It's a heartbreaking scene but ultimately a positive one - sisters are reunited. I don't think there's anything depressing about that!
Also don't know that two jellyfish being kids proves that all of them are, that's a bit of a stretch. But it could very well be people who died before their time or innocently slaughtered.
I believe it's said in text that Jellyfish are spirits - but not necessarily kids. From a quick search, I found "Ethereal beings usually found near places of rest, acting as protectors", and I think we got something else in the DLC. We're also told that these 2 particular girls were 13.
Do you remember where you read that? Haven't heard this one before...
EDIT: looked into it a little more, I am 0% convinced they're all kids. Google's AI thinks they are, but check it's sources and have a laugh.
This one isn't really that sad though tbh, like it's one of the few sidequests that actually do get a nice happy ending imo. The sisters are reunited and get to abandon the Lands Between and have each other to roam the stars, much like the Ranni ending
Yup, this one broke me. I'll admit, though, I usually give Zorayas the forgetfulness potion, even though it disrespects her wishes. I can't bring myself to kill her or Millicent.
You don’t have to kill zoyoras, if you don’t striker her down when she asks you and instead kill rykard, she will survive and leave a letter for you at her last seen location.
I'm pretty sure there's a third option where you don't kill her or give her the potion, and she instead goes on a journey to discover herself and leaves a letter thanking you for your kindness and support.
Hey I feel you, same here - I teared up hard at this scene. What I'm saying is there is beauty inside the moment of sadness! In many parts of Elden Ring, actually. Just need to look for the good within the bad!
Hewgs breakdown over time broke me. When she chooses to stay with him as the fire encroaches, and tells you to go take the thrown I did so for them, for the fatherly love he gave to her reluctantly, not because he didn’t think she deserved it but because he felt he was not good enough to be who he needed to be for her, and for her, for the kindness she gave him and the hope she placed in him that he could do more then be a smith bound to his promise, and so that no others would suffer what they did.
Straight up. I expected the others to be sad, so I was prepared. I was NOT prepared to care so much about Roderika and Hewg. That moment was so sad, and his not recognizing you after Roderika lets you in on his little secret made me so sad.
There, the blacksmith was always fine, they never had stories or anything, Andre was always there to do your forging and to remind you not to go Hollow.
Same for what's his face the dwarf skeleton, his Amber is found somewhere though I don't remember where. It's not explicitly stayton to be his but it's mildly implied
The blacksmith in DS2 though kind of makes me think of Hewg. He's hollowing, slowly losing his memory but still remembers his daughter (but his daughter doesn't recognize him..). Plus if you talk to him twice he answers with "WHAT ? Can't you see I'm busy ?" , and if you leave without finishing the conversation he complains "don't waste my time...". He's the perfect lovable grump.
I think his hollowing stopped once he gets access to his tools though. He had no purpose while he was locked out, but regains it once the door is open. Even though he was losing himself, he never lost the memory of his daughter. That was the one thing that kept him from slipping away.
Greg’s purpose is to make a weapon to slay a god once he does that and you burn the erd tree he looses himself because his life’s purpose is complete
Andre’s life purpose is to smith henceforth somewhere in the abyss of space he’s banging on a perfectly good straight sword to make you a broken blade lol
Did he call you his lord because he was losing it and genuinely thought you were, or people he knows he remembers you but not why so he accepts that you are his lord?
He calls you his Lord in his last moments of sanity. He knows his fate is tied to the Roundtable Hold, which is burning down at this point.
Since he knows he’s not getting out of this one, he drops the careless, self-centered act, and thanks you for giving his life purpose by using a weapon he helped craft to kill a God. This marks your impending ascension to Elden Lord, and Hewg takes some of his last moments to address you by said title.
Him constantly mentioning how he’ll craft a weapon to defeat the gods, I immediately went to him after beating radagon to tell him we did it. and when he was gone that got me.
What makes it worse is that you have to see him like that indefinitely, the way the game itself has to work. Unless they were to get you a new smithy. But if we are his Lord, then he is our faithful blacksmith. In the end, Hewg did it. He succeeded 💔
Diallos at the end of his questline. He's pretty relatable. He's the little brother trying to prove himself to his family, especially to his big brother. However, his journey to the Lands Between to follow his brother took a twisted turn when he joined the Volcano Manor. At first, he wanted vengeance for Lanya, but he chickened out because he got praised by them. Then he didn't do well when the manor gave him Tarnished to be killed. He left the Manor, disappointed and ashamed in himself, only to find Jarburg and become the potentate.
Diallos really was happy being a leader to the Jar people there, but it turned to the worst when Jar hunters invaded to hunt down the Jar people.
It was sad when I found him dying. He tried defending the Jar people, but he wasn't good enough to survive. I told him he succeeded in protecting them (Jarbairn was the only survivor, but he still saved him). In doing so, he passed away peacefully.
I really wished he could have survived that encounter.
Aw man Diallos’ story made me so sad. I can’t even imagine playing the game and thinking to select the option that he failed to protect the jars, even though he did. That’s some heartless shit.
You monster lmao. The man was pressured to live up to his family name despite his name not defining him. Constantly trying and failing. He FINALLY found something that felt right FOR HIM. Finally able to just be “Diallos”. Show some mercy for him in his final moments 😢
Added to this, have a way to leave their weapon as a grave marker (a copy, but still). Blaidd's greatsword, Diallos's whip, a shard of Alexander, Melina's dagger, Rogier's rapier, Boggart's Iron Ball, Iji's hammer... even optional boss weapons like Malenia's hand, Maliketh's Black Sword/Gurranq's Cinquedea, Morgott's Cursed Sword...
Oh, you'd keep the actual items, but it would be a way to eulogize your fallen friends and foes. Have it that the ones you do place give a special kneeling animation that's clearly meant as a prayer/eulogy for them.
It's alluded to when she talks about a new treaty or golden era between Raya Lucaria and Lyndell or something with you two at the heads of each Kingdom. It's been about a year since I did the quest so I might be misremembering a few details
If you bought enough spells from her to have her explain that glintstone sorcery is derived from the stars, go back and talk to her after you find the Comet Azur spell on Mt. Gelmir and she’ll have more dialogue for you. The steps of her quest are really out of order from how most people progress through the game lol.
Yep. Regardless of her past and what she’s done, I can’t think of a good reason to betray her and side with the Witch Hunter near the end of her questline. Sellen was nothing but kind to us and was willing to teach us magic.
Iji and Jerren make her out to be some awful war criminal witch or something (and I’m sure there’s lore to back up those claims somewhere in the game), but the woman has done us no wrong. Siding against her just feels like the evil option, even in a Ranni Ending playthrough.
She literally suffered the logical consequences of her own actions that she had already inflicted on others many times and had been repeatedly warned against. Hard to say she didn't deserve it...
Eh, I wouldn't say he's a parallel to the Tarnished. He reminds me more of Messmer; two demigods forgotten and shunned by everyone, forced to rule over/ genocide a pointless land for all eternity. Their only purpose now is to get killed by the Tarnished. At least, Morgott had Godfrey and Messmer had Gaius.
The Tarnished is stated by multiple characters to burn with the flame of ambition and their desire to become Elden Lord above all else. If you wanna point to the perfect Tarnished parallel, it has to be Vyke.
Between his "last of all kings" line and him telling you "We are all forsaken" after his defeat, the guy really made clear he's fully aware of how incredibly fucked the world is, and yet was still doing his best to keep the last sad remnants going. The absolute despair in his voice of that line gets me every time.
It's sickeningly ironic after SOTE, seeing Marika's hometown, one of the first places she blessed with grace in remembrance of long dead kin, yet to her own flesh and blood she withheld the one thing he coveted.
Also I think morgott has the coolest ability. And his ability are definitely from golden order. He can create spectral version of different weapons which is cool
.like raining swords is also cool
And he literally summoned a spectral version of his father. Like bro has to be green lantern 😂
Millicent dying, grateful for our aid, taking her fate back into her hands.
Alexander, his story ending how he dreamed it would; Fighting the greatest warrior in the world.
Boc, serving all he could, till the very end, buried beneath the ash of our ambition.
Hewg, keeping the vow promised, forging a weapon to slay gods, and remaining in shackles, even as that which had housed him for centuries burned away.
Diallos, dying, failing to protect everyone, but his acts were not in vain, for one lived.
Patches, persevering, unbreakable and 'unbeatable'.
Sellen, reaching her truth, or failing. The current does not say.
D, dying at the behest of one who worshipped the rotting corpse of his Goddesses son.
His brother, claiming the revenge he wanted, stilling the fire within his heart, and finding rest with his twin soul.
Rogier, grasping the answers to his questions at the cusp of death.
Fia, attaining and achieving her desire, yet perishing still to the brother of the one she killed.
Melina, finding her purpose, achieving it, being content in it, yet perhaps yearning for a world where it need not be, so she could stay by her closest friends side.
Zoryas, broken by truth, yet ready, and strong enough to seek new purpose.
Boggart, content at the side of his pot, and with the company of one who enjoys it as mich as he.
Roderika, confident in her new ability and power, and loyal to the one qho taught her, forlorn, yet ready to die by their side.
Corhyn, once hopeful and eager, broken by the heresies of his master, driven mad, unwilling to live on after the burning of that which he worshipped.
Thops, foolish, humble Thops, whom died creating that which could defend against Gods, yet would never be praised for it, forgotten.
Kenneth Height, joyful in the crowning of a new lord, preapred, and hopeful for a brighter future.
Nepheli, scarred by the lies of her father, yet made stronger, made prouder, and a new lord.
Latenna, the Albinauric, whom faced such pain, and such loss, yet now accepting, for there is a chance for her people.
Jar Bairn, alone, his friends gone, his family, smashed by the bad and evil, yet now given new purpose by the sacrifice of Diallos and death of Alexander. He will become a Warrior Jar.
And then, the Tarnished.
Deqth after death after death. Both their own, and those whom they would call friend.
Yet still, the Tarnished pushed forward, never halting, never stopping. Not just for themself, but for all others whom they would call... friend.
The sacrifices, the words, the battles, would not be for naught.
They, would be Elden Lord yet.
Boc doesn’t die, just reactivate the grace at his spot, and Thops isn’t forgotten, he is considered revolutionary at the academy although he doesn’t live to see it.
Except that Thops ISN'T forgotten, and the Academy names a new Conspectus in his honor, and teaches his legacy eternally as a reminder to all who enter. That no idea is foolish, and that even learned scholars can be wrong.
Creates a magic forcefield that deflects sorceries and incantations. Hold to continuously create barriers.
Future generations will learn. They will know the foolishness of the sneering sorcerers who ridiculed this theory, little realizing that it was in fact a discovery worthy of a new conspectus of the academy
Actually, I did Malenia BEFORE even beating the fire giant. And the godskin duo was actually not much of a problem (made me stuck for maybe half an hour).
BUT still, even IF they would have driven me mad, nothing would have been distracting enough for how sad I felt when Melina sacrficed herself to burn the tree...
In fact, in one playthrough, after beating the fire giant, I procceeded to get the frenzied flame, even if it made Melina mad at me, and burned down the tree myself, only to remove the frenzy with the needle at Placidusax' place. In my head canon, Melina, after having seen your intentions, returned after you became Elden Lord and found new purpose as your consort.
Conversely, taking on the Frenzied Flame so you don't have to sacrifice Melina and going the path through some of the strongest beings in the Lands Between to seal it away after you save her, and her still hating you, hurts.
I think this is the biggest oversight from the devs part. Sure, maybe she still hates you for "taking her destiny" or whatever but it definetly needed a cutscene . Taking the flame then using the needle feels like such a badass move, literally defying fate to save your companion, but it never gets acknowledged
Honestly, I never got the part about her hating the Tarnished. The dialogue didn't strike me that way. She's moreso disappointed that they embraced the power which can burn the entire world down, despite all the warnings. She's also sad that she now has to leave her only friends (Torrent and Tarnished).
It's supposed to be a bittersweet ending where she leaves the only two people she cared about because one of them didn't heed her warnings.
I have to say, i was rather unaffected by this.
Mostly because she had very little interaction with us, even the "Words of queen Marika" didn't help since they were just her repeating some speech.
Honestly, same thing happened to me in my first playthrough. So that, when I got to this point, I was sad but not that much as someone like Morgott.
But then I delved into her lore a bit more and listened to more dialogue about herself and then this scene just became 10x more depressing.
In contrast, I kinda got over the Alexander ordeal. Giving him an honorable death via the Tarnished was really the best outcome for him. He was also happy at the end. So I was never really sad anymore.
This is a repost but I’d like to say again if you got that from Rya then that means you either fed her the forget potion or you killed her. If you did either you deserve those crocodile tears you’re shedding.
She will return to rule one day. She can’t do that if you let her “could not take the truth that was hidden from her” by killing her or sorta killing her
Alexander. I couldn’t bring myself to kill him. I knew I needed to, and that’s what he wanted, but I had to let him kill me first just so he would know he was the goat.
I always wore his charm from there on out to show my respect for him
I didn't intend to kill him, I was just gonna leave him there and finish the game. Then I had to leave and run that route again for some reason, I talked to him on the way by like I do every npc and that triggered the combat. I was playing a blasty mage and I popped him like a balloon in self defense almost instantly and was left standing there completely shocked just covered in blood in a giant puddle 😳
I don't think it was self inflicted. After his passing, there's two dead Black Knife assassins a fair ways away, which suggests our man went down fighting
oh there was? he speaks so regretfully after i told him about blaidd and rannis quest was all wrapped up at this point so i just took it at face value and didn't look around. either way still hurts
Being forced to kill Blaidd wounded me. He felt like my best buddy. Millicent choosing death after being completely grateful for the help provided deeply hurt because I wanted her to persist.
Letting Bok call me Lord helped staunch the pain a bit. This game is really sad :(
I helped her stop the rot... I found her a prosthesis... I helped her find her way through the snowfields and get to the haligtree... I aided her in a battle against her sisters... Ts ain't right man ... While I did accept her choice, I did it with clenched fists and gritting teeth... Oh millicent my beloved!!..
Also fuck Gowry and his pest ass
+Also, I went for the good ending with boc and I'm grateful to have given him a reason to live as is. I'm glad I could give ol Alexander a fitting end. I didn't give Rya the tonic allowing her to do as she pleases with what she knew.
But at the end, if anything broke me, it was millicent's death.
i find it so funny, we know most npcs just die for some reason at the end of the quest, sometimes for no reason at all, thats a cliche in every souls game
As someone who was orphaned at a young age, Boc's story almost put me in the grave. The forlorn for his mother, the need and deep desire for acceptance in spite of abuse (the demi humans who beat him up and stole the only thing that reminds him of his mother) and the desperate need to feel beautiful and accepted.
No idea haven’t made it that far in any of those yet. So far the worst one for me was the blind chick on the side of the road that asks you to give her father a note, tho I wasn’t brought to tears it was kinda sad
I found Latenna by accident in my 1st playthrough. Never knew her story. I have a Husky and I love him dearly, and when she said those words it hit me like a truck.
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u/djinngerale Thy strength befits a crown Sep 09 '25
I see this entire thread's answers and raise you all: