Elden Ring - A subtle influence

Unlike the other demigods, Miquella isn't feared for his raw power, but rather for his charm, with the Bewitching Branches representing his cloying allure. There's little need for martial strength when no one would think to raise a hand against you anyway.
Song used: Korok Forest (Night) - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild OST

[@ZullietheWitch]

Special thanks to Maleedy and Tak3thisLif3, who both tested the interaction between Spirit Ashes and Bewitching Branches in the arena and recorded footage of it, since I obviously don't have the game in a suitable condition for going online myself. We were all quite surprised actually to learn how the Ashes behaved, since it seems like something that FromSoftware may not have really planned for or extensively checked themselves, given the mixed results.

[@carow7135]

Genuine question, what do you mean when you say you don’t have the game in a suitable condition for going online? 🤔

[@TriforceWisdom64]

​@@carow7135They'd likely get banned for hacking

[@ZullietheWitch]

@@carow7135 I mostly record footage on a significantly modified version of an older patch, so there are multiple reasons it would be inconvenient for me to try to do anything online.

[@zaynew9521]

Probably a lot of mod/cheat engine stuff to see file names and noclip around.@@carow7135

[@carow7135]

@@ZullietheWitch oh! I get it now. Thanks for explaining, I didn’t know that xD

[@nightmare_1337]

"compelled affection" is actually such an insane euphemism. No wonder Miquella is called the most fearsome.

[@sharkattack153]

Empyrean rizz

[@SinHurr]

"You. Are going. TO LOVE ME" - Fluttershy I MEAN Miquella

[@Acesahn]

I wonder if Melania isn't loyal as much as compelled by her brother?

[@Silly_Illidan]

And Ppl have the gall to say it's a curse... Yeah right...try having horns grow all over your body or try living with cancer since birth

[@OnAChairSitting]

@@SinHurr "I sure will" - Mohg

[@JoeJhoe]

Ah yes, a boss capable of charming spirit summons. Can't imagine the chaos that would unfold if they charm mimic tear, for sure a unique experience

[@ZullietheWitch]

Thankfully, Mimic Tear doesn't have the vulnerability SpEffect, but then again, they could easily add it if they do end up exploring that concept.

[@ZorillaMyrid181]

I hope they expand on this instead of patching it out, make it so the mimic forms of every creature can be affected. We'll have to see though, super hyped for the dlc

[@dickmarrinator9057]

Trust no one, not even yourself.

[@Blasphemousa]

Miyazaki's gonna troll us again

[@MythicMagus]

This unfortunately seems exactly like something Fromsoft would do tbh. They LOVE destroying 'safe strats' in limited cases by throwing curveballs like this.

[@CeresArda]

*Summons Tiche like always* *Boss uses charm and Tiche looks at me* Me: Oh no

[@tezereth]

I would crumble to the ground if a boss took away my Lhutel 😔

[@purehollow]

I have a feeling that's what miqulla boss fight is gonna be like

[@skilletborne]

But you get Tiche by beating Alecto without summons. You can do that again, right?... While fighting a second boss

[@sofer2230]

@@skilletborne RIP every INT caster who cheesed the hell out of the Alecto fight (it's me I'm INT caster)

[@raunchers1889]

@@purehollow That was my thought too. If we have to fight him, he may charm some of our ashes if we are not careful. Would make for an interesting boss fight.

[@tarnished-ml3fr3jq8w]

Bewitching Branches are helpful against spirit summons in PvE for the Commander Niall boss fight when he summons two banished knights.

[@lutzilla3708]

jumping off a cliff behind Castle Sol is also helpful for the Commander Niall boss fight

[@Inshallahsiuuuu]

@@lutzilla3708lmao I do this cheese all the time. Fuck commander Niall

[@tehlingo481]

I wish I knew this last week😭💀

[@tezereth]

Fighting Niall in honorable combat can be a good way of killing him

[@dignelberrt]

@@Inshallahsiuuuu He's a really simply boss, his knights are the annoying part

[@nathanhall9345]

Imagine there's this leader. He's brilliant. He's talented. He's determined. He's compassionate. He's selfless. He knows and wants what's best for you. He cares about you, legitimately. There's nothing about him to dislike. The catch is... You have to love him. You don't have a choice. You probably would have, anyway, but now nothing you can do, and nothing he does, can stop you loving him. Even if he isn't willingly causing this, even if he never takes advantage of it intentionally, that's still terrifying. Even if he is exactly what he appears to be on the surface, he's scary.

[@ceruleanrock2265]

That is basically Griffith.They look identical and are hailed as Gods lmao.

[@pious83]

@@ceruleanrock2265 Although, after The Eclipse, Griffith as Femto *is* a God.

[@nathanhall9345]

@@ceruleanrock2265 I haven't read/watched myself, but I did watch Daniel Greene's read-along. It sounded like Griffith was just using pretty much everyone rather than having anyone's best interests in mind. I do 100% believe Miquella is Griffith-inspired, for sure.

[@SuperBuckg]

Honestly it would make sense now that I read this that Miquella may not be doing the compelling on purpose, it's kinda like his sister in that it's just a side affect of his power as a forever baby

[@specialnewb9821]

​@@ceruleanrock2265not at all. Griffith was born in dirt and his primary attribute was ambition that slowly strangled any other positive qualities he had and made him see everyone but Guts as a tool to be used. Maybe taken care of so they don't break but not a comrade. People were drawn to him OR grew to hate and fear him. Miquella was born at the height of his society, and thought only of making his society better. First with his father, the by abandoning his station and living in exile, providing a hime for the unwanted out of compassion not because they were useful. There are some surface comparisons but fundamentally Miquella is the demigod least corrupted by the shattering and closest to his original heroic mode as created by GRRM.

[@notsimon1334]

Honestly, this whole manipulation/bewitching thing feels even more off when you consider, that some of Miquellas soldiers are literally suicide-bombing themselves for their lord...

[@purehollow]

It's just like the trailer "he wields love to shrive clean the hearts of men, there's nothing more terrifying"

[@alexread6767]

Consider that this may not be Miquella's order, as he has been gone for a while now. The Haligtree forces also ally with the Kindred of Rot and allow Rot to spread throughout the tree, which Miquella was explicitly trying to stop the spread of.

[@denniscarr9234]

Haligtree Soldier Ashes: "Spirits of common soldiers who carry the sacred light. When weakened, they explode to deliver a last-ditch attack. This was the bitter revelation discovered by the desperate soldiers who awaited the return of their lord to the rotted Haligtree." Sounds like Miquella installed bombs in them without their consent.

[@alexread6767]

@@denniscarr9234 Still, it's not explicit that it was on Miquella's orders. Many Haligtree Soldiers drink from Physick Flasks, and the Ruptured Crystal Tear which causes explosions is "a defective crystal tear." Perhaps the bitter revelation was that after Miquella's disappearance, the tree rotted, and the physick it was producing started to rupture. Although Miquella will almost definitely be a villain in the DLC. His design is heavily based off of Griffith from Berserk, who is generally considered one of the most evil fictional characters out there, and his Empyrean abilities are pretty disgusting

[@nothingness217]

Considering that Mohg's attitude toward Miquella borderlines on mania, I wouldn't be surprised if he was bewitched as well; although perhaps not intentionally.

[@DargorShepard]

No, Mimic Tear! You were supposed to destroy the sith, not join them!

[@joshuakim5240]

Darth Miquilla: "Have you heard of Elden Lord Plageus the Wise? I doubt it, as it's not a story that the Tarnished would tell. He had so much FP that he could cast a true resurrection spell. But, one day his Mimic Tear killed him in his sleep. All that power, and he still never got gud enough to fight without it. But his Mimic did, replacing him as its own man." Mimic Tear: "Is there a way to obtain this power?" Darth Miquilla: "Not as a spirit ash."

[@IggysEden]

Miquella turning your spirit ashes against you for his boss fight, if he gets one, would make a hilarious first encounter

[@Xolcm]

That would almost as hilarious as trying to parry the Soul of Cinder's second phase.

[@nix4177]

That could also be what the aoe spell in the trailer is. You probably get it after killing Miquella.

[@palladiamorsdeus]

Eh, they'd have to alter the fight pretty heavily to accommodate that. They also just WON'T do that since spirit ashes are meant for people who want to summon help but don't have any friends who play the game.

[@metalsludge8205]

​@@Xolcm old habits die hard

[@justingabriel1765]

I really hope we don’t kill him, as he seems to be the only sane one left in the world, I would like him to be another option to be elden lord like with Ranni, it would be your choice but I find that way better then oh we search for him this whole time and it turns out he’s crazy and we have to kill him like that’s just dumb

[@TheMightyGiantDad]

Everybody gangster till Miquella turns your +10 Mimic Tear that beat the game by itself against you

[@memeticks3610]

Everybody shits on DS2 for being "too easy" then there's Mimic Tear...

[@xbirdshorts5075]

That would have been a better gimmick than what we got 😂

[@lemeres2478]

3:17 "Ok, time to beat this Miquella boss fight. Let's go, Tiche! ...Tiche? What's wrong?" "Finally. I've been carrying you through every boss fight for so long. Now it is time for payback"

[@kristianjensen5877]

"Heed my words. I am Tiche. Blade of Miquella. And I have never known defeat!" "Oh shit, here we go again"

[@tanrata8658]

"Do you remember me Tiche? When I killed your mother I talked. Just. LIKE. THIIIIIS!" *starts chucking giant balls of fire*

[@Chwiztid]

​@@tanrata8658in Christopher Lloyd voice.

[@garver5833]

"Tiche would you kindly stab that tarnished"

[@ETBrooD]

Imagine if the spirit ash that you summon turns on you and you die in the fight. Then you face Miquella again... and there's your spirit ash, fighting you again. And you can never get it back until you beat Miquella.

[@mensarius6432]

The Nox Antriders' mounts also have cloudy pink eyes btw, which they lose if you cast Sleep on them, causing them to attack their riders. Same color as the mist the Bewitching Branch uses. There's a very clear visual sign when the "Charm" effect is in place, which is obviously deliberate, and we never see it on anyone unless we use the branches ourselves... except for the pink ant eyes.

[@zortechme6337]

Wow. I hadn't put those two together Good catch!

[@nightscout9979]

The ants' eyes look more purple to me, but I think the pupils might be close enough to warrant further inspection.

[@badflamer]

@@nightscout9979they are very clearly bright magenta my guy

[@nightscout9979]

@@badflamer The enslaved ants' sclera look purple to me. I think the pupils might likewise be darker than the Bewitching Branch mist, but it's close enough that it might be worth investigating.

[@jillsandwitch67]

He wields love to shrive clean the hearts of men.

[@Ron_Jambo_]

There is nothing more terrifying.

[@eatedthedrink8036]

Ironic how Ansbach helps you fight Miquella.

[@teleman07]

Niall's spirits are charmable too. Which suggests it was intended as a game/boss mechanic but got bugged in pvp when the summons were introduced.

[@horikita3464]

i just beat him, i should have known 😢😂

[@haze1090]

Now that the DLC had came out, Miquella just charmed our ass instead of the Spirit Ashes.

[@jabbathehutt2774]

The quote from Miyazaki about the shardbearers having their heroic qualities eventually turn into their reason of downfall makes me fear Miquella isnt immune to this fact. What may start as excused bewitching for the desperate and needy, might start to turn sour. The first line in the trailer "-he wields love to shrive clean the hearts of men. There is nothing more terrifying." Im just saying there doesn't seem to be a much more beloved person than Miquella in the lands between. The fact he could be the reason we have Torrent, and the reason we go the the land of shadow terrifies me. Heck, most of the community views him as a saint and the most morally good shardbearer, even me. Maybe Malenia was right.

[@PBart7]

I hope he doesn't pull a Griffith. TBH, Miquilla actually being the Big Good of Elden Ring would be a bigger twist than not lol

[@jabbathehutt2774]

Miquella has very just reasons to be doing what he's doing. Saving his sister, protecting the downtrodden, giving a home to the albinaurics. All these people are desperate, and if Miquella is the only solution, of course they are going to him. I don't think Miquella is using Malenia for an external motive. Perhaps his eternal youth protects him from faltering like the rest. But if for some reason Miquella is given the bigger picture, or is given time to fester, I fear what he may be capable of.

[@palladiamorsdeus]

I've been playing Fromsoft games for long enough that I remain neutral on Miquella. We just don't have enough information in any direction to know for sure.

[@khandimahn9687]

I've long wondered if Miquella is actually loved, or if he's been a manipulative bastard the whole time.

[@randominternetuser2599]

jesus bro, go outside

[@kiraviolet]

"He wields love to shrive clean the hearts of men, there is nothing more terrifying." With the bewitching branch compelling affection, it's starting to become clear why Malenia called him "the most fearsome empyrean."

[@rowanheiney1238]

The opening line to the trailer, "Pure and radiant, he wields love to shrive clean the hearts of men. There is nothing more terrifying." Kinda reminds me of the concept from C. S. Lewis's Till We Have Faces that the divine is so attractive and polarizing based on its innate goodness. Maybe the way Miquella is attactive is in his sheer goodness, so that people can't help but be compelled to follow him. Like how people can be naturally compelled to care for a baby or child as we are instincually drawn to protect those, even if the child isn't necesarily programming that affection. Really excited to see Miquella's true nature in the DLC.

[@marvibun]

What really makes Miquella as a character to me is the fact he's so very specifically tied to incredibly weird effects and concepts. Sleep, Youth and Love, both the Albinaurics and the Oracle Envoys, even the concept of a double-identity as both St. Trina and Miquella, though shared with his parent, makes him appear incredibly influential in a great variety of ways that other gods seem to just not be interested in.

[@zyibesixdouze4863]

don't forget being a fundamentalist to rival that of Radagon as well

[@badflamer]

Miquella is literally at the center of a conspiracy between himself, godwyn, ranni, rykard, and fucking godrick if you can believe it (though he is cleary being used by the others) to seize power in each their own way. basically everyone who did not directly participate in the shattering war was manipulating everyone who was (mimicing dear mischievous mom who didn't care for battlefield victories hersef and opperated from the shadows).

[@Mare_Man]

Morgott pulled the secret identity trick too, but was a lot less subtle about it

[@badflamer]

@@Mare_ManMaliketh as well.

[@DatAsianGuy]

@@badflamerMaliketh hiding his identity by dressing up as a homeless person.

[@hellopurple6741]

Watching this after playing the DLC is kinda crazy

[@bltsevdallarfanclub641]

This aged like a fine vine

[@dragonquest8ftw1]

Another example of how terrifying Miquella's power is that he doesn't even will it or cast it, just being in proximity to him is enough for him to beguile you. evidence of this is Mohg, pay attention to the way he carefully addresses Miquella compared to how he addresses a 'supposed' member of the dynasty.

[@uruzchubun8081]

Bewitching enemies to fight for you: 🤚 Bewitching wild tortoise to fight with you: 👌

[@Hixarian]

This prediction was pretty on point

[@HelloHSR]

The idea that Miquella compelled the affection of ALL around him, and that eventually resulted in someone going too far and kidnapping him.. thats actually kind of terrifying. Seems like a cautionary tale honestly.

[@chronovac]

I've been saying for a while that Miquella's whole deal screams "cult leader" to me. He even has his own Jonestown-esque compound in the middle of nowhere with goddamn suicide bombers. Imagine if bro manages to turn certain NPCs against us as we progress through the DLC. You show up to trade something with a merchant but instead of trading they get up with the charm effect and start attacking you.

[@GoodName111]

The first line in the DLC trailer itself is "He wields love to shrive clean the hearts of men... there is nothing more terrifying" so it is possible that his charms go much beyond simply being charismatic. This doesn't necessarily have to be malicious though, as he does genuinely seem to have done good in the Lands Between because if he can bewitch people into following him then why focus on those shunned by the Golden Order rather than try to take over it? It could be possible that MIquella is not that malicious but is much more neutral likes Ranni as in he is willing to resort to manipulating or using others if it still serves his overall "good" goal.

[@tailesque]

I've been on a similar train of thought. While Miquella's power is indeed terrifying given what it is, I don't believe that automatically paints him as a force of evil. In fact, it's possible Miquella may even (at least in part) lament the very nature of his power, extending from defiance of his own Empyrean birth and the Two Fingers. It's pretty much impossible to see the full picture at present when it comes to Miquella's true nature and machinations though, so I really can't wait for the possibility of the DLC illuminating any of this.

[@Zayindjejfj]

Being compelled by Miquella is like... the least horrific thing when you think about all the fucked up shit in the lands between. Anything Those who live in death and Outer Rot god related stuff is way more scary. Then you have literal madness and flame frenzy devouring all of reality into a giant ash pile... The astel void born beings trying to constantly bombard the planet ... Yeah I'd give Miquella a pass on the scale of fucked up shit.

[@Bug13546]

I think people are too used to defying tropes that they already expect the person who's seen to be one of the better people to be a villain just because he is shown to be good

[@DreamersOfReality]

I think he's villainous because he fits the bill for a Griffith archetypal character. The ability to compel devotion is another piece of evidence toward a secret villainous nature. Y'all should remember only tyrants brainwash people. Have any of you considered that Miquella embraces the lost and hated because they're the most vulnerable? Perhaps he does want to help them... but only insomuch as they can be useful to him. GRRM had his hands in this, don't forget.

[@darkunor6687]

​​@@DreamersOfReality you got a point, im very sure he will be like a Ranni in the sense that he will do terrible things for the greater good. So i can't wait for his hate cult to be born, just like Ranni's lol.

[@MiaR_96]

This video aged very well

[@robertprueter3292]

Zullie over here prepping us for a DLC boss like a boss. Thank you!

[@Rick586]

I can picture it now: You enter the giant lion puppet's arena and immediately summon your faithful mimic tear to help you against the boss. But then an extra arm emerges from the great foe, holding a peculiar branch...

[@misery1500]

*Giggles* I'm in danger

[@Mischief350]

Oh God.

[@VictorIV0310]

At this point, it’ll be an even bigger plot twist if Miquella really was being genuine with his altruistic goals and motivations.

[@ultraphoenix95]

"The Empyrean Miquella is loved by many people. Indeed, he has learned very well how to compel such affection." - Bewitching Branch "Pure and radiant, he wields love to shrive clean the hearts of men. There's nothing more terrifying." - ELDEN RING Shadow of the Erdtree | Official Gameplay Reveal Trailer "My brother will keep his promise. He possesses the wisdom, the allure, of a god - he is the most fearsome Empyrean of all." - Malenia's Set I predict Miquella being either "neutral" or evil in the DLC

[@Greywander87]

My guess is that he will be portrayed as good and our presence in the Land of Shadows will be to push his goals forward, but we'll also have the option to fight him. Basically, it will be up to the player to decide if he is sincere or sinister and act accordingly. Perhaps a bit like Gwyndolin from DS1, where we could talk to him and join his covenant, but you could also choose to enter the fog gate and fight him, or destroy the illusion of Gwynevere and anger him.

[@blizzardgaming7070]

As cool as the branches are in appearance, they pale in terms of usefulness to rapport. Luckily the pink butterfly spell seen in the dlc trailer looks like an aoe version of rapport.

[@ZullietheWitch]

I though about mentioning the butterfly spell, but I'm curious if it's actually the charm effect or if it might be sleep instead. The materials for branches are somewhat scarce, so it'd be a little surprising for them to give an effectively infinite use charm spell, but then again, it wasn't really a problem in the older games.

[@LibertyForAll-l3q]

the butterfly spell could be sleep related since it is quite purple.

[@cmragg7649]

Miyazaki said in the interview that the spell shown in the trailer wasn’t rapport… and since it shows enemies dying after being cast it seems like a standard AOE damage attack

[@LibertyForAll-l3q]

@@cmragg7649 yes but many affliction inducing incantations/spells are also damaging.

[@blizzardgaming7070]

@@cmragg7649 while yes the enemies do react to the spell they don't appear to take any elemental damage, none of the after effects all elemental damage types have appear.

[@spip9202]

Not to mention some people are considering Miquella is based on Griffith from Berserk, and well all know how charming Griffith was....

[@net_imp]

Whelp, turns out Zullie was right on the money for this one...

[@gavo7911]

I’m predicting Miquella will be like the final boss of Persona 5 Royal: he has genuinely altruistic and kind goals, but he doesn’t care if you want his ideal world or not, it WILL happen and he will treat you as the villain if you get in his way.

[@jacobfreeman5444]

He had noble ideals but his own grief twisted his methods to the point he was inflicting terrible evil on all. That is why I like the ending where you fight him. It isn't about defeating an evil man but making a good one realize he needs to acknowledge his own pain. That it is fine to actually grieve and rage at the crap hand he was given. But that pent up emotion was twisting what would have otherwise been a noble goal into a horrifying reality.

[@gedewahyu.p]

Reminds me of Ozymandias in Watchmen

[@veloxfurem]

oh how right you turned out to be

[@philbuttler3427]

The idea Mohg might've been supernaturally compelled to do what he did is some fascinating implication. Like he was just hanging out in the Shunning Grounds perhaps intending to never leave and Miquella joyous to hear he had a brother who hed never heard of, who was part of the spurned he so empathized for decided to go for a visit and that was the nudge Mohg needed to snap is so fascinating.

[@symbiotesoda1148]

Miquella took the concept of “I have no enemies” to a new level.

[@Heardpolecat707]

well, the DLC does have more to say about Miquella charm.

[@Pinkfloyd0729]

I do think that it’s worth considering that Malenia’s unflinching loyalty to Miquella could be a result of this ability to “compel affection”. Obviously Malenia has countless reasons to be totally devoted to Miquella, and I do believe that she is simply devoted out of sisterly love for her brother. But, it’s fun to think that something more sinister might be at play, even if it is a long shot.

[@N1GHTSTRIKER-45]

Bewitching Branches Really Says Alot Of Miquella's Character After Seeing The New DLC.....

[@Frostbite08]

"Among thousands of comrades and ten thousand enemies, only you... only you made me forget my dream."- Miquella to the Tarnished.

[@michaelmannix1604]

FWIW, Dark and Humanity in Dark Souls were regarded equally symbolic of intense human emotions, such as fear, hatred, envy, and even love. The Pursuers spell obtained through Manus's soul was specifically born of love and attachment; Manus's soul itself was referred to as a "viscous, lukewarm lump of gentle humanity," contrasting his frightful and violent appearance. Dark Souls II expands on this theme with the Sisters of Dark. They are the shards of Manus, and through marriage to the kings of Drangleic, they each acted as harbingers of their respectful kingdoms' tragic downfall. My guess is that Miquella's love is feared by some not just for his ability to coerce, but to potentially fell entire kingdoms with love, exposing their weaknesses. After all, this was how his own father managed to fetter the fate of the stars to the Golden Order before abandoning Rennala, reducing her to a shade of her former glory. By the way... have you ever noticed that from Rennala's chamber and the Church of Vows, the Erdtree eclipses the moon in such a way that resembles Rykard and Radahn's Great Runes?

[@TheUltimatePositionOfPower]

The more i hear of Miquellas power, the more i wonder who is really in control with regards to his relationship with Mohg

[@LoonyLemonJeff]

rizz stick

[@knatspray]

I think we all have one of those already

[@knightmarespawn2690]

​@@knatsprayJust the stick.

[@CleetusGlobin]

2:12 Technically, spirit ashes could be seen to be affected prior to the coliseum's opening. Commander Niall summons two spirit ashes during his fight, and I recall using tbe branches to help me with the first phase of the fight.

[@bardol359]

I get a very strong Griffith vibe from Miquella, a beatiful yet terrifying god that charms those around him.

[@doom7850]

I think the art book needs a looking at on this channel. I own it myself and even my untrained eyes noticed some weird oddities. The biggest one I noticed is the art of Gurranq has him fully upright and humanoid in a way that suggests he might not have even originally been Maliketh. Also the art for Hewg has him as a normal, barely changed misbegotten. These are notable cause the majority of the named npcs (particularly the ones that are the player model) are grouped together under their armor sets and aren’t even named after the characters.

[@johnnycracker640]

If only we knew

[@sirlloyn9115]

Bosses being able to turn spirt summons against you is an awesome concept and unique

[@Dyneamaeus]

I'm also hopeful for a Mohg storyline extension. Varre gives you the invitation but tells you not to use it yet, saying something about waiting for Mohg to finish what he's doing. With luck, we'll be able to follow that line into the dlc, and unlock the bloodborne ending.

[@HeevaEgo]

Miyazaki said the the DLC will be its own concrete and complete story, similar to the Old Hunters No ending to the basegame

[@kurostyle4783]

If a boss is able to charm your summons, like in the arena, I'm sure you'd be able to dispel the charm with Law of Regression.

[@TheCangu97]

god fucking damnit

[@betatester66]

Brooo what if all the new npcs in the dlc that are searching for miquella are just charmed

[@547ws45]

I believe that one has been confirmed.

[@betatester66]

@547ws45 just got the dlc today too cant wait to dive into the lore

[@gothxm]

he just makes me think of Griffith. That inhuman Charisma he has is alluring and deadly for all involved.

[@chillax319]

Good thing you can unsummon your spirit turned hostile. I can't imagine my panick if I was to end up fighting both the boss and the Dung Eater of mine.

[@josedavidrobledomesa1477]

And sinister it was

[@marcobering3945]

Subtext has become text.

[@sugartoothYT]

"Disturbing implications" indeed. I know I ain't lowering my guard/suspicions towards the Griffith-like character of Miquella.

[@SRFriso94]

The Bewitching Branch use I still love the most is the one Gino discovered, where you can shoot a greatbow outside Esgar's arena to draw out the dogs, Bewitching Branch them, and they will tear Esgar to shreds for you.

[@joshuakim5240]

I remember back when they hit 16 times in a second, i used a sacrificial spirit ash to draw aggro and branched one of those dogs. It instantly killed Esgar as simultaneously one of the funniest and most horrifying unintentional moments possible.

[@0332288]

Imagine if Miquella has a boss fight, and not only can he turn your Spirit Ashes against you with a branch attack, he can even use it on SUMMONED PLAYERS to at least enable friendly fire, similar to how Host Spirit Ashes in the arena work.

[@EbonizerScourge]

😅 This aged well in the DLC

[@slh8505]

Looks like this was more or less right on the money, and Miquella even got an augmented version when he cast aside his old method in exchange for godhood

[@Arkeon77022]

Calling it now, Miquella's boss fight will use these bewitching branches if we ever try summoning against him, forcing either a fair 1v1 or a gank of our own fault.

[@palladiamorsdeus]

As I said elsewhere, won't happen. Spirit ashes exist for people who don't have friends who play Elden Ring, they aren't going to screw those people in particular by pulling a stunt like that. They'd have to have multiple different versions of the fight based on different criteria and I don't see that happening.

[@pentravoizer1791]

A boss that turns spirit ashes against players would be fun to see :)

[@SilverAphelion]

Turning your summoned spirit against you would be a very well made design, hope we see something like this, its a nice prediction.

[@merManc]

Fascinating stuff. Looks like I picked the right time for my current no-summons run!

[@oncesilenced5509]

Imagine fighting a field boss and he turns your mimic tear against you lmao

[@nikkospops]

Miquella is FOR SURE gonna turn our ashes against us

[@generalvic8250]

What if Miquella used his charm on Mohg, and it was not him wanting to steal Miquella to achieve the state of Empyrean, but actually Miquella using him for something. After all in Malenia's Armor description we get a quote from her saying "My brother will keep his promise. He possesses the wisdom, the *allure*, of a god - he is the most fearsome Empyrean of all." Not only that but we know through Millicent's questline that she was trying to return something to Malenia, which was her own will so to speak, rejecting the outer goddes of rot. So Malenia and Miquella could either have been against the Golden order all along, or they were corrupted by rot somehow, or anything in between. It could even mean the only reason Malenia used the scarlet rot and gave up to it was because she was charmed by Miquella.

[@JKKoneofakind]

My theory? Radahn holds back the stars, and the fates of several demigods in the lands between, Ranni as the obvious example. Less obvious, is the Eclipse, which probably couldn't come to pass because Radahn was holding back everyones fates. Common speculation is Malenia fought Radahn looking for a kidnapped Miquella. I theorize Malenia, The "Blade of Miquella", fought Radahn on Miquella's behalf, possibly even bewitched, to defeat him and allow the demigods fates to resume, which, in theory, would allow Miquella's eclipse to transpire. Radahn was messed up by the scarlet rot, but he did not die, and Malenia was carried by her cleanrot knights back to the Haligtree. By then, I suspect Miquella was already gone, and so she waited by the Haligtree, dreaming (which is sus), waiting for his return.

[@generalvic8250]

@@JKKoneofakindSomething else that kind of bothers me os Miquella's needle. It was supposedly made for Malenia to stop the meddling of outer gods (in this case the rot) but it didn't seem to be to save his sister, rather to have full control over her.

[@felipecouto1102]

I've been saying since the first time I saw this item back when the game first launched and I'll always say it: Miquella is WAY more than meets the eye, and people that are sure he is lawful good may be ignoring a big part of context. Even Malenia says he is THE fiercest of the Empyrean. Im really looking forward for the DLC and seeing if these suspicions are true.

[@edmond0073]

“Pure and radiant , he uses love to clean shrive the hearts of men . There is NOTHING more TERRIFYING “ Even a power such as love when wielded in a way as miquella does , invokes an emotion of fear rather than awe or anything pleasant . Quite the interesting sort he is .

[@WillButtlerYeets]

I feel like we will find out Mohg was bewitched this entire time, under the influence of Miquella.

[@DanotiBenin]

This hits different after miquellas charm in the dlc...

[@defaultprofilepictureguy2526]

i have no clue where you keep finding these details, and their meanings, keep up the good work!

[@Kokosnuss]

Having the mimic tear turn against the player in miquellas boss fight would be peak fromsoft. Looking forward to it. Also the more and more I read and hear about miquella, the more and more griffith comes to mind. He's not just a charmer but "the" charmer and with apart from that the most fearsome of all. Let's find out what miquella has truly done.

[@pleasestandby976]

That would be the coolest Mimic Tear nerf they could possibly make

[@CeLautrec]

I really do hope that the DLC really dives into the whole charm, and even sleep, side of status effects, as the base game neglects them like crazy. Like, the only enemy I can think of that does sleep buildup to the player is a giant crab somewhere (I think the one in raya lucaria) and that's it. I'm assuming it will get branched out more, considering Miquella seems to be behind these somewhat passive/neutral statuses.

[@realitychanger2.058]

Great video as always Zullie!

[@GrandGoblin]

The Idea that Miquella had the power to bewitch people with affection always gave me the feeling that something doesn't add up with Mohg kidnapping him. I like the idea that Mohg went to kill Miquella but got bewitched before it was too late for Miquella to save himself but ended up in a horrific lose-lose scenario for both of their plans.

[@mr.ashenfire2624]

The line "Wielding love, he strives to clean the hearts of men." Is so terrifying.

[@tropicalbreeze1164]

Beware of the Simp Stick

[@LexIconLS]

Someone highlighting that Miquella was not, in fact, a good guy. Love to see it. The demi gods are all terrifying and power hungry warlords that led thousands to their deaths. They're all monsters.

[@MythicMagus]

Having a boss that turns summons against the player sounds exactly like something Fromsoft would pull 100%. I'mma laugh if the DLC has a boss that does this.

[@jansitoouncass310]

it would be so fucking fire if we fight Miquella, that he can charm ur spirit summons

[@dragonman7069]

LOL, DID YOU PLAY THE DLC?

[@MrRogerBlake]

I love your videos! May be short, but shows your committment to keep uncovering secrets and hidden mechanichs in souls games. Hugs from Italy!

[@OmneAurumNon]

Undead rapport raised an interesting question. There's a rumor that Sieglinde isn't undead. Could we check that by looking for the rapport flag? If she doesn't have it and other NPCs do, that would confirm that she's still alive.

[@ZullietheWitch]

I believe they didn't give the SpEffect to any player model NPCs.

[@adambejarano1592]

My wife is always so quick to identify the music in your videos when I put them on; it's very precious

[@astingilbert582]

I really hope they will had an infinite "Compel Affection" I loved in previous ds watching enemies fight.

[@JustinDavis-o3p]

Oh Kindly Miquella. Charming as always.

[@dylaxiusmccoy]

Tarnished: *Summons Mimic Tear in Miquella's boss fight.* Miquella: *Uno Reverse card.*

[@TedBackus]

that charm effect is a good way to fight Nial

[@Emerl18]

I love the fact you used the wacky wavy arm-flailing inflatable slinky as an example. That's my favorite summon in the game.

[@andrewtfd6469]

I imagine we'll fight St. Trina more than Miquella if anything. If Trina only exists in dreams, then it would make sense for Trina to want Miquella to keep sleeping in his cocoon. Would also explain why Miquella had no reaction to Mohg's offerings of blood, Trina has been the one receiving them. Going into Miquella's dream could be him in fact asking for help. I just hope he doesn't fall into the trope of being a tyrant/cult leader/villain what with the whole "universally praised good being who turns out evil", and for once is an actually good force in the Lands Between, kind of like the Burnt Ivory King in DS2.

[@Pyre]

Something about the way Zullie is posed throughout this video just varies from silly to striking to just very nice.

[@gb9884]

The banished knight in Nialls arena has my affection.

[@christiand1337]

So I definitely need to get better at not summoning my Mimic Tear for every fight, got it.

[@baka_monogatari3389]

Miquella: Tarnished, why do you not summon? Tarnished: Now you shall know true horror