Summary
Questing is a definitive feature of any RPG. Be it a simple fetch quest, a side story, something more, or just for fun, these tasks are the lifeblood of RPGs.Elden Ringis of course full of tasks to complete, people to meet, and items to gain as they make their waytowards the Erdtreeto bring on a new age for The Lands Between.Elden Ring’s side quests do not fit the normal bill though, as players will hardly see any markers on a map. Sometimes, though, a questline goes above and beyond and delivers a poignant message, and FromSoftware’s latest Souls games delivers that in droves.
Elden Ringplayers understand the importance of items in the open-world RPG intimately. Smithing Stones and Runes are key to increasing the power of the Tarnished’s weapons and abilities, and talismans and their unique skills are incredibly worth the effort it takes to get them, though some are better than others. One in particular, the Rotten Winged Sword Insignia, comes not only at a great time but only after players make the choice to do what’s best for someone who needs help. That person is Millicent, a strange, lost piece of what would become the Goddess of Rot.
RELATED:When to Expect Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC News
Millicent’s Message of Self-Importance
The game doesn’t really make it clear just what Millicent is in relation to Malenia, but in the end, it doesn’t really need to. Players encounter Millicent after being told to find her by Gowry the Sage, who tells the Tarnished to find her and to give her anUnalloyed Gold Needle(though there are other options for this item). This is so she can fend off the scarlet rot, an affliction that caused Malenia to lose her limbs just as Millicent has lost her sword arm.
During the questline, the Tarnishedgives Millicent a sense of freedomaway from her sickness, but her mind quickly turns to Malenia. She slides into an obsession with the “vanished woman” slowly but surely, following her path and seeking to find her. Eventually, she states that she needs to give back “the will that was once her own.” At some point, Millicent realizes these thoughts aren’t hers, and after being relied on in battle by the Tarnished, the player is given two choices.
Challenging Millicentand killing her breaks her heart, and her last words ask if this was what the Tarnished’s goal was all along. However, if fans assist Millicent and talk to her afterward, she makes it very clear that she’s aware of what was happening to her. As she was following the call to rejoin Malenia, she decided if she is to “flower into something” other than herself, then she’d rather succumb to the scarlet rot as her own person.
It tells a great message in that Millicent’s sense of self was stronger than whatever was calling her back to Malenia, and no matter what she was to her, it doesn’t matter. Even if Millicent was Malenia’s own will, lost to either the scarlet rot or to bestStarscourge Radahn, then hers was strong enough to choose to die by her own wishes. To add to this, players receive the Rotten Sword Insignia afterward, a perfect symbol of the questline.
The Rotten Sword Insignia is incredibly useful for offensive builds as it rewards fast, consecutive hits. It also fits Millicent’s last stance against Malenia rather well, as getting the buffs from this talisman specifically requires players to push through tough enemies and odds with their own will, even thehefty odds of a FromSoftware game. The power of the Insignia makes the quest stick in players' memory as it rings true to what Millicent’s story was meant to say.
Elden Ringis available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
MORE:Why Elden Ring’s Best Weapons Shouldn’t Remain the Same After the DLC
