Many are waiting in anticipation for the January 2022 release of Elden Ring, the latest action RPG from FromSoftware. The wait is nothing compared to the two-year hiatus from information Elden Ring took between its first and second trailers, though, and information has been slowly coming to light in the lead up to launch. A private preview of gameplay was recently shown to a handful of industry news outlets, which provided a closer look at the so-called "legacy dungeons" that will be found in the Lands Between.
The name immediately brings a reminder of Bloodborne's Chalice Dungeons - randomly generated areas outside of the main game where players can earn special items and fight unique bosses. The Chalice Dungeons in Bloodborne were entirely optional, helping to provide the game with more content, but they were nevertheless a part of the game's lore. The intricate, subterranean mazes were parts of a complex labyrinth built by the Pthumerians, an apparently once-powerful race interested in harnessing the powers of the Great Ones, much like the citizens of Yharnam.
Although Chalice Dungeons are great for farming XP, they aren't integral to completing Bloodborne, only offering players another area in which to hunt beasts. This appears to not be the case with Elden Ring's legacy dungeons - a title that seems more descriptive rather than formal. Unlike Bloodborne, the legacy dungeons in Elden Ring are required areas, and according to IGN's breakdown of the preview, they will play a significant role in the game.
Elden Ring's Legacy Dungeons Appear To Be Main Obstacles
A lot of buzz surrounding Elden Ring has been generated by its open world, which is reportedly explorable in any order, though there will be a recommended path. According to IGN, there will be six main regions in the Lands Between, each with its own legacy dungeon as the climax. In the preview, attendees were treated to footage of Stormveil Castle, a medieval fortress likened to Demon's Souls' first level, Boletarian Palace. The preview was used to demonstrate Elden Ring's emphasis on player freedom, presenting two possible paths through Stormveil Castle: face its defenders head-on, or sneak up its ramparts to avoid confrontation.
While the open areas of the Lands Between will be new to the series (especially sections that allow players to explore on horseback), the legacy dungeons will provide an experience more typical of classic Dark Souls or Bloodborne level design. If Stormveil Castle is indicative of all six legacy dungeons, they will provide the intricately designed, labyrinthine dungeon crawling experience FromSoftware has become known for. IGN's preview was hands-off, but there is mention of "various paths that were left unexplored," presumably leading to hidden items or shortcuts common in FromSoft's games.
While one or more of Elden Ring's legacy dungeons has a chance of resembling Bloodborne's Chalice Dungeons, the two play a very different role narratively. The Chalice Dungeons will likely draw a closer comparison to lesser dungeons found throughout the Lands Between. They are reportedly more simple in design than the grandiose legacy dungeons, but the preview wasn't quite thorough enough to give an idea of exactly how large these side dungeons are. While Elden Ring certainly appears to build on previous FromSoftware games like Dark Souls and Bloodborne, the expansive world is poised to deliver unique exploration opportunities.
Source: IGN