MMOexp: He appears to be friendly enough initially

[AventurineLe]

The early Elden Ring players were shocked by an NPC during the closed network test labeled their character as a "bit player" who ought to "die in a pit somewhere." His open and unrelenting hostility was interpreted by some as an example of the Souls-like genre's brutality, but I'm here to Elden Ring Runes tell you that whether it's better or worse the notorious character's rough edges were smoothed out a bit in the final version, which will be released on February 25.

If you don't take the straight path at the beginning of Elden Ring's wide world, the very the first character you'll encounter is a guy known as Varre. He appears to be friendly enough initially, sporting an attractive, white mask and standing in front of an many checkpoints. However, in the preview that Bandai Namco hosted last year, Varre was barely able to conceal his disgust. Every word, even ones intended to teach or elaborate on the lore of the game's world were smeared with disdain.

The predecessors of Elden Ring were definitely home to an antagonistic NPC one or the other, this was a different experience. The first NPC to talk to you during your journey across The Lands Between basically telling you to get off the hook set the tone for the whole adventure. It almost seemed like the creators were completely open about the type of game they'd designed and urging you to ignore his advice and carry on. Souls fans who, above all else, want FromSoftware's punishment on an almost sexual level loved Varre's neoliberal approach.

Varre in the real game is much more laid-back than he was in the closed-network test. Varre isn't the most pleasant player around, not in the least however, Varre's explanations during the last version are more smug than threatening. Varre is as a slack-jawed tyrant in desperate need of instructions, in an accent that says, "Oh, you poor child, you're going to die in the world, but it won't be my responsibility." For those who don't know, I'm going to say that it's more annoying than when he's just giving you a scolding even though it feels like an overall more relaxed and laid-back approach.

However I'm not sure Varre isn't a shady plan in the works. Perhaps it's because of the suspicions instilled in me by the previous games from FromSoftware, but this doesn't mean that I'm not going to be watching my back throughout the Elden Ring playthrough. Whatever is behind the disguise, Varre still seems way too attached to my character's death to let my guard down as far as the matter of safety is concerned. However, at least I'm not being called as buy Elden Ring Runes a "maidenless runt" any longer.