Fans of FromSoftware are likely more than familiar with the unsettling detail the developer can put into its games. Elden Ring embraces this tradition, and players are continuing to discover intriguing things about the RPG six months after launch. The latest revelation has to do with the disturbing status effect Death Blight, which can instantly kill an Elden Ring player with thorns, and its association with Godwyn. This discovery has disturbing implications that could lead to some exciting new theories.
Elden Ring players that have completed a significant amount of the game are likely familiar with the fate of Godwyn the Golden. His murder, confirmed in Elden Ring's introductory cinematic, left his body in a state of undeath. Now his corpse acts like a plague, spreading its thorny roots underneath the Lands Between. The Death Blight status effect is one product of the Prince of Death's spread, and players interested in the character should take a closer look at the Death Blight's thorns.
In YouTuber Zullie the Witch's latest Elden Ring video, she shows what the thorns of the Death Blight are actually made of. Zooming in on the thorns reveals that they're not normal thorns, but rather the wings of insects. The video further points out that the second body of Godwyn found within the Deeproot Depths has swarms of these white-winged insects buzzing around it. The implication is that Godwyn's rot gives birth to these insects, and they're within Godwyn's corpse as well as the player's if they die of Death Blight.
Zullie theorizes that this is perhaps FromSoftware's implementation of a now obsolete concept called "spontaneous generation." This idea posited that creatures like maggots and fleas were simply born out of mud or dead flesh. It's obviously now proven untrue, but it makes for an interesting theory to build into Elden Ring's lore surrounding undeath.
Another association that Zullie makes has to do with the Wormface enemies in Elden Ring. When Death Blight strikes, an animation shows worms shooting out from the body. It's possible then that these worms are also spontaneously generated from Godwyn's blight. If that's true, then perhaps the Wormfaces' face worms are related to Godwyn. Wormface attacks notably cause Death Blight, so the worm association to Godwyn seems clear.
Zullie lays the groundwork for yet another very intriguing theory, but there's almost certainly more to be explored on the subject. Insects are a major component of Elden Ring, appearing in many different ways within the RPG. Dragonflies hover across the world, scarabs return health and FP, and fireflies and butterflies are used in crafting recipes. Then there are the giant ants of Ainsel River and the Scarlet Rot Pests of the Grand Cloister, with the Cursemark of Death being a centipede and Fallingstar Beasts being terrifying insects on their own. Insects are everywhere in Elden Ring, but only FromSoftware knows why.
Elden Ring is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.