Its cool and disgusting how the bloody arms seem to be coming out of wounds inflicted by perhaps other people who have faced him and failed and those who were sacrificed to be part of his family, now trying to crawl out of their torment.
I think those wounds were actually caused by the people tearing out of the serpent, or otherwise bursting out, akin to the dangers actual snakes face when eating. The God-Devouring Serpent's plan ultimately destroys itself and won't work, and Rykard was a fool for entrusting himself to it.
geez just imagine the spectacle and horror of this boss just charging at us like that, untangled as one massive unit making a b-line for us while slithering all over the bloody arena.
If they do what they did with Sekiro and add whatever Elden Ring's equivalent of "inner" bosses is, I hope that if they do Rykard, they do it like that. Completely untangled, extremely fast movement for his size (I mean he is gigantic and the serpent hunter has immense reach when fighting him so I'd imagine it balances out).
Its weird that his arms and legs are placed in a way that makes sense WHEN coiled, but their stretched and misplaced in relation to the actual snake body. It make his silhouette in the fight readable, but then again hes too big to fit on screen anyways.
I just wonder if he bascially knew to curl himself up in a way so that he could sort of use them like a human. Seems he would be pretty useless if he fully twisted himself out
I would think that the limbs are that way because he was literally devoured by the snake; but later when Rykard took control of the body he coiled in a way that would allow him to have some sort of resemblance to his humanoid body for convenience’s sake
@@lapelcelery42 in this case only I actually enjoy that, this is a world and you eventually see some of the same dudes again. Like in real life, every new person or creature you see isn’t always going to be something new. Eventually you end up seeing it all, so when you discover more land you end up seeing some dudes from before that also got that far. Dunno, it’s kinda neat. But I can get that with a few (Godskins) it’s a little repetitive.
Rykard was like Godrick, giving up their original bodies cause they saw no hope with winning with them. But how insane must someone be to let themself be devoured, just to theoretically still exist in another creature? 🤔 People think Godrick is the craziest but Rykard easily tops him. And eating all those Tarnished accomplished nothing either. I wonder if he will still ressurrect after we defeat him or if he isn't just dead meat after all? 😏
Provided Tanith consuming all of them doesn't turn them into a new Placidusax, then in theory Rykard might eventually return. His immortality is both from the sealing of the Rune and from the Snake so maybe...
I wouldn't say that eating Tarnished did not accomplish anything. Rykard is one of the few demigods who is actively growing stronger. Furthermore, Rykard's last vision before he was devoured was sight of serpent devouring the world. Game even hints this is eventually what will happen in distant future. So, serpent just might re-emerge somehow through either Tanith or Rya, because Rya writes in her goodbye letter that she wants to continue Lady Tanith's noble work. Rya might just become second Great Serpent if she starts eating people.
@TheKing-qz9wd O~h yeah I can see that happening. But the sheer creepyness man. 😑 Turning yourself over to this monster just because some people say that whatever this serpent-thingy eats, becomes a part of it in the long run? What if it flopped then he would be dead. 😅 @matiasluukkanen7718 Yeah he became stronger but not strong enough to outgrow a single Tarnished who has also grown stronger for a few months in the LandsBetween and found a weapon that was strong against the snake. 😏 Pretty inefficient way of leveling. He should have tried a Fingermaiden approach, it that even works for non-tarnished. The snake was clearly not delievering how it was promised in the advertisement. 😆 Rya is not just a snake-humanoid though without any special powers? Funny to think how some of these theorys could easily mount in "Lord of Hollows"(Fia) and the primordeal Darksouls Serpents.
I just did some (albeit very rough) math. The fire giant is considered to be about 100 feet tall. Assuming the player is 6 feet tall, and comparing it to Rykard's head as we find it after killing him, the head is about 18 feet tall. Using Rykard's head as a unit of measurement, his body is about 34 heads long. This means that, in total, Rykard as shown in the video is 612 feet or 186m long, but keep in mind the model isn't completely straight, so I'd put it more at like 640 feet or 195m long. This is an estimate though, finding the true length of Rykard's head and also getting a model that is completely straight would provide a more accurate result. For comparison, Gransax is estimated to about 328m long from head to tail by Zullie the Witch, and the Great Serpent from Sekiro is estimated to be about 465m (but the tail isn't part of the model, so the great serpent is probably much larger) tl'dr: as shown in the video, he is 612 feet or 186m long give or take, but, if his model was perfectly straight, it would be slightly larger (I estimate about 640 feet or 195m long), assuming his head is 18 feet long and that his body as shown (ignoring all the wiggles and kinks) is 34 times the length of his head. *I replied to some people asking about his length, copying and pasting this comment, so if you find those comments, that's why this comment may be found there also
Actually I'm fairly certain the player character, not just in Elden Ring but all souls games by FROM, are under 6 feet. They do this to make the enemies more intimidating and larger. But I think it was something like 5'6 for the player characters, maybe shorter.
I've never noticed how the bodies of the devoured, including Rykard's, seem not only fused with the Serpent's own, but still somewhat distinct as well. Like most of them are still trying to tear themselves out despite alreading having become part of the whole. Both a grotesquely disturbing and beautiful boss, though Fromsoft are good at that. Really great monster design.
I always thought that the union of Rykard and the snake was similar to Merika and the Elden Ring. Since the theme of Union is so strong in the game. I did find it beyond funny that Rykard, a human, can’t properly utilize a limbless body and thus manifest them in his new form. Ironically, making him and the snake so much weaker. Imagine this thing moving like an actual freaking snake while casting Rykard Ranccor? Good god, he woulda downed the Golden Order ages ago.
I wonder if the Serpent was aware of what it would become before it devoured Rykard. When you stretch the model out like that, the spine looks to be bent and fractured all over. It can't have been pleasant for the Serpent to say the least.
Love it, would like to see tho a comparison between Rykard and the Serpent itself, before and after his transformation. If there are any differences besides the face emerging and all. Maybe in general a 2 phases comparison from bosses?
@@wigglerrave4020 Thing is Divine Dragon is fun but the gameplay is really nothing like the traditional gameplay loop of Sekiro. Rykard feels like an honest to god souls boss. The only difference is that your weapon is huge. Between the two, we can definately agree Rykard was more of a traditional fight than that of the Divine Dragon. Both are awesome fights though.
@@thesnatcher3616 I don’t think it being a “traditional” fight makes it automatically better. Divine Dragon is fought in a different way from the other Sekiro bosses and is also easier than most, but it’s still a fun and gorgeous battle. To me, it really feels like something out of a legend. Also, its easiness is a nice break from the absolute mauling the game has been giving you up to that point.
@@wigglerrave4020 I do agree. It really does depend on what you're looking for in a "gimmick" boss fight. If you like gimmick fights that are fun, visual masterpieces that has mechanics disconnected from the rest of the game, yet are still enjoyable in their own way, Divine Dragon will definately be better. On the other hand, if you just don't like gimmick bossses in general because they break up the pace of the game's mechanics that were already set in stone, yet still appreciate awesome cinematics and carthartic, screenshot worthy moments Rykard will most likely be more enjoyable.
They actually created Rykard as a gigantic snake where neither his legs nor his arms are positioned correctly on his body and coiled him up in the way we know him... They could have just made a fixed mass with no mobility with some animations but nope, they went all out with this and it turned out great... God, how I love From Software's designs.
Whether or not you meant it the way you worded it, but my guess is they coiled him up first, and then added the limbs, lol. But we'll stick with yours cause it sounds more insane
Shows how much of an abherration the World Devouring Serpent is since the protruding limbs are spread across its body in a disorderly fashion. Funny thing is that there is exactly one pair of giant arms and one pair of giant legs. Maybe these are Rykard's?
Yeah it’s likely one of those god/mortal unions. Rykard, being a human, likely produced the limbs in order to move about. I’d imagine spending hundreds if not thousands of years as a human using human muscles kinda makes utilizing a body as different and complex as a snake body quite difficult. Too bad, had he put in the time, he would have been way more dangerous then the ball of magic spewing twine he turned himself into
I would really like to know what Eiglay's deal is, and what relation it has with Erdtree. Is it a god of previous era, akin to Marika? An imperfect dragon? Did it cause Age of Plenty to end? Eiglay is depicted in certain Erdtree scenes and amulets coiling around Erdtree roots, and gladiators are wearing serpent themed armor that states that snake is viewed as "traitor to the Erdtree". Furthermore, those same gladiator armors have image of one-eyed fell god on them. So Giants and Serpent were allied, somehow? They share fire affinity at least. Hopefully DLC could answer some of these questions.
Probably because the giants and serpents were seen as enemies so they're both together just to avoid misrepresenting traitors :) The fire giants posed a threat because they could burn the erdtree, I assume the reason for getting rid of serpents was they also posed a threat
@@AutistiCat2406 Seeing as the Venomous Fang weapon and the Coiled Shield have strong poison, I'm guessing that Eiglay has a poison potent enough to physically harm the Erdtree
Some item descriptions imply that not everyone can see the Erdtree, and the capital is covered in ash even before you burn the tree. The Godskin Nobles have Serpentine tails. I think that the Gloam Eyed Queen and the Serpent used the Fell Gods Flame to burn away the Erdtree, leaving a Golden Phantom in it's place over the remaining Stump
The gladiators’ armor is meant to depict heresies against the Golden Order for the sake of the crowd. The gladiators actually serve the Golden Order, their cloaks claim that when the arenas were closed they were placed as guardians of Hero’s Graves. Their armor doesn’t imply any sort of allegiance to Eiglay or the Fell God, or any alliance between the two Outer Gods. Magma and Fell Flame are considered to possess different natures despite both being fire elemental damage types. The only clear example of another Outer God influencing the gladiators is the Rotten Duelists, the ones who likely served Miquella but we touched by Malenia’s Rot God just like the Haligtree. It is, however, implied that Eiglay and the Twinbird’s unnamed Outer God have a rivalry (the Serpent God’s undying nature conflicts with the sphere of the deathbirds), with Rykard’s Rancor being an appropriated (stolen?) death sorcery.
I think it would have been cool if he wasn't tangled in the first phase, and then he wrapped himself up once Rykard woke up because Rykard needed his limbs in the right spots to fight properly.
Would love to see Snake God/Rykard next to the Great Serpent from Sekiro for comparison. Really cool to see he still just displays 2 feet and hands, despite the multitudes of fingers and smaller hands from the many victims. Just goes to show how powerful Praetor Rykard was.
I just did some (albeit very rough) math. The fire giant is considered to be about 100 feet tall. Assuming the player is 6 feet tall, and comparing it to Rykard's head as we find it after killing him, the head is about 18 feet tall. Using Rykard's head as a unit of measurement, his body is about 34 heads long. This means that, in total, Rykard as shown in the video is 612 feet or 186m long, but keep in mind the model isn't completely straight, so I'd put it more at like 640 feet or 195m long. This is an estimate though, finding the true length of Rykard's head and also getting a model that is completely straight would provide a more accurate result. Calculation tl'dr: as shown in the video, he is 612 feet or 186m long give or take, but, if his model was perfectly straight, it would be slightly larger (I estimate about 640 feet or 195m long), assuming his head is 18 feet long and that his body as shown (ignoring all the wiggles and kinks) is 34 times the length of his head. To answer your question, the Great Serpent from Sekiro is estimated to be about 465m (but the tail isn't part of the model, so the great serpent is probably much larger), so Rykard isn't quite half the length of the great serpent's model.
I love always loved the ring of his name, Praetor Rycard, and the name of his location, Mount Gelmir. It just rolls off tongue so nicely. Prae-tor Ry-card, Mount Gel-mi-ar
Between Ranni and Rykard the Carian offspring sure love to make horrible plots at the expense of everyone and everything else to gain power. Besides the honorable warrior outlier of course!
The worst part of Rykard's body when untangled is the horrible disfigurement of his body, making his arms and legs sprouts out of seemingly random places, making me think he maybe HAD to tangle hiself to just make this new body work. The fact he's willing to go through such disfigurement just to overthrow the Order and the Erdtree is insane, and the fact that he might be able to come back after his death is even worse. It makes me wonder whether he might have a role to play in the new DLC. If he does come back, I could imagine him wrapping himself around the Erdtree and trying to crush it, maybe even succeeding, forcing the Greater Will's hand. What if it is because of Rykard that we finally see the true form of the Greater Will?
Rikard and the serpent remind me of Nidhogg in norse mythos a snake/serpent that feeds on the root of the world tree and torments lost souls. Pretty fitting if you ask me
It’s interesting to consider the dynamic between Rykard and the serpent after he was eaten. Does either one of them have mental control over the other or have their consciousnesses melded together like their bodies did?
Did they just take the base template for the divine dragon in Sekiro and just say but what if it was a big snake with a man's face under the main hand and a bunch of red dudes coming out?
I just did some (albeit very rough) math. The fire giant is considered to be about 100 feet tall. Assuming the player is 6 feet tall, and comparing it to Rykard's head as we find it after killing him, the head is about 18 feet tall. Using Rykard's head as a unit of measurement, his body is about 34 heads long. This means that, in total, Rykard as shown in the video is 612 feet or 186m long, but keep in mind the model isn't completley straight, so I'd put it more at like 640 feet or 195m long. This is an estimate though, finding the true length of Rykard's head would provide a more accurate result. tl'dr: as shown in the video, he is 612 feet or 186m long give or take, but, if his model was perfectly straight, it would be slightly larger (I estimate about 640 feet or 195m long), assuming his head is 18 feet long and that his body is 34 times the length of his head.
Imagine if he had a phase 3 and he just untangles himself to start slithering all over the place. The music gets even MORE dramatic, though I struggle to imagine how that would be possible.
Rykard's design has always made me feel sick. What a foul and disturbing creature, the idea of being permanently bonded to it should you fail to smite it terrifies me and fills me with adrenaline.
I love how he has these beautiful blue-gray scales which you'd never get to see the color of normally in his big magma arena. So intricate and gorgeous
Just shows how much FromSoftware does with so little. Because if you take away the lighting and really look at the model, its pretty low quality. But because FromSoftware can make technically low detail models look amazing, they can make their games gigantic, gorgeous and still have it run on most normal PCs...
The way rykards face just protrudes out of the snakes neck it's almost like he's a tumor, I feel like other gods could be like him if eaten, be a long messed up totem pole. Well, if the lore didn't state that he put a bunch of hexes on himself prior to being nommed.
Thanks for the nice look at this especially unique and detailed monster's in-game model, but didn't you already cover this in your previous Rykard video?
The normal snake mode is just silly. Imagine this being his normal mode. Slithering around slowly, the limbs kicking you like ludwig's legs, the sword flying around on it's own, and later on a permanent rancor of gelmir in the second phase.
This isn’t even a snake. I’m gonna tell you what it reminds me of. Please don’t judge me, I was a weirdo as a child. For the people who live in first world rich skyscrapers who’ve never seen this type of long pink worm that resides in the dirt around humidity. When I was a child I used to use a knife to cut some pieces off said worms. Or use a pin to puncture through them. Usually if you don’t completely sever the limb, it’s insides would pop out like you see the arms coming out of Rykards body. And since some of them were long enough where I could sever several pieces of them, they’d look exactly like Rykard with pieces barely hang on just like that 1:26 but pink
