Elden Ring - Rewriting history

The trip through the Lake of Rot on the way to Astel's lair can be a stressful journey, but it may have had a bit of a different feel to it at one point.

Song used: Lakebed Temple - The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess OST

[ZullietheWitch]

If you play on the unpatched version of the game, you can encounter these rot-infested Ancestral Followers yourself, no modding required. They have the ability to spray Scarlet Rot at the player, so some of you will probably be happier that they're gone.

[pocketlint]

It's very strange that they didn't at least have that one random Follower be the Rotted type they already made. I think it would be fascinating if there was exactly ONE unique rotted Ancestral Follower in the ENTIRE game.

[AlastorAltruistGaming]

See, I WONDERED why there was a singular Ancestral Follower just roaming the Lake of Rot all by his lonesome.

[theawickward]

There might also be a still-extant lore connection, via the Blind Swordsman.

The Blind Swordsman who sealed away the Outer God of Rot has a connection to the Ancestral Followers; it's said he was aided by a fairy, and the Ancestral Followers are associated with the Siofra River ('Siofra' meaning 'fairy' in Gaelic). So maybe, that Ancestral Follower is still there because he's keeping an eye on the god his tribe helped imprison.

[nophion-electricboogaloo]

The true lore for this place is that the Ancestral Followers were running a scarlet rot spa but the tourists from Caelid overtook the place.
Trust me, my uncle works for Vaatividya.

[jproductions]

Not having Astel fall from the sky underground is a missed opportunity, since it implies that the night sky doesn't exist above the world but actually exists throughout it like background radiation, stars showing through were the "worldness" is thin. Really woulda fit the cosmic horror vibe.

[darthtator]

Rotten Ancestrals? Hell yeah, can't wait for the Rotten DLC

[SnazBrigade]

i get the impression that the ancestor spirit worshippers are meant to sorta be shown as being bumped out not only by the erdtree order, but by ALL the new gods that are taking over, in this case, the lake and the rot god, but elsewhere by the blood god as well. That lone wandering guy is the last survivor because of the talisman he carries, which you steal from him.

[DeathlyPudding]

You also go around lighting the fires the same way in the lake of rot as you do in the other ancestral areas.

[dred_dreamr]

The tablets held by the statues look like the ones found in the ogre’s chests, the stone things that the carriages mount to with the stake in their back. Could this have some relevance? The ogres and the statues also share some aesthetic features, such as their scrawny - yet imposing - build.

[Attatsu]

I find the grand cloister FASCINATING. The whole underground lake of rot area is so interesting to me. I feel like there could have been so much more to that area but there ultimately wasn't.

[Haveldorf]

I went to the lake of rot in a playthrough yesterday and was so confused by the random Ancestral Follower there. Thank you for answering literally ALL of the questions Zullie.

[falgalhutkinsmarzcal]

Finally, somebody explained why the rotten ancestral followers were down in the cloister for version 1.0. You can still fight them straight from the disc (without downloading the patches), which makes more sense to me from a lore perspective. The Ancestral Spirit is a birth/death/rebirth god and Destined Death was removed from the Lands Between, thus denying the natural order of things (and the Ancestral Spirit's power). Much like with Gwyn denying the end of fire, denying natural rot brings about worse phenomena, and the Return of the Repressed (or Malenia, the rot goddess). It explains why she was cursed on behalf of what her mother had done.

[BlackTearDrop]

I do wonder why astel is on the other side of the lake of rot when it was the scourge of the eternal cities. Maybe it should have been closer to Nokstella and the lake of rot moved a bit further out to a optional connecting area you can find.
It's also a shame that, other than being a roadblock to the alter, it doesn't seem to link to Ranni's goals at all, other than being a thematic "Stars and Space" final boss for her quest.

[mr-laroque]

I like the replacement. When you go through the Area's for Ranni's Quest. You see full view on your journey the effects the outer gods have on the people of lands between.
They either live and worship in the far corners of the land or are corrupting it and its inhabitants for their gods.
The Nocturn live in long forgotten tombs, the followers in rich buried forests and the Kindred in the rotten remains.

[verdantstar]

the zelda music in these videos.makes me think how much the soul series needs ambient music like this, not everywhere but definitely used more often.

[GM_Darius]

Rotten Ancestors.
While I'm already not a massive fan of the Lake of Rot (mechanics wise), the idea of getting sniped by an Ancestor while running before I get the Rot makes me wince.

[ebloom]

Hew Zullie, do you know if other baleful shadows besides the Blaidd one were cut from the game? Ranni's dialogue implies that you will have to fight multiple ones, but the Blaidd one is the only one you ever fight.

[sf]

Its too bad they didnt make the lone ancestral follower a rot version, unique enemies are a fun discovery, but i guess its possible that they invested enough development time on this that theyd rather save it for later.

[senuhet]

Can you freaking imagine slogging through the lake of rot AND dealing with the Ancestral railguns. Great work as always Zulie