Elden Ring originally let you decide who rules Limgrave after you stomp Godrick

In Elden Ring, beating Godrick the Grafted rewards you with one of two items you need to beat the game, but it originally gifted you with something arguably even more consequential: the choice to decide who succeeds Godrick as ruler of Stormveil Castle.

As spotted by VG247, a new video from prolific Elden Ring dataminer Zulle the Witch - who just recently explained why there's a random poisonous wall in the game - reveals a cut questline that would've given you the power to appoint a new defacto monarch of Limgrave once you'd slain Godrick.

The questline, titled Coronation, seems to have included Godrick's crown as a quest item, which you would've obtained following a successful attempt to take down the big boss. From there, it looks like there were three potential heirs: Kenneth Haight, Nepheli Loux, and Gostoc, the gatekeeper who steals your runes if you die in Stormveil Castle.

If you visit Stormveil Castle after you beat Godrick, you'll find Gostoc stomping on the former boss's corpse in revenge. You'll later have the chance to kill Gostoc and earn back any runes he might've snatched from your purse. But curiously, in some cut dialogue, Gostoc claims he's actually Godrick's natural son and heir and asks you to give him Godrick's crown.

It's unclear what would've happened if you chose Gostoc or any of the other claimants to the throne, but it's interesting nonetheless to see what could've been a pretty consequential branching narrative.