Elden Ring Lore - Vyke, The Fallen Hero

Learn the story behind the Tarnished on the cover of Elden Ring; Vyke, the Dragonspear, Knight of the Roundtable, the Festering Fingerprint.
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[@bagofcats879]

I think lansseax was litteraly in love with Vyke, she is waiting for him by the secret path to the altus plateau...and then we can find her near the dragon cult church, the places where she has the most chances to encounter him

[@bcfb21]

She also could be the one to have imprisoned him in the evergaol. A dragon would easily be able to access the mountains. Hell she might have been his maiden for all we know.

[@JohnTaylor-ed4eb]

find her? i ve never seen who your talking about

[@Skully_14]

@@JohnTaylor-ed4eb she’s the big dragon you encounter after the other entrance to the Altus Plateau.

[@bcfb21]

@@JohnTaylor-ed4eb You probably have, just not the way you were expecting. If you get to altus through the tunnels instead of the lift and head towards the city on the path she will fly down and try to mess you up. She's a dragon at the time and you only ever see her as a dragon as far as I know, but the boss is called Lansseax

[@TheRealFlapSlapper]

@@JohnTaylor-ed4eb fight her at broken coffin, then again near altusbloom lightning plants directly east of the lyndel grave with the black knife boss outfront. You get an incantation for it

[@Longknife]

*Countertheory: Vyke imprisoned HIMSELF* I see a big implication in the fact Vyke's skin isn't burnt, but rather his armor. This to me implies he was not completely compliant with the Three Fingers, because if he were, he would've taken off his armor. My theory is that much like us, Shabriri approached Vyke when he reached the Mountaintop of Giants, offered an alternative where his maiden didn't have to die, and his maiden didn't show the same conviction and resolve Melina shows us. Being sympathetic, Vyke would seek out this alternative solution, and perhaps too late realize it was no solution at all. Somewhere along the way, his maiden is killed as well, either by the followers of the Frenzied Flame or by Vyke himself in a maddened state. This leaves Vyke with no choice but to go it alone, and perhaps he (rightfully) didn't trust himself to approach the Elden Ring out of fear what kind of hold the Three Fingers would have over him. So what does he do? He goes to the furthest Gaol in the most obscure, difficult-to-reach location and locks himself away, to ensure that he cannot become Elden Lord even if the madness should take him. I think that's the sad truth: Vyke isn't the villain, he *is still* a hero, just a tragic one that can't continue on now.

[@pabloqp7929]

Thanks for sharing

[@SuperMaster000X]

This is like a uno reverse card theory

[@BlackGuyTv]

As unlike our tarnish. He was grabbed from behind. Possibly from rejecting the fingers and forcefully burned?

[@ComradeOgilvy369]

Agreed

[@ninjahattori7576]

canon

[@aaronalexander826]

I always felt Vyke got "Palpatined" by Shabriri and is a metaphor for doubt and fear of success he was expected to achieve.

[@SophiaLilithUwU]

"Not from the Golden Order" -Darth Shabriri, probably

[@flonbowe151]

“I can shabriread your simping, boy”

[@trevthekidd]

*_touch the fingers. Dew it._*

[@user-ir1rt3sk5l]

"Once more the Flame shall rule the land! And...we shall have...peace..." -Darth Shabiriri

[@bb-ny2ov]

The wandering mausoleums contain the bodies of nameless demigods. If these demigods also possessed Great Runes that aren't named or present in the game, it's no stretch of the imagination to consider that Vyke may have been the one to kill them in the first place and claim their runes.

[@Jack-kn1mr]

there's a problem with this, those demigods in the mausoleums have experienced a true death of both body and soul. Thus, they must have died before Marika sealed away destined death or been killed by Malekith himself.

[@anamggss]

@@Jack-kn1mr What about the current tarnished though? We seem to be able to kill the demigods and take their great runes way before we even get to Malekith and take the Rune of Destined Death

[@armechaia4646]

@@anamggss month late but most demigods we take the Great Runes from never really die, their bodies remain and don’t fade away to the erdtree (Minus Radahn for reasons unbeknownst to me other than his big character model) The moment after we release the Rune of Death is when we come back and find Godfrey holding Morgott, who’s body is now in the process of fading away

[@rashkavar]

@@Jack-kn1mr There's also the possibility that they fell in the Night of Black Knives. The lore regarding the Night indicates that Godwyn was the *first* demigod to die, not the only one. We know Ranni cast aside her flesh at the same time, but most of the lore about her seems to indicate she was basically missing from then until fairly recently, which might exclude her from the official count. From the scale of the event, and from the fact that it seems to be the event that brought Marika to the point of breaking the Elden Ring - a point of despair that is clearly quite extreme - it seems not unreasonable for others of Marika's family of demigods to have fallen as well. And as the most recent demigods to die (and demigods to have died in spite of Marika's wishes rather than at the hands of Malekith, her executioner), this would also make them the ones whose memorials would be both grand enough and recent enough to exist more or less intact throughout the Lands Between.

[@Jack-kn1mr]

@@rashkavarMy problem with this theory is that they didn't receive the honorable Erdtree burial. As children of Marika they should have been honored with such a burial like Godwyn had they been slain that night. Yet they weren't and their bodies are all headless indicating execution. Another problem is that they WERE given a true death of both body and soul. Godwyn the first to fall only died in soul and Ranni only Died in body because she split destined death. We know this because we find the rune fragment of destined death on Ranni's body, and the fact that it was unable to give either of them true deaths means that when truedeath was split it lost the ability to give true deaths. Thus because the rune could not give Godwyn a true death because it was split we and as you said Godwyn was the first to die on the night of black knives, we can thus determine that these demigods in the walking mausoleums died before Godwyn and the night of black knives. He's also known as the first of the demigods to die, which means that these dead demigods must have had their divinity revoked or died before the golden order was established.

[@janaidian5612]

I get the feeling that when he lost himself to the frenzy flame, Lansseax attempted to save him, looking at the Vyke's dragonbolt it says she loved him the most and looking at what the effect it has on us, It lightens our equip load, what if for Vyke it lightened the burden of the flame on his mind giving him just enough control to imprison himself in the ever goal?

[@Psychosomatic63]

"Did you ever hear the tragedy of DragonSpear Vyke? I thought not. It’s not a story the two fingers would tell you. It’s a Frenzy Flame legend. DragonSpear Vyke was a Mad Lord of the Frenzy Flame, so powerful and so Mad he could use the Frenzy to influence the mind to burn all life… He had such a knowledge of the Frenzy Flame that he could even keep the ones he cared about from going mad. The Frenzy Flame is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural. He became so powerful… the only thing he was afraid of was losing his maiden, which eventually, of course, he did. By his own hand, Ironic. He could save his maiden from madness, but not himself." - Shabriri. "Is it possible to learn this power?" -Our tarnished. "Not from the two fingers" -Shabriri. (To be honest I did this just cause I had enough time and while not 100% accurate to his tale it's still relatively similar to the sorry fate Vyke got.) Also Rip Vyke still rocking his drip ever since I got it.

[@Hestaka]

As am I no side boss deserves to be that powerful if their armor isn't badass and the dude is litterly on the cover so the most badass...

[@CasshernCasshern]

Ppl seem to ignore that the burned markings on his armor indicate that his was grabbed from behind ,meaning that in a moment of clarity changed his mind and tried to escape or he tried to actually kill the 3 fingers and he failed

[@SophiaLilithUwU]

The maiden at the church of inhibition is called "Vykes maiden" in the internal game files iirc. I have seen as much in on of Zullie's videos.

[@eetfuk3571]

fellow Zullie watcher.

[@asterodon]

@@eetfuk3571 Unrelated, but what does your username mean? I've seen that written on one of James Hetfield's guitars from the 80's but don't know what it means.

[@eetfuk3571]

@@asterodon yup. My username is actually the name of the guitar of James Hetfield's 1986 ESP Explorer. How you read it is how does it means, literally lol.

[@bassblowbackrecords8932]

I believe Vyke is the reason Morgott doesn't believe in the tarnished becoming Elden Lord because he saw one Tarnished fall to the Flame of Frenzy. He probably thinks all Tarnished will give in to the three fingers

[@Hestaka]

And not just any Tarnished either, the greatest greatest knight to ever serve his brother loved by dragons taught by Lannesex and the one everyone believed he other Demi Gods should become Elden Lord fell... Then who could possibly be worthy... If even the greatest of them couldn't do it...

[@trevthekidd]

I probably did emotional damage to margott then by fighting him shirtless with the burns.

[@jamesnorman9160]

Perhaps the one Tarnished with the most storied history across the land, even if we only interact with him in battle. Plus, I like the fact Vyke's story implies that the Tarnished were given their Grace back some time before the beginning of the game: maybe decades or even centuries before, as we meet plenty of Tarnished who ask us if we can still see the guidance of Grace, or outright admit that they can no longer see the guidance. Implying that they lost said guidance as they proved incapable of becoming Elden Lord, so the Greater Will got to the stage of reviving lesser Tarnished (such as ourselves) to do their dirty work.

[@SuperMaster000X]

Talk about going for the plan c, d, e,...

[@hippittyhopp2379]

Aren’t we literally descendants of hoarah loux?

[@coachred6872]

@@hippittyhopp2379 That would be the Hero class, the rest are descendants of his army.

[@knotgradaunknown7414]

Kinda like Dark Souls 3 and the Unkindled .

[@jamesnorman9160]

@@SuperMaster000X Pretty much, lol. But it was the same in Dark Souls 3: the Unkindled were only bought back because the Lords of Cinder made it clear they didn't want to link the fire again.

[@tuskact.4632]

Vyke is much obviously weaker in the evergaol. Just imagine this guy in his prime. Possibly as strong as Godfrey and literally loved by not just the ANCIENT dragons but also the two fingers. They had believed this guy was gonna become the elden lord. Keep in mind, Vyke's story takes place possibly hundreds of years before yours. An era where Leyndell was unbreakable. Radhan and Malenia were at their peak. Etc. If a guy could stand up to all of those people, I'd say this guy is atleast Ancient Dragon level and it definitely is more than From's bad player model bosses.

[@LordOfChaos.x]

Vyke was definetly a powerhouse The version of him we fight is just an old remembrance of him who has mindlessly succumbed to madness

[@julians7613]

It’s truly incredible to me how this story which feels very condensed timeline wise takes place over the course of centuries, I would love to know what the lands between looked like at that time, what factions and demigods were struggling and where, god its like imagining history

[@Adam-wy7mj]

No one was ever close to being as strong as Godfrey that man was built different

[@tuskact.4632]

@@Adam-wy7mj Vyke was someone extremely close to being the Elden Lord. Just because Godfrey was the first doesn't mean he was the strongest and Vyke was already Elden Lord level, with all his connections to the Order and the Dragons. That's why I said "Possibly" stronger than Godfrey. (Also this is 3 months old 🗿)

[@varietychillin9632]

Pretty sure Malenia only reaches her peak when she fights us, she becomes a goddess

[@ythandlename]

A knight is most recognized in his armor. Vyke was a distinguished warrior known for his chivalry and high honor as a Dragonknight. So he went to try to defeat fate and attacked the Three Fingers in order to save his maiden. Ironically, it was Vyke protected by his knighthood that stopped him from becoming a Frenzied Lord and unfortunately damned him to a eternal torment as branded by the Three Fingers for his heroism.

[@shodahollow4021]

I think the reason why Vyke failed to be the lord of chaos is because he actively denounced his connection to it. Theres a good reason why we find him in the Evergaol with his burned/marked armor yet he uses no flame of frenzy incantations nor is his weapon capable of inflictng madness during that fight. I think because Vyke was more or less the first tarnished to join the Three Fingers. They didnt fully know how to “implant” themselves onto him. Which is why he was able to resist. When we appear before them, now that Vyke served as a pseudo beta test, we have them mark a chunk of our own flesh so that no matter how we feel afterwards and no matter what Melina tells us we cant shed them of us unless we use supernatural means ie Miquellas needle. Plus, because we meet Vyke basically protecting most likely his maidens deceased body, we could surmise that because she killed herself after Vyke was nearing the end and then decided to ditch everything most likely because of her, he then decided to renounce the Flame of Frenzy and maybe try to redeem himself as a last ditch effort to make her proud. But thats just what i think.

[@user-dx6zc2nf7h]

Interesting theory, that would explain his evergaol state.

[@matteobaelstromos4260]

Maybe a Frenzied Maiden was there, and she noticed the armor kept him safe. So maybe through the teachings, Irina learned we had to approach the fingers naked.

[@austingerner-rose697]

Maybe the three fingers never intended to make him the lord of frenzy, and only intended to drive him mad so he wouldn't become elden lord, effectively ruling out competition so they could find a proper host for the frenzied flame to have their lord of frenzy make it to the Erdtree. In the game it's Hyetta who tells us to remove our armor, I doubt his maiden would have told him that let alone even known as its Hyetta who was being given the grapes of Shabriri and may have had that knowledge.

[@HalcyonEX]

Yeah also Hyetta is being fed "grapes" which lead her closer to the "light" and vyke wouldn't have had any of that kind of help

[@dinorex3464]

My guess is that he simply didn't know. The fingers communicate by moving, not by talking, so it's notlike they could tell him "Dude get the armor off" when he got in, so they just went with what they got.

[@DarkLordBearBear]

My first playthrough, I had figured out that Melina was going to burn herself so I could get through the impenetrable thorns. But then I ran into Yura, now Shabriri, and he said that the frenzied flame would make it so I don't have to burn her. I tried waiting as long as I could to save the last and hardest platforming in the game until the end; but after the fire giant, I had nothing else i could progress to yet. So, i sought the frenzied flame thinking it would save Melina. I had missed a lot of the "talk to Melina" prompts because they didn't catch my eye at first. So, when I made it to the flame, and rested at the bonfire after, I was shocked and dismayed that Melina left me, epecially because I believed I was trying to save her. I like how Vyke's story as presented here, sounds so familiar to me. I did the first playthrough mostly blind, and figuring out this world. And I felt both betrayed by the frenzied flame and a traitor to Melina. Horribly wonderful thing to experience through a video game.

[@Argonak1]

When I did my first playthrough I was blind as well, when I realized the full implications of what I had done, there was a brief moment of regret followed by acceptance and an embracing of my decided fate.

[@LordOfChaos.x]

Elden Ring First Blind playthru is one hell of a experience

[@thenatchgig4213]

Word for word bar for bar my first playthru at release, I was RPing a Guts build, and losing Melina like that was essentially like losing Casca. Not following guides or knowing anything about the needle, as Guts I accepted the frenzied flame fate, as this was basically the closest thing to going Berserk. Thanks for sharing man

[@smileandnodd]

I know it's just a video game but I don't regret saving Melina. As a matter of fact, I will always choose the Frenzied Flames over sacrificing Melina even after 11 NG+. It's ironic really. Every step you take that leads you closer towards the Frenzied Flames, Melina will try to convince you to turn back. She'll tell you that life is beautiful and worth living for despite all it's cruelty and ugliness. Yet, she herself is choosing to end her own life. Her words are supposed to deter you from pursuing the Frenzied Flames but it only made me want to save her more. I could never bring myself to sacrifice someone who believes in the good of the world despite how cruel the world is. Even if I have to become the devil himself.

[@rwberger6]

Either Shabriri or the three fingers seem to have the ability to move souls into corpses and approach people looking to save others. They drove the guy from castle mourne insane in exchange for reviving his daughter (with a different soul inside her), drove vyke mad trying to save his maiden, and then tries to drive you mad to save melina.

[@square-table-gaming]

So we dont know for sure if that character is Irina, because her corpse and that character can exist in this world at the same time.

[@rwberger6]

@@square-table-gaming Huh, didn't know they could both exist at once. Giving them the same character model, same vision problem, and same voice seems intentional though and would be odd if it was just a coincidence.

[@binbows2258]

@@rwberger6 After you kill Maliketh Gurranq is still in the beastial sanctum even though they are the same person. Fromsoftware has a consistency issue with potentially dead/alive characters appearing in multiple spots at different times.

[@discountcrusader9773]

If only Vyke did Millicent's quest line to use Miquella's needle to tame the flame

[@Prince_Mammon]

I think it's safe to say that Morgott is the one who imprisoned Vyke, because the room to the three fingers is sealed off by him.

[@HenryGreenEngine3]

To give everything up to save your maiden, and then, in a fit of blind insanity kill her anyways... now that's a heartbreaker.

[@HalcyonEX]

A bit generic imo but always a good way to fill out a characters backstoey

[@RaiZe301]

Getting some Darth Vader vibes

[@TheHandofDestiny]

Vyke is like me, except instead of inheriting the Frenzied Flame to save his maiden, I did it to let CHAOS TAKE THE WORLD

[@jimijenkins2548]

LET CHAOS! TAKE! THE WORLD!

[@passioncomplex]

one of the best delivered lines of dialogue in the game that brings the same energy as the narrator going off in the intro lmao

[@talktomegoose1420]

MAY CHAOS TAKE THE WORLD

[@SanguiniustheGreatAngel]

Like your handy work on Calth

[@TheHandofDestiny]

@@SanguiniustheGreatAngel Why thank you

[@300kyuubi]

My absolute favorite npc in the game. He is someone that is worthy of being Elden Lord. To me, he is a true hero of the round table

[@Skully_14]

For me, Vyke’s tale is quite sad. I wonder if perhaps Vyke had fallen in love with his maiden, and comitted to the Frenzied Flame as a misguided means of protecting his love. It’s not hard to believe in my opinion. After all, I have found myself quite fond of Melina, and when I got to the Mountaintops I was honestly saddened by the reality. The only true companion our Tarnished has, our Maiden, is to be eternally seperated from us. It is her fate. Quite dreadful.

[@PerusingPanda]

I wonder if it was Vyke's fall that made Morgott put so many countermeasures in place to stop us from becoming Lord of Frenzied Flame. No one could simply wander down there and be marked afterward, as Vyke had.

[@SaintHanger]

Never listen to elevator pitches that end with, “MAY CHAOS TAKE THE WORLD!”

[@thelonelystankmuncher8879]

Vyke is kinda like anakin, both were chosen ones in their story and both were corrupted by a power that could save their loved one

[@ngc_7821]

What if Vyke was imprisoned by the 3 fingers after discovering that his sacrifice was useless? maybe after discovering that his maiden committed suicide Vyke tried to free himself from the control of the 3 fingers, maybe that's why he doesn't use the frenzied incantations? After all, Shabiri also has access to the Mountaintops of the Giants. This is only a theory, but certainly not an unfounded one.

[@MrKuyaJ]

He is Darth Vader of Elden Ring….And we are Luke!

[@NotRot_]

I love how your character looks like slave knight gael man, watching those clips of you fighting vyke just reminds me of gael

[@tengkuhafiz4174]

To me he was the Tai Lung of the story, he was loved, talented, praised, unparalleled skills wise but ultimately got outclassed by someone who was written to be better than him (us the players/protagonist)

[@VLimit11]

Awesome video! I wish more people explored Vyke's story, especially since he's on the cover of the game. His armor is sick, and I love the connections that are made between him and so many other figures in the game.

[@square-table-gaming]

Thank you! We love digging into the history of these characters so much.

[@georgiosgiannoukas3319]

Vyke is my favorite character in the whole game by far. A once great warrior who had the powers of a dragon slowly descending into pure madness. What a great, albeit sad story. A story I relate to.

[@Cadrieldur]

Everything about this Video, Narration, and the Lore of Vyke was worth the watch. Subbed.

[@square-table-gaming]

Thank you!

[@venuasaur560]

I wish we got an actual boss fight that showed how strong vyke was

[@plaguedocofrock309]

I like to think that after Vyke and shabriri meet, he saw, and understands the dangers of the Three Fingers, and goes to confront it. Thinking he could possibly defeat it. Would explain why he is still in his gear. After being defeated by the fingers, he hunts down his Maidian, later being captured and imprisoned inbthe Goal.

[@plaguedocofrock309]

Also, his spear, the flame, is more focused at the top. Maybe from where he was able to thrust it into the three fingers, and was grabbed afterward.

[@thomasraymond7912]

Someone else in the comments did point out a small detail that I never noticed before, the burn marks on his armor suggest he was grabbed from behind, which does suggest he did not intend to receive the flame like we do if we receive it. Perhaps he battled them, and managed to pierce them with his spear. Which supports what the other response to your comment said. He thought he won and began to walk away only to be grabbed from behind and infected with frenzy. That being how it played out would also explain why when we encounter the three fingers they seem so weak, and in pain. They have had a festering wound, perhaps several, since the time they infected Vyke.

[@PerseusCW]

I’m really sad that we recently found out he had a cut quest line

[@Tenkai_Knight]

Just a thought, what if the Three Fingers sought out Vyke specifically? Vyke was proficient in Ancient Dragon incantations and Dragons have connections to the Crucible. The Crucible is said to be a time where "all life blended together," and we know the Frenzied Flame wants to melt everything away until "all is one again," making it an era akin to the Crucible. The Three Fingers might have wanted a vessel who was, in a way, close to their vision. Someone who could harness the power of the Ancient Dragons, Vyke.

[@arynrink2432]

It's also possible that Vyke took the great runes of Ranni and Godwyn to get to the capital...Ranni casted her rune aside, but it's unclear whether or not she destroyed it or just hid it somewhere, and Godwyn's great rune was never found. It's possible that Vyke, being a knight with close ties to Godwyn, was able to get his great rune upon his death. It's also possible that he searched out Ranni to avenge Godwyn's untimely demise, but only found her dead body, and since he probably thought she had died at that point, he just took her great rune as well, giving him access to the Erdtree.

[@ninjahattori7576]

You chose the Frenzied Flame for the Ending/ Melina I did it to avenge my Nomad Brethren We're not the same

[@CheckyBoi]

On the cover art of the game its really interesting who you see sent after him. A royal remains set who could be no other than Ensha and a female warrior one so its possible thats Napheli and that Gideon himself sent 2 of his best to aid in the capture of Vyke. Lionel the Lionhearted lays far in the back leaning against the wall near the broken arch. On the right we see Jarreds set along with a Carian knight and what seems to be a ronin set judging by the knee armor. And a mixed iron set i cant tie to anybody, that one just may be filler. I just find it cool how sutch a factionally diverse hit squad was sent to fight one tarnished and yet Vyke like the CHAD he is seems to have won anyways.

[@wubwub247]

Keep killing it STG, i love the humbleness and methodical approach to lorebuilding. It feels like early vaati videos. Can't wait for the next one!

[@SophiaLilithUwU]

I'd like so see a video like this looking at Bernhal, who has actually a quite similar story to Vyke's. :)

[@manuelsilva6244]

I think taking out the armor or not is a metaphor for being able to fully leave this world behind and completely trust the three fingers or not. Vyke wanted the power or like the idea of the 3 fingers but couldn't completely abandon this world, or someone in it (his maiden or the dragon he loved).

[@vagranthippopotamus2738]

Vyke is one of the coolest characters in Elden Ring, and that's really saying something.

[@henryteo8566]

He was 1 step away from being the Vyke King.

[@NothingRemains.]

When you get two great runes and talk to Enia, she says that there was only one other time she has seen two great runes together before. This person can definitely be Vyke, since we do need two great runes to enter Leyndell.

[@square-table-gaming]

It's possible, but that begs the question what great runes were taken? All of the lord's are alive and kicking when we reach the lands between. As far as entering Leyndell, you actually can get there with no great runes. There is a path that makes this possible. In the video we have Vyke walking away from a large well - this is where the path let's out.

[@ottogofast3882]

Nah it was bernahl

[@kleptokross4358]

@@square-table-gaming perhaps but no matter which path you take you can’t enter the capital without two great runes as there is a seal that prohibits you from entering (and based off of Gideon’s voice lines it seems the the Two Fingers placed the seal themselves). It could be that there were a few more demigods we never encountered. Another thing I don’t see people questioning is if there are more than one Three Fingers. Ours disappears after the Frenzied Flame takes purchase in us. Who’s to say Vyke’s didn’t do the same? 🤷‍♂️

[@NothingRemains.]

@@square-table-gaming Vyke could have taken Miquella’s and Ranni’s great rune since, from a line from Sir Gideon, he says that Miquella and Ranni each have a great rune, but if this is the case it will pose the question, how did he get them? Since Miquella was taken by Mohg and Ranni is said to have casted aside her great rune with the theory that she hid it on one of the moons you can see at Moonlight altar.

[@binbows2258]

@@ottogofast3882 It's not bernahl. He's just a recusant. We don't even see him in or past Leyndell.

[@ncrnmcn]

Maybe Melina is the one who imprisoned Vyke in the Lord contender's evergaol. Melina is the one that does give us the Rold lift medallion, and her room is in the Grand lift of Rold area

[@roninkahn4033]

If the cover art is to be believed as vyke falling to his knees he killed or defeated many other tarnished including ensha since we see the armor in the cover art.

[@bryangoodwin6579]

Awesome, I was just looking into his history yesterday. Excellent timing! Thank you!

[@Mr_Maiq_The_Liar]

There may have been more demi gods and more great runes that have been slain and claimed. After all Godrick has his father, Godwyn, presumably also a demigod, imprisoned in a ever Gael. After all, the finger ringer crown does mention that she had seen 2 great runes in one place before, though long ago great runes did not appear until after the shattering. And Ranni is said to cast aside her greatrune but her body bears no great rune only the curse mark. Vyke likely was the one who shown her two great runes, one of which Rannis the other likely someone from Godrick's leniage like Godwyne. Both great runes of weaker demi gods (Ranni is by no means weak but her greatrune can likely be acquired without fighting her) that can be conceivably acquired by Vyke at his observed power level

[@square-table-gaming]

Bernhal is also a possibility as he made it to the mountaintop of giants.

[@BeefHammer1]

Crazy I was recommended this video after wearing this chest plate for weeks because its clearly the box art character and looks BADASS af

[@berylman]

*breaks out Percy Sledge singing voice* When a maaaaaan loves a dragon /great lore video and now I'm rocking full fingerprint just because

[@cecilgallimore7375]

He thought he could trick the three fingers by wearing the armor thinking it would protect him because I believe he fell in love with his maiden and would do anything to protect her same for Yura and Eleanora because he was in love and shabriri told him he would give he the ability to save her and join them as one

[@izzy407]

Here is a suggestion we should speak about the Tarnished that killed Yura. She has a story of a warrior turned corrupt just like Vyke

[@square-table-gaming]

We actually did! It's a rougher video because it's one of our first few, but check out our video on the bloody fingers.

[@izzy407]

@@square-table-gaming That's really cool did you do one on anastasia tarnished eater?

[@square-table-gaming]

@@izzy407 we did not!

[@izzy407]

@@square-table-gaming I don't think anyone has as far as I know you should put it on your list she invades several times three times which is a lot so I feel like she's important.

[@square-table-gaming]

@@izzy407 she's a recusant so she likely works for Volcano Manor, but there really isn't anything major in-game that teaches you her story. We could certainly speculate.

[@dionys514]

Shabriri is a literal scammer - talks about saving an innocent maiden by melting an innocent maiden. Shabriri, wait for my claymore, I will put your foolish ambitions to rest

[@violettreglio2933]

interesting idea, that the fight with Vyke in the mountaintops is with the real Vyke, chronologically after you fight him in the frenzy flame village, and not some temporal echo from his past. that implies that his armor and spear still being marred and burned is not an oversight but a deliberate indication of the timeline, which is something i hadn't thought of. something i do think is interesting is Vyke's peculiar relationship with not only Lansseax, but also Fortissax, considering that Vyke is able to use Fortissax's lightning spear, a technique that even other ancient dragons weren't capable of. it seems odd that Vyke could be just some random knight, and yet be so close to the two most important ancient dragons alive, not to mention that he is also somehow more adept at ancient dragon lightning manipulation than most ancient dragons. it's said in the description of Vyke's dragonbolt that it was an incantation developed personally by Vyke, and that he was the only human to ever be capable of such a feat. there just seems to be a lot pointing to the fact that Vyke may not be a normal human, which raises the question of what his relationship with Lansseax specifically was. perhaps her love wasn't romantic, but maternal?

[@Argonak1]

Plot twist, Vyke is Lansseax's child. Born human, but having dragon lineage. Think like Lansseax in human form giving birth. This is overall an attempt by the ancient dragons to usurp the era that erased theirs and get back at the very order that waged war on their kind, but Vyke being of his own free will ends up being his own worst enemy. The ancient dragons final plot goes unnoticed, Vyke is mourned, and the lands between continue on until we come along and decide it's fate.

[@platypuspracticus2]

How about lore on the other heavily featured knight: Vargram the Raging Wolf.

[@Mohgenstein]

They could have made him a Artorias level boss yet they gave us a random NPC fight, the potential was crazy

[@Drawnartist]

This guy is my favorite npc. I wore his armor and wielded his spear my first playthru. Got the flaming frenzy ending too was pretty cool

[@JoseTheKraken]

Man i wish there was a dlc just about him

[@falseprodigy5361]

I love the production, you did well brother!

[@square-table-gaming]

Thank you!

[@ninjaspider0892]

What if Vyke was imprisoned not to protect others, but himself? What if evergaols block out outer gods? Think about it, when we finally meet vyke he's already been burned by the three fingers, however we never see him use the madness spells or AoW. What if that's because he CAN'T; What if the powers provided by the outer gods are no longer available in evergaols? He only uses his dragonbolt blessing and a few others dragon cult spells, what if evergaols can also be used as a form of treatment? That instead he was slowly being restored to his former state? In order to become ready to serve the round table again maybe someone imprisoned him in hopes of healing him and cutting off the frenzied flame? Just some of my thoughts on the topic

[@Drawnartist]

Maybe the version of Vyke we fight in the evergaol is like a past version from outside time? Idk but it is curious how he is back to "normal". But his armor is still burned so idk 🤷 Edit: Sabriri video sounds cool btw

[@Henbot]

It is pretty funny when I came across Vyke, in the lord contender thing (hadn't fought the other version) I was clearly way too over levelled and destroyed him pretty easily that when I saw the flavor text about him, I was puzzled because I destroyed him with utter ease in like a few hits. My play through I am trying now is to cure myself after taking the frenzy flame and save Malenia but free myself, like a little arc I'm doing in which my tarnished doesn't want to lose her so does these steps and will also cure themselves.

[@harryunderwood9387]

Wounds on the back tend to come from one of three possible sources - the target was in the middle of running away, they were protecting someone else, or they were taken by surprise. None of those possibilities are good ones considering the Three Fingers... I also wonder who Vyke's Maiden was, considering we don't really see any mention of one besides the Fingerprint set implications. Perhaps she was the one we find in the Church of Inhibition? It's close to the Frenzied Flame Village + Tower, and Vyke does invade that location.

[@square-table-gaming]

Apparently her data labels her as "vykes maiden"

[@harryunderwood9387]

@@square-table-gaming Makes sense, and if the Village and Tower are any indication, she was likely trapped there. Poor woman, I hope it was at least quick.

[@kingofcrows8700]

I honestly feel like Vyke should have been a remembrance boss instead of the regal ancestor spirit. He's such an important character in lore in top of being interesting.

[@thatstarscourgebrother680]

Absolutely adored your Lore-telling skills, like NatGeo style

[@Melodic_Demise]

Vyke litterally accepted the flame to protect his maiden but him doing that destroyed her only purpose as maiden so she took her own life because of vykes decision then he locks himself in the ever goal because of the powers the flame was giving him

[@topcat59]

Honestly when you think about it vyke is the Anakin of the elden ring series.🤔🐱

[@jayc6894]

Vyke reminds me of Anakin. A chosen one with strength and good intentions eventually turned mad because of a manipulator’s promises to save someone they love. It’s like he’s Anakin and our tarnished character is kind of like Luke.

[@brandonwoodhouse358]

I also feel Vyke locked himself away near the flame of the forge giants in the mountaintops, because he realizes too late that was the true path for tarnished to follow. Not the lies of the frenzied flame. Denying a maiden the ability to sacrifice themselves in the fire denies not only fate, but the true path to lordship. I also feel it kinda makes sense for the Mohg illusion to be the gatekeep here. Not only because he's an omen in an omen filled area, but he is an outcast just as Morgott and all other Omen were. He guards the way down to the frenzied flame, which is the "wrong path". The "alternative" path. Any and all deviations from Erdtree guidance and grace is met with banishment or death. And perhaps the Omen themselves, as well as the frenzied flame inhabitants like Vyke, all have their own hardships and story to tell.

[@micheletirondola8902]

Vyke is no longer connected to the flame of frenzy because he removed his eye in which the flame dwells. He drops a shabri grape when killed

[@square-table-gaming]

It is not confirmed anywhere that he takes out his own eye, or that removing your eyes releases you from the frenzied flame, we could have taken it for ourselves. Also, he only drops one, and presumably Vyke has 2 eyes, at least according to his model.

[@trevthekidd]

Vyke and Artorias would've been the best of friends.

[@apolloisnotashirt]

7:10 this is pretty poetic

[@mmixo]

This makes me think about how Melina is not explored enough. I did not feel the need to find another way to burn the erdtree. The frenzied flame path could/should feel like a sacrifice, but it does not

[@mmixo]

Another question. If any maiden have the ability to burn the erdtree, what makes Melina special? She is not even a "real maiden", just plays the part

[@Adam_Voxx]

great video perhaps you could do one on recusant bernahl eventually. I'm very curious as to his past, I remember reading that his maiden lept into "the fire" which I can only guess is the giants forge but for whatever reason the erdtree never was burned. I'm still trying to make sense of this.

[@thanus6636]

Perhaps it was burned, after the main ending the erdtree can still be seen.

[@jacquesgravel4149]

In a future DLC, I would really love to get Vyke's armour and weapon, pre madness. I really would be amazing.

[@gabriyelmastrianna8864]

In my head I imagine there were more shardbearers we don't see or left the lands between or have had their shards claimed by other warriors who have long perished. As there are hints of other gods and lesser gods that we don't see because they've been so widdled down

[@parkout95]

Both artorias and vykes were defeated trying to protect a loved one Goes to show that to become a lord you must not be attached to people

[@graynomad7735]

Madness is my favorite new status and lore

[@ctyoro5086]

I like the chronological interpretation and how the video tries to show that along with it edit: I wonder if Vyke failed to become the Lord of Chaos by keeping his armor on. If the player chooses this path they must remove their equipment, and get the fingerprint scorch marks on their body. Vyke has similar markings on his armor so maybe it prevented him from fully inheriting the Frenzied Flame and is why the three fingers still remain, as they disappear when inherited by the player.

[@square-table-gaming]

Thank you! We wanted to do something different. So many channels have talked about Vyke and we didn't want to give people something they've already seen.

[@ctyoro5086]

@@square-table-gaming btw sorry I wrote my edit in the beginning of the video and then found out you say the same thing later on lol

[@HoiPolloiNtertains]

You and Vyke both anime flipping and killing each other was an awesome ending.

[@blulikefriendlyhit1213]

I makes sense that, since Vyke didn't have any great rune, that he couldn't fight the control of the frenzied flame, kinda like Radahn resisted the scarlet rot because of his rune

[@Jonas0924]

I wish in the DLC we can have a questline with him.

[@hainguyn948]

Yes, it's called frenzied flame

[@scarvello]

The stories of these characters are so sick.

[@freazeezy]

The finger readings crone at the round table says she has seen two great runes together only once before. It must have been Vyke. He either killed two shard bearers we haven't heard of or the great runes went back to the owner's for some reason.

[@square-table-gaming]

Bernhal is also a possibility if you look into his lore

[@sekytwo]

My new favorite channel!

[@blazedonakayak5294]

Imagine we fight vyke in the dlc, kinda like artorias, where we go back in time.

[@piuli95]

I had moment of theory that flashed over my head the moment i fought off invading frenzied vyke, the moment our tarnished defeats him and gets fingerprint eye, might be the reason he became to his senses and regret washed over him, and he went to imprison himself.

[@deontraybillings]

I really hope that they consider turning this story into an anime series.

[@LAGG_IyE]

The finger reader from round table hold says that only once before has she seen two great runes together. I think that was Vyke

[@TerminalM193]

I actually ran into Vyke in the most random invasion spot near the grand lift but we'll after the mad castle tower, "frenzied flame being cast on top of castle pillar, forget the name". But down in the channel between the giant wizard and memory tower but down in the channel before the crypt/dungeon down between the 2 raised areas....

[@square-table-gaming]

This is beyond the frenzied village and just before the dead maiden ;)

[@paris5831]

Cool thing is is that u can actually see what he looks like and copy his face and body like I did I watched a KZbin video he’s actually not burned underneath too, I’m doing a play through were he actually becomes the lord of frenzy

[@samuelzhang7650]

Honestly, I think they did the Vyke mini boss fight in the evergaol dirty. I mean sure, the invader one is a mindless hollow, but we are talking about a tarnished suited to be the elden lord. He has the love of a FUCKING DRAGON, the respect of the previous elden lord, and the aide of the two fingers. I really hoped we could save him using miquella's needle, but no.

[@obambagaming1467]

This Gigachad definitely wasn't maidenless. He not only got one, but two b*tches, one of them even being a dragon

[@shan-lekearns2009]

Had no idea my favourite weapon had such a notorious own

[@nobuffer101]

*My Theory: The "mysterious force" who suggested Vyke go to the Flame of Frenzy, was Lansseax. And Vyke didn't go mad immediately.* Hear me out, I think that the "figure" who convinced Vyke to go to the Flame of Frenzy wasn't Shabriri but Lansseax. Lansseax loved Vyke (platonic or romantic we'll never know) and held great respect for him and definitely had faith in his strength. When Shabriri first tried to lure Vyke, he didn't accept, but Lansseax, an ancient dragon who probably would've known about the existence of the Frenzied Flame took notice. In this unprecedented event of a Tarnished with the potential to become Elden Lord, the Flame of Frenzy revealed itself. So she told Vyke of the dangers of the Frenzied Flame and tried to convince him to take this chance to defeat the Flame of Frenzy while the opportunity exists. If he becomes Elden Lord, the Flame of Frenzy will simply continue to hide behind its doors. Vyke, convinced by Lansseax who had faith in his strength, traversed to shunning grounds. But he was unaware of its existence, and during his exploration of the sewers came to understand and question many things, the omens their treatment, Mohg's chapel, and the tragedy of the Great Caravan, but remained steadfast. Though he also entered combat and throughout his journey had undertaken a lot of damage, most likely fighting Mohg's projection and the Frenzied Merchants. When he reached the forsaken depths, he prepared himself to ambush the Flame of Frenzy when it opened its doors to him under the guise of becoming their "Lord of Frenzied Flame". But that was when the reveal caught him off guard, the Flame of Frenzy, was the Three Fingers. At that moment, Vyke began to question many things and what that may imply about the Two Fingers and their connection, but that moment of hesitation led to his defeat. By the time he could regain himself it was too late, he was caught and burned by the Frenzied Flame. But just before he could completely inherit the Flame against his will, Vyke cast his Dragonbolt to protect himself and was able to escape the Three Fingers, and made his way outside of the depths. The Three Fingers, having learned from this encounter established a rule that to prevent being attacked again, anyone who wishes to truly inherit their flame must strip themselves bare, after that, the Three Finger closed their doors once more, waiting until a Tarnished capable of taking the throne and becoming Elden Lord is enticed by Shabriri, and lays themselves bare to them. As for Vyke, whether he would succumb to the flame or not, no longer mattered to the Three Fingers. If he succumbed, he would retain his strength and soon enough become the Lord of Frenzy anyway, if he didn't then that was merely a threat now disposed of. But Vyke, having managed to escape the depths and the sewers, did not unscathed. Though madness does not set in immediately and for a time, Vyke maintained his sanity while combating the Frenzy in his mind. Fearful of what had happened to him, he sought guidance from his Finger Maiden at the Church of Inhibition. When the villagers discovered what had happened, those who cared for Vyke, tried to develop a cure for the madness. This is why the recipe for the Clarifying Boluses is discovered there. "A record of crafting techniques left by those afflicted by the madness of the flame of frenzy. Contains techniques discovered in desperation." But an ingredient was needed, Eyes of Yelough, and the only place within the Lands Between where this was grown in abundance was the Ailing village in the Weeping Peninsula. A village of fanatics who praised the Flame of Frenzy, and there they harvested a few Eyes for the Boluses, slowly but steadily becoming exposed to the flames. Eventually, their research brought them to Shabriri, and the knights brought an item of interest to the village for research, Shabriri's Woe, but while they were able to create the Clarifying Boluses, they could not create a true cure for Vyke. But Sharbiri's Woe, which draws the attention of enemies of all kinds was most likely taken from the Ailing Village where Shabriri may have originated. But, by taking Shabriri's Woe, the rats of that village were drawn by the soldiers who had taken the item and followed them to the village, and the madness of the rats began to spread to the other villagers. And soon enough, they too began to become infected, and one by one, they began to go mad. Their desire to save Vyke in hopes of him becoming Elden Lord became twisted by the Frenzied Flame as they now desire him to become the Lord of Frenzied Flame. Whether by Vyke or by their research, whether in a moment of madness or by an incident caused by the villagers going mad, Vyke's maiden lay slain. Realizing what had happened because of him, the innocent lives infected by his madness, Vyke did not even bother to return to the Roundtable for advice out of fear of infecting them too, or maybe just out of shame. But he resolved himself, he realized that his quest to become Elden Lord would only end with him becoming the Lord of Frenzy (as it would be for us since we get locked to that ending without Miquella's needle which you can only obtain by killing Malenia). with what little sanity he had left, he made his way back to the Mountaintop of Giants and sealed himself in an Evergaol. But he continues to hold onto his mind within, as inside the Evergaol, Vyke does not cause the Madness effect with his attacks, nor does he have a phantom self. He sealed himself inside hoping that by doing so he would prevent himself from going mad, become the Lord of Frenzy, and end the world. And that if his seal were to ever be opened, the only one who could do so was someone who made it to the Mountaintops which would mean they would have the strength to become Elden Lord. If so, maybe that person will finally end his life before he hurt someone again. We do not know if Lansseax learned from Vyke himself what had happened, or if she even knows at all. But it can be implied that she is aware, and out of the sadness of losing her beloved, she returns to her Dragonoid form, patrolling the skies outside Leyndell to prevent other Tarnished from even potentially experiencing the tragedy that befell Vyke. But she still wishes for Vyke's dream to come true, for a Tarnished to take the throne of Elden Lord and fix the world that Vyke gave his all for. A Tarnished can only make it to Leyndell through two methods, the Grand Lift or the hidden passage. If you take the hidden passage, she lies on the path to the entrance to Leyndell as it was the only method available as the medallion of Dectus was lost. Tarnished could only go through the hidden path, where they would immediately encounter Lansseax who would stand in their way to the capital. If you managed to hold her off, it was proof of your strength and potential, and she would then retreat, hoping that you would become the Elden Lord Vyke wanted to be. From the beginning to the very end, Vyke never fully succumbed to the Frenzied Flame, even after being burned by the Three Finger himself. His phantom we fight at the Church of Inhibition is a shadow of what happened there in the past, the one moment he gave in to the madness, and most likely killed his maiden. He holds his sanity to the very end, and the fact that he can combat the Frenzied Flame and still maintain his individuality and sanity, is truly a testament to his strength. I really love the story of Vyke and Lansseax.

[@ajaymaxi82]

It’s quite a sad tale honestly. I love the story it’s sad to think that the one who loved him most and believed in him feels guilt for his downfall and guards the way to Leyndell to prevent the same thing that happened to prevent any other tarnished from meeting a similar fate to her dearly beloved Vyke.

[@SunriseSideIronworks]

Currently making a frenzied flame build, may turn into a Vyke playtrough but haven’t decided.

[@deztacular]

I have a theory, though unfounded, that the reason we find vyke in 2 different places, as well as with both Shabriri and Vyke found in the forbidden lands, is that Shabriri in order to assume someone's body their spirit must have left. This is how he was able to enter Yura after he died and inhabit him, it's possible Shabriri died in body but not spirit and this allows him to inhabit a host, with some possible help from the frenzy. How this relates to Vyke, is that Shabriri wished to enter vykes body after being singed by the frenzied flame, but Because Vyke did not die he had to seal his soul into an evergaol, as he was on his way to burn himself in the forge. This is my explanation for why we can fight 2 vykes, 1 mad and one not, regardless of killing the other in game, because one is his body consumed by madness and the other is his soul sealed away. I'm not sure whether he took vykes body and discarded it in favor of Yura, or whether he couldn't use vykes body in the first place (something to do with why he was unable to become lord of frenzy) but I think it's an interesting reason for these scenarios. There are definitely holes however.

[@bryangoodwin6579]

Interesting. My only complaint is that Blaidd is able to be released (even though he wasn’t dead) but maybe both his body and soul were trapped. Too much mystery surrounding evergeols.

[@bagofcats879]

I like this theory, i want to add to it I think shabriri can only inhabit a body when its spirit died in agony and despair, it's the hallmark of the flame of frenzy, that's why shabriri chose yura, because he died despairing that he couldnt redempt eleonora

[@okmowstop9]

To be honest Vyke has to be my favorite in elden ring

[@santiagocisneros3002]

I hope in the DlC we get too choose between vyke and the other tarnished raging wolf and some others too follow there story.. and I hope we get too choose for vykes destiny too burn his maiden or become frenzy lord ♥️