Highlights
- Elden Ring’s Beast Crest Heater Shield carries symbols resembling real-life heraldry.
- The Lion Rampant symbol found on the shield ties back to historical kingdoms worldwide, adding depth to Elden Ring’s lore and worldbuilding.
- Director Miyazaki drew inspiration from various game for Elden Ring, which in turn were inspired by various mythologies.
An Elden Ring player discovered that a symbol featured on one of the critically acclaimed RPG’s shields possibly has a real-life counterpart. FromSoftware revealed in the past that while its latest work did not take inspiration from one game in particular, the studio was influenced by titles based on various mythologies.
Much like other Soulsborne games, 2022’s Elden Ring offers a wide assortment of weapons and equipment that players can use as they journey through the vast, dangerous realm of The Lands Between. Among these is the Beast Crest Heater Shield, a Strength-scaling piece of gear that can be found in the game’s starting region of Limgrave. One Elden Ring player has realized that the icon inscribed on the shield resembles the heraldry of one of their country’s former kingdoms.
Elden Ring Player Thinks They Found a Hidden Code on The Game’s Map
A fan thinks they have inched closer to finding Elden Ring’s last secret that Miyazaki spoke about, but the community is divided.
In a post on the Elden Ring subreddit, user RazielTheVampire claimed that the lion symbol on the Beast Crest Heater Shield looks similar to the heraldry of the Kingdom of Leon, a past state in the Iberian Peninsula that is now part of Spain. The sigil featured on the item, which is considered to be among the best shields in Elden Ring, depicts a lion standing upright on its hind legs while its forepaws are raised.
Community members pointed out that this symbol, known as a Lion Rampant, was a common heraldry that was associated with other old states, such as the Kingdom of Scotland. Aside from Europe, the icon can also be found in Africa and the Middle East, with the Lion Rampant still being featured on the coats of arms of countries like Spain and Tunisia. In FromSoftware’s game, this symbol is used by the followers of Godrick the Grafted, a character often regarded as one of Elden Ring‘s easiest bosses.
Games That Influenced Elden Ring Director Hidetaka Miyazaki
Veteran Japanese game developer Hidetaka Miyazaki, Elden Ring‘s director, previously claimed that the popular RPG did not take inspiration from one game in particular. However, the FromSoftware president, who recently confirmed that the upcoming Shadow of the Erdtree DLC will be Elden Ring‘s last, did reveal that he was influenced by other open-world titles like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. The former featured aspects of Celtic, Chinese, and Japanese mythologies, while the latter was heavily influenced by Slavic folklore.
Elden Ring‘s major expansion is set to be released on June 21, and it is expected to provide a great deal of new content. Shadow of the Erdtree will supposedly introduce difficulty modes as well, which would finally give players the option to make the game easier or harder to play.
Elden Ring
Elden Ring is a fantasy action-RPG adventure set in a world co-created by Hidetaka Miyazaki, the creator of the influential Dark Souls video game series, and George R.R. Martin, the author of the best-selling fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire. This collaboration between two renowned creators has resulted in FromSoftware’s largest game to date, filled with danger and discovery at every turn. Hidetaka Miyazaki, president and game director of FromSoftware, has a history of directing highly acclaimed games in franchises such as Armored Core and Dark Souls.
- Released
- February 25, 2022
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Metascore
- 96
