At first glance,Elden Ringfeels like just anotherDark Soulsgame, but it doesn’t take long for players to realize how untrue that is. The massive open world, new options for traversal, and the freedom players are granted when choosing how to become Elden Lord all set it apart from its predecessors. While there are plenty of incredible dungeons for players to explore, an unexpected one really manages to drive home the amazing feats thatFromSoftware was able to accomplish withElden Ring: Castle Morne. This dungeon is completely optional, and many players may get through the game without ever even finding it, but it summarizes everything great about the game’s level design in one small area.
There are a shocking 51 dungeons to explore inElden Ring, each full of deadly enemies and an even deadlier boss at the end. Players are only required to complete a few of these dungeons on their path to becoming Elden Lord, but exploring provides valuable runes with which to level up as well as powerful equipment and spells that will make future encounters much more manageable. This dungeon is by no means the best dungeon inElden Ring, but it does a great job of showing players what to expect.
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The Story of Castle Morne
The dungeon in question is Castle Morne. Located on the southernmost tip of the Weeping Peninsula, this place is home to the Misbegotten, a race of animalistic humanoids that are often enslaved and treated as lesser beings. Hereat Castle Morne, the Misbegotten have risen upagainst their oppressors and were apparently successful. By the time the Tarnished arrives here, there’s hardly any sign of life besides the Misbegotten. Finding Castle Morne is fairly easy, since players just follow a road straight south, but getting in can be a bit more challenging.
Serving as the boss of Castle Morne, and most likely the leader of the Misbegotten rebellion, is the Leonine Misbegotten. This large, lion-like foe wields a large greatsword with speed and ferocity. Players that manage to defeat it will receive theGrafted Blade Greatsword, a weapon that bears a striking resemblance to the Iron Throne fromGame of Thrones. This is no doubt a reference to George R. R. Martin’s inclusion in the game’s development, but it is also a powerful strength based weapon.
What Makes Castle Morne’s Level Design Special?
Thestory ofElden Ring’s Castle Morneis sure to leave fans feeling conflicted, but this dungeon truly shines due to its level design. It’s likely the first instance in the game where players realize just how much verticality the game is going to include. There are several times when players may think they’ve reached a dead end, and inDark Souls, this might have been the case. Instead, the way forward requires players to jump from rooftop to rooftop. When seeing the large castle for the first time, instinct might tell players to try and get inside and reach the tallest tower, but the boss of this dungeon is actually on the shore below.
These traits seem like subversions of expectation at first, but they are actually there to show players thatdungeons inElden Ringaren’t always straightforward. There are entire hidden areas of Stormveil Castle that require players to explore areas that seem unreachable at first, and many of the catacombs and hero graves also mess with the player’s mind by including rooms that appear to be exact duplicates of previous areas. Castle Morne gives players a small dose of this kind of design philosophy early on, and may be the game’s best dungeon for showing the player how to explore the vastness of The Lands Between.
Elden Ringis available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
