What are the Rune Bears in Elden Ring? | Lore Shorts

Please check out @ZullietheWitch 's video on the topic: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gKGximaVe7aXrdE
Special thanks to @mispap1 for their legendary capture and editing work.

[@HonstlyIdontKnow]

“Bear with me” Damn you Vaati

[@Dearra_S]

Bear witness!

[@Finn959]

He's so smart

[@YoungProfessorUtonium]

Just slipped it right in there huh

[@alsoagalkbyr945]

I’ll be honest this made me smile

[@sluttyMapleSyrup]

Celeste profile pic spotted, vibe check passed

[@calibula95]

This add another layer to Godrick's line: Forefathers one and all... BEAR WITNESS!

[@SuperKale2000]

OBJECTION! Bear witness wasn't present at the day of the accident!

[@menialbee]

imagine if godrick used a runebear arm instead

[@Masked_Shadow]

Bro you just made my day😂

[@josephmackie6434]

​@@menialbeeNobody could bear him.

[@darklonewolf4519]

Malenia after Godrick was begging her to spare his life: "Damn Godrick, you are unBearable"

[@naasirmitchell4971]

And now we have a bear themed dragon spell, man don’t miss

[@tylerd4884]

we do?

[@itspotatotime3527]

DLC🔥🔥

[@ZijnShayatanica]

​@@tylerd4884 In the new trailer, there appears to be a spell like Greyoll's Roar but it's the head of a bear. It's not DEFINITIVELY a spell, there's a chance it's a colossal weapon art or something, but... It makes sense it could be an allusion to the connection of dragons & rune bears.

[@micdraypr1855]

it's an incantation, you can see the glowing seal in hand@@ZijnShayatanica

[@ArkbladeIX]

named runebear boss ahead😰

[@BowForGlory]

Saw a bear head dragon spell in the trailer.. he knows too much.

[@cody3504]

Touch grace

[@BowForGlory]

@@cody3504 you first

[@cody3504]

@@BowForGlory Touchè

[@Nick3gytf]

That explains the pain they cause, the defense to everything and as to why they are so much more terrifying than most bosses.

[@imsorrydave9000]

Also their magic shout attack, maybe.

[@Zer0TheProdigy]

@@imsorrydave9000FUS ROH DAH!

[@Nick3gytf]

@@imsorrydave9000 that’s part of the pain they cause.

[@mysticfox1663]

I have a harder time fighting rune bears than dragons lol

[@crestothegecko6279]

@@mysticfox1663Fr. Their chunky figure makes them hard to read and tell exactly what they're doing. With dragons their attacks are at least more obvious with their long limbs and relatively slow movements

[@Ilmatorjuntapanssarivaunu_90]

"Jamie, pull up that video of a bear turning into a dragon."

[@JustAres95]

This comment is guaranteed. 😂

[@JamesSmith-gm7fm]

There's always one

[@adrianhebreros]

​@@JamesSmith-gm7fm i Dont get it

[@mangee3]

​@@adrianhebreros its a Joe Rogan reference

[@Ckoffee]

IT'S A RUNE GRIZZLY LOOK AT THE SIZE OF THAT THING!

[@mccalbiur6672]

After seeing Shadow of the Erdtree’s trailer, this is probably true. The trailer showcased a rune bear roaring incantation that is similar to the dragon incantations

[@BowForGlory]

Well he's playing a creator copy of the game so he can drop his day one video so yeah it is.

[@steel7468]

@@BowForGlory isn't it a bit early for that?

[@BowForGlory]

@@steel7468 no lol. It's completely done. They announced it for summer to capitalize on sales. You bet your ass vaati got an early copy. This video is vague so I'm guessing it doesn't tread the lines on releasing any new content I could be full of shit but this is my two cents.

[@Tulip_bip]

​@BowForGlory Vaati gets sent extra stuff out of courtesy, but they wouldn't send him a full copy of the dlc 4 months before it comes out lmfao

[@steel7468]

@@Tulip_bip right??? ain't no way he got a copy so early, a month beforehand is about right.

[@joereed8872]

So with the trailer for SoE out. The bear roar is a dragon incantation rewarded for killing an even more dragon like rune bear?

[@VaatiVidya]

Of course, the slitted eyes and stone chests of the Rune Bears could be a design holdover from an earlier time in Elden Ring's development back when they dropped Dragon Hearts. You could absolutely argue that it's not canon anymore. But regardless of whether this is canon or not, it's still a fun part of their visual identity. Please check out Zullie's video on the topic! Link in the description

[@Plexplay]

Could it be possible that the rune bears consumed dragon hearts as well, or at least other dragon parts? Since we know nothing about the process of turning into a dragon, the changing eyes are the only detail we can witness of such a transformation. Especially, when we compare the looks of rune bears and regular bears

[@josephmackie6434]

Definitely interesting. Maybe these bears were fed dragon hearts? But why? And for what purpose?

[@Rythmicrythyn]

Now that you mention it, there is a huge runebear down that elevator pass in Caelid, where there are a decent amount of gravel stones. Could be a correlation!

[@jackd8374]

They could have hunted dragons as prey, this consuming the hearts coincidentally

[@josephmackie6434]

@@jackd8374 Runebears could maybe, they are fearsome but were they that way before they are the dragon hearts? Were they created by someone to aid in the fight against the dragons in ancient times? Definitely feels like there's some lore there we didn't get through items and such.

[@Steampunked777]

Maybe the rune bears are bears that have eaten a dragon heart?

[@sluttyMapleSyrup]

That's my thinking, too. A mortal dragon dies, a bear gets hungy... that happens once or twice more, and boom; rune bears. They seem most common in Limgrave and Caelid too, plus Caelid has a large number of dying dragons, suggesting many more are already dead and gone...

[@VaatiVidya]

That's the implication yeah

[@unendingessence4001]

They did have bear cubs right like the size of a normal bear and they are normal are they descendants of some bear who ate a mortal dragon or just bears who got strong hence rune bear or maybe a bear eating? A larval?? Rune and obtained draconic powers the noxs guys did create dragon guys so it's probably that for me I don't remember the name of the rebirth thing

[@Tinman3187]

Or maybe things keep evolving into dragons the same way species keep evolving into crabs in the real world. Dragons are the crabs of elden ring.

[@lozm4835]

​@@Tinman3187It's rare for From soft to have the majesty and magic of old start to come back, but Elden Ring is one of the more optimistic of their games. So, perhaps.

[@erick4845jr]

With the new dlc trailer there was clearly an incantation bear roar like the dragon one

[@MistaFinni]

Ok so after watching the Shadow of the Erdtree trailer, I instantly connected the dots to this video. There was an incantation featured in the trailer with a Bear with a single twisted horn and red (striped) fur. What got me was the single horn as that is featured on an armour set you get from... the girl that killed our samurai friend (bad with names). The one that partook (partaked?) In dragon communion. Her helmet had a single, twisted horn.

[@thehamiltonshow]

Bear in mind that these bears walk around on their bare feet.

[@fourdayz1414]

You crafty bastard

[@BrendonKing]

I believe they're called "paws"

[@liquidbismuth1044]

@@user-ye4bu6xh4c Bruh, you misspell one word and it’s the pun itself… lol

[@on_the_inverse_5193]

Thats barely even a fact! What else are they supposed to walk on? Do they wear bearskin boots? Or maybe, bear with me, they wear flip flops?

[@liquidbismuth1044]

@@user-ye4bu6xh4c Oh, nvm then, lol

[@Phi0ne]

The Bears are so insanely strong, it doesnt surprise me that they take down and devour dragons 💀💀

[@FelixMBlume]

that doesnt make any sense? They became runebears and therefore very powerful AFTER consuming dragon hearts, so it would make more sense if they were normal bears who feasted on the remains of mortal dragons consuming their hearts that way

[@IveBeenWithBruma]

​@@FelixMBlumeThis. I believe they do in fact hunt and kill dragons because where there are runebears present there is a distinct lack of dragons in their area. I think they could be addicted to dragon flesh/hearts because they are far more ferocious than the most aggressive bear we know of.

[@californiarollwithramensea8220]

​@@FelixMBlumethere's no evidence that shows physical strength increase from eating dragon hearts and they're at the same stage of transformation as us if we consume enough hearts. Runebears could just naturally be that strong.

[@TVHammond]

​@@FelixMBlume maybe the first heart they eat starts a chain reaction where they have the want to consume more thus leading to hunting dragons? or even rather just the hunting for dragon hearts, already dead or not

[@liamriddell8461]

​@californiarollwithramensea8220 I'd have to dissagree with that based on Dragonic Tree Sentinals also partaking in dragon communion. They're literally huge without their horse and have insane amounts of strength. Also the magma wyrms are basically the end point of all that take part in dragon communion, every magma wyrm was once human.

[@ClariTheHeavyMain]

After the dlc trailer came out it all makes sense now

[@Nomadestra1776]

What's more, the DLC trailer showed a dragon incantation that summons a bear head.

[@cyphr7]

Him saying “Bear with me” sounds like some subtle hidden message like’s he’s being held hostage from a bear.

[@ZijnShayatanica]

LMFAO. "Bear with me. Please send help."

[@Solesly]

Bear eats dragon heart - becomes Rune Bear. Since they can't willingly partake in Dragon Communion, nothing more happens to them.

[@nathanxxvii]

Bears are not humans.

[@serbianspaceforce6873]

@@nathanxxviiyes, which is why they cannot participate in dragon communion

[@random16-year-oldkid90]

Can normal, ordinary bears even kill dragons to eat their hearts tho? Last time I checked, normal bears can neither fly or use long-ranged attacks.

[@serbianspaceforce6873]

@@random16-year-oldkid90 I mean, I run melee only and dragons aren't a problem. No reason a bear can't do the same. They don't even need to ride horseback, they already run fast as hell.

[@brucefly7347]

@@random16-year-oldkid90They might just ate the corpses of the mortal dragons.

[@mitchcrawford4296]

The incredible attention to detail is but one facet that makes Elden Ring my favorite game I’ve played in 25 years of gaming. ❤

[@gustavoguimaraes1463]

And now we have a bear spell that looks like a dragon spell

[@thatguy-js7ri]

Thats kinda wild, always just assumed the rune bears were super charged on runes causing them to grow in size and strength

[@jeremycu4571]

Could be both, a long time of eating dead champions/ lesser beings, not necessarily killed by the bear, then it finds a dragon or two and with the rune of death bound, those bears prob lived for a very long time.

[@eldritchori]

I'm really enjoying these bite-sized short form lore videos. The quality from the longer videos isn't lost at all. Amazing work! 👍

[@cybwer]

the dlc trailer even showed a bear roar incantation like the dragon roar already in the game. maybe we'll fight a more dragon-like bear

[@Preston241]

The new bear head incantation in the expansion seems to support this idea.

[@joebobjon1127]

I like the idea of wild and generally normal bears mauling dragons so regularly that they started naturally committing dragon communion. It’s so absurd. Then again, they more likely would have just found immortal dragon hearts still beating among the corpses of mortal dragons, but still

[@WelcomeToTwinklePark]

Bear with me *vomits violently in helmet*

[@alejandrojimenez144]

Now there's a bear communion incantation

[@tarhanich7529]

This also makes sense since in the DLC trailer you can see the player use the draconic powers but instead a bear head comes out instead of a dragons

[@DappleApple819]

If they ate dead dragons and their hears, bam. Dragon bear. There was a war after all.

[@jeremycu4571]

There definitely was, item info like malformed dragon armor mentions it.

[@edd8390]

Bruh. Imagine having to deal with a flying rune bear

[@unface942]

Don't give them ideas for the dlc

[@feuerling]

Flying by sheer force of anger and flapping its arms wildly?

[@NEUROSIS2000]

From the new dlc trailer it shows a dragon incantation with the head of a bear 😊

[@TheShadyBell]

Thought about the same!

[@deadmemes1824]

In the new DLC trailer there's a runebear head(mixed with primordial stuff?) That's doing the dragon shout incantation

[@shinkamui]

there sure are a ton of runebears we need someone to rank them

[@ValTheVillain]

... I'll go get rusty

[@ZijnShayatanica]

The absolute fkn F tier Rune Bear is the goddamn mimic south of Agheel Lake. FUCK THAT GUY.

[@michailvartholomaios9587]

Winged dragon bears confirmed in the DLC after this video!

[@amberheardsdog]

tinged radagon pears? sounds yummy! what do these pears taste like?

[@michailvartholomaios9587]

I guess they taste like radagon, but a bit more fresh

[@javieraguilar2660]

The foreshadowing of the new incarnation is hilarious

[@dinorex3464]

This makes even more sense after the DLC trailer, where we see a Runebear draconic incantation.

[@czupryndaniel]

Thank you for mentioning Zullie for this discovery.

[@dannih2192]

I mean, he should have mentioned Zullie in the actual reel. Like wtf?

[@Draighean]

That makes sense with how fierce and violent those bears are. Some of the most brutal enemies in the game.

[@amberheardsdog]

once you get their attacks down they don’t do much. that or i am laughing in 53 vigor…

[@Draighean]

@@amberheardsdog then you find the shiny runebears. One near the path to the great Jar, one in snowfield.

[@imfuckingtired2835]

This theory is even more solid since the dlc trailer dropped. In the trailer we use a rune bear head just like a dragon communion spell

[@F1shyBab1shy]

The DLC gameplay trailer has what looks like a bear communion incantation, so you may be closer to the truth than you think

[@xgnik5334]

Video literally buffered right after "This is a dragon" It knew I'd need a minute

[@radicalplatypus551]

“Bear with me” Goddamnit Vaati you did it again

[@user-se3ii5sz7n]

So bear communion wasn't a joke along the way.

[@TheOnyxSpy]

Okay, but is nobody going to talk about the first person dragon slaying? That looked SO GOOD

[@TheArkhamKnight1893]

It’s such a cool detail slowly having brighter and more draconic eyes. I remember on my first play through a friend and me found the dragon communion sites then discovered that our characters eyes turned into a vibrant yellow and near the end the eyes became more catlike or draconic. Also the eyes work well with the Drake Knight helmet.

[@fairith90]

"What are the Rune Bears in Elden Ring?" you ask ... Bastards. That's what they are. Great video ;)

[@taylormoon_]

lol I thought the same thing when I read the title

[@kevabWTF]

The intro couldn't be more fucking hilarious

[@Jam0nTo4st]

Rune bears do use Fus Ro Dah, makes enough sense

[@angelhood101]

No that's a dog

[@ValTheVillain]

it don't bite

[@amberheardsdog]

imagine finding the mewing rune bears…just imagine the facial structure…absolute terror…

[@souptikdam8424]

Dlc confirms it, theres the bear incant , signifying they are similar to dragon to some degree

[@AndriuDaniels]

THIS APPEARS TO BE CONFIRMED WITH THE SHADOW OF THE ERDTREE GAMEPLAY TRAILER THAT JUST DROPPED, WOW

[@dannyleclair3415]

what do you mean by this

[@AndriuDaniels]

​@@dannyleclair3415 ah, just that, in this video Vaati theorized that Rune Bears could be dragons and the SotE trailer showed the player using a spell similar to the ones you can obtain via dragon communion, but this time it's a bear's head; therefore confirming, or at least strengthening, this theory :)

[@parkermaisterra8532]

Damn way to make the Rune Bears even cooler

[@Elreprobador]

From: This is a dragon, bear with me To: This is a dragon bear, with me

[@snazzyyeti5469]

My mind immediately when to the new incantation we see in the DLC trailer that is similar to greyoll’s roar but with a bear head.

[@cioccolata3165]

Now that we might have seen a "Rune Bear Communion"-spell in the Shadow of the Erdtree trailer, this becomes very relevant again.

[@jonryan8830]

How to make rune bears even more terrifying somehow

[@madscientist9254]

Perhaps its the other way around? That dragons are slowly devolving into rune bears?

[@ValTheVillain]

devolving? i pretty sure becoming a rune bear would be an evolution for most dragons lmao

[@davidhong1934]

"Devolving" in that they're becoming increasingly feral and animalistic

[@amberheardsdog]

then explain greyoll. it lost its strength and could not move.

[@madscientist9254]

@amberheardsbee evolution is not like Pokémon, it takes generations. But Greyoll has fur-like growths on her body, possibly hinting that she was born halfway through that process

[@kionisaragosa6368]

you gotta make more of these man they’re fantastic 🙌

[@user-dx7jz3cs1c]

The cinematography in this is top-notch.

[@Sofia8687]

A flying rune bear would've been a nightmare to fight!

[@sanketower]

Well, that explains a lot... Fricking bastards those bears.

[@awdgaray]

All but confirmed considering the new trailer for Shadow of the Erdtree

[@solidjb]

This is definitely a reference to skyrim bears who can take out dragons by themselves(and then presumably eat their hearts)

[@ShaheerS2]

after seeing dlc trailer, this is canon

[@davidela9022]

This is a Bear. Dragon with me

[@kaso236]

Bear communion

[@theOneTrueCactus]

Gravel inside the body, yellow slitted eyes... BEHOLD, DRAGON

[@rapidcougar3785]

Yes

[@arkeez1181]

Proven true by the DLC trailer today!!! Good job

[@nox_luna]

this explains the bear incantation in the DLC trailer

[@unidime3217]

More revelant today as we saw in the dlc a bear head like the dragon incantations.

[@randomkitty2555]

That explains why some runebears are literal mini bosses.

[@Empty_Illusion]

Zullie is one of my favorite underrated souls content creator thank you so much for shouting them out in this video

[@pendexion2995]

Bro took people calling turtles dogs to heart 😂

[@taylordakoda67]

It makes sense when you see the size of a rune bear and how ferocious they are in comparison to the normal bears

[@rexesshadow8628]

This basicaly just got confirmed in the trailer

[@rwberger6]

In the DLC trailer there's a new dragon communion spell that has what looks like the headof a more draconic runebear instead of a dragon head.

[@doom1609]

Starts off strong with the funniest Elden Ring joke ever

[@jordannarney8083]

“Bear with me” yeah he’s right there and pissed you called him a dragon

[@Ragzbot]

“This is a dragon, BEAR with me.” All the dads slow clapping: 👏…👏…👏

[@sale7423]

The more I hear about rune bears, the more terrifying they seem

[@riotguards]

Everything: evolves into crabs Runebears: evolves into dragons

[@Boo_the_black_and_white_corgi]

This is an crazy theory because in the trailer for the dlc we saw a bear head incantation just like the greyols roar incantation plus godricks weapons that’s a dragon skull is called bear witness

[@futuristicbus61]

This lore shorts are absolutely amazing

[@The-Almighty775]

"This is a dragon, bear with me" aight bet I'm all ears

[@theswaggs178]

A runebear with wings? And here i thought they couldn't get more terrifying

[@Vuodontyaknow]

VAATI SHADOW OF THE ERDTREE TRAILER DROPPED. WE NEED YOUR GUIDANCE IN THIS TIME

[@rueeandrewyanguas6510]

I lost it right after that "Bear with me"😂😂

[@joshuaokerstrom205]

I love when lore people reference each other

[@enestahirovic3356]

The Elden Ring equivalent of being a werewolf Dragonborn in Skyrim

[@Ckoffee]

"Draconic snow rune bear isn't real, he can't hurt you." Draconic snow rune bear:

[@alonymelony8047]

"bear with me" no no I don't think I will this time mister Vaati you keep doing this

[@damascusraven]

Probably because the rune bears are so OP that they can 1v1 the dragons.

[@pyatig]

For a second I thought Vaati was going to say “This… is a dog”

[@not_averge]

"Bear with me" fuck

[@TurdFerg117]

The lore in this game is so convoluted you can be a dragon.

[@KatrissaBallet]

Love how Zullie the Witch is essentially a scholar people credit for Soulsborne universe studies. Truly a magician to remember for the ages

[@4ngelplay816]

“THIS” is the only thing I never wanted to fight in Elden ring 😂😂

[@prakrithkeshav9425]

Rune bear dragon as a concept is absolutely terrifying

[@B4TZZZZ]

“Bear with me” I fucking hate myself for laughing 😔

[@ScarletCharlotte]

"This... is a dragon. And this.... is a bucket."