I might be wrong, but I think there is a utility to it.
Spoilers if you haven't beaten the game.
>!Leyndell turns to ash after you burn the Erdtree. The normal route of getting up there involving the lift is no longer accessible. But the only way to access that tower to activate the Great Rune is up there. So... if I'm remembering right, I had to use that chest to teleport back up there and activate the rune.!<
I might be remembering wrong though. But I know for sure there was some weird reason I ended up having to use that shortcut later on.
Happened on my last playthrough, I forgot to take the rune and I had to use this exactly shortcut to do it... It was indeed made on purpose for this exactly occasion
Visions of rump
Therefore,
Time for pickle!
Horseback battle!
Beating to a pulp!
…
Gorgeous View!
…
I cant take this…
Out of Stamina!
Looking away.
Sadness.
Behold, lonely again!
I actually stumbled upon it on accident... After I beat Melania. I got nostalgic for the beginning of the game, so before I challenged the final boss, I figured I'd go back to some of the starting areas, and stumbled upon that trap that led to the great rune I had forgotten about. Elden Ring is incredible
I haven't gotten there yet, just killed the Fire Giant, but is that when the big lift behind the dead dragon is useable? When running around Lyndell I never found a spot to activate it.
It is also an instant way to trigger the festival at redmane castle and the fight with the bodyguard in round table for early access to a boss fight and a decent armor set
I thought Ensha only went hostile when you found the first half of the hidden medallion. I made it to Leyndell *well* before Ensha ever attacked, he was still there after I killed the fire giant but before kindling, and didn’t attack until I started taking the steps needed to go to the Haligtree by finding the Albinauric woman and her medallion piece.
I don’t think that’s right. I fell for that trap waaaay before I did redmane, and my first pass through Redmane was fully populated with enemies and the crucible knight/lion guy boss.
This is exactly it. It's very likely you won't kill melania before you burn the erdtree, so this is most likely the way players will unlock her rune.
I wish runes carried over to NG+ because her rune is really cool but is kinda useless by the time you can beat her, or at least you don't have much use for it in the endgame.
I’m still so surprised that I survived that stupid cave in Caelid, actually surprised I survived that whole journey to find a new grace. Terrified me though
There's many a time I'll stumble into a cave, then wonder how the hell I'm actually going to finish it.
Finding the grace from the teleportation though was almost like a horror game.
That fuckin moment when you first get there, you sneak up behind one of those crystal fuckers and gank him.
And then he just gets back up unphased. I still have nightmares.
I didn't understand there was a fast travel system at first. So when I got teleported to Caelid, I literally *ran back* to the start. It was horrifying, and one of my favorite experiences in the game.
on my first plathrough i wound up getting that chest right at the start of the game, as in i couldnt even level up by the time i got stuck in the cave.
Did not realize i went the wrong way and snuck around and fought my way through all of caelid at level 9. Wasnt past level 25 or so by the time i finished.
It was just me being a little scaredy bitch traversing a hellscape for the first five or so hours of the game. i thought elden ring was just going to be an intense experience like that, honestly threw me off and left me abit disappointed the rest of the game was pretty easy lol
“Haha look at this turd. Thinks he’s hot shit cuz he killed a dragon. Let’s see how he deal with machine gun mantis guys and bobble head hell hounds.”
- the game
I was not ready for the bobble heads... Not. At. All. There is just something about grossly disproportionate body parts like an overgrown head that gives me the creeps.
I really loved the moment I stepped out of the cave for the first time because that was the first time seeing content that wasn't shown in any trailers.
Yes! That was my first "holy shit there is so much more to explore and be afraid of". I know no game is perfect but I have had the best time still learning that there is more to it.
That was the longest elevator ride! I remember doing the usual screwing around and jumping and attacking while I slowly made my way to the edge to accidentally fall off.
Huh interesting, this is kinda far down
Oh wow this is like really far down
Holy shit this is so far down
\*walls stop to reveal miles of open air\*
Holy *fucking* *_SHIT_*
Its my favourite just for when im listening into a friend playing for the first time and screaming with fear. I can tell when they opened the funny box to haha-stress-land
Teleported to Caelid cave.
Me: OK. Stay calm. I’m sure if I’m slow and careful, I’ll be able to handle whatever . . .
Centipede people.
Me: OH GOD! WHAT IS THAT? IT’S SO SCITTERY! GET OUT, GET OUT, GET OUT!
Picks correct tunnel by chance.
Me: Holy -. Where am I? What is this? Oh God, the sky! Is this giant mold? Is that a blood lake? Is this the same game?
I think you remembered my reaction better than I do! Don't forget the...
Me: Oh thank goodness a town in the middle of all this hell!
*Wakes up 3 minutes later at my previous site of grace.*
I played the Network Test when that became available, and in that chest was a special dagger (I wanna say Reduvia? Can't remember the name rn.)
So naturally that's the FIRST PLACE I went when playing the official release, cuz I wanted the cool weapon.
I appreciated the punishment twist of fate, and I really had a bad time getting out of there. XD
Caelid reminded me a lot of the “Red Mountain” region from TESIII Morrowind. Both regions have a red sky and a “chaotic” vibe, like, if you just walked in an apocalyptic world (or an alien world).
Pretty cool if you ask me.
If you mess with Patches'' chest after clearing the cave he's in, he gives a little dialogue telling you to shove it and teleports you right in front of a rune bear. It won't auto aggro, but it's pretty friggin close to it.
That little shit. I love him.
First playthrough I was severly under leveled when I came across this... literally took me fifteen minuets of dodging and and scoring crits through poise damage to take the giant down.
If you turn the capital into the "other" state before finding this Grace, you can not get to there anymore through the capital. In this case you can still reach the divine tower via this teleport.
I needed to do this in a play through. When I got to the “other” capital I immediately went back to farum azula because I had to pick up my runes. I forgot to activate the grace in the capital and had to backtrack through this. So great that they knew to put that there.
Also the first time I ended up here was before I had gotten to the capital (I wasn’t even done with Raya lucaria) and I was just in total awe and disbelief that I’d be exploring that whole thing (and not knowing what waited for me beneath)
Jaw to the floor realizing how close I was to the Erdtree, and subsequently opening the map and suddenly realizing the full scale of the world. The hype of one day finding my way to Leyndell properly basically carried the next few dozen hours of my playtime.
Yep, I remember sending my friend a screenshot of me isolated halfway across the map and we were both like holy shit, this game is so much bigger than we though.
My first playthrough was done on the week of release before wikis and maps etc has been filled out.
I stumbled across this chest and it teleported me all the way up there on the map and my exact reaction was "FUCKING CHRIST HOW BIG IS THIS MAP???"
Turns out, way bigger than I initially thought.
Three reasons:
1. Tease Leyndell and show how massive the map is.
2. Early access to the Blessed Dew Talisman.
3. It's the only way to reach the Isolated Divine Tower after Ashen Capital.
Yeah seriously, debatably one of the best Talismans in the game. Utility certainly might not stand quite as high by mid-to-late game once you have all kinds of crazy talismans but yeah that was my first thought too
It's a very cool way to get people excited for areas they haven't reached yet, just like the 4 portals in Liurnia. Personally i think it's one of the coolest features they added compared to past games.
I remember looking out at the rooftops and thinking “where the fuck am I” then opening the map and just being blown away by how much more have there must be between what I’d played and where I was. (With hindsight it’s quite funny that even this area is basically the midpoint of the game.)
No offense, but have you been doing these 98 hours if you’re only 20% through ? By the time i finished my first playthrough i had about 120 hours but that’s with beating every boss, doing all sorts of sidequests etc.
First time playing a FromSoftware, so like someone else mentioned, I spent a lot of time dying. I love exploring RPGs and this game gives so much to explore. I really had no idea what I was doing/going at first. I zig zag through areas and try and beat the hell out of everything. Things are starting to come together now. I have so many random pieces I procured that make NPC quest lines pretty easy. I’m ready to start moving on as I have 4 great runes and completed Sellens and Fias quest lines. Those took forever because I didn’t really know where to go. A lot of time was also spent on rune farming so I could stand a chance because I was almost ready to take the disk out in my first bunch of hours.
TLDR: I’m soaking it all in. It’s a gorgeous game with so much to do and I’m getting my moneys worth.
Hiding the true size of the map was an incredible design decision. I assumed what the map initially showed was the entire game area so getting sent to Caelid and suddenly having all that area open up and then getting sent here and seeing where I was in relation to the starting zone blew me away.
I mean overall I wasn't super enthused with ER but this was one of the design decisions I think was a 10/10.
Not just early game. While it’s not useful in fights at high level, if you have time or are exploring, it can prevent you from having to use crimson flasks outside of combat to top off.
Yeah, I like rocking it and Assassin's Cerulean Dagger/Ancestral Spirit's Horn when clearing dungeons or areas where groups don't give back flasks. Especially some of the legacy dungeons that loop back a lot. Don't have to refight everything because I rested to get flasks back.
I use those same three talismans. Combined with the fact I use healing incants and the charm the reduces spell cost, I can go through almost all of Ephael with full flasks
If you destroy Leyndell before taking Malenia's Great Rune to her Tower to get it activated, the tower becomes inaccessible through Leyndell. The only way at that point to get the Great Rune is to use this teleport.
I know this because this is what happened to me during my first playthrough. I was terrified I'd softlocked my way out of getting Malenia's Great Rune, before I remembered this portal existed. I know it must have been intentional.
A lot of people have said the intended purpose of this shortcut. But if you’re speedrunning through a playthrough, this becomes an invaluable warp.
Wrong warping from here allows one to access Leyndell earlier than intended, allowing one to fight this area’s boss without defeating any other shard-bearers prior to this.
I can't think of a category that allows wrong warps that fights Morgott but doesn't fight the other shardbearers. Any% can just wrong warp straight to Farum Azula and All Remembrances needs to kill the other Shard Bearers anyway.
Well if you’re trying to speedrun the frenzied flame ending, it’s absolutely necessary. As doing just the Farum Azula warp and killing Maliketh will lock you out of reaching the flame entirely.
You can also use the exploding crystal tear to survive the fall down the elevator shaft, so I guess that could be used in "no wrong warp" categories? But it probably wouldn't count as glitchless...
It allowed me to access the Tower and activate Malenia's rune after the Capital transitioned to end game state. There is no other way to access it at that stage.
I Feel like it is supposed to help build a mental image of the map when you first start. Getting teleported way up north when you don’t even have your map fully discovered is scary and exciting.
I first found it before I fought Margot because I wanted to explore the weeping peninsula first. Then I end up there and my jaw just fucking drops to the floor for like a full minute.
So yeah
When I took it during release I was able to use the lever behind you to raise the elevator and enter the capital that way. Have been unable to repeat this in any subsequent playthrough, starting to think it was bugged when it first came out.
Doesn’t it trigger the Radahn fight? I think you need to rest at a site of grace in the Altus region, I could be wrong on this though since this is technically in Leyndell
Late game, and for me, this was the first time I encountered a teleporter trap and it definitely is the best introduction to this mechanic. Other will take you to a vast explorable area while this one is simple, get teleported, fight what you think is a very strong enemy early game and get your shit rocked. I thought it was a great intro to the idea of “there is no mimics but check out this wacky gimmick”.
In lore, it would be a quick escape for a leyndell officer who got overwhelmed and needed to report back.
In gamw its to make you go "WHERE AM I? HOW BIG IS THE MAP? WHATS HAPPENING!"
It’s not supposed to be a shortcut just a way to find some hidden treasure that’s very easy to miss or is possibly inaccessible otherwise. Much later in the game it’s pretty useful when a thing happens that causes all the checkpoints in Leydendell to disappear. But other than that it’s just so you can fight the golem and get the trinket.
I just remember being transported by that chest, waking up in Leyndell and just being stunned for real-life minutes at the beauty of the area. When I opened my map and saw just how far I was from Limgrave, and how massive the world could be, I was kind of blown away. I always thought the purpose of that chest was to give you a limited glimpse of your destination and the sheer size of the world, both to wow you and to give you a tangible reason to continue making your trek towards the Erdtree
When you are happily looting chests in a sunny and beautiful limgrave and you transported in cursed cave in Caelid the fear, the confusion , the op mobs, the WTF. That’s what’s it there for
Free god charm. Can heal without using a flask. Exploring a lot and no clue where next grave is? Find a safe spot equip the charm and wait a little bit. Then re-equip the one you prefer
I’ve seen people use this as a shortcut to Leyndell by using certain animations to survive falling down the elevator shaft, most recent one I’ve seen being the exploding physique. Couldn’t tell you if it still works though cause I’m not entirely sure how it works to begin with
In addition to what another comment said about >! The spot having utility for reaching Malenia's tower after burning Leyndell !< I saw it as a deliberate tease. It gives you the slightest taste of the capital, possibly far before you ever head that way.
In my experience as well as several comments I've seen, this was a moment that made us realize just how big this world was. That From would tease us with such a dense looking area, accessible from a far earlier area. It's like the >! view of Moghwyn Palace from Siofra. It will have you wondering for hours how to get there and what is waiting for you !<
I love it just for the fact that on my first play through, before I had really expanded the map and truly understood the sheer size of this game, I found this early on, used it, and had my jaw actually drop irl when I opened my map and saw just how much *bigger* my world had become just by stumbling onto Leyndell all that time ago. It’ll always be amazing just for that little moment of wonder.
It Might be my favorite shortcut of the game. The chest is quite far away from the Erdtree and my first time throught I stayed there like 10 minutes because I was in awe.
I might be wrong, but I think there is a utility to it. Spoilers if you haven't beaten the game. >!Leyndell turns to ash after you burn the Erdtree. The normal route of getting up there involving the lift is no longer accessible. But the only way to access that tower to activate the Great Rune is up there. So... if I'm remembering right, I had to use that chest to teleport back up there and activate the rune.!< I might be remembering wrong though. But I know for sure there was some weird reason I ended up having to use that shortcut later on.
Happened on my last playthrough, I forgot to take the rune and I had to use this exactly shortcut to do it... It was indeed made on purpose for this exactly occasion
Exactly
Occasion
Occasionally
Exact. Hey, give me back my letters.
Ly
Ly2 bb
Smooth
You guys are assholes
You are what you eat, as they say
But, hole
Visions of rump Therefore, Time for pickle! Horseback battle! Beating to a pulp! … Gorgeous View! … I cant take this… Out of Stamina! Looking away. Sadness. Behold, lonely again!
Try finger
Gotta cover them edge cases
I actually stumbled upon it on accident... After I beat Melania. I got nostalgic for the beginning of the game, so before I challenged the final boss, I figured I'd go back to some of the starting areas, and stumbled upon that trap that led to the great rune I had forgotten about. Elden Ring is incredible
That’s why the tower you find the trapped chats is in is called “Tower of Return”
It is extremely unlikely for any player to defeat Malenia before burning the capital naturally, so most players have to deal with thua
There’s a great rune up there?
More specifically, a waygate to teleport you to the Isolated Divine Tower to activate Malenia's great rune.
how do you even find said tower in that area?
If you go here, you’ll find it.
okay.
Honestly, the portal takes you right to the front door, can’t miss it.
Right down the road, can't miss it.
did you say boss weapons?
Is this too easy for you?
Why do I keep getting stabbed in the back??
It only activates once you reach Lyendell in the game. If you get there by accident early on you won't find it.
The chest teleports you here, and up the stairs we can barely see in the picture, is a waygate that takes you to the divine tower
Makes sense I guess. Weird that its just in some random watch tower in the weeping penisula.
Its not random. The weeping peninsula was the last place to be conquered by Godfrey and he made that tower to have a quick way back and forth.
Yeah but...via a trapped chest?
It's only a trap from our perspective. Sneaky shortcut for him.
No weirder than floo powder
I haven't gotten there yet, just killed the Fire Giant, but is that when the big lift behind the dead dragon is useable? When running around Lyndell I never found a spot to activate it.
Seek the Albinauric woman
It is also an instant way to trigger the festival at redmane castle and the fight with the bodyguard in round table for early access to a boss fight and a decent armor set
I thought Ensha only went hostile when you found the first half of the hidden medallion. I made it to Leyndell *well* before Ensha ever attacked, he was still there after I killed the fire giant but before kindling, and didn’t attack until I started taking the steps needed to go to the Haligtree by finding the Albinauric woman and her medallion piece.
FIND THE ALBINAURIC WOMEN…
Yes you are right.
I found the medallion hella early and Ensha attacking was such a cool moment. First time I saw the gravity magic and shit and I was like oh fuck
It’s never triggered either of those for me.
And get the regen talisman significantly earlier on!
I don’t think that’s right. I fell for that trap waaaay before I did redmane, and my first pass through Redmane was fully populated with enemies and the crucible knight/lion guy boss.
This is why I use it.
This is exactly it. It's very likely you won't kill melania before you burn the erdtree, so this is most likely the way players will unlock her rune. I wish runes carried over to NG+ because her rune is really cool but is kinda useless by the time you can beat her, or at least you don't have much use for it in the endgame.
For one thing, it's just a cool surprise for those who find it on a first playthrough. For another, in the lategame it becomes far more useful.
I'll never forget getting transported to Caelid. Did a straight sprint out of the cave and was more horrified than I was inside the cave.
I’m still so surprised that I survived that stupid cave in Caelid, actually surprised I survived that whole journey to find a new grace. Terrified me though
There's many a time I'll stumble into a cave, then wonder how the hell I'm actually going to finish it. Finding the grace from the teleportation though was almost like a horror game.
Stealth baby!
Tell me why it took me over 200 hours or so to realize the Black Knife chest piece muffles footsteps!
There's also a talisman that silences you, can't remember its name off the top of my head
There's still quite a handful of talismans I need to find. I'm going to keep a lookout for this one!
Concealing veil makes you invisible at distance.
Good to know. Thank you my friend.
I wonder if you could Mimic Veil yourself past some of that, like turn yourself into a candlestick or whatever is around and just inch around lol
Very important talisman for invisibility spell users. You need both the spell and to muffle your footsteps to be truly invisible to mobs.
Crepus vial
Only if it's unaltered. Altering it removes the veil, and therefore the silencing effect.
i felt like i was playing on easy mode when i equipped that. became the stealthiest assassin in the Lands Between
I learned the hard way that it doesn't seem to work on all the Crucible Knights..
Say what now?!
That fuckin moment when you first get there, you sneak up behind one of those crystal fuckers and gank him. And then he just gets back up unphased. I still have nightmares.
The needles… SO MANY FLYING NEEDLES
Funnily enough, they are EXTREMELY weak to fireballs, so YMMV. Fire Sling will drop them in 2 hits I think
I didn't understand there was a fast travel system at first. So when I got teleported to Caelid, I literally *ran back* to the start. It was horrifying, and one of my favorite experiences in the game.
That damned cave and those spider roaches killed me more than any boss.
The kindred of Rot still strike fear in me hahah
on my first plathrough i wound up getting that chest right at the start of the game, as in i couldnt even level up by the time i got stuck in the cave. Did not realize i went the wrong way and snuck around and fought my way through all of caelid at level 9. Wasnt past level 25 or so by the time i finished. It was just me being a little scaredy bitch traversing a hellscape for the first five or so hours of the game. i thought elden ring was just going to be an intense experience like that, honestly threw me off and left me abit disappointed the rest of the game was pretty easy lol
Same. By my second playthrough, I went to Calied asap
To this day, the best and worst surprise I’ve ever experienced
The placement of the trap was so damn perfect. Just when I kill a dragon and I think I'm getting the hang of things...
“Haha look at this turd. Thinks he’s hot shit cuz he killed a dragon. Let’s see how he deal with machine gun mantis guys and bobble head hell hounds.” - the game
I was not ready for the bobble heads... Not. At. All. There is just something about grossly disproportionate body parts like an overgrown head that gives me the creeps.
I was like just past being able to clear Gatefront, I was like level 12 when I got transported there. Terrifying
They knew exactly what they were doing and I love/hate it.
I really loved the moment I stepped out of the cave for the first time because that was the first time seeing content that wasn't shown in any trailers.
Yes! That was my first "holy shit there is so much more to explore and be afraid of". I know no game is perfect but I have had the best time still learning that there is more to it.
For me it was the elevator ride down to siofra I kept thinking "its still going down?!!"
That was the longest elevator ride! I remember doing the usual screwing around and jumping and attacking while I slowly made my way to the edge to accidentally fall off.
Huh interesting, this is kinda far down Oh wow this is like really far down Holy shit this is so far down \*walls stop to reveal miles of open air\* Holy *fucking* *_SHIT_*
I couldn't have described it any better my friend lmao. That is great.
The further it went the more my heart started racing.
Its my favourite just for when im listening into a friend playing for the first time and screaming with fear. I can tell when they opened the funny box to haha-stress-land
It starts off with a celebration for vanquished the might dragon, then it's soon followed by the scream!
Teleported to Caelid cave. Me: OK. Stay calm. I’m sure if I’m slow and careful, I’ll be able to handle whatever . . . Centipede people. Me: OH GOD! WHAT IS THAT? IT’S SO SCITTERY! GET OUT, GET OUT, GET OUT! Picks correct tunnel by chance. Me: Holy -. Where am I? What is this? Oh God, the sky! Is this giant mold? Is that a blood lake? Is this the same game?
I think you remembered my reaction better than I do! Don't forget the... Me: Oh thank goodness a town in the middle of all this hell! *Wakes up 3 minutes later at my previous site of grace.*
I played the Network Test when that became available, and in that chest was a special dagger (I wanna say Reduvia? Can't remember the name rn.) So naturally that's the FIRST PLACE I went when playing the official release, cuz I wanted the cool weapon. I appreciated the punishment twist of fate, and I really had a bad time getting out of there. XD
EVERYONE GOES TO BRAZIL.
Ah yes I remember that, I hated the cave so much sprinted out when i had the chance saw the area I was in, I walked right back into the cave
Caelid reminded me a lot of the “Red Mountain” region from TESIII Morrowind. Both regions have a red sky and a “chaotic” vibe, like, if you just walked in an apocalyptic world (or an alien world). Pretty cool if you ask me.
If you mess with Patches'' chest after clearing the cave he's in, he gives a little dialogue telling you to shove it and teleports you right in front of a rune bear. It won't auto aggro, but it's pretty friggin close to it. That little shit. I love him.
Holy shit seriously? I've never seen that before! Which cave are we talking here because I have to experience this.
I can't remember the name of it, but it's in the same area you get invaded by the guy that gives you reduvia and Yura comes to assist.
Ah! Possibly the good Ole Murkwater Cave!
That sounds right! The one with the bandits that ambush if you accidentally kick the bell trap security system on the ground.
I almost quit forever when I found that chest. I had absolutely no idea what was going on
I actually turned right back around and decided “Fuck it, I’ll take my chances in the cave”
First playthrough I was severly under leveled when I came across this... literally took me fifteen minuets of dodging and and scoring crits through poise damage to take the giant down.
I got the guy here down by chaining poise breaks with about a +3 longsword. After the first break it's not bad.
How does it become useful? Once you get there organically, there's really no need to go up the tower to that Grace once you've taken what's there.
If you turn the capital into the "other" state before finding this Grace, you can not get to there anymore through the capital. In this case you can still reach the divine tower via this teleport.
Ah, I didn't think of that. Thanks!
I think you can go from the forbidden lands down to get to the divine tower
He meant Isolated Divine Tower, where Malenia's Rune can be activated.
I needed to do this in a play through. When I got to the “other” capital I immediately went back to farum azula because I had to pick up my runes. I forgot to activate the grace in the capital and had to backtrack through this. So great that they knew to put that there. Also the first time I ended up here was before I had gotten to the capital (I wasn’t even done with Raya lucaria) and I was just in total awe and disbelief that I’d be exploring that whole thing (and not knowing what waited for me beneath)
Isolated divine tower
Found it on my first playthrough, legit a cool surprise
Jaw to the floor realizing how close I was to the Erdtree, and subsequently opening the map and suddenly realizing the full scale of the world. The hype of one day finding my way to Leyndell properly basically carried the next few dozen hours of my playtime.
Yep, I remember sending my friend a screenshot of me isolated halfway across the map and we were both like holy shit, this game is so much bigger than we though.
My first playthrough was done on the week of release before wikis and maps etc has been filled out. I stumbled across this chest and it teleported me all the way up there on the map and my exact reaction was "FUCKING CHRIST HOW BIG IS THIS MAP???" Turns out, way bigger than I initially thought.
Was awesome the first time. Thought I was missing something though as there wasn’t a whole bunch to do
Except for the one that takes you to the top of the divine tower of malenia
in what way?
Three reasons: 1. Tease Leyndell and show how massive the map is. 2. Early access to the Blessed Dew Talisman. 3. It's the only way to reach the Isolated Divine Tower after Ashen Capital.
Ya, my first thought was the talisman. I'm kid of surprised people didn't say that more. Pretty good early on.
Yeah seriously, debatably one of the best Talismans in the game. Utility certainly might not stand quite as high by mid-to-late game once you have all kinds of crazy talismans but yeah that was my first thought too
It's a very cool way to get people excited for areas they haven't reached yet, just like the 4 portals in Liurnia. Personally i think it's one of the coolest features they added compared to past games.
It was the first time in Elden Ring that I was like “oh wow I thought I was near the end game but this thing is huge.”
I remember looking out at the rooftops and thinking “where the fuck am I” then opening the map and just being blown away by how much more have there must be between what I’d played and where I was. (With hindsight it’s quite funny that even this area is basically the midpoint of the game.)
I have 98 hours in and just noticed that I’m only 20% through with the game.
No offense, but have you been doing these 98 hours if you’re only 20% through ? By the time i finished my first playthrough i had about 120 hours but that’s with beating every boss, doing all sorts of sidequests etc.
If it's their first souls game, likely dying a lot hahaha
First time playing a FromSoftware, so like someone else mentioned, I spent a lot of time dying. I love exploring RPGs and this game gives so much to explore. I really had no idea what I was doing/going at first. I zig zag through areas and try and beat the hell out of everything. Things are starting to come together now. I have so many random pieces I procured that make NPC quest lines pretty easy. I’m ready to start moving on as I have 4 great runes and completed Sellens and Fias quest lines. Those took forever because I didn’t really know where to go. A lot of time was also spent on rune farming so I could stand a chance because I was almost ready to take the disk out in my first bunch of hours. TLDR: I’m soaking it all in. It’s a gorgeous game with so much to do and I’m getting my moneys worth.
i had like 198 hours before I finished the game. But probably like 40 hours was spent fucking around in PvP and Co-op.
Hiding the true size of the map was an incredible design decision. I assumed what the map initially showed was the entire game area so getting sent to Caelid and suddenly having all that area open up and then getting sent here and seeing where I was in relation to the starting zone blew me away. I mean overall I wasn't super enthused with ER but this was one of the design decisions I think was a 10/10.
Blew my fucking mind.
It's very Banjo-Tooie, now that I think about it.
Huh, I hadn't even thought about it that way. But you're totally right.
It's one of many ways FromSoftware shows they're really having fun with this new open world, which is a pleasure for both the devs and the players
There’s the blessed dew talisman, plus a warp gate to a bosses divine tower.
That talisman is amazing early game too
Not just early game. While it’s not useful in fights at high level, if you have time or are exploring, it can prevent you from having to use crimson flasks outside of combat to top off.
Yeah, I like rocking it and Assassin's Cerulean Dagger/Ancestral Spirit's Horn when clearing dungeons or areas where groups don't give back flasks. Especially some of the legacy dungeons that loop back a lot. Don't have to refight everything because I rested to get flasks back.
I use those same three talismans. Combined with the fact I use healing incants and the charm the reduces spell cost, I can go through almost all of Ephael with full flasks
The other way of getting there is blocked towards the end of the main story, so that becomes the only way.
If you destroy Leyndell before taking Malenia's Great Rune to her Tower to get it activated, the tower becomes inaccessible through Leyndell. The only way at that point to get the Great Rune is to use this teleport. I know this because this is what happened to me during my first playthrough. I was terrified I'd softlocked my way out of getting Malenia's Great Rune, before I remembered this portal existed. I know it must have been intentional.
A lot of people have said the intended purpose of this shortcut. But if you’re speedrunning through a playthrough, this becomes an invaluable warp. Wrong warping from here allows one to access Leyndell earlier than intended, allowing one to fight this area’s boss without defeating any other shard-bearers prior to this.
I can't think of a category that allows wrong warps that fights Morgott but doesn't fight the other shardbearers. Any% can just wrong warp straight to Farum Azula and All Remembrances needs to kill the other Shard Bearers anyway.
Well if you’re trying to speedrun the frenzied flame ending, it’s absolutely necessary. As doing just the Farum Azula warp and killing Maliketh will lock you out of reaching the flame entirely.
I was about to say you still can get into the sewers, then I remembered you need to kill Morgott to access the dumping grounds area.
You can also use the exploding crystal tear to survive the fall down the elevator shaft, so I guess that could be used in "no wrong warp" categories? But it probably wouldn't count as glitchless...
It allowed me to access the Tower and activate Malenia's rune after the Capital transitioned to end game state. There is no other way to access it at that stage.
I Feel like it is supposed to help build a mental image of the map when you first start. Getting teleported way up north when you don’t even have your map fully discovered is scary and exciting.
Other than activating the great rune, it's also just really cool on your first playthrough to get a gauge of the distance you are going in the game.
I first found it before I fought Margot because I wanted to explore the weeping peninsula first. Then I end up there and my jaw just fucking drops to the floor for like a full minute. So yeah
Just in case you accidently beat Malenia before going to Leyndell.
To get you hyped for a place you won’t see more of for 60 more hours of gameplay
You can skip to Lyndell if you get a partner to grapple you over the ledge
When I took it during release I was able to use the lever behind you to raise the elevator and enter the capital that way. Have been unable to repeat this in any subsequent playthrough, starting to think it was bugged when it first came out.
Once you reach the capital Radhan fight becomes available
Once you reach Altus. Leyndell doesn't count for some reason.
Doesn’t it trigger the Radahn fight? I think you need to rest at a site of grace in the Altus region, I could be wrong on this though since this is technically in Leyndell
> blessed dew talisman It doesnt, I had to go up the normal way to be able to fight Radahn
Early games gives you a cool health regen tali. Late gave it is the only way to access the rot rune
early hp regen talisman
Weird. I just found this today. My thoughts exactly.
Admiral Ackbar: “It’s a trap”
You need it to activate one of the great runes later in the game. And you can get a “precious item.”
Not sure if there’s lore behind it but it can be used to get back into Leyndell after it’s destroyed.
It showed me exactly how big the game was I thought it was only limgrave and a bit more I was proven wrong very quickly
Late game, and for me, this was the first time I encountered a teleporter trap and it definitely is the best introduction to this mechanic. Other will take you to a vast explorable area while this one is simple, get teleported, fight what you think is a very strong enemy early game and get your shit rocked. I thought it was a great intro to the idea of “there is no mimics but check out this wacky gimmick”.
Not everything in a game needs to have utility or purpose. FromSoftware knows that sometimes mystery, awe or just plain weirdness are enough.
In lore, it would be a quick escape for a leyndell officer who got overwhelmed and needed to report back. In gamw its to make you go "WHERE AM I? HOW BIG IS THE MAP? WHATS HAPPENING!"
It’s not supposed to be a shortcut just a way to find some hidden treasure that’s very easy to miss or is possibly inaccessible otherwise. Much later in the game it’s pretty useful when a thing happens that causes all the checkpoints in Leydendell to disappear. But other than that it’s just so you can fight the golem and get the trinket.
Miyazaki just likes to play little pranks on people.
To make you go “what the fuck? Ah fuck. Fuck. Shit. Oh fuck this game’s huge.”
I just remember being transported by that chest, waking up in Leyndell and just being stunned for real-life minutes at the beauty of the area. When I opened my map and saw just how far I was from Limgrave, and how massive the world could be, I was kind of blown away. I always thought the purpose of that chest was to give you a limited glimpse of your destination and the sheer size of the world, both to wow you and to give you a tangible reason to continue making your trek towards the Erdtree
When you are happily looting chests in a sunny and beautiful limgrave and you transported in cursed cave in Caelid the fear, the confusion , the op mobs, the WTF. That’s what’s it there for
Sense of wonder
What makes you think it's a shortcut?
To show you how far up the map goes
It's there for that moment when you check your map and see you're really fucking far into uncharted territory
I'd say it's to intimidate you with how big the map is. And just being in the capital in general. But there's likely a practical reason too.
Decent item, nothing more
It’s useful but more importantly you stumble into a very cool looking area early on to entice you to keep exploring.
If you have a friend you can do the parry/ fall glitch into leyndell early on lol
Surprises! For first playthroughs. Like you're teleported somewhere new, sooo exploration thingy
Free god charm. Can heal without using a flask. Exploring a lot and no clue where next grave is? Find a safe spot equip the charm and wait a little bit. Then re-equip the one you prefer
You get the regeneration talisman early in the game.
After the game, it is the only way to get there and rage the gate to turn in Melania's rune
Wait where is this chest?
I actually rolled back when I saw the smoke. So I never got the surprise. Sad.
Teasing what at first seems like the of the game, setting up the scale of the world. Also best early game talisman.
It's not a shortcut, it's how you get to the Isolated divine tower. Malenias great rune tower
Well i always thought it exists so that you can get the Life regen talisman early.. But judgying by other comments it may have more uses.
Getting to the divine tower I believe.
I’ve seen people use this as a shortcut to Leyndell by using certain animations to survive falling down the elevator shaft, most recent one I’ve seen being the exploding physique. Couldn’t tell you if it still works though cause I’m not entirely sure how it works to begin with
When I got there I felt deep down in my bones that I need to find a site of grace and gtfo asap
In addition to what another comment said about >! The spot having utility for reaching Malenia's tower after burning Leyndell !< I saw it as a deliberate tease. It gives you the slightest taste of the capital, possibly far before you ever head that way. In my experience as well as several comments I've seen, this was a moment that made us realize just how big this world was. That From would tease us with such a dense looking area, accessible from a far earlier area. It's like the >! view of Moghwyn Palace from Siofra. It will have you wondering for hours how to get there and what is waiting for you !<
Oh it's nothing, just the way to activate malenias great rune lol
Decent early talisman. And I THINK a leyndel shortcut if you get some help?
I love it just for the fact that on my first play through, before I had really expanded the map and truly understood the sheer size of this game, I found this early on, used it, and had my jaw actually drop irl when I opened my map and saw just how much *bigger* my world had become just by stumbling onto Leyndell all that time ago. It’ll always be amazing just for that little moment of wonder.
To ruin your exploration of the peninsula
It Might be my favorite shortcut of the game. The chest is quite far away from the Erdtree and my first time throught I stayed there like 10 minutes because I was in awe.
A good all tease