I’m standing on the precipice of a snowy peak in one of the endgame areas of the Elden Ring. To my right, the Giant’s Forge towers over the land below, its huge wrought-iron chains tying its cauldron to the mountainside. Behind me is the rotting shell of a lesser Erdree; and to my left, rising just above the horizon, are the masonry towers of the Chateau du Soleil. I know this part of Middle-earth like the back of my hand and have laid waste to almost every twisted wanderer in this frozen corner of the world. . Well, everyone except those hanging around the Heretical Rise grounds, because I don’t know how to get there.
In typical FromSoftware fashion, accessing this particular POI involves locating an invisible bridge across a ravine, tentatively easing my way forward hundreds of meters in the air, before turning left and heading wrap around an equally invisible spiral staircase. which leads to the first floor of Heretical Rise. I mean, why did it take me so long to figure this out? Certainly It is It was evident
And while this is clearly one of the less visible routes of discovery in the Elden Ring, I can’t say this is the first time I’ve scratched my head trying to locate the entrance somewhere in the above my current position, well below. . , or out of range. This has long been a topic of discussion on forums and mod request pages, but now I think: surely it’s time for Elden Ring to introduce a Zelda-like glider.
air head
(Image credit: FromSoftware)
Blasphemy, was the cry. And I understand. I first discovered the half-pleasant appeal of gliders among gamers in April of last year, just over a month after Elden Ring hit our screens. I laughed at myself at the time, because I thought to myself: this surely defeats the purpose of Lands Between: this is FromSoftware’s first real stab at an open world, too incongruous than incredible, and if you’re having trouble finding your way from point A to point B then, damn it mate, because there’s always a way to get there. It’s rarely an easy journey, of course, most of the time you have to kill dozens of enemies, or fight a giant or a dragon or worse, but it’s still doable with a bit of time and persistence.
Fast forward most of the year, however, and I find myself yearning for the sky. Because? Mainly because even though I’ve spent over 300 hours and still discovering areas that are completely new to me, I’ve unlocked almost every Sight of Grace spawn point from the outside world. Nowadays, if I’m faced with a treacherous path between two places, in the scenario above, for example, you can access the front of Heretical Rise by descending the mountain, around the frozen lake (by dodging a battle optional boss with an ice-breathing dragon, assuming you haven’t killed it yet), and climbing a hillside: I’ll almost always skip the route on a fast ride. Big drop? Fast travel. Big climb? Fast travel? Big bad… you get the idea.
And so, as I stood on top of that snow-capped cliff in the Giant Mountains, I was devoured by the What would happen if of an Elden Ring hang glider. Just the thought of jumping off the edge and floating down to the platform below, maybe rolling over and slicing a puppet soldier on landing, really got the juices flowing. So much so, in fact, that I ended up throwing myself off the hill, sending myself and Torrent to our doom in case I somehow tricked the game code to let me fly, me and my faithful horse.
(Image credit: Bandai Namco)
“Perhaps gliders could be unlocked after shooting down the Elden Beast as a small New Game+ bonus, similar to, for example, how the first Metal Gear Solid game gave players Stealth Camouflage.”
While doing so, I remembered the so-called “Pegasus bug” (opens in a new tab) that surfaced around the game’s release (later fixed) that allowed players to soar on horseback As they wish. I’m not sure tying an imaginary glider mechanic to Torrent is the best solution, but I think controlling gliders somehow might work. Much like how Spiritspring Jumps takes Torrent to higher scales in very Limited locations, for example, having a glider that can only be obtained from certain locations under specific circumstances, which can only be used in specific areas, would prevent them from being overused.
Maybe magic is the way to go. In the same Loretta Greatbow or Carian Greatsword simulate oversized weapons under dark arts, maybe an FP draw spell with a high intelligence condition would work, meaning players would have to engage in a build of witchcraft to use at all. Perhaps gliders could be unlocked after shooting down the Elden Beast as a small New Game+ gift, similar, for example, to how the first Metal Gear Solid game gave them to players who got on the Ocelot Stealth Camouflage torture table for your next game. Or maybe there are no limits at all, and gliders just make traversing Middle-earth even cooler than it is. is already, minus the geographic headaches in its current state.
Because when you put the quests and boss fights in games like Zelda: Breath of the Wild (and from what we’ve seen so far, its follow-up, Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom) aside, one of the most fun things you can do in these games is climb up to a vantage point, fall from it, and slide lazily to the next level. It’s the same in the Batman Arkham series, in Far Cry, Assassin’s Creed, Just Cause, Midwinter, Astro’s Playroom, and the list goes on. Unofficial PC mods are the likeliest route for Elden Ring gliders to move forward, you have to assume (I’ve seen a few flight mods do the rounds, but most of them are either fake or stupid as l hell), but what if we’re talking about an Elden Ring DLC wishlist? Well, almost a year later, you may need to update our selection.
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