Elden Ring
For one of my favorite bosses from Elden Ring, something completely different was probably originally planned
In the course of the development of a game, different elements are often tweaked.
For me, Mohg, the Prince of Blood was not only one of the coolest boss fights in the game, but also an absolute highlight of the story. Elden Ring is not short of good contenders for the post of sinister Sesselen – but Mohg in his underground palace is definitely high on the list. However, dataminer Zullie the Witch has found indications that the villain should not have existed in the first place. The character model was probably originally only intended for dungeon bosses – and the lore about Miquella’s kidnapping would probably not have existed either.
From the inconspicuous mini boss to the highlight?
It’s all about this: In addition to the big one-time boss fights in Elden Ring, there are all the mini bosses that we encounter more often – especially in the numerous caves – and that tend to be tougher opponents than spectacular highlights. However, Mohg belongs to the first – more exciting – category, even if fighting him is optional.
However, I would definitely recommend you to face him, because the encounter is just brilliantly staged. The cuckolded villain has kidnapped Malenia’s twin brother, Miquella, and placed him in a cocoon to start a new dynasty with him. The fight against the dark mark is demanding and, above all, the transition to the second phase, in which Mohg roars nasty incantations, must first be mastered.
Mohg is a particularly sinister fellow.
Notes on mini bosses: However, Zullie the Witch has collected evidence in a video that this confrontation was probably not initially planned for the game. Mohg’s character model, titled “GreaterDemon” in the game data, can be found in the loading lists for many different maps. These determine which enemies can be summoned in which area. The GreaterDemon is assigned to Dungeons but also to Raya Lucaria’s Academy. This is a hint that he should have appeared as a mini-boss in those locations.
Miquella’s Story Changes: Zullie also points out lines of text Miquella deleted during the boss fight against Malenia. Originally, the twin brother should have helped with the resurrection of the final boss before the second phase. The network test credits even list Naomi McDonald as the voice actor for Miquella, although in the finished game he just lies lifeless and still in a cocoon. This makes it likely that the whole plot about Miquella’s kidnapping and the cool boss fight staging was added later and the lines of text in the boss fight were then deleted as a result.
Here you can watch the whole video, which also addresses why an image of Mohg as an opponent still exists elsewhere in the finished game:
Link to YouTube content
Of course, the theory about changing Mohg’s role is just a theory, but I think it makes sense – And I don’t know about you, but for me, what’s happening around Mohg, Malenia and Miquella is so exciting that it’s even my big DLC hope. The character would have been really wasted as a nondescript miniboss in my opinion.
What do you think: Do you think the theory about the plot change is plausible and are you happy that Mohg got a new and much more important role?
