There are many bosses the Tarnished can fight throughout Dark Souls 3, however at some point it seems this foe was kept out of the Kingdom of Lothric only to show up in the Lands Between nearly six years later.
Players can find many similar gameplay mechanics and design elements that run through the entirety of FromSoftware's Souls-like games dating all the way back to Demon's Souls. Though the developer's latest title in the genre has gone open world, aspects like combat, subtle storytelling, and the infamous abundance of FromSoftware's poison swamps carry over into Elden Ring. While it is common for these broader aspects to appear in on-going titles, less so are individual enemy types and bosses as they are typically created to fit a particular title's aesthetic and speed of combat.
DualShockers recently reported on one such unused element from Dark Souls 3 that eventually made its debut in Elden Ring. YouTuber Zullie the Witch discovered that the Ulcerated Tree Spirit actually exists in the files of the finale to the Dark Souls series under the name 'SnakeSoul.' This same file name is used in Elden Ring and while it still bears some similarities to the Pus of Man enemies from Dark Souls 3, certain design elements were altered to make it fit better in the Lands Between.
There have been instances in the past where fans have revived unused content for Dark Souls and similar FromSoftware titles thanks to the help of mods. Sometimes these design elements are so close to being finished that there is not much left for modders to restore. Elden Ring will likely have its fair share of unused content that the community will discover after thoroughly combing through the game's files.
The Lands Between harbor many canonical secrets that the community is still unpacking well after the title's launch more than a month ago. Players have put in hundreds of hours of play time, yet there is so much to explore and interpret in-game that even the professionals need time to digest what is going on. Only recently did Souls lore expert VaatiVidya debut Elden Ring's lore video and there will likely be many more to follow. With so many secrets to find in the completed version, one wonders how many unused secrets lie hidden throughout Elden Ring's files.
Elden Ring is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: DualShockers, Zullie the Witch/YouTube
