Summary
Among the many bosses scattered across the Land of Shadow inElden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, the relatively early boss Rellana, Twin Moon Knight stands out as a stellar opening challenge. While theopen-world design ofElden Ringgives many options for which boss will be the first players will challenge when entering the DLC, Rellana is well worth hunting down quickly.
Found in Castle Ensis, Rellana marks the beginning of a player’s progress through the main campaign ofShadow of the Erdtree, acting as the stopgap holding players off from exploring the rest of the Land of Shadow. However, Rellana’s position in the quest towards finishing off the DLC barely scratches the surface of what she means for the overall lore ofElden Ring, and for one of the base game’s Legendary Armaments.
Rellana Melds Night and Flame Together in Spectacular Fashion
Rellana Guards Shadow of the Erdtree’s First Legacy Dungeon
Castle Ensis holds a heightened status inShadow of the Erdtree’s open worldthanks to its placement as one of two possible Legacy Dungeons that could be the first to be conquered by arriving players. So, it goes without saying that the boss at the top of his dungeon would have a lot of weight hanging on them, given that they would then be the first major challenge for players to struggle against. Even with that weight on her shoulders, Rellana, Twin Moon Knight, manages to excel in a fight that is as challenging as it is visually impressive. The quality of this fight makes for a stellar opening that sets the stage for the rest of the DLC to come.
Not to be outdone by the bosses that must be defeated to access the Land of Shadow in the first place, Rellana is an aggressive boss with a rhythm to easily outpace otherElden RingRemembrance bosses like Mohg and Radahn. Wielding a pair of swords, Rellana twirls her way around the arena, slicing away at the Tarnished as she does with a style reminiscent of theDark Souls 3boss Pontiff Sulyvahn. This comparison is made even more pressing as the fight progresses and Rellana starts to empower her attacks with magic and fire that can reach from one end of the arena to the other. There’s no need for a shadowy clone when the boss is already aggressive enough to feel like fighting two enemies at once.
The Unique Combination of Rellana’s Magic is Only Seen in One Other Location
The specific combination of magic that Rellana uses tells a story in itself, as there’s only one other place where intelligence-based lunar magic is seen alongside faith-based flame. This clashing of elements only ever appears inElden Ring’s Legendary Armament, the Sword of Night and Flame, which had previously been one of the strongest weapons in the base game, and holds some of the strictest requirements. While Rellana doesn’t hold both magic and fire in the same weapon, she herself embodies both damage types, and is more than willing to unleash both against the player during their fight.
As a way of opening the player up to a whole new location, Rellana also opens up a wholenew angle onElden Ring’s loreby being the only active character to use both damage types at once. Given that players can also be rewarded her same weapons in exchange for Rellana’s Remembrance, this also gives her one of the most unique rewards available throughoutShadow of the Erdtreeor the base game. The depths of Rellana’s lore significance even continues to go much further than her use of fire and magic, as she is also confirmed to be the younger sister of Rennala, as her name already implied.
Elden Ring
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ELDEN RING, developed by FromSoftware, Inc. and BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Inc., is a fantasy action-RPG adventure set within a world created by Hidetaka Miyazaki and George R.R. Martin. Danger and discovery lurk around every corner in FromSoftware’s largest game to date. Hidetaka Miyazaki - President and Game Director of FromSoftware Inc. Known for directing critically-acclaimed games in beloved franchises including Armored Core and Dark Souls.George R.R. Martin is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of many novels, including the acclaimed series A Song of Ice and Fire - A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords, A Feast For Crows, and A Dance with Dragons. As a writer-producer, he has worked on The Twilight Zone, Beauty and the Beast, and various feature films and pilots that were never made. He lives with the lovely Parris in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
