And of course, there are the monsters. Dark Souls and Elden Ring feature all manner of weird beasts, and sometimes weirder people. Part of their grim yet mystical aesthetic involves merging the two together in frequently horrific ways. Even dragons are no exception to this, although their usual fantastic majesty is what’s often shown up front. If players want to see just how unique Dark Souls and Elden Ring’s dragons can get, they’re going to need to dig deeper and brace themselves for the consequences.
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Dark Souls and Elden Ring’s Dragons Share Similar Histories
That’s only a partial metaphor, as the dragons in each FromSoftware setting have a history stretching farther back than humans have recorded. In the world of Dark Souls and in at least the island nation of the Lands Between, the former rulers were dragons. The Everlasting Dragons, along with the archtrees, were all that existed in the Age of Ancients mentioned in Dark Souls 1’s opening. Similarly, before Marika’s empire and the Age of the Erdtree seen in Elden Ring, dragons ruled the Lands Between. The optional boss Dragonlord Placidusax was even one of the first lords of the land, with its own disappeared dragon god as a patron.
When the age of man reached both worlds, dragons found they did not have a place in either. Great wars were fought, but this is where the first major divergence appears. In Dark Souls, the dragons were almost completely wiped out as a species, with only a tiny handful of Everlasting Dragons existing in the world. Wyverns and drakes make up most of the alleged dragons the player sees, and what is and is not an Everlasting Dragon has been in contention within the fanbase for years. In contrast, the dragons in Elden Ring eventually accepted a peace offering from Godwyn, one of Marika’s offspring. While coexistence under the xenophobic empire was rough, there are many more dragons wandering around Elden Ring’s open world than in Dark Souls’ lifeless apocalypse.
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The Relationship Between Humans and Dragons in Elden Ring and Dark Souls
Man looked towards these dragons in awe and fear, not worshiping them as gods but still viewing them as something to be attained. Setting aside Seath the Scaleless’ followers in Crystal Sorcery, groups formed in the background of every Dark Souls title to revere dragons and emulate them in human shape. The player can join in on the draconic revelry and become a dragon humanoid through varying means in each Dark Souls title. The first game actually has a dragon covenant governed by the friendly Stone Dragon, who was allegedly the final Everlasting Dragon. DS2’s Ancient Dragon also extends his greetings to honorable warriors, as demonstrated by Scholar of the First Sin featuring his dragon knight servants presiding over a series of duels. Dark Souls 3 has no dragon covenant, although Darkeater Midir was once a powerful ally of humanity.
Elden Ring matches Dark Souls’ dragon covenants with its own dragon communion. Interestingly, while the results of gaining the power of dragons are comparable, Elden Ring’s dragon communion is much less friendly towards the dragon species. Those who engage in it simply want the power and longevity of dragons, not caring for the lives of these intelligent creatures. They, and probably the player, collect Dragon Hearts to consume them and gain draconic powers. There are no adverse effects to this for the player, but they are warned of it nonetheless because others who have tried ended up turning into Magma Wyrms. The Dragonkin Soldiers are another result of merging men and dragons, and their bandages covering seemingly hollow torsos indicate that there’s no way it can end well.
Contrasting Elden Ring’s Dragons With Dark Souls’
That leaves comparing the dragons themselves. Unfortunately, for as much creativity went into the other beasts of Elden Ring, its dragons are one of its plainest features. Many of them are simply giant, quadrupedal lizards with wings and a mixture of scales and fur. They have various different breath types, and some even practice unique dragon magic, but they all look very similar. Only the former Elden Lord Placidusax is notably different, sporting two heads with a third cut-off and demonstrating the ability to control time and space. The aforementioned Magma Wyrms and Dragonkin are as weird as dragon enemies get, with honorable mention going to the dreamscape Lichdragon Fortissax is fought in. Still, their consistency does a lot to reinforce the strength and majesty of the dragon race even in the dying Lands Between.
Dark Souls is a whole other story. Dragons and dragon-like things have designs ranging from standard to downright bizarre. The archetypical bridge-guarding Hellkite Dragon seems fairly standard, but its lack of front legs actually marks it as a drake. In the same area as smaller, lighting-breathing drakes is the first of two undead dragons, each only fighting with their front halves. Other dragons include Seath the Scaleless, a traitorous archdragon with tentacles for legs and crystal breath, and the cyclopean Black Dragon Kalameet from the DLC, who can telekinetically curse the player. The strangest dragon in Dark Souls 1, and the entire Dark Souls trilogy, has to be the Gaping Dragon, a former archdragon that became so hungry that its body transformed into a mouth. The dragons of Dark Souls and Elden Ring both have their own merits, even if it’s easy to see that they all came from the same source.
Elden Ring is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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