Summary
WithElden Ring’s upcoming DLC still quite a bit away, there’s still much that players don’t know about what all this DLC will bring to the game. Even with this in mind though, the upcoming Shadow of the Erdtree DLC forElden Ringpotentially has the chance to troll players who will instinctively participate in a habit developed within the game’s community.
Since the game launched, it has become anunwritten rule forElden Ringthat players to kill every merchant NPC they come across while exploring. This community trend developed after players realized that killing merchants would provide a small advantage without resulting in any negative consequences. Because this has become such a popular habit amongElden Ring’s community, introducing repercussions for this tradition could be a top-tier prank.
Elden Ring Can Surprise Players By Introducing Consequences For Killing Merchants
Because killing the merchants inElden Ringprovides players with a convenient benefit and no negative repercussions, it’s a justifiable tradition for players to kill these NPCs. Specifically, by killing them, players can collect each merchant’s Bell Bearing, and these can be given to the Twin Maiden Husks at the Roundtable Hold to access the merchant’s inventory. So, by collecting all of their Bell Bearings, players can consolidate every merchant’s inventory into one location instead of having to regularly track each merchant down acrossElden Ring’s massive open world to purchase from them.
This tradition of killing merchants is ultimately in the same boat asElden Ring’s Dragon Communion, where participating in either of these actions won’t bring players any negative consequences in their playthrough. With this in mind, future content forElden Ringshould consider revisiting elements like this to give players a more immersive and interactive experience with the game’s mythos.
One such way forElden Ringto introduce repercussions for the tradition of killing the merchants is to make a surprise boss fight out of it. There are already trickster enemies like this in the game, such as theinfamous Rune Bear enemy inElden Ringthat can be found in Southern Limgrave.At first glance, this particular enemy appears as a weak, common enemy, but after provoking it, it transforms into a much more challenging opponent. Introducing a merchant that puts up a proper fight is likely to catch players off guard, especially if it’s a mimic type of enemy that hides its true form until provoked.
A Morality System Could Be A Game-Changer For Elden Ring
While it wouldn’t be as much of a troll as a surprise boss fight,Elden Ringcould also use this opportunity to flesh out a proper morality system. While there are inherentgood and bad endings inElden Ring, these are reached by completing specific NPC questlines that are admittedly quite linear. Consequently, a morality system could be a game-changer forElden Ringto possibly lead to new endings, or otherwise make players more conscious of actions like killing merchants.
Elden Ring’s Absolution Feature Has A Wealth Of Potential
On a related note, a proper morality system could allow the Absolution mechanic to play a bigger role in the NPC questlines inElden Ring. Consequently, this feature deserves a revisit in future DLCs forElden Ring.
InElden Ring, Absolution will allow players to regain a neutral relationship with NPCs that have become hostile from being attacked.
As it currently stands,Elden Ring’s Absolution mechanicis severely underutilized, which is a shame considering the possible implications of it. Given how many questlines involve players fighting against key NPCs, this kind of feature could have plenty of unique interactions inElden Ring, yet it’s seemingly only useful for players who accidentally attack an NPC after mistaking them for an enemy. A morality system could be the key to Absolution finding far greater relevance.
Elden Ring
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ELDEN RING, developed by FromSoftware, Inc. and BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Inc., is a fantasy action-RPG adventure set within a world created by Hidetaka Miyazaki and George R.R. Martin. Danger and discovery lurk around every corner in FromSoftware’s largest game to date. Hidetaka Miyazaki - President and Game Director of FromSoftware Inc. Known for directing critically-acclaimed games in beloved franchises including Armored Core and Dark Souls.George R.R. Martin is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of many novels, including the acclaimed series A Song of Ice and Fire - A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords, A Feast For Crows, and A Dance with Dragons. As a writer-producer, he has worked on The Twilight Zone, Beauty and the Beast, and various feature films and pilots that were never made. He lives with the lovely Parris in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
