18 months later, Elden Ring fans finally find source of cut sword that's been hiding in plain sight this whole time

An Elden Ring fan has discovered that a sword cut from the game has, in fact, been right under our noses all this time.

Elden Ring is bathed in obscurity and rife with secrets, some of which are by design, while others were never really meant to be found. The latter consists of a wealth of content - including characters, quests, and items - that never made it into the final version.

The latest discovery involving cut content comes over a year and a half after we first set foot in The Lands Between and relates to a mysterious sword. The weapon's existence was initially revealed through unused icons discovered by dataminers and discussed in a recent video by YouTuber Ziostorm. It looks old and weathered, but aside from the image, we have no information whatsoever on the blade, not even its name.

Now, one eagle-eyed Elden Ring player has actually found the sword in the game itself. Twitter user @Pinopinisimo discovered the weapon among the gravestone swords - the groups of swords scattered across the map consisting of one large sword with text on it. Surprised to find it hidden in plain sight, the players said, "I jumped from my chair when I noticed it."

Remember this cut sword from Elden Ring? -We finally have a match for it. It seems the gravestone swords you can find across The Lands Between were originally meant to be a weapon the player could use. -Discovered by @Pinopinisimo pic.twitter.com/Pvs6H01YfVOctober 22, 2023

Its purpose is now purely ornamental, but it seems that FromSoftware originally had grander plans for this sword. As Ziostorm points out in their video, other unused icons show swords bearing the same hilt as this one, but these look dramatically different. One is extremely clean and has a striking ornate design, and the other is "twisted and malformed, almost like it was melted by fire".

This leads the YouTuber to theorize that they might be the same sword transformed through upgrades. If so, this would mean that FromSoftware originally envisaged this sword as a weapon the player could use. "There was likely a quest involved to mold this sword into the other two versions," Ziostorm says.

It's a neat little find that really makes you wonder what other secrets The Lands Between still holds. If @Pinopinisimo's discovery is anything to go by, they may not be as hidden as you think.

Other cut content that's managed to see the light of day thanks to dataminers include an entire quest line involving a Mimic Tear who somehow gained sentience and the beginnings of a bestiary.

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Originally from Ireland, I moved to the UK in 2014 to pursue a Games Journalism and PR degree at Staffordshire University. Following that, I've freelanced for GamesMaster, Games TM, Official PlayStation Magazine and, more recently, Play and GamesRadar+. My love of gaming sprang from successfully defeating that first Goomba in Super Mario Bros on the NES. These days, PlayStation is my jam. When not gaming or writing, I can usually be found scouring the internet for anything Tomb Raider related to add to my out of control memorabilia collection.