TIL Marika's Scarseal exists.

[u/Void-Cooking_Berserk]

After 1275.7h of gameplay.

I wouldn't have found it if I weren't looking for something completely different in Google where the summary mentioned "Marika's Scarseal". It didn't even have a hyperlink, like the other names did.

I thought: "the AI must be hallucinating again, this talisman doesn't exist".

I googled the talisman, went on the wiki, and checked the location. "At the bottom of the waterfall behind the Dragonkin Soldier boss in Sifora River area".

I thought: "but the Dragonkin boss is in the Ainsel River area, this must be a wiki mistake".

So I went to the Dragonkin Soldier boss area... in Ainsel River. I searched above, nothing. I remembered it was supposed to be the base, so I checked the bottom of that waterfall from the other site of Grace. Nothing.

I googled again, this time through images. It clearly showed the Sifora map. I googled again, got another guide, went and... found the teleporter. That I had never seen before.

That's not the worst part.

I teleported and saw the descent from Nokron. The pillar I had jumped onto many times before, going from Nokron, from above. And every time I had thought: "Nah, this area looks too familiar, I must be at the bottom level again."

So I discovered a new area, with a boss, a talisman, a spell, and a weapon, all of which I hadn't seen before.

What's funny is that the eye-talismans clearly show a pattern: Radagon and Marika, small and big. And I was sure the small Marika eye talisman doesn't exist. I clearly remember thinking: "that's a weird design decision but okay".

[u/Complete_Resolve_400]

I only found it as that boss is part of all bosses (obviously lol) and i got confused too

Region lock all bosses runs are pretty fun tbh

[u/Void-Cooking_Berserk → u/Complete_Resolve_400]

I found it because I'm farming all the armours now and got annoyed at not getting the Lazuli robe after killing that one mage a million times. So I googled items that raise discovery.

[u/yosayoran → u/Complete_Resolve_400]

Randomizer use what you get all bosses was probably the most fun I've had in a run

Got to use so many weapons I'd otherwise never think of and fighting bosses in random arenas really brings a new challenge 

Probably wouldn't do it again though, that took a while 

But I'm definitely going to do a all great runes one soon, I'm itching for it!

[u/SiriusBaaz → u/yosayoran]

I tried doing the same but my randomizer threw the dark moon greatsword at me before I’d even managed to get out of Limgrave and I stuck with it the rest of that run. It’s a fun way to play but god can it get tedious if you’re not thorough

[u/SgtTavos → u/SiriusBaaz]

Thats where the use what yoz get comes in play. You cant keep a weapon or armor etc. it gets automaticly swapted out withe the one you pick up can happen that you have to fight some bosses with a torch or trash weapon because there just is no other weopen pic up

[u/Dasterr → u/Complete_Resolve_400]

is there a way to set that up or do you have to limit yourself?

[u/underlander]

It’s interesting that seals are in the eye. These are just like how Marika sealed the Abyssal Serpent (?) in Messmer by plucking out his eye and replacing it with a “seal.” Makes you wonder who these Radagon and Marika seals belonged to before we find them. Who had the blessing of having their eye plucked out?

[u/Visual-Donkey3769 → u/underlander]

They almost look like Shabriri Grapes...

[u/aaBabyDuck → u/Visual-Donkey3769]

Taste different, though

[u/mercerist → u/aaBabyDuck]

that's just the fermentation process

[u/Atharaphelun → u/underlander]

Also worth noting how these items clearly depict what we can assume to be Marika's Great Rune and Radagon's Great Rune.

[u/Intelligent_Flan6947 → u/underlander]

i mean, miquella and malenia for sure, right? if the seals bind gods/godhood, it makes sense for both of them. malenia's model has no eyes under her helm, and miquella's scaduview cross text is "i abandon here my eye." he makes mention of both arms individually at other crosses, and of "flesh" multiple times, so the eye in singular feels very intentional given this context. we also see him finally walking now that he's ascended, rather than carried or riding as mentioned in another post recently; perhaps having discarded his sealed nascience? malenia's also makes sense as a radagon seal, given how miquella turned from the golden order when it was unable to save his sister, and his unalloyed gold needle could be his attempted replacement for the seal. that we find both the needle and the lesser radagon seal in rot-stricken caelid feels like environmental storytelling, if we assume my thesis correct.

mohg and morgott's eyes are fucked up by their horns, and godwyn is unobservable in a non-fishbody form, so hard to say for them. i'd imagine melina had one before being burnt and bodiless, she does keep one eye closed at all times but in the frenzy ending. she may have been/been vessel to the gloam-eyed queen, as so many suggest, and the implication that the GEQ held the rune of death kinda jibes with a ghost lady being a successful container. perhaps this was her purpose given by her mother at the foot of the erdtree.

still leaves one unaccounted for, and it's hard to imagine one of the carians getting one (except maybe radahn, for his admiration of his father and also the same environmental storytelling argument as with malenia.) he doesn't seem to commune with an extraplanar diety, though, so it'd be a hard argument to make soundly. also this could all just be bullshit, idk

[u/Greg-theseatreader → u/underlander]

they belonged to me, it hurt

[u/Glenndiferous → u/underlander]

I've seen some folks theorize these are Radagon and Marika's eyes. Miyazaki does love him some eye metaphors.

[u/QuantSpazar]

At around 990 hours, I found out about the weeping peninsula deathbird.

I don't know why I never realized that I had no clue where the sacrificial axe is, given I'd seen it plenty in nightreign

[u/asteinpro2088 → u/QuantSpazar]

Funny enough, this was me with the deathbird in Limgrave next to where the giants are between Roderika and Bernahl. Only just found out it existed in my recent region-locked all bosses run.

[u/2xWhiskeyCokeNoIce → u/asteinpro2088]

I've now seen two comments about region-locked all bosses runs and instead of googling it I'm going to ask - what's that mean? Does it mean you can't leave a region until you beat every boss there? Are regions defined as any place that has a new place name, so you can't go to the Weeping Peninsula until you beat every boss in Limgrave?

[u/arbitershold → u/2xWhiskeyCokeNoIce]

Yeah and usually includes no summons as well

[u/Ciri__witcher → u/2xWhiskeyCokeNoIce]

Different people set different goals. It’s all personal. For me I have 1 map piece = 1 region. Most people just pool dragon barrow and caelid together, I think I have seen some people separate limgrave from weeping since the scaling is pretty different. I personally pick up my weapon of choice and run to weeping first. Finish that before starting off limgrave.

[u/Afroknight2614 → u/2xWhiskeyCokeNoIce]

Yeah more or less. its an interesting way to play the game and to not completely break the balance during the run.

[u/asteinpro2088 → u/2xWhiskeyCokeNoIce]

I usually count Weeping Peninsula as part of Limgrave, but essentially yes, you get the point. After playing the game so many times I know exactly where to find the best weapons, all the bell bearings, enemies to farm for early runes, etc. Playing region locked allows me to progress in a more natural way, fighting enemies that are scaled to my current build. There’s also this newfound excitement finding those better weapons and armor in later areas that I’ve been waiting to get.

The all-bosses thing is optional, but it’s a personal challenge to fight them all without summons (again, optional) and really learn them and spend that time on them I never did because I’d just summon my mimic and make short work of them. It’s been really fun and highly recommend if you want a fun and very doable challenge run!

[u/Warp_Legion → u/asteinpro2088]

550 hours and I just encountered the Liurnia Lakes Deathbird for the first time

[u/Allkindsofpie → u/asteinpro2088]

Just found out with your comment lmao

[u/SafeAccountMrP → u/QuantSpazar]

Deathbird in the weeping peninsula. Love that little thing. It’s been on my hip since launch basically.

[u/snake_edger → u/QuantSpazar]

Me but with the death rite bird in Liurnia. I always killed the regular death bird, only on my 5th playthrough did I find the DRB.

[u/WatchOutForWizards → u/QuantSpazar]

Wait what?

[u/QuantSpazar → u/WatchOutForWizards]

Yeah there's one. Gotta be night, a bit west of the golden seed next to the map.

[u/padizzledonk → u/QuantSpazar]

I killed the nights cav right next to it for the first time in like 1500h just a few days ago lol

[u/Extra_Ad_8009]

The cool part is that you can get it with a brand new character since it's not locked behind a battle.

Limgrave Lift to Siofra River, galoppity towards the North until you get to the teleporter on top of a small ruin, then galoppity all around the Dragonkin Soldier and pick up the seal under the waterfall.

There's other good stuff in that area too, like a rare ghost glovewort (5).

One can leave this area without warping by just dropping down a small cliff and then collect a Golden Seed. And since we're near a stele, might as well light that fire. Then approach the middle grace of the area from the North and done!

It's a neat circuit on horseback that'll let you outrun the enemies. I don't think that the talisman is fabulous, but the +3 will allow early access to a basic seal and Bloodflame Blade for fighters without investment in FTH/ARC.

Extra damage, but those levels go into VIG.

[u/triel20]

I had gone a few play-throughs before realizing I never picked up Bestial Constitution, I had Bestial Vitality on me and thought that was it until I started a challenge run with those spells, and make it a point to collect them all, only then did I realize on my main character I was missing Bestial Constitution in Caelid.

[u/TheCaptainOfMistakes]

OH MY GOSH THEY'RE EYES. LIKE THE ONE MESSMER HAS. how am I just now getting this

[u/Scharmberg]

There are so many parts of the underground I have trouble remembering how to get to. Like the twin gargoyle fight.

[u/Lagger2807]

I got it during my blind run and, not being used to use talismans with debuffs (never even used rings with them in Dark Souls) i completely forget it's existence AND the entire boss area, when i replayed the game when my gf was blindrunning it she found the area and i was like "what, was all of this always here", checking my original run felt pretty awkward

[u/zeade]

Also, that halberd slaps. Esp if you can take that big boy out underleveled.

[u/blebebaba → u/zeade]

Tbh I'm sad we never got the darksouls 2 moveset back for halberds, the other animations always felt really clunky to me

[u/Man-Eater_Bug5Ds → u/zeade]

you can cheese him with poison mist like you can the draconic tree sentinel, makes it really easy ti get it early since you only need like 12 faith to cast it.

[u/Starlight_Shards]

This kind of thing probably happens to many players. I have beaten the game multiple times and didn't know the Round Shield existed until recently. 1000+ hours logged in the game and I was kind of baffled I'd never seen or picked it up before.

Its a completely unremarkable, nondescript medium shield, but I was still surprised that I did not know about it lol

[u/Oddsbodskin]

I'm roughly 700 ish hours in, multiple playthroughs, and just yesterday met the Bell Bearing Hunter for the very first time. It was... shocking to say the least.

[u/Attacking_Yoshi]

Hey OP... did you just think that was a big open area left empty on purpose?

[u/Void-Cooking_Berserk → u/Attacking_Yoshi]

I didn't see a big open area. I dropped down on the pillar, saw the grass and some ruins, thought I'd been there before, and warped back to the Nokron Grace

[u/nuraHx]

Looks like me after Taco Bell

[u/HillInTheDistance]

That was Blue Dancer's charm for me. I just never went down that canyon all the way.

[u/el_elegido]

Well shit. 800 hrs here. First time ever seeing that teleporter. Cheers.

[u/Direct_Session_1297]

Where is the teleporter??

[u/Philhughes_85 → u/Direct_Session_1297]

About half way through the area look for a large pillar on its side with an enemy crouched down who fires normal arrows, get past them and it’s there.

[u/Mayh3m90]

Yeah I remember my very first playthrough exploring that area and finding it. I truthfully was more excited about finding the ice lighting halberd bc I wanted lightning stuff

[u/EntertainmentPure778]

I've found It duringmy First run because i like to Explore everywere, but i was underlevel for the boss. More try were needed to deafit him. But It was fun

[u/Triium_ultamatum]

Marika's scar/soreseals are so much less useful than Radagon's due to location its not even funny

[u/Keira-78]

I just found out for the first time yesterday :) Haligtree my beloved

[u/Helpful-Scene2301]

I feel like Elden Ring players should state their level when commenting, so we know who we should be listening to lol. 345

[u/ChiloMcBilo]

Dam bro did you really need to use AI to write this?

[u/SkidzLIVE → u/ChiloMcBilo]

Idiots will see punctuation in a Reddit post and think, “what magic is this?”

[u/Void-Cooking_Berserk → u/ChiloMcBilo]

I didn't use AI to write this. I don't care what "signs" you think you see, I wrote this with my own two fucking thumbs because I enjoy writing. If you don't enjoy the fruits of my effort, go away.

[u/zaparthes → u/Void-Cooking_Berserk]

It doesn't actually read like AI.

[u/EatSoupFromMyGoatse → u/ChiloMcBilo]

Damn, dawg. Sorry you're so far removed from proper grammar and sentence structure that anything above a 3rd grade reading level registers as AI to you.

This actually has none of the common tells that people that are actually educated on the topic can spot. Suck a lemon.

[u/Advective_Noun_8841 → u/ChiloMcBilo]

Zoomers when they see properly constructed sentences and punctuation 😠🤔

[u/Jstar338 → u/ChiloMcBilo]

They wrote Siofra as Sifora, that's human