In Elden Ring, coming across friendly characters can be even more exciting than finding new enemies. The Lands Between is overflowing with people and creatures who will attack the Tarnished on sight. But one NPC who is willing to share a conversation rather than hop straight into battle provides a welcome respite from the unending hordes out to kill the player's Tarnished.
Part of the reason Elden Ring works so well is that its map's environments are inhabited with enemies who are willing to engage the Tarnished at all times. This makes exploring Elden Ring's Lands Between feel lively and full even if it is cursed with immortality and ravaged by war. Players can find sanctuary in Sites of Grace, which enables them to save their progress and level up, but these locations are scattered and infrequent.
Although the number of enemies present in the Lands Between should ensure players don't get bored easily, the sheer amount of aggressive NPCs sometimes has the opposite effect of making Elden Ring feel empty. Even if the environments and character models show a great diversity between the regions of the Lands Between, the animosity the Tarnished faces anywhere they go homogenizes the atmosphere of Elden Ring's environments and can make them disorienting to navigate. That's where friendly - or at least not immediately threatening - NPCs come in to make the Lands Between a significantly more interesting place, showing that its inhabitants do not all belong to Elden Ring's anti-Tarnished ideology but instead host a diverse array of beliefs and interests.
Blaidd And Miriel Are The Best Characters In Elden Ring
One of the best examples of a friendly NPC is Elden Ring is Blaidd. Found in the ruins of Mistwood, Blaidd is a towering half-wolf half-man figure who jumps down from a crumbled tower to introduce himself. Despite his demonic appearance, he is surprisingly pleasant to the Tarnished, offering the opportunity to a quest for a reward. Even if the Tarnished attacks him, he seems more taken aback than angry: He states, "Oh? Fine. Time to douse your little flame," which is a polite way to state he is going to destroy his attacker. Even if Blaidd is destined to a sad fate as an NPC in Elden Ring, he is at the very least an honorable and kind creature throughout his interactions with the Tarnished.
But perhaps the best example of a friendly NPC in Elden Ring is Miriel, Pastor of Vows. Miriel is a humongous tortoise (or dog) who will teach players all forms of magic. Upon meeting him, he apologizes for both the messiness of the Church of Vows and that he cannot give the Tarnished a tour because his legs are not what they used to be. On top of all this, he believes in the message of the Church of Vows in that the studies of incantations and sorceries can be enjoyed in unison. As Elden Ring's venerable turtle pope, Miriel finds harmony between two disparate forces in a world defined by tension, violence, and chaos. In short, there is perhaps nothing more beautiful and worth appreciating than his friendly guidance in Elden Ring.
