Elden Ring dataminer restores scrapped starting point using hidden content

Eleni Thomas
Elden Ring cinematic header

An Elden Ring dataminer has managed to restore the original starting section for the game using hidden files.

Elden Ring still remains one of the biggest games in recent years. The massive RPG was first released in February 2022, dominating the gaming space for the year and even being awarded with the Game of the Year for its efforts.

Despite being over two years old now, Elden Ring is still as popular as ever. With players returning to the game in droves in the lead-up to the game’s expansion. The Shadow of the Erdtree DLC is set to release on June 1, 2024, adding new environments, bosses, enemies, weapons, and characters.

While many may be looking to the future of Elden Ring, one player has chosen to go back to when it all began. YouTuber Sekiro Dubi published a video of a completely different starting area for the game, one that they found while looking through the files of the game and pieced back together in full.

Dubi explains in the caption of the video how they were able to “restore the original Elden Ring starting point, along with the original location of Melina’s starting cutscene. The voice lines are also unused, giving us two different cutscenes.”

Not only is this hidden footage an exciting Easter Egg for Elden Ring players but it also reveals that the initial plan for the beginning of the game was quite different indeed.

Those who have played through the opening of Elden Ring will know that players begin in The Stranded Graveyard and eventually work their way through the Cave of Knowledge. 

Rather than this location being the first to explore, developer FromSoftware had first thought to start players in the seas, the player being met by Melina and Torrent here instead.

Elden Rings fans shared their reactions to this alternative opening cinematic in the comments section of the video.

One user wrote, “This place makes way more sense than the actual spawn point.” 

Another added, “This actually makes a lot more sense than the final game. I honestly wanna play a full build of this cut content version of ER. It seems super cool and has a lot more DS vibes.”

About The Author

Eleni is a Melbourne-based journalist. Having completed her Bachelor's in communication (Journalism) at RMIT University, Eleni is now a Senior Writer for the Dexerto Australia team. A big Nintendo fan (with a Triforce tattoo to prove it) and a lover of the zombie genre, Eleni covers gaming, entertainment as well as TV and movies for the site. She is also passionate about covering Queer and female representation. Contact Eleni at eleni.thomas@dexerto.com