Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree's Living Jars Have Bloodborne Vibes

Summary

As is to be expected,Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtreebuilds on both the gameplay and narrative foundations laid byElden Ring’s base game, providing new plot developments and context for its complex, often opaque lore. One of the more striking aspects ofShadow of the Erdtreeis its presentation of Living Jars, which is decidedly different this time around, feeling more like something out ofBloodbornethanElden Ring.

Living Jars are an unforgettable part ofElden Ring. For one thing, they seem to be spread far and wide, residing everywhere from Liurnia of the Lakes to Volcano Manor. But more memorable than their ubiquity is their design: Living Jars are bizarrely adorable NPCs, especially the Little Jars, which are childlike in behavior and docile unless provoked. Then there’s Iron Fist Alexander, one ofElden Ring’s very few friendly faces (figuratively speaking), who hopes to be a powerful warrior—a goal that should be relatable to the player. Though digging into the lore of these Jars in the base game reveals some rather unsettling information, it’s fairly easy to breeze past these details and treat Living Jars as charming, occasionally hostile anomalies. This is not the case inShadow of the Erdtree.

Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree Tag Page Cover Art

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree Shows the Ugly Truth of Living Jars

Shadow of the Erdtree Doubles Down On Creepy Living Jar Lore

Elden Ring’s Living Jar shardsreveal that the true nature of these creatures is not as wholesome as their appearance would suggest. The descriptions of these items note that scraps of flesh cling to the inner walls of the jars, an early hint that they are more human than they seem at first glance. Speaking with Iron Fist Alexander buttresses this notion, as he states that he was “created to be a warrior vessel,” and that many great warriors reside within him. This suggests that Living Jars are not whimsical, high-fantasy inanimate objects brought to life by some nebulous magic alaBeauty and the Beast, but rather they are amalgamations of human beings, congealed together in a cramped mass.

DefeatingElden Ring’s Living Jar enemiesalso exposes their true nature: they smash open in a bloody explosion, which betrays their organic innards.

This aspect of Living Jarlore is more overt than ever inShadow of the Erdtree, which introduces new, ‘naked’ jar enemies. Resembling a molted crab, these pink, shambling, bulbous creatures writhe and screech in pain as they attack the player-character. Aside from being plainly grotesque, not allowing players to shy away from the unsettling nature of Living Jars, these creatures provide key narrative context about the Living Jars: they are not necessarily created with the consent of those who reside within them. This interpretation is further supported by the DLC’s overworld gaols, which seem to confirm that prisoners are being forced into these containers.

How Shadow of the Erdtree’s Living Jars Call Back to Bloodborne

These new Living Jar enemies are some ofElden Ring’s most grotesque, which is probably enough to remind some players ofBloodborne’s many unsettling creatures. But the parallels go a bit deeper than that. While it’s hard to say, at least at this point, exactly why these Living Jars were created against their will, it seems to be for some sort of spiritual purpose, as the Hornsent jarred these humans in an effort to make them “saints.” Notably, this ties back toElden Ring’s Crucible lore, as the Crucible was an era where all life was melded together, not unlike the amalgamated state of the Living Jars.

This twisted religiosity hearkens back toBloodborne’s blend of science and faith. Thecharacters ofBloodbornemetamorphoseboth themselves and others in an effort to transcend their humanity, and the consequences of these efforts are apparent throughout the entire game. Thus, the forced transformations of humans into Living Jars illuminates similar abominable,Frankenstein-esque practices inElden Ring’s world.