Summerfest's Elden Ring gameplay trailer revealed much about the new FromSoftware world players will be inhabiting early next year. Not only was Elden Ring's open-world style confirmed, but players were given a glimpse of the many enemies they will be facing. The game holds many similarities to other FromSoftware series, such as Bloodborne and Dark Souls. However, one of the most shocking sights in Elden Ring's trailer is the appearance of a dragon, one who shares some similarities to Seath the Scaleless from Dark Souls. FromSoftware enjoys planting hidden connections to their games, both in the form of weapons and monsters. One such creature is a pale, multi-winged dragon that has appeared in Dark Souls, King's Fieldand now Elden Ring.

Dragons hold great significance in the lore of Dark Souls as the original rulers of the land before Lord Gwyn rose to power. Before the Age of Fire, the world was full of darkness and Everlasting Dragons. Once the First Flame was birthed, the Lords rose against the Dragons to claim the world as their own. For a time, the Lords' defeat was all but certain, with even Gwyn's firstborn son betraying his family to ally himself with the Everlasting Dragons. It was only thanks to the betrayal of Seath the Scaleless which allowed Gwyn and his people to claim victory.

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Seath the Scaleless suffered humiliation and ridicule at the hands of his kin for his pale, scaleless appearance. This treatment was what drove Seath to turn against the Everlasting Dragons and expose their secret weakness to lightning to the Lords. In Dark Souls, few Dragons remained after the bloody end of the Dragon War. Thanks to his role in securing Gwyn's victory, Seath the Scaleless was spared from extermination by the Lords and granted a Dukedom. Players can defeat Seath the Scaleless as a required boss in the Crystal Cave hidden beneath the Duke's Archives. Since being granted his Dukedom, Seath acquired a Primordial Crystal, which enabled him with true Immortality and made him "a true Undead," according to Big Hat Logan. Due to his one-time possession of the crystal (shattered by Dark Souls players during his boss fight) and status as an Everlasting Dragon, may he have survived to appear in Elden Ring's story?

Elden Ring Continues FromSoftware's Pale Dragon Pattern

Seath The Scaless Dark Souls

With Elden Ring's new open-world style, players are sure to encounter many different enemies. Despite its size and the many features shown in the trailer, only one Dragon appears throughout the gameplay. There are few pale Dragons in FromSoftware's in-game mythos, so the choice to include a pale Dragon in Elden Ring's first gameplay reveal trailer holds great significance. FromSoftware has made a habit of including variations of Seath the Scaleless in their games. Seath the Scaleless was mentioned in the description of the Moonlight Sword in King's Field, a game which predated Dark Souls. Does Seath the Scaleless exist as some sort of constant throughout FromSoftware's games, or does this creature's presence hold a deeper connection between Dark Souls and Elden Ring?

Despite the Dragon's similar design to Seath the Scaleless, players must also consider the fact that Elden Ring and Dark Souls may not share the same universe. The pale Dragon is the only Dragon to appear in the Elden Ring gameplay reveal trailer. Given the limited view of the world players are given, this may be a world where the Dragon War never happened (or ended differently). Dragons could dwell in great abundance, or have been driven extinct due to some other reason. The lore of dragons in Elden Ring's world has yet to be revealed, and Elden Ring's connections to Dark Souls have yet to be confirmed.

It is unclear whether or not the dragon in the Elden Ring gameplay trailer was another version of Seath the Scaleless, or whether Dark Souls and Elden Ring even share the same universe. Given the similarities between the games, there is a possibility that they exist parallel to one another in some form. FromSoftware's games have been known to have obscure and vague lore, meaning that the identity of the pale Dragon and the relationship between their games could never be revealed. Elden Ring is set to release on January 21st, 2022.

Next: Elden Ring Trailer: Who Is/Are The Tarnished?