One of Elden Ring's darkest endings is first teased by an innocuous hand-written note sold by one of the Elden Ring merchants found throughout the game.
As reputable FromSoftware sleuth VaatiVidya highlighted in a recent video, the merchant who sets up shop near the southern gate of Raya Lucaria academy will sell you information on a "Frenzied Flame Village" to the northeast of the academy. This note actually cautions you to avoid the village, but if you go there anyway, you'll find another note teasing a frenzied ruler located underneath the city of Leyndell.
The notes don't stop there, either. If you go through the sewers of Leyndell and work your way to the very bottom, you'll fight one of the greater beings mentioned by Gideon Ofnir in the later stages of the game. And if you push through the secret altar in the back of that boss' arena, then lure a frenzied NPC to destroy a tent concealing a nearby collectible, you'll get yet another note which hints at how to resist the frenzied flame with a special item, which really brings this story arc full circle. Of course, this note doesn't tell you that getting that item involves beating the hardest boss in the entire game (and arguably the whole Souls franchise), but that's a problem for later.
This whole quest chain takes you through some of the most dangerous environments and deadly bosses in the entire game, all while setting up a harrowing (but thankfully reversible) ending route, and it all starts with a single scrap of paper from a random merchant outside a magic school in a swamp. If that ain't Elden Ring in a nutshell, nothing is.
Elden Ring hug debuff | What to do with Melina's accord in Elden Ring | Elden Ring Stormveil gate choice | How to find the Divine Tower of Limgrave in Elden Ring | How to get the Elden Ring Raya Lucaria Academy Glintstone Key | How to use the Grand Lift of Dectus in Elden Ring | Elden Ring Brother Corhyn location | Elden Ring Blaidd the Half-Wolf locations and questline | Elden Ring Ranni questline and secret ending | Where does Elden Ring take place? | Elden Ring Seek three great wise beasts puzzle and turtle locations | Elden Ring Varre questline | Elden Ring Millicent questline | Elden Ring Thops questline
The original Kingdom Hearts was initially "more hardcore" until Square Enix toned it down: "We had some puzzles in there that would make you go, 'what is this, Takeshi's Challenge?'"
"We would look at all the American RPGs and the JRPGs at the time and just go, 'Right, if they're doing it, we're not": Peter Molyneux and John McCormack talk the development of Fable 20 years on
