Occasionally anElden Ringinvasion will deviate from the typical unrestrained slaughter that the online competitive system is known for. An intrepid invader and their unlikely allies opted to establish a frozenElden Ringlake as a stage, performing an impromptu ballet that involved an unexpected truce, soccer-playing deer, and an ending of poetic tragedy.
An invasion is the title assigned to FromSoftware’s competitive concept, whereby if certain conditions are met, the world in which a player resides risks being “invaded” by another. Traditionally, a battle to the death transpires, but the wider community has gradually built self-regulated events which abide by unique rules. For example,Dueling is a strict 1v1 formatwhich has developed an idiosyncratic etiquette which participants are expected to respect, including but not limited to the inability to heal using Flasks of Crimson Tears, an expectation to greet your foe, and the absence of tools or skills considered to be unsporting.
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For those that do not wish to engage in conflict, whether it be respectful or not, being friendly is a risky but viable path forward, asdemonstrated byElden Ring’s Boiled Crab delivery invader. In a video uploaded to Reddit by bsmiff, also known as Iced Estus, the invader befriends a trio of wandering Tarnished, automatically casting their roles in “Deer Lake: An Elden Ring Ballet.” After building trust with the Ravioli step, the invader places a Grace Mimic on the Freezing Lake, which the newly formed ensemble congregate around.
Moving swiftly into the second act, each of theperformers makes use of the Mimic’s Veil, causing them to be perceived as deer. Unlike genuine animals inElden Ring, these apparitions lack a variety of animations, meaning the performing deer glide along the frozen floor with the grace of constipated ghosts, all in the name of art. An abstract inclusion of Andres Cantor’s famous call for a goal precedes the ballet’s recapitulation, in which the true enemy is revealed to be not the invader, but Borealis, the Freezing Fog.
Swan Lake accompanied this dance, with the oboe making way for French horns to signal the draconic entrance. Inevitably, the invader fails to protect their fellow performers, accepting death brought by the screams of Borealis, perfectly timed to the conclusive chords of Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece. Comments praised theimmense creativity of the featuredElden Ringinvader, with most in awe at the “visceral delight” on display and rejoicing such a wholesome cooperative moment.
Elden Ringis available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
