Elden Ring - Lichdragon Fortissax / Regal Ancestor Spirit | Reacting To Video Game Music! 

You may have noticed a new format where I do 2 songs per video now. In the early stages, I would just listen to them back to back, but since then I decided to talk about the first song more in depth before moving on to the 2nd. You'll see this in action soon.

The fact that you picked on the "lightning" on Fortissax is amazing, considering that he does use red lightning spells during the fight!

2:16 "FromSoft music just makes me feel like im DYING." LOL. I died over 900 times in Elden Ring lmao.

So to answer your question. Elden Ring does have a day/night cycle but the bosses usually have their own state. Fortissax is actually in the dream (it’s kinda ambiguous) of a women who worships death, so to speak. The dragon, Fortissax who you fight, fought a God who got ‘mortalised’ by Death. Then the dragon became consumed by death itself. So it attacks with a mix of Dragon Lightning (its natural attacks) and Death Blight.

Regal Ancestor Spirit is actually my favorite song in their entire game catalog. It has impeccable vibes and I adore the native american flavor to it. While the boss fight is pretty interesting it's certainly middle of the road in terms of From bosses. It helps that it's a boss fight that you get to in the best zone they've ever made. As for doing two songs at once, it'd be a pretty cool thing for shorter songs in the same game, and I can't imagine how big your listening backlog is lmao

Fortissax has one of the coolest phase transitions in FromSoft games and many players don't even get to see it because they're either underleveled for the fight and running around trying to dodge and don't get to stop and look up to see him harkening the draconic red lightning bidents... or they are way too overleveled for this hidden optional boss by the time they get there and destroy him before he can do all the cool scripted stuff! And likewise the full scope of the song may be lost to them.

Really liking these multisong videos, especially when it shows different sides of the OST like this one. It's pretty safe to assume any FromSoft requests are boss battles (outside of maybe Armored Core), as the games are really all about the bossfights, with stretches of cautious and highly atmospheric exploration in-between.

The Ancestor Spirit is, overall, a minor boss, but it really stood with me because of the stunning atmosphere and of course this music, it's something refreshing for what Fromsoft usually does which is, like you've said, bombastic, epic, grandious ect, also the design of the boss itself, I don't know if you looked it up like Fortissax but the Spirit is so beautiful and majestic, definitely my top 3 from this game, and there are A LOT of bosses I'll let you know that 😅, thank you for your reactions Jesse

I cried during the Regal Ancestor Spirit fight lol

Regal Ancestor Spirit was probably my #1 song of any game in 2022. It's so different from anything else in that game and gets me emotional each time I hear the climax of the 2nd part.

Still eagerly awaiting the day I see you react to the Godskin Apostles.

Speaking of "calmer" FromSoft boss music...definitely listen to the music for the Divine Dragon!

I think the 2 video idea has been pretty cool so far, the more music the merrier, right?

Oh heck yeah Fortissax, genuinely one of my favorite fights in Elden ring and funny enough is 100% missable. I had to go fight him in my second playthrough because I locked myself out of doing the fight, but my god was it a spectacle of a fight. Also funny enough the "I no longer get death, but more lighting" is very true as his two elements are both deathblight and lighting. It's insane seeing a giant flying dragon raise up in the sky and then conjure up two MASSIVE lighting spears. Crazy fight and probably my favorite track in the elden ring ost.

Lichdragon Fortissax is the theme of a fallen hero, a proud dragon warrior who became the lichdragon attempting to protect his best friend, and now he's a monster whose very presence can spread death to you, and you're basically putting him out of his misery. Contrasting that is the Ancestor Spirit, a being who represents the cycle of life from death, who you are fighting in a ceremonial ritual to help bring about that spiritual resurrection.

"fromsoft music makes me feel like i'm dying" THERE IT IS,HE GOT THE WHOLE LORE DOWN TOO

I like multiple songs from the same game in one video and it probably saves you some time so it's a win-win situation I think.

Best boss theme in this game imo is Mohg, Lord of Blood. Hopefully you get more of a chance to check it out with the 2 song format, I think that's a good idea!

12:37 Fortissax is kinda bastardized ancient Latin, following the nomenclature of all "ancient dragons" in Elden Ring where their names are Latin phrases that are very much like titles which describe the dragon, implying they are earned names in draconic culture. Fortissax basically means that they represent Courage and that is very apt for Fortissax as they battled the gods of the golden order for control of the divine land only to befriend the prince of the golden order pantheon, the equally aptly named Godwyn the Golden, and become integrated into a gestalt draconic sect of their order to usher in an era of peace and collaboration. But when their now bloodbrother the prince was assassinated by an infection of runic death he desperately tried to extract the curse and became an undead lich, a sorcerer of death, for his devotion, yet ultimately failed to save Godwyn, whose death and subsequent corruption into the god of the dead was the catalyst for the events all leading up to the game. Fortissax was just a good bro, and you can only meet him by literally intruding into the soulspace of his best friend that his undead spirit still protects.

I love how you mentioned the Lichdragon Fortisax ost sounding like death and lightning (in phase 2) cus the dragon uses both lightning and deathblight in the fight lol

the new format is great, thanks for the upload

Absolutely love these double reactions! But I don't want you to get tired trying to do more at once

I think the “double songs” is rad, especially the way you gravitate towards playing games based on the music. Getting a couple tracks at once probably helps round out the soundscape, rather than just getting one highlight track and guessing whether or not it’s an outlier.

I like the idea of multiple soundtracks from the same game for the reason you stated, hearing the contrast and diversity in the ost

I really liked this format! I agree that adding it to the mix with your existing formats is a good idea.

While I'm unsure about how others feel about this, I've always been of the opinion that the Regal Ancestor Spirit theme is better experienced in-game, because the boss has this one attack that, when it hits the ground, makes this really pleasant bubbling water sound that just fits perfectly with this OST.

Yes, there is a night/day cycle. The nighttime also introduces unique ‘night-based’ bosses with soundtracks matching them. But most of the “Major bosses” will, for the most part, be secluded in an enclosed area where daylight isn’t visible, so the designers can easily match the atmosphere of the boss arena and boss fight through music. There are also rare circumstances where you DO fight one of the “major bosses” out in the open field, but (without going into too much spoilers) there’s a particular narrative reason for why this boss is fought under specific weather/sky conditions - which gives the music, which is used for the boss, a really unique atmospheric feel for those who played the game, yes, I’m talking about the Starscourge lol

"you feel like most of the budget went on the music" sooooo .... it feels like it but the game is just that massive that you feel empty after xD And to answer: most boss are always "present", even tho most of them are optional. And why most? some only spawn during the night!

Regal Ancestral Spirit is easily my favorite track in the whole game. Nothing else in the entire game sounds like it, it's so distinctive in its tone and composition. It tells a story during the battle, where something from a far past passes on to the player character and something primal and ancient is understood, which is why it becomes more like a recognizable music track by the finale.

18:59 - yeah Composers at Fromsoft are really good at putting their all into boss music to really make a unique identity. None of their boss music feels half done. If you haven’t played a game, you can still get SOMETHING out of the music, by way of narrative. As you said earlier in the vid - talking about how Fortisaxx gave you a feeling of death and claustrophobia, then later saying it reminded you of some lightning... well what if I told you it was BOTH death AND lightning😂😂 In regards to Regal Ancestral Spirit (RAS), there’s particular use of instrumentation and flow of cadence that may allude to a feeling that the boss is quite ancient, old, beautiful, elegant... all without having to force strict context into the music, so reactors such as yourself can enjoy/understand it without knowing the in-game context

Big fan of the double song format. If it works better for you then I say keep it up!

I think the idea of multi songs is a good one. You can cover from the same game, and see the various styles for bosses/monsters. Hoping to see one of these on the monster hunter series.

Incidentally these are 2 of the most out-of-the-way bosses out of the 15 major bosses in the game. Seriously it's so easy to completely miss Fortissax if you aren't following a guide for the quests.

I have absolutely no qualms to multiple songs in the same video. I just hope in your efforts to tackle the list, you don't run yourself ragged, or lose trains of thought that you would've had for the first song. That said, it does also seem like a way to keep up the enthusiasm & momentum once a banger gets you started, so you do you, man. Also, some bosses in Elden Ring only appear for you to fight in the night time cycle of the game. & other bosses throughout the FromSoft franchise seem to warp the air around them to always make things seem dark & stormy, or majestically lit.

I feel I was some how accidentally over-leveled when I fought Fortissax... I think I fought him after Placidusax which would kind of explain some of that... And as for Fromsoft music making you feel like you're dying.... Death, Ruin, and The End of an Age are common themes in the Souls, Bloodbourne, and Elden Ring games. Every fight is against something that was once incredible and awe inspiring but is long beyond its prime as it is well beyond its downfall. Though even in such a state these bosses are still mighty, dangerous, and powerful. The music also sets the pace of the fight. In Dark Souls 3, Dancer of the Boreal Valley is infamously hard as her music is a waltz, and it just so happens her moves are harder to dodge because they're timed on waltz timing. That results in you expecting a hit but dodging on the wrong beat. Also, Lich is pronounced how it looks, with the CH being like the CH in Champion. Lich are high ranking undead beings. In mythology, and especially in DND, a Lich is a powerful being, human, dragon, or otherwise, that have used magic to make themselves undead to live forever. With this dragon though, they're not exactly voluntarily a Lich, but it's associated with Godwyn The Golden who is dead in soul but not in body, and the dragon fights for its dear friend against Those Who Live In Death.

Second phase of Fortissax gets me pumped. Also it’s crazy you guessed lightning cause this fight is huge on red and black (death) lightning

I can see the humidifier in the background. I love those.

The pauses you’re hearing are shifts from the first phase to the second phase of the boss battle.

Big fan of the single video/ double release format. I think as long as both songs get equal shine during the discussion phase I see no problem 👍

I honestly like the 2 song per video idea, specially in cases like these where the songs aren't related to each other, so you get to listen to move variations of what a game has to offer. Regal Ancestor Spirit is a song very unique among what FromSoft has to offer, sadly the idea isn't explored further, but the context of the fight makes you even feel like it's a different world altogether, hopefully we see the concept more in the future.

That fog machine bottle is genius an i love the vibe

I like having multiple songs, I think it helps bring a wider impression of what the game is like. And like you said, it helps the fans of the game feel more satisfied haha

The interesting part is that with From you come to expect Bombastic soundtrack so when calmer songs come you know they will hit right in the feels

YES (And you were actually spot on for the lightning cymbals. Ths dragon boss is really underrated imo because by the time you encounter this boss you probably are way stronger than Fortissax. The music is menacing as he is one of the most important dragons in elden ring and the coolest too lol but most players don't get to see the full lightning moveset of Fortissax because the fight ends too quickly. Shame it has a small health bar

I like having the doubling up on pieces, personally. Keep at it~

4:40 what’s funny is that physically Fortissax is quite large, but he’s actually an optional boss in a side quest. It’s absolutely criminal that so many Tarnished probably played and never encountered him or this absolutely beautiful track. Honestly this track could’ve been the title music imo.

All boss fights have two phases! Hence the moment of silence in the music. Lichdragon Fortissax is a massive undead dragon, very cinematic and super action packed, big boss fight so the music feeds from the story of its heroic life and eventual death into undeath. On the other hand, Regal Ancestor Spirit is...quite a different beast, there's a story being told there before you start the fight and it's dealing with nature and spirits and death, the boss itself is almost like a guardian and it's very impactful when you first enter that fight.

The Ancestor Spirit theme is my favorite in the entire game and had an effect not unlike Apotheosis from Journey. Simply a gorgeous soundscape from beginning to end.

If you ever do go on the fromsoft journey the steps are usually something like - Not interested - Decided to try it but I hate it, it's too difficult. - **Randomly plays it one afternoon a while later and falls in love and plays the whole series**

Lichdragon Fortissaax is actually a secret boss, and is the final part of Fia´s questline. (if someone is interested) 😉

Lichdragon Fortissax's theme is really really somber. He went to the dream space (sorta) of his best friend after the spirit of said best friend is slain and their body being corrupted by death itself. In doing that he himself got corrupted by death. It's also why there's both death and lightning theme since it's a combination of both on our lichdragon boss here as a result of said corruption.

Elden Ring has a huge open world, and over the passing of the game you discover lots of places. In some of these places, things can happen, and it may or may not be obligatory nor important. You might discover bosses in these places, and their soundtracks often tells their story in the form of music. They also fit with the visuals. In most big fights, halfway through you enter a second fase, and it's seperated by either a cutscene or the boss in some way stopping to do some transition

You saying lightning was so spot on since fortissax comes from a race of ancient dragons that were known for using lightning as their primary weapons and teached select humans how to wield it

So the both tracks are the boss themes. The first thing to know is that everything in elden ring and other souls are created with care and much attention to details. the reason why you feel something in tracks because they are aiding the listener to tell the story. You can search the lores and stuff to know about the characters if you are really curious. And the idea of doing two tracks at once is different and cool.

I feel like the two song videos would give you better context for both songs you react to, happy with either though

Homie nailed it on the lightning

Yes please multiple songs

I really hope you check out Starscourge Radhan from elden ring. Its my favorite track!

Lichdragon Fortissax is my favorite boss music in all from software games

Regal Ancestor Spirit is my favourite boss in the game it's really easy but the theme of the boss is so good, the music and the boss design of a gnarled yet oddly beautiful deer it just feels wrong to kill as it is the creature the people in that area worships

Elden Ring has a pretty in depth time system but none of the main bosses are time based. I believe there ARE some sidequest bosses that are time-based (night time, as you said), but neither of these are ^^ They are both optional though!

Regarding the Idea of more than one song per video, seeing how many songs you probably have on the list I see it as a good thing. Also be ready for new FFXIV osts coming this summer as we are getting a new expansion during that time :D

only some overworld bosses only show up at night.

Death and lightning are literally the themes of the Lich Dragon fight lol.

I highly recommend Margit The Fell Omen & Morgott The Omen King!

I didn't see anyone else comment it but "Lich" is pronounced like "Rich" but with an "L". In fantasy settings, it's usually a powerful undead with spellcasting abilities.

You should check out the Rykard boss soundtrack for Elden ring. Definitely sticks out from the others because of the unique vocals and raw evilness vibe.

Ah yes, Fortissax, famously the boss with the Best song but also the most missable boss in the game, so much so that most people only fight him at the very end of the game if at all, And so Most people that fight the boss don’t even hear the first 10 seconds of his song.

Fortissax is my favorite boss theme from elden ring, and one of the most badass bosses in gaming period. Its a shame that by the time you find him, youre likely very overleveled and the fight will be over much too quick and noone remembers this song because it was over too quickly. And if you can get to him, you likely have the skill to beat him. Hes not even a main boss, hes a secret you can miss pretty easily if you dont care to explore or follow quests. Also i was amazed you said like "... Death, or maybe sounds like lightning", and this boss literally uses attacks called DEATH LIGHTNING! Go figure, these songs are written so well, if people have even a little music knowledge, they might be able to tell what its about. I also have to admit, the first time i heard it i was like "Eh, ok, cant quite follow", and then i heard it a second time, and many more times after, and every time i heard it i liked it more, this song needs like 10 listens to catch everything thats going on, and appreciate the dissonance thats too weird to follow the first time through. Cause man, this song has the best use of dissonance ive ever heard in my life. The drop where the female singers go very low in the second phase chorus gives me goosebumps every single time. Oh also, i hope Placidusax is on your list already, cause its almost exactly as good as this one, but a major contrast. This one is demonic af, and the other is very godly.

Ya should put the music over someone fighting the boss and watch whats going down. Youd be in awe

The Lich Dragon Fortissax track always sounds very epic and melancholic to me. It sounds like a god is dying. I guess that's on point considering the circumstances of hearing that music. Also I'm happy with the format, because more music. And more music is never bad.

that second song is also a boss.

As long as the songs are from the same thing I don't mind double reactions tbh

For me personally, the Dragonlord placidusax is the best.

definitely try listening to the theme of Lady Maria, or Laurence the First Vicar, both from bloodborne. you'd appreciate them, some of the more interesting fromsoft music!

Elden Ring has great area themes, but they are very ambient and slow (they complement the ambience of the area perfectly, but you don't know how the areas look like)

The game is just amazing lore and music wise you should check out bosses Godfrey the 1st Elden lord , dragon lord placidusax, malenia blad of miquella it’s a few good ones 🙏🏽

This game soundtrack is half ambiant musics, half heavy boss battle musics :).

Both missable bosses as well😂

Personally i feel like the multiple songs per video thing works more with shorter songs than the longer ones

Fortissax really deserved a better fight and unique appearance. The music is one of the best in the entire game for a reused model

I would say Souls games have more of a dramatic, terrifying theme overall than Monster Hunter, only because Souls games will have a boss like "Greg from Accounting" and still give him a theme that sounds like you are about to fight a losing battle.

The two songs per video is cool but i think the format might work better if you did song 1/impressions 1/song 2/impressions 2? For a more 'fresh off the press' impression.

jessie needs to listen to Morgott's soundtrack, my god

I still hold the belief that Bloodborne is host to the best FromSoft OST, but Elden Ring is up there; respectively so. -TL;DR. Would love a Jesse playthrough of the game. In the weeks and months leading up to the release I wasn't even planning on buying Elden Ring. Coming off of Sekiro, while I liked it, didn't quite "hit" the same way as their previous titles so I figured Elden Ring wouldn't either. However, the day before release day- probably just mere hours in actuality, I decided, "ehh, screw it, I'll bite.", and was quite pleasantly surprised upon release (albeit annoyed with some of the performance hiccups on pc at the time. I digress). Normally the "ultra hard video game" genre is a niche' most folk don't bother with. And while I knew it would sell well and likely be warmly received by those who do enjoy the aforementioned genre never did I imagine it becoming the gaming cultural phenomenon of the year. People kept highly detailed paper journals of their time in game; complete with hand drawn map and sketches of enemy designs and weapons they'd find. They created intricate backstories for their characters and motivations for them. They, of course, chose their favorite waifu's (altho that was bound to happen even if the game sucked). Even God Emperor Elon Musk got in on the action. All in all, it was crazy to live through that moment in time in the first few days/ weeks. It took me back when you'd be at school recess and all the other kids would be like, "did you hear about 'X' happened?! Did you guys see what happens if you go over to 'X' place and talk to 'X'?!", mostly because it's a game you couldn't really speedrun your way through- at least not at the very beginning at release (obviously now you can). There was a genuine community feeling surrounding the game and it was really special to be apart of it. Elden Ring isn't my favorite FromSoft game- that's still Dark Souls 1, despite its many glaring flaws, but it is a great entry point if one decides to jump into the F.S. catalog. It's as hard or as easy as you want it to be. All that to say I 1001% would love a Jesse playthrough of it someday.

listen for theme godskin apostle You will like it!

My only problem with Lichdragon Fortisax is that he dies too quick qnd you never get to hear the full song 😭

Maybe it's about time you try Elden Ring? :)

2 COMPLETELY different songs that have NOTHING to do with eachother, besides both being kindof dead n kindof alive

For some context, the Regal Ancestor Spirit is probably the most unique boss theme FromSoft have ever made. The Regal Ancestor Spirit is basically a spectral skeletal stag that lurks in a cave full of puddles and animal spirits. The boss can be found in an ancient plain under the main world that is full of tribal warriors and sits under an ethereal sky full of stars. To give you the feel of the area, the sky is basically like a glowing amethyst inside a stone, due to it being underground. The whole place feels like a forgotten civilization that has been buried by magic. Spectral animals, spirit warriors woshipping runes and some ruins that signify temples lost to time. Fighting the Regal Ancestor Spirit, to me, felt like fighting not only just this one spirit of a deer, but essentially fighting this combination of worship and culture of these spirits. It doesn't feel that important in the actual storyline of the game, but, it's like laying a culture and worship to rest by fight. The whole area, which is called Siofra River, feels unmatched to me in how unique it is.

Yeah Fromsoft music is to die for.

Please, check Mohg Lord of Blood.

The Souls games are a bit difficult to recommend to people, even stuff like Elden Ring which is ostensibly more player-friendly in a number of ways. On the one hand, they're challenging games that can be fun to conquer if you're the kind of person who enjoys experimenting with character builds and you love the rush of overcoming a great obstacle. On the other hand, they are obtuse as hell, and much of the difficulty comes from them simply not explaining mechanics and just expecting you to figure stuff out on your own. They are also *massive* time sinks, because unless you have the skill to handle enemies with absolute perfection, you're probably gonna be spending a lot of time grinding out levels and upgrade materials so you can overcome the increasingly frustrating hurdles they throw in your way. It is most definitely not for everyone, and if you're not willing to spend the time and energy to "git gud," as the fanbase likes to say, I'd give them a skip.

"This is the calmest Fromsoft I've heard so far." Someone get this man some Firelink Shrine, with a side of Majula. Optionally some Ash Lake.

I'm sorry to disappoint, but almost all bosses in FromSoft games are treated like final bosses when it comes to their track. FromSoft does NOT cheap out on OST. If you look at how many tracks there are in the Elden Ring OST and the total runtime, it's 67 frigging songs, 3.5 hours of music.

How can you listen to the elden ring soundtrack without listening to the first Elden lords theme

These boss themes and bosses/boss fights are both so good and unique! I highly recommend you listen to Starscourge Radahn's theme if you revisit Elden Ring.