Elden Ring Dataminer Reveals Unused Areas, Cataclysm Mechanic

Summary Elden Ring was originally intended to be even bigger with more underground areas and a unique mechanic to alter the world.

Dataminer Sekiro Dubi discovered unused collisions revealing alternate caverns and a "Cataclysm Mechanic" cut from the game.

Fans can look forward to the massive expansion Shadow of the Erdtree with new areas and boss encounters launching on June 20.

Elden Ring is already a massive game but one dedicated dataminer learned that FromSoftware's RPG was originally intended to be even more gigantic. As players explore the massive world of The Lands Between, they'll uncover a couple of notable underground areas that not only serve as a fresh change of pace from the fields of Limgrave but also pose a significant challenge thanks to their more claustrophobic environments. As it turns out, the developers originally intended for there to be even more of these locales as well as a unique mechanic that would have altered the world completely.

Shared to YouTuvbe by Sekiro Dubi, who has unearthed plenty of Elden Ring mysteries by delving into the game's code, the video spotlights several unused collisions that allow the creator to explore an alternate cavern in Deeprooth Depths that includes an underground river and another area that requires the Tarnished to leap across several rocky platforms.

Additionally, there's a segment dedicated to running through a different route in Mohgwyn Palance, and its scale is massive. There are even several connections back to the overworld, suggesting FromSoftware planned for their final integration into the world.

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A Cataclysmic Discovery In Elden Ring

The World Can Change Around The Player

The other interesting aspect of Sekiro Dubi's datamine is the discovery of the "Cataclysm Mechanic" and how it would allow players to shape the world of Elden Ring themselves. The system would see the Tarnished interacting with various objects and triggering a massive event that would fundamentally alter the geography, opening up previously inaccessible parts of the map. In a similar vein to the meteor strike that occurs after slaying Starscourge Radahn, these events would be more prominent throughout the campaign and would seemingly unlock some of the aforementioned alternate routes between landmarks.

Perhaps one of the most substantial Cataclysm Events that was cut from the game would have seen players using a hole in a crater within Radahn's Arena to enter into a massive underground area that would lead to Mohgwyn's Palace. It's unknown why this system was ultimately cut from Elden Ring but it goes to show how much attention FromSoftware puts into creating vast, interconnected worlds. In the end, it was likely deemed to be too massive of an addition to an already gigantic experience and it may have confused some players already struggling with navigation.

While the alternate paths and Cataclysm Mechanic certainly would have been great to see in Elden Ring, fans hoping for more content are in luck because a massive expansion is on the way. Shadow of the Erdtree will include a massive new area roughly the size of Limgrave alongside several new challenging boss encounters. The DLC is currently available to pre-order and is expected to launch on June 20.

Source: Sekiro Dubi/YouTube