Elden Ring archeologists are still finding unused content hidden in the action RPG's files, seemingly revealing that one popular NPC was almost given a completely different voice
Jun. 3, 2024Elden Ring is still housing a few mysteries
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Over two years on, and before the release of its DLC expansion, it seems thatElden Ringis still housing a few secrets and mysteries, as one fan has uncovered a set of unused voice lines which were apparently hiding in the action RPG’s files on PC up until version 1.06.
Well, ‘unused’ might not be quite the right word, as the dialogue itself can still be found in the game now, just not with this voice. As highlighted by Twitter user @MagicalShion, the lines in question belong to the NPC Nepheli Loux, who has a full questline and can be summoned for some extra help during the boss fight with Godrick the Grafted. In the final version of the game, she’s voiced by Cara Theobold, but in these datamined audio files, she sounds very different – almost as if she’s voiced by Roderika’s actor, Helen Monks, although this isn’t actually confirmed.
It’s not clear why these fully recorded lines were included in the game’s files for so long, but it’s beenclaimedby Elden Ring dataminer and cut content restorer Sekiro Dubi that in the Elden Ring network test credits, Nepheli Loux didn’t have a confirmed voice actor. Instead, the credits simply state (translated to English), “to be decided.” So, perhaps this was just due to her actual voice actor only getting decided upon relatively last minute.
According to @MagicalShion,there’s no music hiddenin the so-called archive “that’s not in the 1.00 build, that includes: Mountaintops with extra recording noise, unfinished versions of Altus, and Mountaintops battle layer, and seven seconds of DkS3 Ancient Wyvern BGM split into two layers, for testing [of course]. It has more BGM missing than 1.00, nothing else.” So, we’re apparently not missing out on any cool remixes that didn’t make the final cut.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen unused audio clips and content surface from Elden Ring. In March, Sekiro Dubi showcased analternate version of the game’s openingthat would have apparently seen the Tarnished warrior’s adventure kick off on a beach, rather than the Stranded Graveyard you plunge into after that very first fight with Grafted Scion. In some ways, the beach version would have made more sense, but at least the graveyard location leads to that jaw-dropping moment when you open the door and see the sheer scale of Limgrave in front of you.
If you’re on the lookout for more challenges, be sure to check out our list of10 games like Dark Souls to test your survivability.
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I’m one of GamesRadar+’s news writers, who works alongside the rest of the news team to deliver cool gaming stories that we love. After spending more hours than I can count filling The University of Sheffield’s student newspaper with Pokemon and indie game content, and picking up a degree in Journalism Studies, I started my career at GAMINGbible where I worked as a journalist for over a year and a half. I then became TechRadar Gaming’s news writer, where I sourced stories and wrote about all sorts of intriguing topics. In my spare time, you’re sure to find me on my Nintendo Switch or PS5 playing through story-driven RPGs like Xenoblade Chronicles and Persona 5 Royal, nuzlocking old Pokemon games, or going for a Victory Royale in Fortnite.
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