FromSoftware really threw us into the deep end at the start of Elden Ring. The first enemy we encounter is a Grafted Scan, which is specifically designed to kill you before you can do anything else. It doesn't get any easier after that, as there's a creepy tree sentinel roaming the starting area, and even worse, a dude who'll roast you for being girlless. Trader Kale is the first friendly face we meet.
Dressed up as Santa Claus, Kalé offers to sell you some useful startup gear. However, he was not always just a businessman. In earlier drafts of FromSoftware, after Marika and the Golden Order were enraged by what they had done to their people, he would go on to play a pivotal role, urging the Tainted to a frenzied flame. Dataminer Sekiro Dubi dug it up about four years ago, and modder Transquility has made it playable in Elden Ring, thanks to the Merchant Kalé Questline Restored mod (thanks PC Gamer).
Kale had a very large role in what might be the best quest of the Elden Ring
In the original version of the quest, Kale will eventually move to Liurnia, and eventually Lendale, in search of the Grand Caravan, after you defeat Godric. Unfortunately, we already know what awaits him.
A caravan of nomadic traders will be found in the underground Shuning, most of them dead, and Kale will curse the Golden Order for burning his ancestors alive. He will attempt to embrace the flames of frenzy with three fingers, but will fail, paving the way for you to raise the flames of frenzy and create the lands in the midst of chaos.
It is still unclear why the quest was cut, but now you can play it for the mod. The developer had to change the quest a bit to make sure it fit the game, but most of it remains the same. If nothing else, it's definitely worth checking out for actor Nabil Elohabi's performance as Kale in an extended role.
- issued
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February 25, 2022
- ESRB
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M for Mature: Blood and gore, language, suggestive themes, violence
- developer(s)
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from the software
