One Shadow Of The Erdtree Boss Is The Source Of Elden Ring’s Creepiest Enemies

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Part of what makes Soulsborne games special is their creative yet creepy enemy designs, and is no exception. These strange, grotesque and unique monsters are a staple, and seem to come from the mind of the legendary video game director and FromSoftware's president, Hidetaka Miyazaki, but these monsters aren't just weird for the sake of it. There is always a lore reason for these designs, even if it takes some time (and one of gaming's biggest ever expansions) to actually explain it.

[Warning: Spoilers for Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree.]

Whether it be grand, ancient dragons like Bayle The Dread or alien creatures from the stars like Metyr, Mother of Fingers, goes out of its way to explain parts of the base game's lore using some of its bosses. Sometimes, these bosses explain how a cult came into being or a fundamental element of something players thought they already knew well, like the Two Fingers and how they communicate with the Greater Will. Romina explains both, and why one of the game's creepiest enemies roams the Lands Between.

Romina is another one of 's many tragic characters, having suffered at the hands of Messmer the Impaler and his crusade through the Land of Shadow. She was always a saint in a church in Rauh, but after Messmer and his forces reached her,they burned her church to the ground, leaving her as the sole survivor. The symbol of the church is a bud, so the name Church of the Bud is likely something that survived Messmer, as did the bud itself, since it later became Romina's weapon.

After defeating Romina, players can trade the Remembrance of the Saint of the Bud to acquire the Poleblade of the Bud. This gives the player one of Romina's attacks through its Ash of War, Romina's Purification.

After the desolation of Messmer's crusade and the near destruction of her church, Romina discovered a twisted Divine Element which she weaved into Scarlet Rot. The assumption is that this is what turned her into the grotesque, centipede-like monster