Skip to main content

Elden Ring dataminer unmasks Shadow of the Erdtree's NPCs

Leda hosen.

Screenshot from Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree story trailer showing a golden symbol with multiple armored characters standing before it
Image credit: FromSoftware

An Elden Ring dataminer has unmasked the NPCs of Shadow of the Erdtree, revealing what their faces look like beneath the armour.

The DLC includes a number of new characters, from the followers of Miquella seen in the game's trailers to other quest givers in the Land of Shadow.

Dataminer Zullie the Witch has released a new video that reveals the unique faces of these NPCs, to give a proper look at who they really are.

Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree | Official Launch TrailerWatch on YouTube

Take Hornsent, for instance. As his name suggests, he has small horns protruding from the wraps around his face, yet underneath he's just a regular, grubby looking bloke. As Zullie suggests, he should probably have horns on his character model but this would require a unique model outside the capabilities of the character creator.

Elsewhere, we see beneath the hefty armour of characters like Moore, Sir Ansbach, Redmane Freyja, and Needle Knight Leda, who are all met in the early hours of the DLC.

While seeing their faces doesn't reveal anything major about their characters, it does show their diverse characteristics. What's more, it indicates FromSoftware's creation process: using its own character creator to develop the models before slapping some armour on top.

Elden Ring - Unique faces from the DLCWatch on YouTube

Zullie the Witch is well known for revealing the grotesque details of enemies and characters across the Soulsborne games.

A similar video was done for NPCs in the base game of Elden Ring, as well as a closer examination of the gargoyle enemies.

Another Shadow of the Erdtree character has also been unmasked: the Divine Beast Dancing Lion boss. Or that should be disrobed: now we know what, or who, is hiding beneath its cloak.

Read this next