have the exact design and shape as a humanity in DS1?
Coleman
2022-08-09 19:30:38 +0000 UTCi love Rennala’s fight so, so much. including (especially?!) the fact that it’s not super difficult. mechanically like the perfect refinement of both the False Idol + the Deacons of the Deep, aesthetically this amazing Fantasia -> Sailor Moon henshin sequence battle like you guys said. definitely caught myself clenching my fist and muttering “fuck yeah dudes” at your observations many times this episode, i was very excited to hear your reactions to this and im just as glad you observed how sad and grounded Rennala’s story really is. Her husband left her, one of her sons became a reviled heretic and the other cared more about the “stepdad” after the divorce, all she’s got is her distant moon-daughter popping in to check on her. The second phase is weirdly sweet to me as a result, as Ranni showing show you how badass her mom used to be P.S. i LOVE sailor moon, also watched it when i was a kid, and having rewatched it recently you guys are EXACTLY right about the ways it wouldnt hold up for you now (tho i still had a blast revisiting). the season where Pegasus shows up and Chibi-Usa/Moon was there definitely is the weakest part lol. That aesthetic still holds up *incredibly* though, “Sailor Moon backgrounds“ is a pro image search 👍
sleepysmiles
2022-08-07 22:11:40 +0000 UTCI did Raya Lucaria after I did Godrick, Rykard, and Radahn so just smeared everything in Raya Lucaria into paste. I whooped Rennala's ass so bad that I didn't know she could summon other bosses until a friend mentioned it.
Drake Kincannon
2022-08-07 21:57:17 +0000 UTC
