Elden Ring is filled with secrets, some small , some large. It may be months, otherwise years before players are able to discover all the surprises that developer FromSoftware filled Elden Ring's open world with. It's no surprise then that another such secret has been seen as and shared among Elden Ring's community. the secret has to do with the Latenna the Albinauric spirit summon and ties into the archer's lore in a touching and heartrending way.
Up until the discovery, the Latenna the Albinauric spirit summon in Elden Ring has been a niche choice for players. The spirit summon requires players to accomplish a short quest in order to acquire, so its not all Elden Ring player will earn it. Additionally, when summoned Latenna the Albinauric doesn't move. It's a "turret"-style spirit, therefore it simply stands still and fires its arrows where it's summoned. This style of spirit summon doesn't suit many playstyles but does have its uses.
However, a brand new mechanic has been discovered for Latenna the Albinauric. It's rare enough that it's unlikely to alter her typical use, but it's nevertheless quite interesting. If Latenna the Albinauric is summoned near a Direwolf unit, a type of large wolf found within the Caria Manor area and sparsely through other specific areas, she'll mount it and ride it around being an ally while still firing arrows. The Direwolf can still bite and harm the player, as well as take damage but is otherwise claimed before the spirit summon's duration ends.
Did you realize Latenna can perform this?? from Eldenring
The discovery was recorded by a user on Reddit. These were in an encounter with an immense Troll Knight enemy, which pulled in a handful of other enemies. A Direwolf was one enemy that joined the battle. At first, the Direwolf attacked Latenna like normal. After a few attacks, however, Latenna performed what seemed to be a scripted animation where she dodged a panic attack and climbed around the wolf's back.
As for why this unique interaction from a spirit summon and an enemy is emotionally gripping, it has to do with Latenna's story. Latenna doesn't start as a spirit summon. She's an NPC present in Elden Ring's world. When players find her, she's laying next to her Direwolf companion. It had been unfortunately killed, however. Latenna then later willingly gives herself as a spirit summon towards the player.
The story of Latenna is one of tragedy, not uncommon in Elden Ring. To determine Latenna's spirit summon give up its unmoving attacks, leap atop the back of a Direwolf, and dance around the battlefield is both beautiful and heartrending. It's a sense Elden Ring delivers so uniquely. And also to think it's so rare that players may have never discovered it without this recording.
Elden Ring is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
