Elden Ring's cut dialog somehow manages to make Rykard's voice even worse.
As you might know, dataminers have been combing through Elden Ring's files since launch, discovering cut and unused content as they go. One such unused bit of content comes in the form of Shardbearer Rykard's dialog just below, in which the Serpent King unveils himself to the player for the second phase of his boss fight, and utters some barely comprehensible dialog in the process.
Rykard's voice was already pretty raspy, but this cut dialog has the imposing boss sounding even worse. In the unused dialog above, Rykard calls out to his serpent, known as Eiglay, before briefly mentioning how the player will make a "fitting sacrifice" for the Serpent King.
Compared to the version of the cutscene that made it into the final version of Elden Ring, seen just below, Rykard has a lot more dialog. The final version of the scene sees Rykard making no mention of Eiglay, and it's interesting to note that FromSoftware deliberately played down Rykard's connection with the serpent in the final version of the scene.
No matter, Rykard still sounds a lot worse for wear in either scene. He definitely needs some nice tea and perhaps a throat sweet or five, although we don't exactly have the similar experience of getting eaten alive by a serpent and then re-growing your face on the side of said beast, so perhaps we're being a little harsh on Rykard considering what he's been through.
Head over to our guide on how to beat the Rykard and Serpent boss fight in Elden Ring for more information on the boss.
