With Elden Ring's enormous Shadow of the Erdtree expansion currently enthralling millions (probably), there's a lot of interest in FromSoftware's esoteric fantasy world. An entire cottage industry exists that examines its games in minute detail, teasing out lore tidbits and giving players a glimpse at things the developer never intended them to see. Warning: minor Shadow of the Erdtree spoilers to follow!

A driving force in this community, dataminer Zullie the Witch, has plumbed the depths of the Shadow Lands, peeling off armour sets and rotting rags to reveal what a cool 25 NPCs really look like underneath. Being FromSoftware, though there is no in-game way to see these characters in this state, each gets a unique face model, replete with potentially story-telling scars, marks, or absences. Case in point, the Hornsent, despite what you might have been led to believe, is entirely hornless underneath.

Are you surprised by how normal the majority of Shadow of the Erdtree's supporting cast is underneath? In the comments section below, cling to the last of your humanity, Tarnished.

[source youtube.com]