Elden Ring is FromSoftware's most ambitious release to date, offering fans a massive open world to explore full of challenging puzzles, enemies, boss fights, and more. Elden Ring has a lot in common with FromSoftware's previous work, sticking closely to the Soulslike formula and borrowing quite a bit from Dark Souls. In fact, it seems that Elden Ring even uses assets that were originally intended for the Dark Souls games.
YouTuber Zullie the Witch recently uploaded a video showing an interesting connection between an Elden Ring enemy and Dark Souls 3. In the video, Zullie the Witch explains how Dark Souls 3's files contain AI for an enemy that was never in the game called "SnakeSoul." The SnakeSoul enemy does not appear in Dark Souls 3, but the file name reappears in Elden Ring, attached to the reoccurring Ulcerated Tree Spirit boss.
Since it's previously been discovered that Elden Ring has used other bosses cut from FromSoftware games, the logic follows that the Ulcerated Tree Spirit was originally meant to appear in Dark Souls 3, and is the long-lost SnakeSoul. Zullie the Witch's video also includes a leaked screenshot from the Dark Souls 3 alpha that features a creature that looks suspiciously like the Ulcerated Tree Spirit, lending further credence to the theory.
Zullie the Witch's video goes into further detail, pointing out the design similarities between the Ulcerated Tree Spirit and the Pus of Man enemy from Dark Souls 3. It's a fascinating look at how FromSoftware doesn't let cut assets go to waste, instead saving them for use in future projects. And since Elden Ring has such a massive open world that needed to be filled, it especially makes sense for cut content to appear in this game.
Elden Ring fans should consider subscribing to Zullie the Witch's YouTube channel, as it's a goldmine for other interesting information about the game. In one video, Zullie the Witch explained why the Rotten Strays deal so much damage to players, and in another, they offered fans a closer look at the Grafted Scion boss, revealing that they are even creepier than they appear on the surface. They also found evidence that Elden Ring mount Torrent had an attack at one point.
It's possible cut Elden Ring content will make it into the game down the line as DLC, but that remains to be seen. There are rumors of an Elden Ring DLC expansion being in the works, but FromSoftware has yet to make any official announcements. For now, fans can continue exploring the base game.
Elden Ring is out now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.