Elden Ring Dataminer Discovers Amazing Detail About Stormveil Castle

It’s been close to 2 years since FromSoftware released its open-world RPG, but fans still continue to find out amazing new details from the game. Recently, Zullie the Witch, a famous modder and Elden Ring dataminer, discovered an interesting detail about Stormveil Castle, the game’s first Legacy Dungeon. Despite being one of the earliest areas you can get to, Stormveil Castle is incredibly complex, harboring many secrets.

One thing that players have wondered about a lot is how the castle reached its seemingly decrepit state. As revealed by Zullie in her latest video, signs of destruction in the castle are usually marked with thorned briars. This indicates that instead of being damaged by external forces, the castle is being torn apart internally, similar to a sickness. And this extends to the NPCs found in the Legacy Dungeon as well. 

Interestingly, the source of this rot is referenced in the description of the Marred Leather Shield. This is an item that drops from the area’s soldier enemies. According to it, it’s possible the curse of grafting causes the affliction. But it could also be something else entirely more “sinister” hidden deep within the castle. Zullie believes the shield’s description is referring to Godwyn’s corpse, suggesting a connection to the Deathblight.

This is backed by the Deathblight animation involving an eruption of black thorns. There’s also the fact that the thorned tendrils from Godwyn’s body escape out into the castle above. However, Zullie also suggests an alternative explanation for the curse. It might be the thorns are because of Godrick’s grafting. The Elemer’s Briar Set in the game is similar in appearance and references the thorns as a “mark of the guilty“.

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In this case, the rot inhabiting Stormveil Castle might have been unleashed because of Godrick’s corruption. It could represent the moral rot spreading throughout his kingdom. Thorns also represent the Erdtree in Elden Ring. Godrick turned to grafting in an attempt to save the Erdtree, but may have earned its ire instead, according to Zullie. 

Either way, it’s really great to see fans continue to find such neat details in Elden Ring. Zullie the Witch specifically has been doing some great work on her YouTube channel. Recently, she compared the size of some of Armored Core 6’s biggest bosses with Elden Ring’s characters. Since they’re both made on the same engine, seeing the sheer difference is pretty interesting.