Thralls were already a somewhat contentious enemy in Dark Souls III, being both hard-hitting and also quite hard to hit, so it's somewhat surprising that FromSoftware decided they should not only return for Elden Ring, but be used as one of the most common, widespread enemies in the entire game. It's hard to guess if they'll be back for another round in the DLC, but someone on the development team clearly has a soft spot for the little guys.
In my opinion, it somewhat makes sense to use this enemy. On a close scenario such as catacombs, it gives a lot of play to know how to fight them, their short size makes them easier to put in on larger groups without necesarily making them overwhelming, and the stick to walls abilities catches the player off guard if he wasn´t paying attention to the environment. Also its fun to use the traps against them, knowing how funny their voice sounds. I think its a very good pick.
The Watchdog Staff also suggests that the Burial Watchdogs outright command the imps. Which I would say also points towards there being at least some form of personality between them.
I never played DS3 (it's on my bucket list), so as someone new to these enemies when I started Elden Ring, I felt that the imps did a really good job of making the catacombs feel oppressive and dangerous. So I think it was a good design choice on FromSoft's part.
"Oh man I hate the Thralls, but it's only Dark Souls 3 that has them." *Elden Ring releases* "Oh I can't wait to explore the dungeons!" *Imps* "Wait, I know you." Then came what is known as The Shattering, because my mind shattered after seeing them in each and every dungeon and even beneath Leyndell.
And it is also stated on the Crystal Dart that there is some sort of "Golem Crafter" which used a tool made of said Crystal. They are also made with materials found in Crystal tunnels, commonly associated with the Tunneler and Crystalian mobs, tying together the Imps, Watchdogs, Crystalians, Tunnelers and possibly the Golems as well.
InsectGolem, huh... that reminds me of how the Stonesword Key is internally named "BugKey" (in the insect sense, not the programming sense) and you do indeed use them on statues of imp golems to unlock things.
I wonder if there's meant to be a connection with the cemetery shades? They've got weird bug things controlling them, and even drop the mantis blade. Maybe the bugs are what control the golems as well? Idk just making things up
The bit about artificial beings becoming spirits is very very interesting! We know from Latenna's whole deal that Spirit Ashes do seem to be, at least on some level, the actual 'soul' of a creature that still thinks and feels and seeks to fulfil their goals (as opposed to an empty animate husk or memory of a person); this would imply that all the artifical beings that become spirits are genuinely as alive and as much of a person as any flesh-and-blood creature in the Lands Between, meaning there are various people in Elden Ring that have created genuine artificial life rather than just robot automatons. Of course, the easy way out of this implication is to argue there are multiple types of spirit and multiple types of artificial life, but still, something cool to think about anyway
So much about elden ring is about who gives life, with there being images of people growing on the erdtree and melina's dialogue about boc's mother implying that its somewhat unique to have a mother. Maybe when people create life like the imps or the puppets they do have a soul per say but its more like an animal or can not fully think. The Albinaurics may of been the first artificial life that can fully think like humans.
It could also come from Japanese myth, that inanimate objects that exist for long enough eventually develop souls. Could be that, or could ancient technology, or magic.
In Demon's Souls the soul is what grants perception, and perception/collective consciousness is what creates the world, that's why the mists swallows places without life in them, they cease to exist since there's no one to perceive them. So who says it cannot go the other way around? what if artificial intelligence can gain a soul through perception. Miyazaki has been consistent with his use of the soul throughout all of his games. Through it perception shapes reality, that's how magic/miracles/pyromancies work, the only difference is the type of belief, the personal reality that shapes them.
The imp heads the player wears actually isn't a helmet, it replaces the actual head model and while they don't have facial bones, they do have neck bones, so in cutscenes where your character turns their head at all, the stone texture will warp pretty severely and it'll very occasionally break the mesh and clip it through itself. Afaik these are the only ones that do that.
I can think of a fix for that, but it'd probably be a bit weird to implement. Basically when the head is put on the neck bones change to still work but also lessen warping and clipping
But as someone who only knows how code works in theory but not how to actually code, and as someone who doesn't have a computer or elden ring to even try this, I don't know if it's even possible
When I was still new to the game, I thought and had hoped there would've been an additional mechanic to some Spirit Ashes where, if you were to ask Roderika to upgrade them, you can summon more than just two. Kind of like the rat spirit ashes. What I'd give to be able to summon a larger gang of imps!
One of my playthroughs of Elden Ring was the "mother of imps", starting with the fanged imp ashes and sporting the cat imp head and the forked hatchet. Because of it, I became extremely fond of the little creatures. They're just little guys! They must feel so proud of themselves killing people. I'm so proud of them. They are my children.
Secret Ending Trophy Unlocked: become Elden Imp and unleash such chaos on the Lands Between by freeing your weird little pests from their tombs, that even Shabriri comes to envy you. May Imps take the world!
My first playthrough, I started playing as an elegant Carian Knight, wielding powerful sorceries. And ended the playthrough as Imp Boy, bearer of the forked hatchet and the kitty mask.
Ever since the first catacomb right by the start in Limgrave I've made it my mission to kill every single one of the little rats to extinction every time I go through a new catacomb. Sorry about your kids :( they ganked me first tho
Interestingly, the Imp Spirit Ashes in 1.00 has flavor text that refers to them as insects, too, and they are all over Leyndell rather than the Oracles.
lore wise, there's just something about elden ring having living statues that makes me feel there's a connection for that. you have the Crystallians which are crystal golems. you have imps and Golems which are statues. you have marionettes which are wooden puppets. all of which clearly serve as protectors and defenders of something. even the Erdtree avatar feels like a glorified wooden puppet with holy magic if you think about it. it reminds me all to similarly with Dark Souls 2's old knights and drakekeeper knights being pretty much a manufactured drone army for Vendrick by the Old Iron King (you can see the the cast molds for these enemies in the old iron DLC), and you also have the golems which were activated by souls in both the ending and in the Ivory Crown DLC.
You could even connect these golems to the albinaurics, as the albinaurics are artificial lifeforms made of some sort of liquid metal. Maybe it's the same technology, and if so, then it likely goes back to the Eternal Cities and the silver tears.
@@isaacbruner65 possibly. Although, it's important to state that both the Albinaurics and the general puppet/golem creatures vary very differently. The Albinaurics are organic for the most part. The marionettes, golems, crystallians and imps are all inorganic, and should technically be inanimate. It's clear the puppet/golem type enemies are "alive" to some capacity, given you can have spirit ashes of them. However, it could possibly just be a similar thing to Dark souls 2's golems where the souls function more like fuel than a living being in control. Or perhaps a repurposed soul. I remember somewhere reading about "everything has souls, even rocks". I don't know if that's related to the Chinese Chi, or something, but given that Fromsoft and Miyazaki borrow many things from actual mythology, it's possible that maybe there's something to be said about how life and death actually work in Elden ring, and why some should be inanimate statues are able to move like beings. I feel like, there has to be something distinguishing these general "artificial servants/slaves", like one was created to imitate living things, one was clearly industrial. Like DS2, old knights were just the old iron king's mass produced army of artificial knights gifted to Vendrick.
Interestingly, the Imps with the insect legs on them are all in the Subterranean Shunning-Grounds, where the imps are hanging on the various pipes. This would seem to suggest that they specifically got their insect legs to enable them to better hold unto the smooth, round sides of the pipes.
This is why the Fanged Imped Ashes are amazing and should be used at every opportunity for at least one playthrough. Let your enemies know the pain you have experienced by unleashing your own goon squad on them.
I know many people find imps frustrating, I personally love them. The thing is, they are extremely easily dispatched with guard counters: even a medium shield will leave them reeling and nearly any weapon will stagger them with a single counter. I love that Elden Ring rewards exploration and experimentation, and using different tactics for different enemies instead of just getting one powerful build and crushing everything with it (though obviously you can do that too).
I feel quite the opposite: since I was already so familiar with those enemies and could deal with them easily, the dungeons ended up feeling less engaging when the imps were involved.
I think it makes sense that From used the Thralls both as a concept and using their animations too. They were really special enemies in ds3 compared to most regular enemies. Their AI with retreat tactics, super fast charge attacks, ambushes, some being able to throw bombs at you. I think they are really complex as a normal enemie, since most just walk at you and have 2 attacks. Little pests like those filling the catacombs make sense, golems created to protect the place where dead rests.
yeah, they were pretty bad as normal enemies, that's the problem. And instead they made them even more of normal enemies when they have boss tier movesets bruh.
In japan, after 100 years, an object animate or not, becomes a Yokai Spirit. so there is already context for their culture. Many folks have seen the Yokai lampshade, a covered lampshade with a birds foot instead of a stand. Animism means the very rocks are alive and contain spirits.
I'm so glad people like you look into all these fine details, because I didn't even notice some of the different faces the imps have. I think I only got one of the heads to drop, and it was the cat one, so I just assumed that was the only one you could get. Really excited to go through every bit of this game again before the DLC.
Development of Elden Ring clearly utilized whatever assets they had from previous game(s) . And thralls filled that niche for nimble, clingy stone gargoyles pretty well. Though I think catacombs would have benefitted from medium sized golem/gargoyle type of enemy. As we have Watchdog bosses that already double as enemies in late areas.
Zullie your work is amazing throughout the years, It's a nice unconventional way to explain the lore through codes, glitches and deconstruction of items from the game.
Just wanted to show some love, Zullie. Your videos are always so intensely interesting to me. From the small details, to the bigger things with wider implications, is always awesome. Every post I see you make puts a smile on my face. Keep doing what you're doing :)
I think having these characters back is awesome. They’re so unique and eccentric, I loved them in 3 and found myself smiling a bit when they popped up in elden ring
After I finished Elden Ring, I decided that was going to binge the DS trilogy. It was quite the journey, taking up a couple months to get through. And when I met the Thralls is DS3 I immediately recognized the move set and animations. I felt pretty nostalgic, to say the least.
I forget which item description this is attached to but I remember reading that anything Glintstone based essentially "grows a Soul" if it didn't have one already. That could explain the imps having a personality and enough sentience to form friendships with other imps/golem.
It will be interesting if Shadow of the Erdtree has something like Catacombs. From a lore-perspective, it will be interesting to see what sort of funeral rites are practiced in the Land of Shadow.
I've been playing Dark Souls 3 lately, and it's funny because I absolutely despise the thralls in that game (curse those gremlin bastards), but I have zero problems with imps in Elden Ring, and actually find them kinda endearing. Maybe it's just that Elden Ring's dungeons are shorter and easier than DS3's levels, so I have a little more patience for short kings obstructing my path.
Hahaha I'm so glad you did a video on the imps, I really love them. I stubbornly kept them as my primary ashes through to the end of the game because they made me laugh
I mean the Imps have ashes and spirits to summon, it would imply they’re sapient or at least have a soul as much as an animal. Also they appear chimeric like the Misbegotten so for all we know it’s the spirits of Misbegotten placed in immortal golem bodies with certain features or faces similar to their original bodies, and that’s why they have souls.
Thanks for this deep dive. As it is hard to make out the facial features when you're trying to kill them asap or run from them! Also even if it's just for have a filler mob, I think they serve a good purpose on keeping a dungeon you're new to hitting you with a curve ball.
I have a strong distain for them, but not much hate. Annoying as they are, a quick shield counter is often enough to stagger them, that gives you a crit, and that's that. It's the ones that hang back and do nothing but throw crap that I *hate.*
I love them. They have surprisingly complex movesets for being common enemies. I love the "smarter" enemies of Elden Ring. I want a challenging game to be challenging.
Nah, I actually love the freaky little dudes. I also liked the thralls in DS3. They're honestly not too bad if you block them with a shield or a weapon, it makes them pretty easy to take care of.
Either the imps were built by the grave keepers or they have an understanding of aligned goals. To me, the designs of imps and watchkitties don't match the style of the duelists, so I think they were already in the tombs before the Golden Order set up their root burials. So that's more evidence in favor of them having intelligence.
Imps are unironically one of my favorite enemies, they have a large variety of tactics and present a very unique challenge vs many other enemy types in the game. I especially like their moves where they back up and keep some distance, really gives a feeling of fighting a slippery little bugger.
Thralls and Stone Imps are two of my favorite enemies in the souls series, as they’re just little silly creatures that basically ankle-bite you as if you’re the boss in their case. They’re so goofy, I love them.
If i Had to guess, the imps were Made by the Same people who Made the Dungeons they inhabit. Or, perhaps, they Came to Life by themselves, through the Dungeon's doing, to protect it, rather than being consciously created by Humans, which would follow the Idea that everything has a Soul.
I actually think these are an excellent example of a good fodder enemy- unthreatening in concept, suprisingly devious and theyre small enough to get demolished by one good hit. Also theyre kind of adorable when they arnt ruining a dungeon crawl
@vazazell5967 I mean they're pesky yes but I never had a serious issue with them. If they didn't pose somewhat of a challenge and surprise me occasionally I'd find them much more uninteresting.
The Imps just might be my favorite enemies in the game. I love how evasive they were. When I 1st played Elden ring and walked into my first catacomb I remember thinking. This isn't so bad, only to then see a bunch of imps animate and run me down. 1 death later and I knew I had come home to another beloved Miyazaki game. =)
"Ah, animations are reused on the main character, well, this is okay" >sees imps for the first time "man this game is going to be garbage, isn't it?" And it was
Seeing the twinned set with the wolf head is giving me flashbacks. My very first playthrough on release was the wolf head with knight armor, then twinned. Accidentally lost my twinned armor in the D quest since I was running blind so I picked up the scaled next.
i actually like the idea of the thralls and imps in DS3 and Elden Ring, their strength comes from being quick, nimble and aggressive, i believe they are annoying because we can't relax around them unlike many other enemies in game, which in my opinion, is a breath of fresh air in my gameplay.
I must have been the one guy that loved the scrunky thrall dudes in DS3, and I especially loved the stone imps. My first playthrough featured me wearing the fanged imp head all the way through.
There's some Zelda but most of it is usually from King's Field The Ancient City. The area music in that game is catchy and atmospheric at the same time. Makes you wish the Soulbourne games used proper area music more often instead of just silence or ambient sounds.
When it comes to smaller enemies they're still not as bad as the little masked dudes that can grab/backstab you, I have no idea what they're called but i hate them, they have more HP then you'd think and they leave traps behind.
Love these little guys, as well as the helmets they drop, which have the killer combination of being fully face covering, looking weird, and boosting stats. So it was a smooth transition for my prisoner character to go from iron mask to stone mask with an int bonus to one of the sorcerer stone heads with a bigger int bonus. Then I got Renalla's hat and it feel strange to see her face after running around most of the game as a strange gargoyle woman.
Imps are a pain but honestly, they've got a certain charm to them that always makes me love fighting them. They're clever little beasties. That corpse imp face looks like a cursed version of Patches.
I think these guys fit the catacombs pefectly. Their stealthy hiding spots and agile movesets make good use of the narrow, dim hallways, since you never know where one might hide and have little space to adjust when one finally pops up. You need to stay vigilant, shield at the ready, since running away usually means springing some lethal trap. Also, the face designs are a classically japanese mix of goofy and uncanny, which lends the catacombs a lot of personality. It somewhat reminds me of Pinwheel from DS1, another catacomb-dweller.
I liked the Catacombs, even if they all have the same general themes it was always fun seeing what each had in store. Even if the treasure wasn't something I could use it was the fact that I found treasure in the first place and even just cleared a level that made me happy.
Thralls were already a somewhat contentious enemy in Dark Souls III, being both hard-hitting and also quite hard to hit, so it's somewhat surprising that FromSoftware decided they should not only return for Elden Ring, but be used as one of the most common, widespread enemies in the entire game. It's hard to guess if they'll be back for another round in the DLC, but someone on the development team clearly has a soft spot for the little guys.
In my opinion, it somewhat makes sense to use this enemy. On a close scenario such as catacombs, it gives a lot of play to know how to fight them, their short size makes them easier to put in on larger groups without necesarily making them overwhelming, and the stick to walls abilities catches the player off guard if he wasn´t paying attention to the environment. Also its fun to use the traps against them, knowing how funny their voice sounds. I think its a very good pick.
The Watchdog Staff also suggests that the Burial Watchdogs outright command the imps. Which I would say also points towards there being at least some form of personality between them.
I never played DS3 (it's on my bucket list), so as someone new to these enemies when I started Elden Ring, I felt that the imps did a really good job of making the catacombs feel oppressive and dangerous. So I think it was a good design choice on FromSoft's part.
Thrall haters rise up
@@gobgonson8053 Go play it right now! And Bloodborne too, if you haven't!
"Oh man I hate the Thralls, but it's only Dark Souls 3 that has them."
*Elden Ring releases*
"Oh I can't wait to explore the dungeons!"
*Imps*
"Wait, I know you."
Then came what is known as The Shattering, because my mind shattered after seeing them in each and every dungeon and even beneath Leyndell.
Lel was machst du denn hier
don't complain too much, they can put back ds1 toxic blow dart dudes
My reaction was "oh my fucking god they brought them back!" _dies inside_
"AND THEY ADDED BLEED TO THEIR ATTACKS"
Thank god that at least we can stance break them now
theyre in leyndell itself too, on the roof tops
To add to the theory at 2:17 both of these enemies can be turned against one another using crystal darts
And it is also stated on the Crystal Dart that there is some sort of "Golem Crafter" which used a tool made of said Crystal. They are also made with materials found in Crystal tunnels, commonly associated with the Tunneler and Crystalian mobs, tying together the Imps, Watchdogs, Crystalians, Tunnelers and possibly the Golems as well.
@@elyssium_ A connection to the golem crafter or an inherent quality of any type of living stone? I kind of wonder honestly.
@@elyssium_maybe that’s who that stone knight in the dlc trailer is, I kinda doubt it tho
They’re just weird little guys!
No, you are!
@@brainafkstube5393i hope that references what i think it does
They really are
I just end souls 2 and can appreciate your avatar 🥲
@@ballistic9644 i am unsure
Hey don't be mean to them. They're OUR weird little pests!
Yeah, I like them. They're annoying to fight, but I have a soft spot for them.
@@jamesruth100Oh, absolutely! ❤
I always thought the Imps were pretty cute, and the Fanged Imp Ashes solidified that idea more
Nah fuck that
I hates this enemies in DS3, specialy in NG++... And then, Fromsoft gave them bleed effect
InsectGolem, huh... that reminds me of how the Stonesword Key is internally named "BugKey" (in the insect sense, not the programming sense) and you do indeed use them on statues of imp golems to unlock things.
I wonder if there's meant to be a connection with the cemetery shades? They've got weird bug things controlling them, and even drop the mantis blade. Maybe the bugs are what control the golems as well? Idk just making things up
Good thinking @@synphilia4776
time for bug
therefore praise the bug!
So it's a second catacomb bug themed enemy type huh. It makes sense more than statues living in the roots lol.
The bit about artificial beings becoming spirits is very very interesting! We know from Latenna's whole deal that Spirit Ashes do seem to be, at least on some level, the actual 'soul' of a creature that still thinks and feels and seeks to fulfil their goals (as opposed to an empty animate husk or memory of a person); this would imply that all the artifical beings that become spirits are genuinely as alive and as much of a person as any flesh-and-blood creature in the Lands Between, meaning there are various people in Elden Ring that have created genuine artificial life rather than just robot automatons.
Of course, the easy way out of this implication is to argue there are multiple types of spirit and multiple types of artificial life, but still, something cool to think about anyway
So much about elden ring is about who gives life, with there being images of people growing on the erdtree and melina's dialogue about boc's mother implying that its somewhat unique to have a mother. Maybe when people create life like the imps or the puppets they do have a soul per say but its more like an animal or can not fully think. The Albinaurics may of been the first artificial life that can fully think like humans.
Or maybe whoever created them harvested souls from living beings to create them.
@@talongreenlee7704If that were the case you'd expect the spirit to be whatever they were before they animated an automaton
It could also come from Japanese myth, that inanimate objects that exist for long enough eventually develop souls.
Could be that, or could ancient technology, or magic.
In Demon's Souls the soul is what grants perception, and perception/collective consciousness is what creates the world, that's why the mists swallows places without life in them, they cease to exist since there's no one to perceive them. So who says it cannot go the other way around? what if artificial intelligence can gain a soul through perception.
Miyazaki has been consistent with his use of the soul throughout all of his games. Through it perception shapes reality, that's how magic/miracles/pyromancies work, the only difference is the type of belief, the personal reality that shapes them.
The imp heads the player wears actually isn't a helmet, it replaces the actual head model and while they don't have facial bones, they do have neck bones, so in cutscenes where your character turns their head at all, the stone texture will warp pretty severely and it'll very occasionally break the mesh and clip it through itself. Afaik these are the only ones that do that.
I can think of a fix for that, but it'd probably be a bit weird to implement. Basically when the head is put on the neck bones change to still work but also lessen warping and clipping
But as someone who only knows how code works in theory but not how to actually code, and as someone who doesn't have a computer or elden ring to even try this, I don't know if it's even possible
When I was still new to the game, I thought and had hoped there would've been an additional mechanic to some Spirit Ashes where, if you were to ask Roderika to upgrade them, you can summon more than just two. Kind of like the rat spirit ashes. What I'd give to be able to summon a larger gang of imps!
Imagine if we could sacrifice more health for stronger spirit ashes, like mimic tear. I would happily lose 99% hp to summon like 12 imps at once
You can still upgrade the rats
I appreciate the fondness that the author evidently has for these silly little guys. I also love 'em!
Happy anniversary to Elden Ring!!
Two years, holy crap. It felt like half a year at most...
One of my playthroughs of Elden Ring was the "mother of imps", starting with the fanged imp ashes and sporting the cat imp head and the forked hatchet. Because of it, I became extremely fond of the little creatures. They're just little guys! They must feel so proud of themselves killing people. I'm so proud of them. They are my children.
that is the best story ever
Secret Ending Trophy Unlocked: become Elden Imp and unleash such chaos on the Lands Between by freeing your weird little pests from their tombs, that even Shabriri comes to envy you. May Imps take the world!
My first playthrough, I started playing as an elegant Carian Knight, wielding powerful sorceries. And ended the playthrough as Imp Boy, bearer of the forked hatchet and the kitty mask.
Ever since the first catacomb right by the start in Limgrave I've made it my mission to kill every single one of the little rats to extinction every time I go through a new catacomb. Sorry about your kids :( they ganked me first tho
Now I want an "Age of Imps" ending
Interestingly, the Imp Spirit Ashes in 1.00 has flavor text that refers to them as insects, too, and they are all over Leyndell rather than the Oracles.
God I don't even want to imagine a Leyndell crawling with these stone bastards.
Someone referred to the ashes as a couple of pet cats and since then every imp is a cat to me
burial watchdogs also look like cats. despite their name..... every golem creature is cat, and every non-human enemy is dog. this is the way.
I 100% thought the watchdogs were cats before finding out their name. They will forever be cats to me.
Could this be a cat?
@@evanseifert8858 yeah their pose and anatomy remind me of a sphinx (kind of) also the fact that they protect tombs
i personally adore these little guys
as with the thralls too but i don’t know why my brain always thought they seemed kind of similar to the bellkeepers in ds2
same, except i also hate them with a fiery passion
which i imagine is exactly the sorta relationship fromsoft hoped for from their players
me too! especially the wet flip-flop sound they make as they walk
unless you are waiting for a elevator and these fuckers come and try to assrape you.
Aesthetically the imps are adorable.
lore wise, there's just something about elden ring having living statues that makes me feel there's a connection for that.
you have the Crystallians which are crystal golems. you have imps and Golems which are statues. you have marionettes which are wooden puppets. all of which clearly serve as protectors and defenders of something. even the Erdtree avatar feels like a glorified wooden puppet with holy magic if you think about it.
it reminds me all to similarly with Dark Souls 2's old knights and drakekeeper knights being pretty much a manufactured drone army for Vendrick by the Old Iron King (you can see the the cast molds for these enemies in the old iron DLC), and you also have the golems which were activated by souls in both the ending and in the Ivory Crown DLC.
Don't forget albinurics, mimic tears, and gargoyles are artificial beings as well
You could even connect these golems to the albinaurics, as the albinaurics are artificial lifeforms made of some sort of liquid metal. Maybe it's the same technology, and if so, then it likely goes back to the Eternal Cities and the silver tears.
@@isaacbruner65 possibly. Although, it's important to state that both the Albinaurics and the general puppet/golem creatures vary very differently.
The Albinaurics are organic for the most part. The marionettes, golems, crystallians and imps are all inorganic, and should technically be inanimate.
It's clear the puppet/golem type enemies are "alive" to some capacity, given you can have spirit ashes of them. However, it could possibly just be a similar thing to Dark souls 2's golems where the souls function more like fuel than a living being in control.
Or perhaps a repurposed soul.
I remember somewhere reading about "everything has souls, even rocks". I don't know if that's related to the Chinese Chi, or something, but given that Fromsoft and Miyazaki borrow many things from actual mythology, it's possible that maybe there's something to be said about how life and death actually work in Elden ring, and why some should be inanimate statues are able to move like beings.
I feel like, there has to be something distinguishing these general "artificial servants/slaves", like one was created to imitate living things, one was clearly industrial.
Like DS2, old knights were just the old iron king's mass produced army of artificial knights gifted to Vendrick.
Interestingly, the Imps with the insect legs on them are all in the Subterranean Shunning-Grounds, where the imps are hanging on the various pipes. This would seem to suggest that they specifically got their insect legs to enable them to better hold unto the smooth, round sides of the pipes.
This is why the Fanged Imped Ashes are amazing and should be used at every opportunity for at least one playthrough. Let your enemies know the pain you have experienced by unleashing your own goon squad on them.
Thumbnail makes it look like the Imp and the Thrall are "making" enemies for the next Fromsoft Soulslike game.
I personally love these guys, I feel they have loads of personality, and I hope they bring those cut ones and add two more for the other stats
Unironically love these little guys
Same!! I love them
I know many people find imps frustrating, I personally love them. The thing is, they are extremely easily dispatched with guard counters: even a medium shield will leave them reeling and nearly any weapon will stagger them with a single counter. I love that Elden Ring rewards exploration and experimentation, and using different tactics for different enemies instead of just getting one powerful build and crushing everything with it (though obviously you can do that too).
I don't mind the imps so much. They make the dungeons feel like dangerous places.
I feel quite the opposite: since I was already so familiar with those enemies and could deal with them easily, the dungeons ended up feeling less engaging when the imps were involved.
@@chaoticstarfish3401They're pretty shit in general, a small fast enemy in large groups that deal % based damage with bleed
The Glintstone Watchdog staff also mentions they have some level of authority over the imps
Really glad to have you back and please don't overwork yourself again, your health is important. Outstanding content as usual!
"Someone must be fond of them"
Yeah, me. I love these mischievous ceramic gremlins~
The fact that the fanged imp ashes are friends with each other is really cute
I think it makes sense that From used the Thralls both as a concept and using their animations too. They were really special enemies in ds3 compared to most regular enemies. Their AI with retreat tactics, super fast charge attacks, ambushes, some being able to throw bombs at you. I think they are really complex as a normal enemie, since most just walk at you and have 2 attacks. Little pests like those filling the catacombs make sense, golems created to protect the place where dead rests.
They also had the same mask as greirat my beloved
yeah, they were pretty bad as normal enemies, that's the problem. And instead they made them even more of normal enemies when they have boss tier movesets bruh.
No Greirat, don't go loot the castle!
@@vazazell5967 Not boss tier movesets at all, come on
What I would say is that they overused them to the point they weren't surprising anymore
@@skilletborne literally more complicated moveset then most ds1 bosses
Nice to see Zullie acknowledging how weird it is for artificial lifeforms to have spirits.
In japan, after 100 years, an object animate or not, becomes a Yokai Spirit. so there is already context for their culture. Many folks have seen the Yokai lampshade, a covered lampshade with a birds foot instead of a stand. Animism means the very rocks are alive and contain spirits.
I'm so glad people like you look into all these fine details, because I didn't even notice some of the different faces the imps have. I think I only got one of the heads to drop, and it was the cat one, so I just assumed that was the only one you could get. Really excited to go through every bit of this game again before the DLC.
Development of Elden Ring clearly utilized whatever assets they had from previous game(s) . And thralls filled that niche for nimble, clingy stone gargoyles pretty well.
Though I think catacombs would have benefitted from medium sized golem/gargoyle type of enemy. As we have Watchdog bosses that already double as enemies in late areas.
Zullie your work is amazing throughout the years, It's a nice unconventional way to explain the lore through codes, glitches and deconstruction of items from the game.
Please keep using Kings Field music! It honestly compliments your already fantastic videos even more!
Just wanted to show some love, Zullie. Your videos are always so intensely interesting to me. From the small details, to the bigger things with wider implications, is always awesome. Every post I see you make puts a smile on my face. Keep doing what you're doing :)
Vigor and Mind are covered by the traveler's cloaks, but imp heads would be heavier and boost the stats more, which would be its own tradeoff
the song has slowly become one of my favourites from fromsoft
Majula theme on top
@@suspicioustumbleweed4760 real ones know
I think having these characters back is awesome. They’re so unique and eccentric, I loved them in 3 and found myself smiling a bit when they popped up in elden ring
After I finished Elden Ring, I decided that was going to binge the DS trilogy. It was quite the journey, taking up a couple months to get through. And when I met the Thralls is DS3 I immediately recognized the move set and animations. I felt pretty nostalgic, to say the least.
I love the design of these guys! And cool to see there is so much tought behind them even if theryre built on ds3 thralls enemy type
Sees Imp for first time: "Oh, cool new enemy!"
Imp quickly crawls backwards to dodge attack: "YOOUUU!!?!?"
i like the Imps, they are cute and mischievious ❤
Even your more simplistic videos make me a fan of your work every time.
When I hear this song is the background of one of your videos, I watch the whole thing every time
the lil stone dingbats are why I went all-in on bludgeoning weps
Still King's Field 4 musics, they are excellent to your videos.
I'm going to listen all the OST.
I forget which item description this is attached to but I remember reading that anything Glintstone based essentially "grows a Soul" if it didn't have one already.
That could explain the imps having a personality and enough sentience to form friendships with other imps/golem.
They were horrid for a while because they were colored just like the catacomb walls, but if you learn to pick out their shapes they’re a piece of cake
It will be interesting if Shadow of the Erdtree has something like Catacombs. From a lore-perspective, it will be interesting to see what sort of funeral rites are practiced in the Land of Shadow.
What’s worse about them is that there are less chances to have them fall off rooftops to their deaths like in DS3
Can we get an Imp Npc in the Dlc that gives us the "Must protect at all cost vibes".
the crystal darts also work against the giant rampart golems, meaning they’re related to some degree to the watchdogs and imps.
I’d always spam lock on looking for the creepy bastards.
You really give me a level of appreciation for the King's Field soundtrack that I don't think I'd have if you didn't use it so much in your videos.
Everytime i swing the Guts Greatsword and it goes over their heads.... I die a little on the inside.
I love these wee pals, I'd be up for more versions of them.
🎶You know it's hard out here for an imp🎶
It's funny to parry them, it is so overkill
I love them because they are great in how they add diversity to enemy encounters the way they move is so different from most enemies. Very cool
Zullie coming in with a video when I’m on my break. Thanks for your dedication!
I've been playing Dark Souls 3 lately, and it's funny because I absolutely despise the thralls in that game (curse those gremlin bastards), but I have zero problems with imps in Elden Ring, and actually find them kinda endearing. Maybe it's just that Elden Ring's dungeons are shorter and easier than DS3's levels, so I have a little more patience for short kings obstructing my path.
Hahaha I'm so glad you did a video on the imps, I really love them. I stubbornly kept them as my primary ashes through to the end of the game because they made me laugh
I mean the Imps have ashes and spirits to summon, it would imply they’re sapient or at least have a soul as much as an animal. Also they appear chimeric like the Misbegotten so for all we know it’s the spirits of Misbegotten placed in immortal golem bodies with certain features or faces similar to their original bodies, and that’s why they have souls.
Literally countered by a basic shield in both Games.
Thanks for this deep dive. As it is hard to make out the facial features when you're trying to kill them asap or run from them! Also even if it's just for have a filler mob, I think they serve a good purpose on keeping a dungeon you're new to hitting you with a curve ball.
You are doing gods work zullie, thank you.
Admit it, we all DESPISE these things.
(Except the spirit ash duo, their good boys)
I have a strong distain for them, but not much hate. Annoying as they are, a quick shield counter is often enough to stagger them, that gives you a crit, and that's that.
It's the ones that hang back and do nothing but throw crap that I *hate.*
I love them. They have surprisingly complex movesets for being common enemies. I love the "smarter" enemies of Elden Ring. I want a challenging game to be challenging.
They're*
Nah, I actually love the freaky little dudes. I also liked the thralls in DS3. They're honestly not too bad if you block them with a shield or a weapon, it makes them pretty easy to take care of.
You will reach a million subs this year and I was here for it 😎 👌
Either the imps were built by the grave keepers or they have an understanding of aligned goals. To me, the designs of imps and watchkitties don't match the style of the duelists, so I think they were already in the tombs before the Golden Order set up their root burials. So that's more evidence in favor of them having intelligence.
Imps are unironically one of my favorite enemies, they have a large variety of tactics and present a very unique challenge vs many other enemy types in the game. I especially like their moves where they back up and keep some distance, really gives a feeling of fighting a slippery little bugger.
Thralls and Stone Imps are two of my favorite enemies in the souls series, as they’re just little silly creatures that basically ankle-bite you as if you’re the boss in their case. They’re so goofy, I love them.
I come for the content, I stay for the quality background music!
If i Had to guess, the imps were Made by the Same people who Made the Dungeons they inhabit.
Or, perhaps, they Came to Life by themselves, through the Dungeon's doing, to protect it, rather than being consciously created by Humans, which would follow the Idea that everything has a Soul.
I actually think these are an excellent example of a good fodder enemy- unthreatening in concept, suprisingly devious and theyre small enough to get demolished by one good hit. Also theyre kind of adorable when they arnt ruining a dungeon crawl
Eh? The problem with impcs, is that, unlike thralls, they are actually tanky and have hyper armor.
@vazazell5967 I mean they're pesky yes but I never had a serious issue with them. If they didn't pose somewhat of a challenge and surprise me occasionally I'd find them much more uninteresting.
I like the added context of cut content
The Imps just might be my favorite enemies in the game. I love how evasive they were. When I 1st played Elden ring and walked into my first catacomb I remember thinking. This isn't so bad, only to then see a bunch of imps animate and run me down. 1 death later and I knew I had come home to another beloved Miyazaki game. =)
That title and thumbnail felt like a personal attack against the imps.
"Ah, animations are reused on the main character, well, this is okay"
>sees imps for the first time
"man this game is going to be garbage, isn't it?"
And it was
I love the imps! Terrific, inspired designs. Note the gargoyle spout in the mouth of the long-tongued imp!
"Maybe we'll see new imps in the DLC"
Imps in the DLC: "RAWCKET LAWNCHER"
the cat imp head with rogiers clothes was literally my fashion for an int/dex build i crafted
I learned something new every day. thank you for this video. It’s very interesting to think about.
Seeing the twinned set with the wolf head is giving me flashbacks. My very first playthrough on release was the wolf head with knight armor, then twinned. Accidentally lost my twinned armor in the D quest since I was running blind so I picked up the scaled next.
Thumbnail is crazy 💀
i actually like the idea of the thralls and imps in DS3 and Elden Ring, their strength comes from being quick, nimble and aggressive, i believe they are annoying because we can't relax around them unlike many other enemies in game, which in my opinion, is a breath of fresh air in my gameplay.
I must have been the one guy that loved the scrunky thrall dudes in DS3, and I especially loved the stone imps. My first playthrough featured me wearing the fanged imp head all the way through.
Perfect enemies. Unassuming but deeply annoying and deadly.
I love the music that you use in your videos.
There's some Zelda but most of it is usually from King's Field The Ancient City. The area music in that game is catchy and atmospheric at the same time. Makes you wish the Soulbourne games used proper area music more often instead of just silence or ambient sounds.
I seriously never noticed how similar the animations are!
When it comes to smaller enemies they're still not as bad as the little masked dudes that can grab/backstab you, I have no idea what they're called but i hate them, they have more HP then you'd think and they leave traps behind.
Now I want a whole comic series of the two summonable imps just being best bros 😊
I will never get tired of the KF music.
Love these little guys, as well as the helmets they drop, which have the killer combination of being fully face covering, looking weird, and boosting stats. So it was a smooth transition for my prisoner character to go from iron mask to stone mask with an int bonus to one of the sorcerer stone heads with a bigger int bonus. Then I got Renalla's hat and it feel strange to see her face after running around most of the game as a strange gargoyle woman.
I hope you reach 1 mil subs soon Zullie
Imps are a pain but honestly, they've got a certain charm to them that always makes me love fighting them. They're clever little beasties. That corpse imp face looks like a cursed version of Patches.
At least they drop titanite one twentieth of the time.
I think these guys fit the catacombs pefectly. Their stealthy hiding spots and agile movesets make good use of the narrow, dim hallways, since you never know where one might hide and have little space to adjust when one finally pops up. You need to stay vigilant, shield at the ready, since running away usually means springing some lethal trap.
Also, the face designs are a classically japanese mix of goofy and uncanny, which lends the catacombs a lot of personality. It somewhat reminds me of Pinwheel from DS1, another catacomb-dweller.
Dubious little creatures
I liked the Catacombs, even if they all have the same general themes it was always fun seeing what each had in store. Even if the treasure wasn't something I could use it was the fact that I found treasure in the first place and even just cleared a level that made me happy.
damn that corpse one is pretty horrifying looking, glad I don't have to see that dropping from the ceiling on me to instantly proc bleed
Wow, didn't even know that they dropped heads. The corpse one looks wicked!