An Elden Ring dataminer has found 128 unused icons with detailed artwork hidden in the game files.
Twitter user JesterPatches posted images (below) of the icons which depict the various wildlife and enemies found in Elden Ring.
Each NPC has two icons, one blurred out and one filled in, and JesterPatches believes this indicates that developer FromSoftware once planned to include an in-game bestiary.
Looking through the game files I came across a few icons making me believe that a bestiary was planned at some point.
There are 128 icons showing different NPCs. Each NPC shown has 2 icons, one greyed out and another one filled in, so it could be not found and found. pic.twitter.com/9b0Tj6ckm3
— JesterPatches (@JesterPatches) March 27, 2022
If this was the case, players would perhaps have been able to tick off which enemies they had encountered, or maybe even where to find them in the map (like Elden Ring's version of a Pokédex). There's nothing to confirm this was the case, however, as the bestiary idea is just pure fan speculation.
FromSoftware games are known for their deep-rooted layers of secrets, with fans pouring over games like Dark Souls and Bloodborne for years after release.
Elden Ring will likely be the same, as despite being released over a month ago to incredible success in the U.S. and Europe, fans are still finding some pretty bizarre secrets including a pair of fancy underwear and a hidden wall that only opens after 50 hits.
Honorable mentions for "Crab" and "Rennala's Student". pic.twitter.com/O4HmE4bfBQ
— JesterPatches (@JesterPatches) March 27, 2022
Speedrunners have also recently discovered a new glitch dubbed "the Zip", which essentially allows players to teleport through parts of the map. Elden Ring has been completed in under 25 minutes thanks to it, despite the community claiming that speedruns were dead following a patch that nerfed key items.
In our 10/10 review we said "Elden Ring is a massive iteration on what FromSoftware began with the Souls series, bringing its relentlessly challenging combat to an incredible open world that gives us the freedom to choose our own path."
To make those choices with the best available information, check out our full guide that features everything you could ever hope to know about Elden Ring, including collectible locations, boss strategies, and more.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.
Source: IGN.com Elden Ring Fan Discovers 128 Mysterious Unused Icons in Game Files