Summary
AnElden Ringfan has encountered an unexpected Soulslike boss out in the wild, spotting Christmas shopping mannequins that resemble Winter Lanterns. These specific enemies are known from the 2015 gameBloodborne, butElden Ring’s Aging Untouchable monsters resemble the creatures’ bulbous form. Some Soulslike fans are so ingrained in these dark fantasy titles that they begin to see elements from the Lands Between or Yharnam manifest in the real world.
Elden Ringwas first released in 2022 and found immediate success, and the same story applied to itsShadow of the ErdtreeDLC that launched in June 2024. However,Bloodbornehas gone nearly 10 years without a new DLC, a sequel, or an anticipated PC port.Elden Ringexists among Soulslike games that keep players busy for months, thanks to its sprawling open world and rich lore. Therefore, it’s understandable why players are easily consumed by its world, so much so that Christmas mannequins begin to look like enemy encounters.
Posted by obi-juan-kenobee, a photo was shared on theElden Ringsubreddit showing two mannequins in a shop window. Both mannequins had their faces covered by a cluster of festive baubles in gold and red, and this bizarre headpiece triggered the fan’s encounter with two of the more disturbingly designed Soulslike bosses.Elden Ring’s Aging Untouchable has various similarities toBloodborne’s Winter Lanterns, but the most notable design detail they have in common is the grotesque, bulbous heads, which the Christmas decorations managed to capture.
Elden Ring Fan Shares Funny Winter Lantern Encounter While Shopping
Elden Ring’s Aging Untouchable creatures also provide a callback to anotherDark Soulsbossin addition to theBloodborneenemy, and it’s clear FromSoftware favors the bulging designs prominent in both. Soulslike Redditors noted the bauble mannequins gave them unwelcomed flashbacks to the Abyssal Woods, and another fan noted players’ instinct to panic and roll away from Aging Untouchables, instead of trying to hide and then rush the Winter Lanterns duringBloodbornecombat.
The Aging Untouchable enemies are found in Abyssal Woods, aShadow of the Erdtreelocation that Torrent is fearful of, whileBloodborne’s Winter Lanterns populate Nightmare Frontier, Nightmare of Mensis, and Fishing Hamlet.Elden Ring’s DLC does contain a more obvious nod to theBloodbornecreatures, as the heralds of the Aging Untouchable are named Winter-Lantern Flies. Additional trivia states the Winter Lanterns are named after a real-life plant in Japan, which is used as both a food and sedative, with its bright covering named after the Chinese paper lanterns.
Elden Ring
WHERE TO PLAY
ELDEN RING, developed by FromSoftware, Inc. and BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Inc., is a fantasy action-RPG adventure set within a world created by Hidetaka Miyazaki and George R.R. Martin. Danger and discovery lurk around every corner in FromSoftware’s largest game to date. Hidetaka Miyazaki - President and Game Director of FromSoftware Inc. Known for directing critically-acclaimed games in beloved franchises including Armored Core and Dark Souls.George R.R. Martin is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of many novels, including the acclaimed series A Song of Ice and Fire - A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords, A Feast For Crows, and A Dance with Dragons. As a writer-producer, he has worked on The Twilight Zone, Beauty and the Beast, and various feature films and pilots that were never made. He lives with the lovely Parris in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
