Fantasy staples like wizards, witches, elves, dwarves, and dragons aren’t going anywhere. There’s something cathartic in seeing their setting fully realized in modern fidelity, and that’s part of the charm of FromSoftware’s dark fantasy works. On paper,Dark SoulsandElden Ringare very straightforward Tolkien-esque fantasy works, but their art and worlds managed to elevate them. For all that they borrow fromLord of the RingsandBerserk, the premier Soulslikes have a sense of style all to their own. The extremely ornate armor sets have something to do with it, as well as the subtle anime flair that accompanies acrobatic attacks.
And of course, there are the monsters.Dark SoulsandElden Ringfeature 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 uniqueDark SoulsandElden 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 ofDark Soulsand 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 theAge of Ancients mentioned inDark Souls 1’sopening. Similarly, before Marika’s empire and the Age of the Erdtree seen inElden 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. InDark 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 inElden Ringeventually accepted a peace offering fromGodwyn, one of Marika’s offspring. While coexistence under the xenophobic empire was rough, there are many more dragons wandering aroundElden Ring’s open world than inDark 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 everyDark Soulstitle 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 eachDark Soulstitle. The first game actually has a dragon covenant governed by the friendly Stone Dragon, who was allegedly the final Everlasting Dragon.DS2’s Ancient Dragonalso extends his greetings to honorable warriors, as demonstrated byScholar of the First Sinfeaturing his dragon knight servants presiding over a series of duels.Dark Souls 3has no dragon covenant, although Darkeater Midir was once a powerful ally of humanity.
Elden RingmatchesDark Souls’ dragon covenants with its own dragon communion. Interestingly, while the results of gaining the power of dragons are comparable,Elden Ring’s dragon communionis 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 ofElden 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 thedreamscape 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 Soulsis 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 inDark Souls 1, and the entireDark Soulstrilogy,has to be the Gaping Dragon, a former archdragon that became so hungry that its body transformed into a mouth. The dragons ofDark SoulsandElden Ringboth have their own merits, even if it’s easy to see that they all came from the same source.
Elden Ringis available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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