Though much of the fun players have in Elden Ring involves struggling to avoid death, sometimes dying can lead to the game's best animations. FromSoftware's RPG masterpiece features some of the best boss fights in video game history, with fearsome opponents Malenia and Radahn standing out as fan favorites. It only makes sense that FromSoftware would also make sure that players die in a fashion as epic as the demigods they fight on their way to becoming Elden Lord.
However, the demigod bosses are not the only threats the Tarnished faces in the harsh world of the Lands Between. Save for a few of Elden Ring's friend NPCs and friendly faces (Miriel the turtle pope, most especially), everything between crabs, falcons, the Misbegotten, and even Madness will kill players once given the chance. Many of these, too, come with their own death animations that the Tarnished will have to become used to as they perish endlessly in their quests through Elden Ring.
But some of these animations are more worth ing than others. Other than the special animations that crop up while fighting the demigods in boss battles, the death animations that come with status ailments are particularly cool - and frightening. Following is a ranking of the four best death animations to look out for while playing Elden Ring.
It's Worth Losing To These Elden Ring Demigods To See How They Kill The Tarnished
When Godfrey turns into Hoarah Loux in Elden Ring, the game isn't kidding about how much of a warrior he is. YouTuber Indyrael captured the moment when Hoarah Loux literally rips the Tarnished into pieces. The best part about this death animation is that the player is already turning into dust by the time Hoarah Loux is tearing them part, as if to say they are already dead.
Rykard delivers an even more brutal death in Elden Ring. As shown in YouTuber cad5150's Lord Rykard's snake body in Elden Ring is likely only the beginning to an awful demise.
Accept These Status Ailments For The Best Death Animations In Elden Ring
Certain status ailments result in even better death animations than the ones that demigods can deliver. Madness is one such status ailment. When someone dies of Madness, they are driven - well, mad, as their eyes explode in the yellow Flames of Frenzy. What's more, YouTuber king bore haha found out that there is a special animation for Madness if the player dies from it while riding on horseback.
But the top death, beating even Madness (as well as its own special horseback animation), is Death Blight, which fittingly is above even Malenia's Elden Ring execution death animation. Also shown in the video above, Death Blight causes the player to briefly stumble before large thorns begin to stick out of their body; then, all of a sudden, a pike thrusts out of the ground and stabs the player, hoisting their corpse into the air. There is nothing else quite as metal as this in Elden Ring, which is why it has to be the best player death in the game.
Of course, there are plenty of other great death animations players can experience in the Lands Between. Malenia can throw players into the air and impale them, Radahn can kill them while imitating a meteor, and pretty much all grab attacks serve as quasi-unique death animations. But with so many ways to die in Elden Ring, it may be hard for players to truly pick a favorite.
Source: king bore haha / YouTube, cad5150 / YouTube, Indyrael / YouTube
