An Elden Ring player took revenge against Limgrave's infamous Tree Sentinel on behalf of the countless Tarnished that fell to it. Elden Ring's launch was in no short supply of shared suffering among the community, and the first enemy to manifest this in earnest was one merely mounted on a horse.
FromSoftware titles have a habit of humbling players minutes after starting a new playthrough, typically pitting them against an enemy they simply cannot compete with this early into the game. Demon's Souls has the Vanguard, a relatively simple first boss fight compared to future releases, but even if a player succeeds in besting it they are promptly killed by a single punch during an unavoidable cutscene moments later. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice pulls a similar trick, forcing players into a sequence that sees Sekiro's arm sliced off whether they defeated Genichiro or not. Elden Ring does this too and arguably twice; once with the Grafted Scion at the Chapel of Anticipation, and after leaving the tutorial dungeon with a Tree Sentinel.
A video posted to Reddit by Xidsor is from the perspective of a highly leveled character, one that has left the Tree Sentinel nearby Merchant Kale as the final boss left to be defeated. Equipped with the Bolt of Gransax, they cast the weapon's Ancient Lightning Spear skill which fires a swift projectile of pure red lightning directly toward the Tree Sentinel. Dealing 2950 damage is just enough to decimate the health bar of 2889, dismounting the golden-armored knight before a fight had even commenced. The caption claimed that they did this "for of all the Tarnished that got stuck on Tree Sentinel," a clear representation of the notoriety this boss has garnered.
The Grafted Scion seemingly takes the role of Genichiro and the Vanguard before it, humbling players in a manner that effectively lowers expectations before offering them a world to explore and tangibly improve in. But FromSoftware must have decided that the amorphous amalgamation of several previously humanoid bodies was insufficient to capture this sensation, so the Tree Sentinel was introduced.
After lifting the door to unlock Limgrave, the Tree Sentinel is a particularly prominent aspect of the impressive view. Unwitting Tarnished often traveled to this knight and his steed, most certainly not expecting a Golden Halberd to the face. Many consider this encounter, and when meeting Margit at Stormveil's entrance, a way to teach players that further exploration is at the very least recommended before taking these foes on. Xidsor's revenge will be a minor source of solace for countless Tarnished, thoroughly deflated following an unfair fight they were not yet prepared for.
Elden Ring is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.