Elden Ring's most bizarre and beautiful faces

[@ZullietheWitch]

Note: I'm seeing a lot of questions about where Melina's second model comes from. It's used in Lord of Frenzied Flame ending. This is a video I've been meaning to make for a while, but part of the issue what not knowing what all NPCs to show and what to ignore. I mostly went off of what NPCs I could remember anyone specifically asking about.

[@runningbeaner1]

@Zullie the Witch do you think there’s any lore implications behind Ranni and Melina being half sisters or anything? The fact that Ranni’s right eye is closed while Melina’s left is closed, they both have a connection to Torrent, and they both wish to be guides for the player seems like they’d have some connection. I know one idea is that Melina is a fragment of Marika to help ensure her plan, but it’s kinda contradicted, because Melina only wishes for the Frenzy ending not to occur, and not the Elden lord endings, which Marika would dislike, because she turned on the Greater Will. Love your videos, just curious on your stance on some lore stuff.

[@hehhehehohohoe8807]

Next: Time to shave?

[@stikkykikZ]

What about the bloodhound knights? I'm sooo curious what there faces look like...if they have them🤔

[@ZullietheWitch]

@@runningbeaner1 I think it's something we don't have enough information on to answer definitively. Part of Miyazaki's style of storytelling is deliberately leaving out certain key answers to promote speculation and guesswork.

[@ImOlCraig]

When does the second model of Melina get used? I don't think I ever saw that model

[@pdragon619]

Since Malenia is blind I now imagine Mohg just carefully tip-toeing past her to steal Miquella from the tree, completely with hilarious shenanigans of him almost knocking things over and stepping on twigs.

[@bartendingcrow6497]

A large gulp as Malenia snoring stops for a bit and proceeds to resume... "Honk mimiquellamimi"

[@donpollo3154]

Mohg acting like a cartoon villain is something I never knew I needed

[@butterbuns4849]

he knows one cracked branch and its dancing time

[@bartendingcrow6497]

@gucciusmaximusi5099 Yeah! You're a hundred percent right. Which actually makes sense rather than what we're saying X) But God I love the cartoon villian imagery. XD

[@Euclid_girlie]

Inside a bush with bugs Bunny sneak music

[@rwberger6]

I found that morgott turning human when he dies is a nice touch given his title of "the grace given" and his ability to use holy incantations even as an omen.

[@musicxxa6678]

He is my favorite one and the voice acting is simply the best.

[@ChangedCauseYT-HateFoxNames]

Perhaps it's the erdtree granting the blessing he wanted so much after all he done and went through.

[@smittywerbenjagermanjensen4737]

I don’t think he’s actually turned human he just used too much of his omen blood attacking us and drained himself

[@arlom5132]

It can be assumed that the erd tree "cleanses" people of the omen when they "die" (not destined death) and their spirit is processed by it. Thus, the Shit Eater's goal of ripping out everyone's spirit through their ass to create more omen.

[@SorrowsPeace]

@@smittywerbenjagermanjensen4737 that’s what you call “a bad take” on things but hey it’s open lore so you’re allowed to believe that.

[@greyrgoose]

I like the idea of Malenia being blind because then that lends credence to her attack style of "walk at you till attacked, then reciprocate". She's navigating the field and has to find you first 🗡️

[@ioverslept.]

Would be cool if she didnt attack if you stood still for a certain time

[@DaJodad]

@@ioverslept. She kinda does do this since she is far more passive if you are. If you drink Crimson tears or roll/ attack she suddenly goes nuts. This is the tactic some poeple do to bait out her waterfowl dance.

[@taros0514]

It is also fairly appropriate as she learned her swordsmanship from a blind swordsman.

[@deusex9731]

​@holllllke123 you are fighting in water so she might hear you stepping, but in the end she has some attacks that just wouldnt hit.

[@RaxusXeronos]

​@@deusex9731 Unless she can hear you breathing, your armor making noise, fabric sliding across fabric, etc. plus her combat experience likely letting her predict where you'll be plus her most likely knowing the layout of the chamber she's probably spent so much time in plus plus her probably having spent a long while fighting blind before. With everything rotting away, she's probably had to rely on her hearing a lot. Hell she might be able to smell your character out, considering they don't seem to bathe lol.

[@cybertruckeralpha]

Malenia's blindness is poetic, as her mentor was blind himself. This would also explain why her skills weren't any worse for lack of sight.

[@darthduck6667]

Wait we know about her mentor?

[@eldendynast]

@@darthduck6667 I think there was a curved sword master who taught her the waterfowl dance, you can find that sword somewhere

[@cybertruckeralpha]

@@darthduck6667 We do, through three item descriptions. Blue Dancer Charm: The dancer in blue represents a fairy, who in legend bestowed a flowing sword upon a blind swordsman. Blade in hand, the swordsman sealed away an ancient god - a god that was Rot itself. Curved Sword Talisman: It is said that a blind swordsman was the originator of this technique -- the art of allowing one's opponent to strike so as to leave them vulnerable to a well-timed reply. Prosthesis Wearer Heirloom: Though born into the accursed rot, when the young girl encountered her mentor and his flowing blade, she gained wings of unparalleled strength. Considering how deeply tied Malenia is to the Rot, and considering her flowing swordsmanship and lack of eyes, it's an extremely likely conclusion.

[@cybertruckeralpha]

To add to this, this mentor character is a likely reference to the water dancing teacher Syrio Forel, from A Song of Ice and Fire, who taught Arya Stark how to fence and was notable for his own flowing swordsmanship.

[@darthduck6667]

@@cybertruckeralpha thank you for the lore

[@apxprdtr_mge]

While going through the land of the Haligtree, and seeing all the statues depicting Malenia and Miquella, I wonder, could someone recreate Malenia's pre rot face? On the statue her arm is missing, but her face seemed unaffected by the rot at that point.

[@saymyname2618]

I wondered the same about Ranni, if someone could make a version of her while she was still made of flesh and bone.

[@BlitzStorm]

@@saymyname2618 technically, this is a thing already ingame. The Raya Lucaria students in Renalla's bossfight are reborn to take on the appearance of Ranni.

[@saymyname2618]

@@BlitzStorm What? But they dont look nothing like her. Where did you get this from? Never heard anything like that.

[@obsidianfrost9514]

Ranni was the only child of Radagon and Rennala to inherit her mother's hair She also seemed to have inherited the weakest amount of the giant bloodline from her mother since she was smaller than her siblings and mother, but about the same size as Radagon

[@alexanderjamesaustin]

The statues around the haligtree do actually depict the progression of her rot going from having both eyes, to only 1 eye, to having neither

[@HoraceKock]

this is a certified frenzied flame moment

[@SIGNOR-G]

Insight gained at 1:20

[@jackkendall6420]

i only recognize certified mohg moments

[@maybeiamepic2263]

Let Chaos take the world!

[@SIGNOR-G]

@@jackkendall6420 is mogh a gamer?

[@pingpong5877]

@@SIGNOR-G no, he's a gaymer.

[@seedmole]

This really makes me want some DLC exploring all the missing details surrounding the Gloam/Dusk Eyed Queen and Ranni's snow witch mentor.

[@Ryanrulesok]

Dusk eyed Queen Melena

[@pixelspy5791]

I have a feeling they're going to go more into Ranni's background and story for dlc. I feel like she has so much mystery behind her and so many things go back to her being this incredibly powerful puppet master but her story seems unusually vague even for a From game. Like they're sort of setting it up to be expanded more.

[@barbatos9441]

@@pixelspy5791 TBH I prefer they go either the dusk eyed queen route or Miquella route for the dlc because it feels like we need more info about who the dusk eyed queen is and also about miquella someone made a video about a theory of entering a dream world to fight miquella which is I think a good dlc content.

[@hfweuiofnweuio500]

​@@barbatos9441 there is no miquella dream world. he and malenia are the new radagon and marika. or will be. the game is pretty direct about that. there is so much info about miquella i dont think they will make a dlc about that because it would be too predictable. and i feel like most people wouldnt be too excited for a dlc where they have to fight malenia again. also gloam eyes queen is just melina. yes it was a plottwist. she wanted you to kill maliketh to get her rune back, thats all. its not even a big deal. we use the rune of life with its owner rennala. who has a daughter ranni. and melina is the daughter of marika who is the owner of the rune of death. there is connection and background, already in the game.

[@brandentaft5164]

@@hfweuiofnweuio500 bruh there's so little about miquella inside the cocoon what are you on about and there's no concrete evidence about Melina being gloam eyed queen just good theories.

[@524silverstripes]

I just realized that Melina in her 'frenzied flame ending' look has lost the golden grace in her right eye so much that's why it must be faded. also Rahdahn without his helmet made me think of Craig the brute from Halo infinite

[@seelcudoom1]

i wonder why, is it that all remains of the golden order is completely wiped away and thus everyone lost grace? was it punishment for helping the erdtrees would be destroyer even if unknowingly? or perhaps for whatever reason the golden order doesent WANT her to go against the tarnished(possibly because the tarnished themselves has taken over)

[@lucasduque8289]

Craig is Rahdahn confirmed

[@tsktsktusk5584]

@@seelcudoom1 Think about how godfrey lost grace and had his golden eyes dulled after he fulfilled his purpose of getting rid of the giants. Melina was trying to get to the erdtree and once she got there, she found her purpose, which was to help us burn the erdtree. I think that when we burn it instead, she loses that purpose, and her eye loses its color. Though, i dont exactly know why the other eye wasnt dulled

[@morganwilliams5591]

​@@tsktsktusk5584 I'm pretty sure her right eye is dulled because the Frenzied Flame rendered her blind in that eye. Her model for that ending has her looking like she's been through hell, with frayed burned hair, etc. Her left eye didn't go blind because she had it closed when she was hit with the Flame. And if that eye was ever gold to begin with it's gone now.

[@kgniku503]

When I saw Melina's faded eye I thought it could be a reference to the Abyss / Idea of Evil from Berserk

[@Helleuphoria]

Zullie: *"Radahn without his helmet is comical"* Me: *Nightmare fuel*

[@SIGNOR-G]

*nightmerish comical*

[@EhurtAfy]

He kind of looks like the Uruk-hai leader in Fellowship of the Ring

[@1030warren]

Looks like a Derohedoro character

[@lol101lol101lol10199]

Hairstyle looks like something out of Dragonball

[@epicazeroth]

He looks like a Wojak

[@nagasadow99]

I never realized Mohgs horn was impaling his eye, i always thought it was coming out of the socket.

[@rwberger6]

If I remember right that's a problem certain species like rams and boars can have with their horns and tusks.

[@Feltay]

Yeah, Mohg is just a big babirusa.

[@justkosmo6806]

@@rwberger6 yep! It's called an ingrown horn and it can kill livestock if you're not taking good care of them

[@cridus_]

Doesn't make much sense that mohg, as a humanoid creature with human intellect, didn't even bother cutting off that horn before it pierced his eye...

[@elias.t]

@@cridus_ It's symbolic I think. He's embracing his identity as an Omen to the point of self-harm.

[@topcat59]

Maliketh looks so weird without his hair. It makes me feel like he was trying to audition for The role of the bear from open season.😹

[@nvrndingsmmr]

That bear's name is Boog!

[@davidhong1934]

He failed Runebear audition, so he had to be a final boss instead

[@gutar5675]

He look like a Runebear that got his rune stolen

[@georgiykireev9678]

@@gutar5675 So... Just bear?

[@xxfalconarasxx5659]

I wonder if Maliketh really has hair. It looks like he does, but when wearing the helmet on the player character it appears to be a component of the helmet, a sort of plume. There are a lot of helmets that come with the bosses "hair", as is the case with Melania, but the hair on Maliketh's helmet is connected directly to bare metal, rather than protruding from underneath the helmet or through a visible opening. Of course, the helmet is shaped different on the player, compared to what it looks like on Maliketh himself.

[@TheEloheim]

3:22 Somehow I think my brain filled in Hewg's face with Andre or the other blacksmiths because that horrifying mug damn near killed me.

[@1011約束]

I like to imagine that since the scarlet rot took Malenia's vision, she now has to rely on her hearing to locate her enemies. The floor in her boss room is covered in water which might serve the same purpose as echolocation.

[@godefroiddebouillon7769]

Nice theory... ...a shame it crumbles as soon as I equip creepus vial though.

[@Luckingsworth]

Hearing footsteps in water =/= echo location. Two entirely different phenomenon.

[@envoyofrot7046]

@@godefroiddebouillon7769 Gameplay does not have to be consistent with Lore. Look at Godfrey for instance. He is a tarnished yet Madness does not build up om him

[@nono-ch8oy]

She does seem to wander around looking for you until she's attacked, then she reciprocates.

[@thePontiffsSnickerdoodles]

@@envoyofrot7046 Godfrey is simply built different

[@OtakuUnitedStudio]

You really go above and beyond for these videos. I wonder how many other odd, interesting, and intensely detailed faces the rest of the From catalogue have.

[@AnonJuggerbot]

Looking at Rykards face so closely and without it moving reveals something interesting: You can see his jowls are starting to 'slough', and form flat, ridged protrusions that point downward. It reminds me a lot of Godwyn's warped face, to a less extreme degree.

[@thebeardedaliengamer7103]

You mean Godwyn, right?

[@AnonJuggerbot]

@@thebeardedaliengamer7103 Whoops, yes

[@Marxistnazi]

His jowls sag because it suppose to represent a greed. It might be me, but it reminds me of a fat person. And maybe that's the look they were going for?

[@alucard197]

Hey, Dorn... I wouldn't bet my hand on it... Haha sorry

[@mohammad1.45]

He looks high as hell

[@FingersMahoney]

When you think about it Mohg is mildly tragic. He didn't decide to cut off or file down his horns. So, he had to watch that horn slowly grow closer and closer to his eye.

[@-ayoshattah-ilya14ans70]

Maybe not, maybe it came early in his life. At birth, has a baby, or when emprisoned in the sewers while he couldn't do anything.

[@ДмитрийОсипов-м9д]

Isn't there some animal species that has the same problem?

[@Astraben]

​@@ДмитрийОсипов-м9д Quite a few will pierce themselves if their horns or teeth aren't ground down regularly. Warthogs and beavers are the most common examples.

[@noodzsz]

i wanted to draw a malenia fanart but was having a hard time finding good images of her face, this vídeo helped me a lot, thanks!!

[@prawngravy18]

yeah just don't do it, no one wants to see your anime ecchi reditions of ranni, just leave the game alone.

[@borgar1765]

@@prawngravy18 thou cringer.

[@ryanryans2126]

@@prawngravy18 who said anything about ecchi lol that’s just you

[@maybemablemaples2144]

@@prawngravy18 damn they weren't even talking about Ranni. What a self report my guy 🤡. And they said Malenia so like take the L.

[@chucheeness7817]

I tried to draw 2nd phase Malenia but gave up when I had to draw the details on the wings. Just took too much time lol

[@TheValiantBob]

One thing I'm curious about is Ranni's true body that you can find as part of Rogier's/Fia's questline to get her deathmark. Does it actually have a skeleton for posing, or is it simply a sculpted prop? If it can be posed, it would be cool to see it stretched out to full height, and a zoom in on what remaining features the body has such as the scraps of her red hair, and potentially any facial features that might be similar to her siblings or parents.

[@Loop_Kat]

While not an accurate measurement, I used the emote that makes you lay on your back while next to her body and I'd say she's probably about the same height as Radagon during his boss fight. Her head is roughly twice the size of the player's and her torso and legs are each about 2-3 player heads taller than the player model, so she would've stood quite tall

[@venyogo2]

we were robbed of tall ranni

[@TheCube31]

​ She misses her height as well, she's now had to resort to sitting on books to make herself look taller which is both adorable and very relatable

[@terrantabula9847]

@@TheCube31 Even when we can first meet her at the Church of Ellah, Ranni made sure to find a place to sit where she would be taller than the player. It's quite precious.

[@yorukage5926]

There is a chance Ranni doesn't have red hair

[@JPLangley_]

What I learned from this video is that Radahn is actually Tyler1. I should have known from how tall he was modeled to be.

[@666Kaca]

Tyler is bald

[@blak4831]

Radahn without his helmet: "The names RECOOME. It rhymes WITH DOOM. And you're gonna be hurtin' ALL TOO SOON"

[@blacktigerpaw1]

Reference?

[@minespatch]

@@blacktigerpaw1 Dragonball z abridged

[@kaden1991]

The rot around Malenia's eyes reminds me heavily of the first Fire Keeper, the Maiden in Black from Demon's Souls as it has a very similar shape. There's a lot I've noticed from Demon's Souls that seems to be connected to Elden Ring, like the Lands Between being "across the fog" which is a huge theme from Demon's Souls. The Seal used to keep the Old One (at least in the remake) in the Nexus could almost be mistaken for Great Runes. Furthermore the weapons found lodged in the Old One's back also have the same aesthetic imo. Not to mention that The Old One seems to be made of wood, perhaps even related to whatever abomination the Erd Tree is. Obviously it's not very likely all these things were planned from the start, but it seems that the themes brought back were consistent enough to be relevant to Elden Ring's story. No other series does this kind of lore/world building so well, and at times like this I have to wonder how deep the rabbit hole goes.

[@freshlymemed5680]

This is all just an elaborate scheme by Miyazaki and everything is actually connected in the end.

[@ioasisyumich]

No other series does lore building this well? The Elder Scrolls literally as more lore and world building than Souls could ever imagine to achieve. Also, I'm almost positive Warhammer has more lore than Elder Scrolls. Don't forget about D&D, Souls has about 3 or 4 decades of lore to catch up on, literally thousands of pages. Why is it that the average souls fan is just like you? A weeb that hasn't played anything other than JRPG's.

[@slamindorf5478]

@@ioasisyumich more doesnt mean better, for instance 95% of the books you find in elder scrolls games are pointless and terribly written, but the fact they exist at least hints at some world building; but to the original comments point i think he's talking about Fromsoft's unique style of story telling w/ the environment and item descriptions, not many games have you piece the story together yourself and draw your own unique conclusions, most spoon feed you everything with blatant exposition and cut scenes

[@nijuhinaa]

@@ioasisyumich doesn't elder scrolls suck ass lol

[@ghostderazgriz]

@@ioasisyumich You just couldn't help yourself could you. You couldn't engage in a civilized conversation.

[@Vulfnir]

Melina is easily the most interesting character in elden ring. I cannot WAIT for her story to hopefully be expanded upon in the DLC.

[@Crispy1961]

Is she? There is so little information about her that she could be literally anything, which is by default not very interesting to me.

[@Brinkalski]

Same here, it frustrates me to no end that there are no clear answers to a lot of her story

[@gserendipity]

@@Brinkalski lmao, it's a souls game. most of the npc stories don't tell themselves and probably won't be found until later on

[@NightmareBlade10]

Really? Out of all of the soulsborne maidens she's probably one of the least interesting. She doesn't have much interaction with the player outside of showing up at a couple of sites of grace and a few story moments. We're supposed to be going on the massive quest to bring her to the foot of the erdtree but she basically dips from the game for the vast majority of it. I personally find the Firekeeper or the Doll much more interesting characters in general simply because they have actual personality and interaction with the player.

[@gserendipity]

@@NightmareBlade10 I mean, that's true and i agree but she does appear everytime you get to a marika church and tells you a bit of lore

[@CptObvious]

One thing that's really tragic about Malenia being blind is that it means she likely doesn't realize that she's not protecting Miquella anymore. She was asleep when he was taken, and though she's awake to fight you, she's unable to see that his cocoon is gone. She fights you to protect something that isn't even there anymore, and therefore dies for nothing.

[@shedinjask]

nah, she has dialogue saying shes awaiting his return. for some reason she just thinks he left of his own free will

[@jayjers]

@@shedinjask Or that she's waiting for him to wake up

[@Xiuyas]

I felt like the reason Malenia marched all the way to Caelid, is actually to get Miquella back, since Mohg's Palace, is literally right below the place where Malenia and Radhan fought, sadly in the end they fought to a stalemate and Malenia's rot increased and fainted, and she cant continue her mission to retrieve Miquella anymore without risking her rot to increase furthermore

[@xeibei4804]

@@Xiuyas makes no sense

[@Error-ik6tr]

@@xeibei4804 Leo’s explanation makes more sense than most “lore” they give us to begin with 🤦🏽🤦🏽

[@LoudWaffle]

When you show Melina’s open eye that closely, it really does look like that Beast Eye that Gurranq gives you… I’ve also always loved the detail of Melina’s once-dominant eye being faded as though blind in yhat ending, signifying the loss of grace and/or her connection with Marika.

[@PierceArner]

It just occurred to me that Melina's purple cloudy eye looks eerily similar to the Beast Eye that Gurranq gives you. It has claw marks on it like it was removed from someone else as well. I wonder if that might be more of a hint towards her as the former Empyrean, the "Gloam-Eyed Queen" like has been theorized.

[@_DioBrando_]

I mean her name is Melina (similar to Malenia and Miquella) and she wants to go to the foot of the erdtree... I feel she's clearly the daughter of Marika and although it's never explicitly stated but it is rather difficult to come to any other conclusion.

[@mooyah4129]

well given that the main evidence for that theory is that melina has that gloam eye, its a cool observation but im pretty sure it wouldnt make sense lore wise

[@PierceArner]

@@mooyah4129 That's interesting as it's never a detail I'd heard in the theory before. Melina's primary goal is to ensure that you as the Elden Lord will one day experience Destined Death, and her last act before serving as the kindling to bring about the death of the Erdtree is sending you to Farum Azula …where the Rune of Death that was taken from the Gloam-Eyed Queen is being held by Malekith. She also is the one who has the knowledge to actively warn you to stay away from the Frenzied Flame, and even if you accept it, she returns to ensure that Destined Death still arrived for the Lord of Chaos. As this places her into the role of the bringer of death for the gods themselves, and that was the role of the Gloam-Eyed Queen, that was the main supporting evidence I'd known of before now.

[@GuitarGuise]

@@PierceArner what do you mean by "she returns to ensure that destined death still arrives for the Lord of chaos? I did the chaos quest during my first playthrough, and I'm pretty sure she says she cannot continue with you any further. Then abandons you. She doesn't come back at the mountaintop, when you ignite the Erdtree yourself. You could theorize that she still sends you to Faram Azula, but there's no evidence for that. If I recall, you just inexplicably teleport to Faram Azula after burning the Erdtree yourself.

[@kairensintal]

@@GuitarGuise If you meet certain criteria, there will be an additional cutscene in the chaos ending, showing Melina return and swearing to bring you down

[@maelstrrom2824]

2:19 runebear on a diet

[@polskillz]

So those Skeleton Dogs in Tomb of the Giants are a bunch of Malikeths, explains why they're so fucking strong and annoying to fight

[@freddogrosso9835]

Deepest lore!

[@tylervanpeursem7627]

Time traveling skeleton dogs

[@asdergold1]

@@tylervanpeursem7627 From teleportation to time travel...

[@tylervanpeursem7627]

@@asdergold1 "the very fabric of time itself is convoluted, with heroes centuries old fading in and out"

[@egoalter1276]

Frenzied flame ending segueys right into DS1s opening. This is not much a stretch thematically.

[@Etherwinter]

Melina's left eye is so cool-looking. I was immediately enamored with that version of her and wished there was more about it.

[@chrisiceheart]

A comment from "Klayperson" under Zullie's Dung Eater video: "interesting that they chose to put a cateract on his [dung eater's] right eye. in the western esoteric tradition, the right eye is a symbol of one's occult intuition, or understanding of spiritual matters. being blind in the right eye could be further symbolic of the dung eater's separation from the erdtree, which appears to be the source or focal point of spirituality in the lands between. this trope holds true considering the closed eye of melina, and also of ranni. melina's left eye is closed, implying she only considers things from a spiritual perspective. ranni has two faces, and opposing eyes are closed: her physical doll's right eye is closed, and her ghost's left eye is closed. following this trope, the physical doll's right eye closed implies the doll, by itself, has no soul, and the spirit-face with left eye closed is similar to melina in that it represents a purely spiritual orientation, which seems consistent with her mission to bring about an age of stars where physicality is done away with"

[@ginkgkobiloba1071]

I saw goldmask in a strange pose when I was summoned to my friend's world in the ashen capital. His ghost looked like it was grabbing onto a ledge and floating mid air

[@eldendynast]

Corhyn must have freaked out

[@belisarius6949]

@@eldendynast "WHAT THE FUCK DOES THIS MEAN"

[@nvrndingsmmr]

He's just that insightful, dude.

[@Maxbeedo2]

A "face" that I'd like to see is the statue in the Grand Cloister in the room where you find the Scorpion's Stinger that all the Kindred of Rot are staring towards. The body and face are covered in rot so you can't tell who it is, and it could just be nothing with the Kindred worshipping the weapon, but I thought the placement of that statue was interesting.

[@KingTigerGuy]

There is more that imply-explain how/why Malenia can be blind and still fight as well as she does, as the curve swordsman and prosthesis wearer heirloom talismans, blue dancer charm (talisman), and flowing cursed sword all reference some mysterious blind swordsman who was a renowned fighter, and was Malenia's mentor.

[@Dovawhat]

Dororo?

[@yohannthiem9983]

seeing radahn without the helmet and his spiked red hair truly show he's the "strongest creature" and an "ogre"

[@rafsandomierz5313]

@@WesHalScyth I knew he reminded me someone thanks lol, though can't remember in which franchise he was. (Goblin Slayer???)

[@rafsandomierz5313]

@@WesHalScyth Though saw similar design in Old Brazilian manga that is no longer sold besides Brazil.

[@AQ_77]

@@rafsandomierz5313Baki

[@juliushill1370]

After watching this I realized that Melina's frenzied flame model has her eye tattoo faded, as if it were a seal that finally broke, allowing her to use it again. This might give more credence to the theory that she is the gloom eyed queen, and that her power were sealed with her eye, now restore due to it breaking.

[@DragonfoxShadow]

Sealed when the Rune of Death was sealed. And most likely no longer sealed after you kill Maliketh

[@saintsfearful]

@@DragonfoxShadow I think this is why she fakes her death. She regains her memories as the Gloam Eyed Queen and aids the tarnished so she can bring Destined Death to the Lands Between. Melina survives every ending.

[@wisp3936]

@@saintsfearful An interesting theory

[@saintsfearful]

@@wisp3936 I mean, she straight up says that's her goal in the cutscene for the Frenzied Flame ending. She says goodbye after you reach the capital implying that you won't see her again, yet she joins you for the Morgott fight and immediately propositions you to burn the tree. She also seems to know much more about herself once she rejoins you.

[@AzuNekomiya]

@@saintsfearful In fact, a very real theory, given the fact that it seems like the one who raised the level for us, as it were, died, but the level can still be raised. Who do we give the runes to if she's dead?

[@marisab1cc]

Demons Souls character creation music such a vibe

[@Harryjordan]

1:56 ayo this wondrous physick aint shi-

[@vagabundorkchaosmagick-use2898]

It's so strange some characters have complete bodies and others don't. It gives a glimpse of, perhaps, discarded ideas and concepts. Thanks, Zullie, your witchery is amazing.

[@ungoliver]

Rennalas face is just so beautiful wth

[@Regibois]

Am I the only one who feels kinda bad for the cursed twins? It’s kind of wholesome that they tried creating a paradise despite their curses. Even if one of them may be manipulating people to do so

[@conormccue2871]

Miquella is Griffith my dude. Manipulation may be the least of one's concerns over him. He reeks of sanctified evil.

[@Regibois]

@@conormccue2871 true

[@bananananananabatman8999]

Well, Miquella curse is eternal childhood and their power to inspire loyalty/affection is not very controllable as far as it seems. Somewhat similar to Malenias power of the Rot, she can sort of turn it on or off, but it goes wild the second she inflicts something and can’t stop it, even if it’s her own body.

[@SirMcNoodle]

I think the reasons behind Ranni's two faces is probably because it's her true self enhabiting the doll.

[@SafariBoyWob91]

Might actually be. On the other hand I believe she's somehow connected to the blind side of Melina.

[@SirMcNoodle]

@@SafariBoyWob91 That is also a possiblity, though if you look really closely at Melina's left eye tattoo, it doesn't really match up with the markings over Ranni's closed eye. Also Ranni is the daughter of Rennala and since Melina says she was born under the Erdtree that maybe she's a child of Marika. But who knows when it comes to a Miyazaki plot!

[@strcmdrbookwyrm]

With the NPCs that are just slightly modified enemy models, it's amazing how much a difference a little hair and a hat can make.

[@moaiman003]

So even Zullie mistakes Maliketh for Malekith...

[@zaleost]

You know until now I genuinely though they had the same spelling, although I was thinking he shared it with the Warhammer version more than the Marvel one.

[@eldendynast]

Maliketh, the Dark Clergy-Elf

[@lorenzofilipazzi9621]

Maybe Melina's golden eye looses colour because after burning everything grace is no more (and we don't see her in other endings). After all, she has ties with Marika (she even knows what could have been her final words before shattering with Radagon, this is very sus)and after dying leaves an entire "tree" of golden runes, instead of little branches like us

[@DisappointedBuddha]

Or that the rune of Destined Death finally returned to her

[@maybemablemaples2144]

Do you think she's piece of Marika reborn? She has all this info and sometimes works with Ranni while fighting like a Black Blade. 🤔

[@saintsfearful]

@@maybemablemaples2144 I think she's Ranni's long lost twin sister Renna.

[@JustSomeGuyWithNoMaidens]

@@saintsfearful Renna is not Ranni's sister. Renna is a witch that taught Ranni how to use magic. There's no evidence that they were related.

[@lorenzofilipazzi9621]

Yeah, there's definetely a lot of room for speculation regarding her, unless a dlc were to add more details. She can conjure runes into strength like a Maiden, offering to play as one, she knows Marika's words, like we said (and those are words that only she may know, like the bit regarding Radagon, but also the speech where she questions the Order or when she exiles Godfrey... They don't sound like something of public domain ahahah), she guides us to fulfil Marika's wish, basically, which is following the grace and killing the God. Then there is the fact that she moves like one of the black knives, only but "a golden version of them", she has an immense "light of grace", she says she was born under the erdtree... She shares Radagon and Marika's children initial (but also Morgott and Mogh have an M, maybe it was a way to simbolyze that they were cast away and not recognized as Gofrey's successors), she has a golden eye and "reddish brown hair" (Malenia is a redhead and Miquella is blonde... while she's kinda in between). But then there are the ties with Ranni, she gives us a spectral steed and Ranni knows about it, she even says she's happy to see Torrent doing well, as well as the fact that Ranni gives us the means to use spirits. They also share a closed eye, but mirrored (also there's this image of Melina being overlapped to Ranni's spirit face, but i don't know how much of that is intentional or just "an average anime woman looking face") and Ranni can follow us by putting her soul inside the miniature doll, which could be similar to what Melina does with her "spectral appearence". Up until these elements, she could sound like a secret daughter or byproduct of Marika to ensure that a Tarnished would follow that path... The similarities with Ranni could be simply part of their lineage (like, Rykard can summon the souls of the ones he feasted upon), but the doubts begin with the chaos ending and her "gloam eye". If she were the gloam eyed queen, it wouldn't make much sense, as she says her mission was given by her mother (so if we wanna believe that theory and also believe her words regarding her mother, this mother would be a different character we may not knkw about... Maybe death itself or the God of death, who knows...); If she were the daughter or a byproduct of the gloam eyed queen, the ties with Marika would be just kinda there as well... So maybe she still is an offspring of Marika and she follows the path of destined death simply because Marika basically changed her mind: at first she had Maliketh defeat the g.e.queen and took death away, but at some point she changed her mind, questioned the Order and basically conjured the game's plot, betrayed Maliketh, created the Tarnished, shattered the ring and so on. Whatever the reason for this change of mind might be doesn't really matter (honestly i don't really see Marika as some good being who is genuenly sorry for what she did, after all if she really had a part in the night of the black knives, since the black knives are tied to her and Maliketh feels betrayed by her, she would have had her son killed....I see her more as someone who plotted against the current Order because the Greater Will chose a new empyrean to replace her. She wanted to be eternal, not just a cycle, but after Radagon was sent to the Capital probably to keep an eye on her, as he was the leal Hound of the Order, she plotted to basically screw everything, destroy the Order and have a Tarnished kill the God... But we don't really know if she changed her mind before or after Ranni was born, so anyone's guess is as good as mine), what matters is that Melina is fullfilling her part in the plan, one way or another and the gloam eye she has at the end could be simply representative of the destined death she wants to deliver to the Lord of Chaos.

[@andrknight]

So after his defeat, Radahn leaves his armor behind and travels the stars, eventually joining the Ginyu squad.

[@SyndicateOperative]

And he changes his name to... Reeeeecooooome!

[@sebastianocampo8685]

I feel melinas dusk eye and golden eye represent her aliggeance to both the Gloam Eyed Queen and the Golden Order

[@khandimahn9687]

It would explain why the right eye is faded - the Order is no more in the Frenzied ending.

[@teaz3139]

Thanks for doing this, Zullie! I know we all appreciate it!

[@thegameloaf7811]

Guranq is such a cute little puppy lol

[@Thewhither64]

2:35, well that just ads salt to the injury, I got my ass beaten countless times by a warrior with a missing arm, leg, rotting body, and also blind

[@Jeffmetal42]

Strangely, Malenia's eyes being blind/rotted out never crossed my mind. Well, that just bumped her up a few more pegs for being one of the most badass warriors From has ever created. She is absolutely up in the top 5 of my favorite From bosses.

[@welshycarrot936]

Do you think she would fight any differently if she could actually see? Like PERFECT tracking on waterfowl dance? Do you think the unalloyed golden helmet helps her sight in anyway?

[@santiagojara8056]

Did you just skip the second phase cutscene every time?

[@CelestialDraconis]

The way Malenia's eyes are blinded visually reminds me of the Maiden in Black's blinded eyes. The shape is oddly similar.

[@TheCrewExpendable]

Eyes can function as portals in Elden Ring. Those with Frenzy shoot flames out of their eyes. Unfortunately for Malenia (and everyone else) Scarlet Rot is pouring of hers’. (Also pretty sure there is a Beksinski painting or two similar of a face that (like Malenia) has biological horror pouring out of the eyes).

[@Etherwinter]

Smoughtown just released a 1 hour 30 minute lore video on the scarlet rot which also includes lore of Malenia. It even talks about her fighting style and how it's related to the outer god of rot (ie it's the fighting style that was originally used to fight against the outer god of rot) and that using the fighting style may help in suppressing it or giving her temporary relief. But it also opened my eyes because I hadn't realized how handicapped she was during her lore fight with Radahn. During the fight with Radahn, her body was already succumbing to the rot. She'd already lost her arm, most likely lost her eyes at the time, and was actively trying to suppress the influence of an OUTER GOD having control over her body. IMO, Radahn holding the stars in place sounds way less impressive now.

[@klefthoofrobert787]

Awesome video as always, really appreciate the work you put in for us nerds that want to dissect the games as much as possible and lore ofcourse.

[@NoneofyourbusinessXD]

Seeing gurrang like that feels so weird. I imagined him as basically guardian ape from sekiro with robes. I was so convinced that they literally used the apes model and hunched him over more and put a robe on him

[@EldenRingBattle]

Melina's left eye looks so cool

[@Bluntsurgeonbobby]

3:25 The switch between hair triggered my fight or flight

[@mwjgcreeves4984]

1:23 "And when everyone’s super. No one will be."

[@Antwonn2002]

Is this an incredibles reference?

[@ToastieMcMuffin]

therapist: kale without mouth can't hurt you kale:

[@candy-ninja]

This is the worst thing that Fromsoft has done. Its too cursed

[@KRILLAZ]

i own the figure of malenia from the collectors edition and it's very detailed, it's how i figured out that her legs are both prosthetics but they are decaled with scarlet rot. malenia's character model definitely interests me the most next to godwyn. (i didn't inspect her armour in-game until after i got the figure)

[@NateCummings]

Nude Malekith/Gurranq is friggin cursed

[@vwts]

We thought he was so buff

[@Emerl18]

I feel like Maliketh's strange body shape didn't get enough attention here. Is he a bear? A wolf? A wolverine? Something between?

[@Mustacheoro]

I've noticed some interesting stuff with the eyes. Both Ranni and Mohg, whom oppose the golden order and greater will, have their left eye closed, and their right eye open. Morgott, whom still supports the golden order, has his left eye open, and right eye closed. Melania supports the greater will, but has her left eye closed and right open, which makes me think that the right eye is indication of being against the golden order, but not necessarily against the greater will. This is all brain storming, so I may be wrong lol

[@mhiggs8001]

That’s an interesting observation! I figure it’s intentional, most things done in art are anyway. Good point, thanks for mentioning it!

[@KratosisGod]

No ranni's and morgott's right eye is closed while mohg's and melina's left eye is closed so this parallel falls apart

[@AlessandroMercante95]

Ranni’s closed eye is the right one

[@Chaffee738]

I think the OP is theorizing with the assumption that the spectral face of Ranni is the "true" face and not the doll one. I would say Malenia isn't exactly loyal to the Golden Order though. Miquella was dissatisfied with its inability to cure Malenia and sought to get the Lands Between free from the alien gods which includes the Greater Will.

[@Mustacheoro]

@@Chaffee738 I actually meant to say melina, but that foot fetish guy who made dark souls 4: ds2 2 names everyone and everything the exact same >:(

[@diochan9705]

Melina : "This erdtree weed aint doing nothing" Melina 5 minutes later: 5:11

[@L0ne_W0lf485]

Naked Maliketh isn’t real…..he can’t hurt you. Naked Maliketh: So that was a lie.

[@ctyoro5086]

Really cool 👍 I'm also curious about some character models like how much a man vs wolf Blaidd is especially after seeing Maliketh Also wondering if characters with helms like Loretta have faces 🤔

[@nightlyboot4888]

Dark Melina can deliver destined death to me anytime.

[@gonderage]

So this entire time, I never knew Master Hewg was a misbegotten. This entire time, I thought he was his own species not looking an ounce like anything else. Turns out he's the only one that i could see with a bald, barnacled head, whereas everyone else had head covering hair, so i didnt see the resemblence.

[@stripedmilo]

Very interesting to see that Maliketh has more of a lion face, especially the snout. Most interpretations of him seem to assume he's a wolf like Blaidd.

[@Loop_Kat]

For those wondering about Melina's alternate model, not only do you have to pursue the Lord of Frenzied Flame ending (as Zullie said in the pinned post), but my understanding is that you must acquire the Frenzied Flame _before_ completing Mountaintop of the Giants. If you acquire the Frenzied Flame _after_ completing Mountaintop, then Melina will NOT appear in the Lord of Frenzied Flame ending cinematic (this is what happened with me, I didn't even know she had another model until seeing Zullie's other video)

[@gaelortegasepulveda3988]

Its because she dies when you burn the tree

[@julians7613]

I had never seen radahn up close until now im just realizing

[@GoogleRuinsAnythingItTouches]

Melina's model after the frenzy flame ending even made her hair look like it was singed.

[@shadypielover]

I didn’t know any of the characters looked like this, Radahn and Mohg were crazy

[@Darth1Marik]

It's poetic that Malenia is blind due to the scarlet rot because according to lore the water dancing swordsman who taught her was also blind.

[@thehimagedidntfitinmypfp6562]

dear god maliketh without armor looks like something you'd see in a nightmare

[@soarel325]

Goldmask using an enemy rig is interesting. I’ve heard theories he’s an Onyx or Alabaster Lord and I’m curious if this holds any water. Does he use their animation rigs? Morgott having grace in his eye also confirms a thing I’ve been curious about, I’ve seen a lot of people say that he never obtained grace despite his loyalty to the Erdtree but his model suggests he genuinely did.

[@lordflashheart3741]

He's literally called "Morgott the Grace-Given" in game. If anyone says he wasn't granted it, they must be very forgetful or really dense.

[@vergil8833]

Melina's gloam eye looks so cool on the actual model. I like the edited purple it is in the cinematic, but the paleness of it on the model is so good. It's very much in line with the coloscheme of death we know so far from Ghost Flame and the Black Flame.

[@Tarodenaro]

4:15 right, no sleep for tonight.

[@earnshawheathcliff5189]

Can’t stop watching these videos. Thanks for making them!

[@adawg3032]

melina is so pretty fr

[@lapistmacir1014]

yeah if you clip the cam through Maliketh's robes his armor is indeed underneath.

[@somniloquous0]

This has actually given me added respect for the character design in ER. I had kind of thought that ER was missing the creepy/grotesque angle in its art direction compared to Bb, for example, but nope - I just wasn't looking close enough!

[@ThePhrog714]

have you even played the game

[@gonderage]

yeah have you even played the video game elden

[@shanedunleavy4574]

Something I noticed when seeing a close up of Melania in 2nd stage is that her red hair is a part of her wings like roots. Almost like they grew from her hair

[@FRANKIEonWCin240p]

After watching this, Melina is 100% the Gloam-Eyed Queen. Just look at the eye, it looks exactly like dusk. Which is why the game also mentions her as the Dusk-Eyed Queen. Perhaps Melina is the Gloam-Eyed Queen in the same way that Gurranq is Maliketh.

[@MaybeThatGuy]

+ she moves like a Black Knife assassin when you summon her VS Morgot Still, im not convinced of her being the queen: maybe the same body, but not the same mind/soul/whatever.

[@TheFruitofTruth]

Radahn without his helmet looks like the clown from twisted metal

[@AnActualDinosaur]

There's one question I have about Marika/Radagon that I thought you were gonna answer for a sec there, but you didn't: does anything else change between the cutscene Marika model (at the end, before the Radagon fight) and Radagon's model itself besides the hair? Radagon has such big muscly "manboobs" that I can't even tell if there's a change in that area, for example. Basically, is it just the hair that changes when Marika becomes Radagon at the cutscene or do they have actual different models and it goes from a Marika model into a Radagon model with a different body?

[@kimashitawa8113]

Different bodies, there are videos of it here on KZbin.

[@phiengley]

Their physique does look different, though we also only see Marika in her crucified pose so maybe they took advantage of that to hide Radagon's wider shoulders and etc.? That said, their face is clearly different, as is their hair (beyond just colour), so I'd imagine their physique changes too EDIT: not to mention Radagon is missing most of his left side where Marika clearly wasn't

[@santiagojara8056]

It's a different model. Marika's body is really feminine. Bonfire VN has a vid observing the model.

[@zero_sky]

different bodies, Marika has a dumptruck

[@world.prince]

@@zero_sky yeah same 😓

[@Mysillyum]

Worth it for Radhan and iji's cute little heads alone. Great video Zullie!

[@XIIthehangedmanXII]

5:15 Considering that the previous model doesn't have an option to open it's eye I'm 60% certain that lore-wise the eye is always purple. Tho FromSoft puts great attention to details we normally won't see, hence the 40% uncertainty.

[@MataNuiOfficial]

Maliketh the dawg still haunts me

[@xxfalconarasxx5659]

The red hair on Radahn's head is his actual hair? I always thought it was just a helmet plume. This game makes it hard to tell whether or not characters really have long hair sticking out from under their helmets, or decorative plumes that are part of their helmets, because when the player wears their helmets they get the hair, regardless of what their actual hair style is, as if it was just part of the helmet. Maliketh, Malenia, Godfrey, and the Banished Knights have helmets like this, and we know that in Malenia and Godfrey's case, this is their hair. Makes me wonder if the player scalps every boss they defeat, and wears said scalps on their heads as a hat.

[@lucifeers3219]

Melina's cloudy eye tho, i was lost in it, amazing.

[@wackamackaphone]

I'm pretty sure Malenia is blind. In the cutscene before the fight she turns to the tree and talks to miquela as of he was still in his chrysalis in the tree, event though It's visually very apparent that the cocoon is missing

[@pinkrose5286]

Malenia is definitely blind. I think that’s why her mentor, the blue dancer, is blind as well.

[@maybemablemaples2144]

@@TheStraightestWhitest we're standing in a field of flowers and water dude. Idk about you but most blind people have hyper sensitive hearing and perception. And she was already taught to hone her skills by another disabled character. Not trying to be rude or anything but even if it's just a character you shouldn't talk down about blind people like that. They can and have succeeded in living full lives and can still function.

[@wackamackaphone]

@@maybemablemaples2144 I don't think Straight White Male didn't mean any harm tho, he was just speculating to try to understand what is up with Malenia

[@wackamackaphone]

@@pinkrose5286 True!

[@88_l]

OMG the demon souls character creation music….unexpectedly hearing that was the highlight of my day thank you

[@Ramdas_Devadiga]

Looking at Melina's face model here, I think Melina is totally or partially blind in the eye which we see when talking to her for most of the game. Before she meets us, she must've used Torrent to navigate the world, which once she gives it to us is now bound to use the Grace sites as navigation checkpoints. That's the reason her first scene where we see her sitting on Torrent, she is not sitting in a traditional horse riding position i.e. she is not holding the leash on Torrent to control it. Rather she is found to be sitting as if she is not actively guiding Torrent. When we get the Flames ending, I believe we release her from a curse, which is against her will, but we now see eyes which is not blind.

[@godefroiddebouillon7769]

She's absolutely sitting in a traditional riding position though. The way she sits is the way women rode horses in the medieval period up until the last century, which is called the sidesadle position.

[@fatbadger366]

You never disappoint, Zullie. Keep up the good work.

[@gabrielcastro5393]

2:05 Pthumerian Elder

[@luckfoser]

i love the way this video is presented. could have easily just been shots of their models with the barest descriptions but you went into it. i liked your descriptions

[@tarille1043]

Man, Melina is just so cute

[@Wacker_Neuson]

hewg just goes to show how much of a difference a beard can make for guys

[@sirdapplton]

Never noticed that Melina's right eye changes color in the other model. I suppose it's meant to symbolize the death of the Golden Order?

[@TheCrimsonZombie]

Malekith just looks like Scooby’s reaction to Shaggy eating all the snacks

[@weaselbeee]

god i need to know more about melina. why is her left eye shut? what causes it to open during the lord of frenzied flame ending? why is the mark on her eye shaped like a dragon wing?

[@Pit_1209]

Look for the gloam eyed queen

[@zanderinferno2854]

She's definitely related to or is the Gloam eyed queen, leader of the Godskins and original holder of the rune of death. It's implied her left eye is shut by maliketh after her defeat by his hands. Also, the beast eye shares a very similar color and reacts when deathroot is near. I think maliketh outright stole her eye along with the rune of death

[@raptorxrise5386]

@@zanderinferno2854 i dont think he stole it. It might be "sealed" in a way maybe to mirror how her abilities were sealed. Just saying if that was melinas eye i doubt he wouold give it to a random tarnished who fed him a single piece of Deathroot

[@weaselbeee]

@@zanderinferno2854 oh i see thank you !

[@mythorganizer4222]

So Radahn is Yujiro Hanma. Now everything makes sense.