Hey everyone, let's talk about one of the most legendary and mysterious figures in Elden Ring—Dragonlord Placidusax. This guy isn't just another tough boss; he's a walking piece of history, the original Elden Lord who ruled The Lands Between even before the Erdtree and Queen Marika were a thing. Finding him in the Crumbling Farum Azula is already a mind-blowing moment, but what if I told you the version we fight is just a shadow of his former, unimaginably powerful self? 🤯

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Seriously, the fight against Placidusax is epic—the music, the arena in the heart of a storm, the lightning attacks. It feels like a final boss battle. But according to the lore, and thanks to some incredibly talented fans, the dragon we face is basically Placidusax at his absolute weakest, a fraction of his prime power. Imagine that! The game throws some of the most visually stunning bosses at us, like Starscourge Radahn and the Elden Beast, but the crown for the coolest character design FromSoftware has ever made might have been right there in Farum Azula all along.

So, what did he really look like? Well, a fan on Reddit, u/Who-Is-The-Biggest, decided to find out. They reconstructed Placidusax in his full, glorious, original form. And let me tell you, it is... breathtaking. 🐉✨

We're talking about:

  • Five majestic heads instead of the two (or less) we see.

  • Three full sets of massive wings.

  • A complete, uncut tail.

This render isn't just fan art; it feels like uncovering lost history. It easily tops the charts as potentially the most awe-inspiring design in the entire game. It makes you realize just how far this ancient lord has fallen.

Okay, but what happened to him? How did he get so messed up?

For years after the base game's release in 2022, this was one of the biggest mysteries. We found this incredibly powerful, yet clearly wounded, ancient dragon sleeping in a storm, missing heads and parts of his body. What kind of catastrophe could have done that to the first Elden Lord?

The answer finally came with the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. The Realm of Shadow held the key: Bayle the Dread. 😈

Bayle is Placidusax's ultimate nemesis, his arch-rival. Their conflict was the stuff of legends, possibly the greatest battle in the entire Elden Ring timeline. Bayle is the one who gravely wounded the Dragonlord, damaging him so severely that he fled to his stormy tomb to await a new god. The evidence is chillingly clear if you look at Bayle's own design—one of Placidusax's severed heads is literally hanging from Bayle's body like a trophy. That's hardcore, even for Elden Ring standards.

This legendary feud didn't end with the battle, though. Bayle's attack and subsequent flight had lasting consequences:

Event Consequence
The Great Battle vs. Bayle Placidusax is severely wounded, loses heads/wings, and retreats.
Bayle Flees He escapes, leaving his nemesis broken but alive.
Placidusax's Response He founds the Dragon Communion to hunt Bayle and his descendants, the Drakes.

That's right! The entire Dragon Communion, the practice that lets us Tarnished use dragon hearts to learn incantations, was essentially created as a giant, millennia-long revenge plot by Placidusax. Its sole purpose was to track down and eradicate Bayle and his bloodline. Talk about holding a grudge!

Thinking about all this just reinforces how Elden Ring is the masterpiece it is. It's not just a challenging game; it's a world where every scar on a boss, every ruined building, and every cryptic item description tells a deep, interconnected story. Placidusax's tale—from a five-headed god-king to a wounded guardian sleeping in a storm—is one of the most epic threads in that tapestry.

It makes you wonder, what other fragments of lost glory are hidden in The Lands Between? The fact that fans can piece together this history and visualize a "what if" so compellingly is a testament to the rich world Hidetaka Miyazaki and George R. R. Martin built. So next time you're in Crumbling Farum Azula, take a moment before the fight. You're not just facing a boss; you're standing before the faded echo of a true deity, a king dethroned by a feud that shaped the world. And honestly, that's pretty cool. 🙌