Bonfireside Chat 319: Jagged Peak
Added 2025-02-02 15:00:08 +0000 UTCThis episode, we head up the Jagged Peak in order to do the last of the optional content in Shadow of the Erdtree. We’ve heard tell of a tyrant atop of the volcano, Bayle the Dread, a draconic betrayer so hated by Placidusax that the practice of Dragon Communion was created to bring him down.
Comments
Jagged Peak was an underwhelming area of the game to me. Aesthetically, I think it’s pretty cool and I’m definitely down for more dragon shit. I enjoyed learning more about different types of dragons as it felt realistic that they would have different species and groups just like any other creature. The area itself feels completely unfinished to me. There’s not really any gimmick or design philosophy behind it. The entire area is practically a straight path with 3 dragon bosses. I’m not even against fighting the dragons again, those fights are fun and I really don’t find anything wrong with repeating fights if they’re enjoyable, but the area still just boils down to walking 500 steps, fight a dragon, walk 500 more, fight another dragon, until you finally get to the last dragon and that’s it. The lore of this area feels the least related to the main game and the DLC itself so it really just feels like it exists to have a cool looking mountain on the map and a fighting gauntlet (something that they do in the final dungeon as well). I didn’t even struggle with Bayle and get a nice cathartic Dark Souls boss victory. I used the great katana you get from the cave preceding the level that’s extra effective against dragons and beat the dragons on my first try and Bayle on my second. Igon is real fun though.
Ethan Hudson
2025-02-08 04:58:02 +0000 UTCI’m sorry but Bayle absolutely CAN fly, as the opener to phase two proved to as it murdered me with magic lightning spells from high above over and over again
Sage Beatty
2025-02-04 02:42:25 +0000 UTCIt's so interesting what resonates with people and what doesn't. I was the exact opposite with the overarching story of Jagged Peak- I love the story of Shadow of the Erdtree as a whole, but the Dragon Communion backstory is genuinely like my favorite lore bit and possibly what I have thought about the most. In a tale so invested in the wheel spokes of violence the reveal that it has been rolling possibly long before Marika and the world which made her, plus that the ancient dragons are just as capable of base cruelty as man, just scratches this thematic itch I have. It's daunting on multiple scales including time; I found it remarkably existential. I think you can see it reflected in Marika's own reign, the state of Farum Azula, and Maliketh himself. Even the Dragonbarrow. Also, I just loved Jagged Peak. Nothing better than a looming mountain under a red sky. Though Igon is some standout voice acting, and for good reason, I have a soft spot for the performance of the communion priestess. She sounds exactly like I'd imagine an ancient stone dragon might sound using a human tongue. Remote & devout with just the perfect amount of haughtiness, a remnant of the old world who really *really* wants you to eat that heart raw. Really liked her.
Goldie
2025-02-03 19:17:57 +0000 UTCSometimes, when the bread is stale in my kitchen, I’ll call it stale the bread. “Curse you stale!!”
PP Lustcraft
2025-02-03 17:17:24 +0000 UTCI said "... so he could suck his own dick" at the *exact* same time.
ShaunTrek
2025-02-03 02:18:24 +0000 UTCA deep cut I very much appreciate
Duckfeed.tv
2025-02-03 01:31:58 +0000 UTCBalye’s Phase 2 transition: Absolute cinema
Lucas West
2025-02-03 00:16:52 +0000 UTCKole’s scream was real good.
MIKEISTKRIEG
2025-02-02 23:05:04 +0000 UTCNot the Council of Wyrms shade… Everyone LOVES fighting nothing but Cyclopses with their 310 damage misprint on his rock toss…
Micah Spiese
2025-02-02 22:34:00 +0000 UTCSo in the context of Jagged Peak, let’s throw some more shade on Godrick! Godrick’s knowledge of everything is so watered down he doesn’t even know what he’s talking about, even in the context of his own culture. He calls the impaled drake in his boss arena truest of dragon’s when there’s a whole culture of people who hunt those dragons because they aren’t true dragons. Dude knows less than Jon Snow.
Mateus Silva
2025-02-02 21:20:16 +0000 UTCBAAAYLE!!!!
Noah McClellan
2025-02-02 19:56:04 +0000 UTCBayle is the only of the DLC bosses that I one-shot. That dragon hunter great katana absolutely shreds him. It also works great on the Scadutree Avatar (I had a hell of a time with that thing. I was previously using a weapon with poor range.)
Richard Cochnar
2025-02-02 16:57:00 +0000 UTC
