Elden Ring Dataminer Finds Alternate Underground Maps

gamerant.com:

A dataminer has found some cut underground content hidden in Elden Ring. From players discovering new caves, illusory walls, and secret bosses, FromSoftware’s masterpiece is packed with things to find. Some secrets can’t be found by playing the game itself. Elden Ring has some hidden cut content buried deep within its files, which one YouTuber has been digging into.

YouTuber Sekiro Dubi, who previously discovered an alternate opening within Elden Ring’s files, recently found some unused maps and assets forthe game. Dubi has uncovered a lot of hidden assets that have been stashed away in the game’s files. Some examples of the cut content they've found include questlines, massive objects like big heads, cutscenes, and an entire game mechanic called the Cataclysm System.

In a video posted to YouTube, Sekiro Dubi goes through some unused maps that go from Deeproot Depths to Consecrated Snowfield. The maps run through a large, light-blue textured terrain leading to an elevator with the player moving into the snowfield area. At the end of the path, there’s a cut NPC named Rhico. Rhico would have mentioned to the player that a passage had been opened as a result of the player’s actions. As these areas are unfinished, there is no proper lighting or enemies to be found.

Discovered by the same YouTuber, Elden Ring was meant to have a “Cataclysm” system. Sekiro Dubi has a separate video going over the cut system in more detail. This system would have areas open up or close due to the player’s actions in the game. Some areas would burst with snow, or have a meteor hit and open up an underground path in Elden Ring’smassive map. For instance, after defeating Radahn, the meteor that hits Limgrave was once part of this massive system. Each dungeon has its own overworld map that has a pre-cataclysm, and post-cataclysm version of itself. One example is some flying rocks and a crater for Limgrave and Mistwood in a post-cataclysm state.

Elden Ring is bound to have many more secrets