Elden Ring - A forsaken boss

[@ZullietheWitch]

The AI name of the Scadutree Avatar is "ShadowOfErdtrees", which, given the name of the DLC, may make it seem a bit strange that it's technically an incidental secret boss and not more narratively prominent. But that's somewhat true of the Scadutree itself, mostly only influencing the player's adventure through its lands by granting its blessings from afar.

[@charlesstrite1052]

I'm pretty sure the sunflowers have a place where they dont face the Scadutree - at the chalice at the base of the tree, some of them face the chalice instead! Would be interested to know if you have any info on that, you're my favorite source for souls lore.

[@TheManDude]

**Kills it a third time** “This… truly was… our… Erdtree’s Shadow…”

[@JS-lx1kr]

Zullie Ranni doll is actually miquella and the age of stars is the age of compassion. Check the models and the item descriptions and real ranni corpse. The truth is out there don't be miquellacharmed in real life

[@metalmonster9536]

​@@JS-lx1kr And secretly Morgott is Miquella. Check the corpse in Miquella's cocoon. The horror...! The fell omen...!

[@Solibrae]

I think it makes more thematic sense for a being which exists in shadow to be mainly present in the background, rarely taking centre stage.

[@professionalnoob5474]

Ah yes, the surely-it’s-not-going-to-come-back-another-time angry flower

[@Yoshyguy21]

@@Greendawn-di3dl Really? As much as it has three healthbars, they're all pretty small, specially if you hit its head

[@danielwitt1793]

"No boss is hard" ok buddy, are the easy bosses in the room with us now?

[@Greendawn-di3dl]

@@danielwitt1793 I hate this community. You can't have an opinion one way or another you are always wrong. You all suck. Especially you reading this now. You are the problem and why no one can join our hobby.

[@El_Hornio_II]

@@Yoshyguy21 that and flame, fall upon them absolutely mulches the bastard since ALL the projectiles hit and do damage which is a unique property to say the least

[@Greendawn-di3dl]

@@Yoshyguy21 that goes for you too. "It only has 3 small health bars" well I had trouble on him friend. I'm not a golden god such as yourself. You all suck.

[@pockystyx4087]

Miquella yeeting his rune unto a ditch; only for the tarnished to roll up with it so they can just flex using it to cleanse themselves of Miquellestor powers is supremely funny to me.

[@LeilaTheRose]

mohglested XD

[@zachariahjonahmaldonado5897]

Miquella the Tickela? More like Miquella the get Ansbached!

[@genghiskhan6809]

@@LeilaTheRose*Miquellested

[@yeahnahmate7]

​@@zachariahjonahmaldonado5897bro no 😂 why

[@muramasa870]

Ah yes the power of:"You like femboys now"😅

[@nobodycares743]

Sunflowers are symbols of faith, hope and devotion in Japan. The fact that this sunflower is so wilted shows how little Faith and devotion Miquella had left to sacrifice from himself.

[@danielbarros2072]

Not only that, it reflects the state of the shadow lands in their entirety, where everyone you meet either isn't a native or are just withering away

[@conked944]

It makes it pretty obvious why they went with that in this case! That’s cool

[@luongshar]

This boss really struck a chord with me. The scadutree lives in the shadow of the erdtree, who blocks most of the light bathing the lands. The scadutree is thus, in a way, starved of light. This avatar, depicted as a withering sunflower, struggling to survive (multi-phase fight where you can feel the desperation) even against the odds, actually felt like an incredible imagery of this DLC's reality. It conveyed, without words, the entire feel of the land of shadow and how it's always struggled to survive, in the Shadow of the Erdtree.

[@ythandlename]

Feels like a mirror to the tarnished. A being deprived of light and fights for it's own feeble survival in a terrible world against strong adversaries.

[@themockingdragon135]

There's also the two thorn sorceries from the DLC, and their descriptions most logically seem to be the will of Scadutree.

[@atoucangirl]

*epic title drop*

[@sleep_enjoyer13]

Yeah it's great use of visual storytelling. Fromsoftware are experts at show, don't tell. Very emotional encounter despite it's ambiguity and strangeness. Very good at eliciting emotions without quite knowing where they're coming from or why. Representative of the hopeless abandonment and bitterness characterised by the Scadutree and it's avatar.

[@JEM_Tank]

Same here, I loved the imagery from this boss fight and what it conveyed

[@chrisofthehoovers4055]

Erdtree Avatar: Large rotund body missing a head, slow moving. Scadutree Avatar: Skinny with a prominent Head, very fast. It's almost like they are incomplete and were once one like maybe the Trees were.

[@JettHinde]

😮 🤯

[@themaniae4803]

Love this idea!

[@johnsmiley4215]

Wonder what happens if you overlay the models

[@themaniae4803]

@@johnsmiley4215 Hidden Boss: Crucible's Avatar, large body with two spiral Sunflower heads

[@chrisofthehoovers4055]

@@themaniae4803 That sounds dope as hell

[@modemgt771]

I'll never get tired of that Zelda Twilight Palace OST; so enigmatic and yet beautiful, perfect for Soulbourne content.

[@UltimaPhoenix-dx3kt]

TP really does have that dark and gloomy soulsborne vibe, love that game

[@sercho9499]

Neat! I mute the music when watching zullie.

[@AnmarBatarfi]

Real

[@AnmarBatarfi]

​@@UltimaPhoenix-dx3ktme too one of my top 5 Zelda games

[@LyingSince2000]

Why? ​@@sercho9499

[@AlphaOmegaInfinity]

It’s also interesting how each new avatar that comes in fights more desperately than the last, with the final one burning out it’s energy in a huge burst to try and fend off the tarnished. It clings to life in spite of the situation.

[@skeweredd]

Kind of like old demon king from DS3

[@billionsmustfight]

"Wow okay, he took a lot of damage real quickly. Surely I must be overlev-"

[@Richie_Godsil]

"Did the boss music just come back on?!"

[@AlvenVinland]

"Well, that second phase was a surprise, but at least there is not a th-"

[@TheEyeWatching]

"HOW MANY TIMES DO WE HAVE TO TEACH YOU THIS LESSON, OLD MAN"

[@badman5852]

Yeah, probably the only time in the game I said 'seriously' out loud as my coward use of mimic got blasted straight through Hell. Yes, I brute force most Fromsoft games.

[@KylarStern244]

@@badman5852 Hell yeah!

[@topthog]

Something I liked about their design is that they’re a perfect counterpart to the erdtree avatars, the erdtree avatars have short fat body’s and no head, where are the scadutree avatar has a long spindly body with a huge head

[@ZullietheWitch]

I wanted to put the flower head of the Scadutree Avatar in the hollow part of an Erdtree Avatar, but there wasn't a segment it made sense for.

[@Zanemob]

@@ZullietheWitch Would have been a fun visual. Could you not have just put it at the end as a fun bonus? I love this channel... You do such great work. Thank you for your dedication and love for your work and the series.

[@psychohuh]

I never thought an overgrown sunflower would give me the same vibes as Sif or the Old Demon King but it did. Seeing it collapse after it fires its nukes combined with the music in that final phase really makes it feel like your giving it a mercy kill over anything else.

[@XDarkGreyX]

Yeah, never thought I would feel something from seeing that

[@sleep_enjoyer13]

Agreed. It's interesting how with the triple explosion in the third phase the sunflower head shoots upwards farther with each explosion. Really delivers the efforts it's going to survive, yet it's pain is still beautiful. Only in suffering does it's golden beauty shine.

[@JustKelso1993]

It is an insult to compare it so Sif.

[@AETERNA-PASSIO]

@@JustKelso1993 low poly dog gets stomped in 4k, buddy

[@0008loser]

​@@JustKelso1993 go see a therapist if you feel like that

[@robbieliddle2462]

The Scadutree Avatar is one of my favourite fromsoft bosses, I love its design, its arena, tucked away at the bottom of a forgotten church in a forgotten land, its theme, the way it coms back, the way its theme gains intensity as you fight its forms, the tragic nature of it and the feeling that you're duelling something unknowable but sympathetic, and the contrast to the erdtree avatars. They're abundant minibosses that take the form of sturdy trees, the scadutree has _one_, and it's going to make it count.

[@robbieliddle2462]

I love this sad twisted thing staring at a broken tree, left in a pool at the bottom of the world

[@nick__papajohn]

" a sunflower with no sun to follow, all is can wilt away and wither..." Elden Ring is truly a game where not even flowers have a better fate than those who walk. Imagine being something peaceful and beautiful (once sprouted) and the Gods are like "nah fam, we all die today"

[@tanrata8658]

Marika had a bad Plants vs Zombies fix. Had to hide her shame.

[@TheSilly6403]

She was a proud member of the gotouchgrass discord server

[@rileyclarke8066]

At 0:50, the arrangement of the avatar's eyes strongly resembles a real cluster of stars known as the Pleiades, which are associated with tears and mourning in Celtic mythology. Might be a coincidence, but "Scadu" is an Old English word for shadow, so maybe a similar reference?

[@guntere1004]

I believe Zullie mentiond this in other videos in the past already.

[@Flesh_Wizard]

Pleiades Nutz lmfao

[@danyaljamil1677]

It's an oddly beautiful creature.

[@sleep_enjoyer13]

Just like the Scadutree itself.

[@Gurunberudo]

An interesting detail about the scadutree avatar is the resemblance in its silhouette to Miquella himself. Sir Ansbach was said to have cleaved Miquella, and when we see him in his divine four-armed form with his promised consort his lower left arm is missing. The scadutree avatar has four "arms", but has the same limb severed as Miquella. Given that it posseses Miquella's broken rune, could the avatar have been generated from it? We do know that the gods can manifest aspects of themselves as separate beings (Miquella and Trina), could the scadutree avatar be such a being? It is worth considering.

[@BlaZay]

A couple things to note: - I'm pretty sure it's the same Avatar that you fight 3 times, despite what the models waiting below suggest. After killing it the 1st and 2nd time, you get an opportunity for a riposte, which will directly damage the following phase before it even spawns. It could be a programming trick, or maybe the three models are part of a same entity which would be the real Avatar, but the question of "where are the other Avatars" is left up in the air either way. It's worth noting that unlike the Erdtree Avatars, the Scadutree Avatar never jumps and doesn't seem to have proper legs, and from the way it sweeps across the arena, it's entirely possible that it's just an emerging "root" or "branch", acting like some sock puppet for something much bigger lurking below. - Goldmask's mask strangely resembles the head of the Scadutree Avatar. It looks like a sunflower, and is riddled with dots in the middle that remind of its eyes. I haven't noticed any relevant link between the two beyond that tho. - While the Erdtree has smaller copies of itself sprouting pretty much everywhere in the Lands Between, either as saplings or grown tall enough to be visible landmarks, that doesn't seem to be the case for the Scadutree. Unlike the Golden Seeds, there's nothing to indicate that the Scadutree fragments have anything to do with it trying to replicate itself, instead making them closer to shavings. Which makes the Scadutree Avatars being referred as plural all the more enigmatic.

[@ZullietheWitch]

The first issue is most likely a programming trick, yes. Multi-stage bosses have their health linked to a single entity, which is usually hidden, so damage can spill over in certain scenarios.

[@blizzardgaming7070]

Another strange connection with Goldmask and the DLC is the eerie similarities between him and Midra. Midra not only shares the title sage but gains similar looking robes when he becomes the lord of Frenzy, alongside the eye like head looking like a dark reflection of the golden mask.

[@jaxietoon]

@@blizzardgaming7070 Perfect order vs. imperfect chaos...

[@riotguards]

Honestly it's more telling that it's the same being as there would be no reason for the other two to hold back only until they're called to fight, they're desperate so they wouldn't just wait honourably.

[@Xandros999]

The lion mask imps also resemble sunflowers more than they do lions. Especially given how they use their weapons as pogosticks.

[@ShadowLuigi147]

something else interesting about the scadutree avatar being a sunflower: those are plants that will drop seeds right there when they wilt and die, making it look like they're one plant that keeps coming back every season, and they managed to copy that aspect down to how its coded. looks like one boss that revives but is actually just replanting itself for a new copy

[@Luckingsworth]

Thats honestly most flowers though so I dont think that is relevant.

[@pponca8953]

that's an awesome piece of info to add. even though all flowers do it like someone else said, that fits perfectly into the themes of the scadutree dlc. especially with the field of dying flowers, each one gives birth to more flowers who will grow up and die in an environment they never had a chance to survive in. only for those offspring to continue the cycle. it's a perfect thematic representation of the boss, and for the dlc as a whole.

[@terribletrivium]

It's strange that the avatar seemingly uses thorn sorcery, makes you wonder if the guilty ones described in the thorn sorcery item descriptions are connected to the Land of Shadow.

[@OG-ColorfulAbyss.]

Them starting to see stars in the back of their head might be the connection, since the living embodiment of the Scadutree also has "stars" for eyes. or it might be that they just use thorn sorceries, and this reminded Marika of her homeland, and it pissed her off so she just hates them all and went on a mission to oppress them like every other people.

[@milk_choc7889]

the DLC thorn sorceries use the Scadutree's thorns, so the avatar's version is more like the incantation "precursor" to those, I think

[@Richie_Godsil]

"How many times do we have to teach you this lesson, Sunflower?!"

[@zath6425]

Fun fact, in phase three when it does the giant explosion, the pose it strikes directly mirrors the shape of the Scadutree itself.

[@b2fsu18]

0:44 epic fashion aesthetic and haircut I will bring this image to my stylist

[@Khann_2102]

Wow

[@RashFever26]

Goth sunflower

[@zaidlacksalastname4905]

Drip fr

[@aegismagusangelteeth]

this is criminally underrated

[@jdm9564]

Ah yes, the "I didn't hear no bell" boss fight

[@mitchellradspinner4491]

There’s something about the Scadutree being a broken dead thing full of sap and the Erdtree a bastion of grand light that’s hollow and dead inside that I find moving.

[@usamimi-no-majo]

This boss was a big highlight for my first playthrough. I never thought I'd feel so bad for a giant sunflower, but the initial surprise of the encounter wears off, and the fight gets so somber in the third part.

[@Darkknightzoey]

In lots of ways, the Scadutree Avatar is the personification of the world after the Shattering. Brought to ruin by endless war and strife and left to wither away in darkness, it nonetheless clings to life as stubbornly and as spitefully as it can. It's like Melina said. "However ruined this world has become, however mired in torment and despair, life endures. Births continue. There is beauty in that, is there not?" The Scadutree clings to life just as all the people who came to the land of shadow with Miquella cling to their hopes and dreams. Even if it must all end in a bloody struggle, there is beauty in that, is there not?

[@WynterLegend]

Truely the story of Elden Ring, from the small to the great, is a never-ending cavalcade of misery.

[@Godslayer96]

That shot with Miquella's rune framing Enir-Ilim is genius. One of the most important aspects of the Scadutree design is how dried up and withered everything is. The Avatar's design was a very welcome surprise but it also made me think of why exactly it looks like a huge, very twisted, sunflower. What makes the most sense imo is that the original tree's form influences what its avatars look like. It is not a sunflower, it simply looks like one, just how Erdtree Avatars are a strange mix of humanoid features and trees. While Erdtree Avatars have mass and huge hammers the Scadutree ones fight with their thorned and flexible bodies. Both share their respective tree's holy magic. The big difference is that the Scadutree is overtly dying. THh avatar seems to have trouble calling on the tree's power, it looks, and sounds, dead and dry, and the arena consists of a field of sap littered with fallen branches. I would have loved to see a shot of how the Scadutree looked like in it's prime. The avatar must have looked amazing.

[@liarwithagun]

Maybe I'm just seeing things, but the Scadutre looks burnt to me when I look at it, with all the particles (ashes?) coming off of it.

[@TheRealJohnux]

The Imagery of the Intact tree are littered across the DLC and are found on the Crucible Knights. A once perfect spiral. Must have Been a magnificent view.

[@strcmdrbookwyrm]

One thing I like about the design of the Scadutree is that even if it appears to be dying, there's still signs of life inside. Meanwhile the Erdtree looks alive, but once you look closer you start to see signs that it's less healthy than it looks. I think this also extends to the avatars of each tree. The Erdtree avatars look portly and somewhat healthy, but you can tell they are hollow. They feel empty, devoid of true life (to me). On the flipside, you have the Scadutree avatar who despite looking so withered and thin fights with a energetic restlessness. Heck, it seems to revive itself out of spite alone. To me, it just screams "There's still life in me yet!" And while it does take an effort for the Scadutree avatar to call on it's power, when it does it's a sight to behold. While Erdtree avatar uses a lot of holy magic, it feels like it's just scattering glitter and lights. When the Scadutree uses it's holy magic, it felt to me like it was calling on a god to smite you. Basically, the Scadutree avatar feels like a true avatar of it's tree, rather than just a construct. Despite seeming to be dying, the Scadutree is still trying it's hardest to do it's divine job, and it won't let you stop it.

[@mocho4487]

​@@strcmdrbookwyrmIt's actually a pretty interesting take. The golden tree avatars attempt to represent perfect order, but there is no reward in perfection. Just an empty, emotionless existence. The shadow tree avatar represents a withered, dry, and imperfect tree that still clings to life and overflows with emotions during its fight, unlike the golden tree avatars.

[@vera39440]

To add to this, someone else pointed out that Erdtree avatars lack a head and the Scadutree avatar has a head. Only the base of the erdtree is real. The rest is an illusion. The avatars lack the illusion and therefore lack everything but the base. The attention to details in modeling in this game is bonkers. I'd be more interested to see the Erdtree avatars in their "prime". I mean the ulcerated tree spirits could be the head/neck, considering we don't know how tall the tree actually was

[@marchmelloow]

Miquella probably used its face slam attack to shatter his Great Rune. It wouldn't be the first time a boss's grab attack was used to showcase what previously went down (Elden Beast's grab attack shows how he imprisoned Marika)

[@pponca8953]

radagons grab attack showcases how he shattered the elden ring as well

[@AngryPainting]

The base of the Scadutree is like amber sap and petroleum, step inside and ruin your clothes forever.

[@Pillowtap]

The avatars face looks like the meteor fragments you can see embedded in the towers

[@bellamybluee]

this boss made me sad. the desperation to live throughout the final phase, just being stuck in the back somewhere. like st trina :((

[@gakulon]

I always love how great the shot composition is in these videos. One of the many reasons they're a joy to watch whenever I see them in my sub feed :)

[@metalmonster9536]

2:16 There's a giant Basilisk in the scene

[@vgman94]

That image with this context fills me with fear not thought possible. Someday FS will make a basilisk boss and we look back on pre nerf PCR with nostalgia.

[@LeilaTheRose]

@@vgman94 i mean there WERE giant ones in ds2

[@metalmonster9536]

​@@vgman94A Basilisk boss in a curse swamp. Let's gooooo

[@ArkadiBolschek]

This ain't about him

[@oBuLLzEyEo1013]

Scadu Tree, Scadu Tree, Scadu Tree. A girl who's hard to get...

[@TheCronesEye]

Scadu Tree, Scadu Tree, Scadu Tree, But you can win her yet … 😉👍

[@OG-ColorfulAbyss.]

Now little 'ole Mal, she's a go gal, that only blooms for me

[@AssailantLF]

Scadutree Avatar is easily the most memorable and interesting boss design in the DLC for me

[@apophisstr6719]

The unsettling arena too plays a huge part in setting the memoriable atmosphere for this boss fight

[@metalmonster9536]

I wasn't expecting such a boss, and it was a pleasant surprise for me too. (I was checking around the arena without triggering the fight)

[@rwberger6]

A shame that its so weak to fire. Messmers fire serpent incantation is this things perfect counter as it can home in on its weak point (head), does big damage to it, and can be quickly spammed. Makes the boss a cake walk.

[@Hennichell]

I remember being so, so frustrated and angry with this bossfight, but it all just... melted away by the final phase, where it can barely move. Looking at it grasping at straws to keep going made me realize how stupid it is to be angry at it. It's an unnatural, mindless thing that shouldn't exist and has nothing and no one but itself to cling to. And there I was, being frustrated because it did its best to survive. You were really something, weird sunflower. Hope you went somewhere better, bathed in the gentle light of gold without Order.

[@josephcola9662]

I was NOT expecting a giant mutant sunflower to be an absolutely amazing THREE PHASE BOSS in the basement of the basement of the flooded basement of Messmer's castle.

[@Steyl]

I actually like that boss quite a lot, its appearance, the music, three-stage fight and its moveset, to some extend

[@starchythepotato2877]

i love scadutree avatar they are just sad lil sunflowers

[@bertvanbeterbed9702]

This was probably the only boss fight that felt like a traditional Dark Souls like boss. I love the flashy and dashy stuff, but after getting roadblocked by 4 consecutive bosses, I thoroughly enjoyed its fairly simple move set. I enjoyed the DLC a lot, but when every boss makes the Nameless King seem like a slow boss fight, its not a bad thing to take the foot of the gas pedal every once in a while. And like you said the fundamentals are just there. Design, music and arena are all top notch

[@ciaranbladezero5075]

@@bertvanbeterbed9702 but the nameless king is a slow boss fight even compared to ds3 standards

[@OG-ColorfulAbyss.]

Sunflowers facing the sun is what they normally do, but in light of that (pun intended) when they can't, they will face the strongest light source they can, or even each other.

[@marcogalavic]

Food + Zullie's videos = perfect combo

[@LeilaTheRose]

bro eating burger king rn and watching lol

[@Nick-jt5nb]

I love how the strings in its OST sound very "wood-y", which fits the theme perfectly

[@두팔곽-g1f]

Did you know that in its 3rd phase holy explosion attack, it poses like the scadutree?

[@Kastafore]

Perhaps my 2nd favorite boss in the DLC. Its presentation is so grandiose but sobering.

[@Soluswithyou]

This boss seems to be a holdover from a dropped B-plot in SotE. The Scadutree seems to have extreme narrative importance, with several landmarks dedicated to it and multiple item descriptions alluding to it; yet it does little more than serve as background scenery. It's possible that the Scadutree Avatar was suppose to be a final boss regarding this B-plot, guarding the base of the Scadutree from anyone who may wish to harm it.

[@aprinnyonbreak1290]

Honestly, I think a lot of the narrative of SoTE kinda falls flat. There's a lot of cool ideas, but they're forced to live together like weird neighbors, and don't really go anywhere. There's a way to thread a lot of these together, but it almost invariably requires picking one thing to subsume another. In my thinking, the best way to do it is to subsume whatever Messmer's deal is into the larger dragon plot line, and from there things mostly can connect logically. As it stands, SoTE is mostly a bunch of weird, unrelated idea islands that are kinda lacking in terms of overall narrative focus, imo. Miquela has little to do with the dragons, the dragons have little to do with Messmer, the shaman village has little to do with anything else except the hornsent, who kinda don't have anything to do with much else.

[@BlacklistedSoup]

​@@aprinnyonbreak1290 I get where you're coming from, I do, but I feel this is more an issue of how the DLC is formatted and how the player interprets it. Much like the base game of Elden Ring, everything in SOTE is connected and plays into one greater narrative. To compile all those elements into one cohesive story is the task which is set up for the player. If we take a holistic approach to SOTE, like we do ER, we can piece together the greater narrative. Now I don't want to explain the entirety of SOTE and how it connects, but I'll go over some of the more out of place areas and how they connect. Namely, Abyssal Woods, Cerulean Coast, and Jagged Peak. Abyssal Woods serves as extra padding for the Hornsents storyline and some of their hypocrisy and how that is later mirrored with the Golden Order, Midra is a Hornsent (explicitly stated) who either by his own volition or by sacred decree was sent to the Abyssal Woods to research the Finger Ruins and greater unknowns of the cosmos. The Hornsent are obsessed with communing with the heavens and the Finger Ruins were a piece separate to their puzzle. We know this was Midra's purpose because of his title as sage (denoting religious importance) and how there are broken pieces of the Finger Ruins veiled under cloth in his Manse. Though we know how Midra's fate was turned, either through coercion from Nanaya or through his own eldritch revelation Midra communed not with the Greater Will, but the Three Fingers and the Frenzied flame. The Cerulean Coast is a bit more distant but still harks back to the overall theme of SOTE with its "putrescent coffins" which, in my mind, are meant to be ships of the dead sent off to the Land of Death(tm) that is The Lands Between. Only they are not absorbed into the Erdtree's roots and are instead left to decompose in their own way. This is a clear example of how Marika's "Order without Death" can once again be twisted and disturb the natural processes of the world which is where Trina comes in to soothe their suffering, much like Miquella returning to TLOS to try and rectify Marika's wrongs. This *also* mirrors how Marika tried to rectify the Hornsents wrongs, yet Trina realizes the cycle and thus tries to stop Miquella. So just in this area you are getting bits of Marika, Trina, Miquella, and the Hornsents storyline. Finally Jagged Peak, which admittedly is the most disconnected from the rest of the DLC, but still adds extra layers to the worldbuilding. Obviously not everything needs to be connected but we can find connections within Jagged Peak and the rest of the plotline. Mainly with Bayle and Placidusax who are the ancient predecessors of the Hornsent and Marika and Miquella. Now, this is where I'd need to do a lot of explaining to fully capture the over-arcing theme of SOTE and ER in general, but I've already written a lot so I'll dumb it down a bit. Essentially the DLC revolves around Miquella trying to escape the causality set fourth by the Greater Will upon realities conception. We know this because of Ymir and Metyr and Miquella's Great Rune (which was unfortunately badly mistranslated). Through the Greater Will's abandonment of Metyr came the Ancient Dragons who then became subjected to the same abandonment (Placidusax's God) which then led to the Hornsent, Marika, Miquella. Miquella attempts to escape this causal line of abandonment and suffering yet he falls in the same steps as his mother. The tie in with all this is Bayle, who I'm honestly still trying to understand. I think his character is very relevant to the story as a rebel, someone who doesn't try to subvert or steer history as a whole but directly fight against it. I think you could look at it similarly with Marika Shattering the Elden Ring, which is a stark contrast to her previous stance of trying to adapt the Golden Order, only later she realized that would be impossible so she fights against it and is crucified for it. Bayle also ties into the Crucible themes of SOTE with the drake warriors climbing the mountain to prove themselves yet all falling short in a bloody ritual to appease a now dead God. I don't know where he fits exactly but he hits on many of the themes of the DLC. That is all to say, if you read any of that, there is some truth to your comment, but you also are missing a few things. I understand how the DLC can be portrayed as confusing at times and that is foremost the fault of the developer, however, the player is still made responsible for collecting the story and piecing it together, which is just how Fromsoft/Miyazaki likes to frame their games, i.e. any part of "bad storytelling" or poor execution puts the onus back on the storyteller though a reluctance to engage in the story will never be the fault of the storyteller.

[@kingdomcome3914]

I've had a similar idea to yours, and I think that we were meant to meet Miquella and battle the Scadutree Avatar sooner in the DLC's narrative.

[@Reemon27]

i love the idea, but its all theorised unfortunately.

[@JustKelso1993]

​@@BlacklistedSoupSounds like copium.

[@XDarkGreyX]

I just assumed he dropped it from the general area of the keep and it ended up down there where the avatar picked it up. Vague enough to fit the universe.

[@andrewvirtue5048]

So the Erdtree Avatar's body is like a vase for the Scadutree Avatar like a sunflower. Nice.

[@unuseableb]

I really like the Dancing Lion and few others alot as well, but purely visual design-wise the Scadutree Avatar is my favourite boss from the DLC. Its stance and "face" look absolutely incredible, truly outstanding character design

[@Saphir7615]

It's just so sad. This was probably once like the Erdtree Avatars: powerful and a protector of the young Scadutrees (if those existed at all). Then Messmer came and burnt everything, while the Erdtree sapped all its life from it. It's the only one left of its kind, and it tries to desperately keep itself alive/stop you from burning the sealing tree (perhaps a connection?). The music and attacks underline so beautifully how it fights until it more or less gives up and decides that it and its kind are lost. I love the Boss Music and design, and the Shadow Sunflower has to be my fav DLC weapon. Amazing boss, sad lore.

[@cb-9938]

There's something about the arena you fight in that grosses me out. It looks dirty, almost like sewage water

[@iamMildlyUpsetWithMostOfYouTub]

Smash next question

[@josukemcjoestar9856]

Miyazaki help you

[@bsmith9890]

Dawg?

[@Arma468]

Based

[@Ligamorph]

Flowerussy

[@Fayrinn_09]

Oh there will be smashing my friend, but not the kind you’re thinking of 💀💀

[@SinisterChud]

I was legit thinking about this boss the other day and how there hasn't really been a video going into details of the avatar or the scadutree in general. Amazing timing!

[@Slipknot4President]

I always took the 3 phases to this boss as a reference to the spot in the base game where you fight 3 Ulcerated Tree Spirits and get the Erdtree Favor +2 (iirc). In Leyndell, after burning the Erdtree, you find an Ulcerated Tree spirit roaming and, as you get close to the item, a second, and a third one pop out of the ground in a similar fashion to how the Scadutree Avatar does.

[@shirokun002]

How ironic, that the erdtree is illusory, dried up, and theres even implications only those who can see grace can see the gold tree and what im assuming is not a dried up husk. Meanwhile the scadutree is literally hemorrhaging sap, and doesnt seem to be illusory in the same way the erdtree is on the account of physical fragments being found, yet it remains abandoned and hidden away... Marika is just the worst. The scadutree avatars fighting you so hard despite being so tired and withered is heartbreaking actually. Also find it interesting that they look like sunflowers while erdtree ones look like living stumps. I feel like the destroyed tree in the frenzied flame ending is what the tree actually looks like, albeit less destroyed thanks to frenzy....the only thing that fights that is the branches at the very top of the tree not being gold but that could just be technical stuff and not lore related since there is quite literally no way to see the top of the erdtree without hacking.

[@franilovic4139]

The scadutree shouldve been a symbol of hope but it could not happen since it was just the shadow of erdtree, instead being dark and gloomy. The scadutree avatar shares features with the scadutree itself. Its head is hanging down instead of looking up like sunflowers usually do. When you engage, it attacks mostly by brute force, plant stuff like thorns, and shadow. It casts projectiles that shouldve been golden but are now shrouded in shadow. You can defeat it easily once but the avatar, despite being brittle, revives itself because it is incredibly persistent, for its purpose is to endure and protect the scadutree. But all of that feels hopeless because no light ever reached it. The second time the avatar gets up however, its interior literally explodes in light, when it should be devoid of it. Despite scadutrees horrible conditon, the light it was searching for was within it the whole time.

[@reanamet1901]

I will never get over the missed opportunity to call the "Shadow Sunflowers" Shunflowers.

[@briishcabbage568]

got a couple'a shunflowers, shee?

[@sleep_enjoyer13]

Great storytelling in this bosses soundtrack. Though many of Elden Rings bosses have fantastic musical storytelling. I love the similarities to the original erdtree avatar theme and the way the emotions develop as the fight goes on. Very moving piece.

[@ND._o]

The first time I fought this boss it felt really familiar. I realized it's basically just an updated, squishier 3 phase version of Ebrietas from Bloodborne. Same weak spot (the head), largely the same moveset (headslams, fast long range dashes and the occasional ranged attack). I wish it was a shorter but more difficult fight.

[@erikenn]

I have a feeling this was going to be Godwyn's body fight.

[@A-Rune-bear]

Thanks, Zullie! In my opinion, the Scadutree avatar is definitely one of the most underrated bosses in Elden Ring, in lore and gameplay-wise. I like to think it as oneself as each phase goes on, it doesn’t get stronger and crazier, it doesn’t grow wings or make a bloodbath, it doesn’t throw it’s omen piss all over the ground. It just tries to fight. The music changes drastically in each phase. Getting sadder and more desperate. The avatar throwing it’s strongest attack at you, getting it hurt and exhausted. The avatar is getting weaker as a contrast with nearly every boss in the game. It’s just sad, really. Also, known but fun fact: Before it uses it’s nuke, it makes a pose that of which resembles the Scadutree itself.

[@Serkisist]

It could be a subtle hint to the nature of Miquella's power too. The Scadutree Avatar is likely meant to be the same one being revived, since at the end of the first two health bars, it has an opening to crit. If the player takes this opening, the Avtar returns with reduced max health. While Miquella seems to be unaging, the three revivals in this fight might be a subtle hint to the limit of his immortality, his "lives". The first he spent feeding the Haligtree, the second lost to Mohgwynn to reach the Land of Shadow, and the third and final one to the player when Consort Radahn is defeated.

[@kingdomcome3914]

That's an interesting connection.

[@thomasgiles2876]

If it was created by shattering Miq's rune, then we are likely the only ones to encounter it since that rune shatters while we are in the DLC. It also seems to imply Miquella's location in the first half of the DLC is at least around Mesmer.

[@rubicantelefou]

"the Erdtree has eclipsed the sun's role" what a well thought formulation! Thanks for the video as always!

[@tonylemonade5892]

Scadutree avatar is a very underrated boss/entity in Elden Ring. The amount of detail it carries upon behavior/moveset/visual/ost tells A LOT about it and the shadow tree itself.

[@helwrecht1637]

Best boss in the dlc, the only one that didn’t feel like crap to play against.

[@TheStrayHALOMAN]

The shape of the creature reminds me of the twilight monsters from Zelda.

[@MaraudersOath]

The Reimagined Erdtree Avatar ost was a great touch for this

[@jimbo_13]

Another excellent video. Miquella riding the avatar is a perfect shot 🤣

[@thomaspraisewater6101]

very underrated boss, one of my favorites in the dlc. fun to fight once you grasp its odd hitboxes and moveset, with a cool theme musically and visually, good arena.

[@WHALEBOY777]

Zullie's shots are so beautiful that I have to watch the video twice because I got distracted from the text lmao

[@kofu1267]

I 100% love the idea that he offered his rune to the Scadutree, as recompense for everything that it had been deprived of. That's why it fought so vehemently to keep the fragments of power it still had I suppose. Makes a lot of sense honestly.

[@ciaranbladezero5075]

i believe this now lol

[@PugsMalone]

I had to walk past a dying sunflower every day when I was in kindergarten and it made me hate them; it looked like a big one-eyed monster. I still don't like being around sunflowers.

[@opossumoutlaw7534]

Damn imagine hating something for being ugly in death

[@boros4925]

​@@opossumoutlaw7534 not ugly Monstrous

[@JS32986]

This is my favorite FromSoft boss. I love it's design and really enjoy fighting it.

[@OokiiPeter]

I really wish that there was more after the boss. A way to explore the tree, perhaps.

[@m1lan417]

we gotta start opening the conversations about zullie being top 3 elden ring youtubers next to vaati

[@alessandrocelauro1307]

I think the Erdtree avatars appeared only after the shattering because that's when the Erdtree spread its seeds, hence the need to protect the Erdtree's offspring. The same didn't happen when Miquella shattered his rune

[@itsgab5745]

Honestly. One of my favorite bosses. At the time, my only experience with Fromsoft was Bloodborne, Elden Ring and Armored Core. Only recently have I started going through the Dark Souls series lol. But when it came to this annoying Sunflower. It struck a chord, unlike every boss I've faced in Elden Ring, I never thought I'd relate to the optional flower boss. Fighting the Avatar alongside the music, it felt like we were equals oddly enough. We've both been beaten down by this world of shadow, we've both died countless times, yet we both got back up. We both fought till we were exhausted, begging for rest, but still going. Arriving to it's arena. Similar to the Frenzy boss. It felt like I shouldn't be here, but while the ladder was because I was scared, the former- It felt like I was borh, not suppose to be here, but needed to be. Miquella rune shattered when I got to this castle, I had to drain the water out to get into this place, I had to go through so much that it felt like I was guided here by the game. I love this plant so much! Lol

[@WorthlessBein]

"A sunflower with no sun to follow, all it can do is wilt away in obscurity, its sad fate already settled before it even sprouted." By the Erdtree and the Gods, Zullie that was one of the most beautiful thing I've ever read.

[@Longknife]

Tha parallels to Goldmask's mask are certainly interesting...

[@Pie_Smacker]

One thing I appreciate is how forced everything for this boss is, design wise. Where the erdtree avatars wield their magic naturally and have a consistent, pretty design, these are held together and twisted and sharp, forcing their magic out in a violent explosion that causes them to fall and need to rest for a few moments

[@EldenRingColosseumchannel]

Never tapped a video so fast in my life to watch more lore

[@theopeneyes]

I still vividly remember being freaked out by how this thing basically shoves its head into your personal space even when not attacking.

[@TREVORVADER]

Honestly I’m still convinced the Radahn fanfic we got was a last minute rewrite and that a lot of this other stuff was supposed to be more prominent during initial development.

[@northropi2027]

i don't soulslike much but this thing's design is sick. i'm a sucker for gold-trimmed black color schemes and the way its "face" is partly covered with mostly just glowing "eyes" peeking out is great.

[@BlazeStorm]

I finally reached the Twilight realm in Twilight Princess yesterday and exclaimed out loud "Hey it's the Zullie song!"

[@thegucc593]

I don't know about anyone else but when I first discovered the Scadutree Avatar it gave me the same vibe as discovering Ash Lake for the first time. Something about going far deep into the Earth to discover a massive secret hidden from the world is what makes these games unique

[@clayzulah]

Even though there's not a lot of lore for this boss (/the Scadutree generally) the fight design, music, and animation do an incredible job of giving it an emotional impact. Definitely a highlight of the DLC for me.

[@JustKelso1993]

LOL. There isn't a lot of lore for anything, they pulled most of it from their asses. I also felt nothing fighting this boss, just glad it was over.

[@kevinvito8336]

The shape of those drooping sunflowers reminds me of the worm faces. At least their silhouettes, anyway.

[@themaniae4803]

How curious the spell from this Avatar is a Erdtree Incantation... with the symbol of the Crucible on it. MHhhhh!

[@MalcolmRidley-sf8uc]

This boss is very interesting and underrated when it comes to lore importance imo

[@hyp0782]

In early patches scadutree avatar was highly weak against the giants flame ash of war. The lore indication is that the avatar is itself not a manifestation of the scadutree but the veil upon the scadutree. The giant flame ash of war is also not that hazardous for erdtree avatar. Further indicating that only Marika's power can be easily destroyed by the giant's flame. This is the reason why Marika forsake Godfrey and befriended radagon. Also the war against the giants. But I am not if the giants war took place in the reign of radagon or Godfrey.

[@MythicMagus]

I love the design of this thing. It's one of the more interesting bosses in all of Elden Ring.

[@pponca8953]

in the third phase when the flower blows up, it unfolds into the shape of the scadutree

[@nahxela]

While not particularly difficult or anything, I really enjoyed the fight + atmosphere it offered. Probably my favorite boss of the DLC

[@TotoIsWriting]

Something interesting that connects to this: The Great Runes all resemble rays of diffracted light rays, connected to early TLB Sun worship

[@highwaytoheaven99]

On my 1st DLC playthrough, when I fought it and it respawned the 2nd time I thought it was the "gimmick boss" of the DLC, and I needed some special weapon or smth to defeat it. So I willingly died and tried again, searching around the arena to find the gimmick. Needless to say, I was absolutely LIVID when I found out I just needed to kill it 3 times, after like an HOUR of attempts and running around the arena.

[@gibbons9599]

Flowers aren’t really scary but Miyazaki has managed to make me see sunflowers in a profoundly creepy new way.

[@wealthybone2990]

Honestly I was not expecting a hidden boss to be a sun flower especially it having a third phase but I think it's one of the best bosses in the game, I love the arena and unironically I really love the sunflower weapon lol. Though the sunflower is an interesting boss as a plant can become such a thing like that, I wonder if that's because of the erdtree's power?

[@CrusasTheOrc]

I like the idea that Miquella could have been in the shadow lands for a very long time and caressed the scadutree with his own greatrune, because like the entire land itself, the tree is abandoned by the order, so the tree probably treated Miquella like its own god (probably Messmer too, to a degree). The moment he broke it was also the moment the scadutree avatar was created and absorbed the broken rune