u/Alnored

I wanna start by saying that I’ve included the Realm of the Mourning Rune since it’s just a boss-arena which is accessed through this area.

Let’s start with the level design. It’s amazing, as it constantly loops around on itself and branches out to new interesting places in the area which all are packed with details, items and lore. Many might say that having no enemies besides the two is either bad design or boring, but I’d like to say that it makes for a great contrast against the rest of the game. Just walking around, hearing the groans and painful screams of the dying warriors, begging you for help, with nothing else but your footsteps to interupt it.

Let’s continue on with the lore. This area not only has magnificent lore, but is a similarly great representation of that lore. It’s impossible for me not to cry every time I walk through this area, hearing the aforementioned warriors. I think it’s a very tragic tale knowing that they have all been cursed to be continue dying without ever being able to actually die, due to the curse that Byrn’s wife laid upon them and her husband, as a form of revenge for the abuse she suffered at the hand of her husband after he lost himself to alcohol and grief after their only child died as consequence of you helping Yvold which sent him back several years in time to his own realm.

Lastly, the bosses. The three bosses in this area really help the pacing since there are no other enemies. Not only that, but they’re probably the best three enemies in the game. I’ll go over them in chronilogical order.

1. Widow of Byrn. This is one of the saddest bossfights, period. Despite her aggressiveness and actually being a gank fight,many might consider her to be a bit on the easy side, but I’d really say that the atmosphere more than weighs up for it. Hearing her cry while hearing the laughter of the happy child-shadow is simply to powerful. It also blends together fantastically with arena as you find her sitting down crying in front of the great hall before she stands up, fighting you in snow while you can see the burning hall in the background. What adds to it is how she and the child, beyond just having a great aggresive/defensive dynamic between the two, has two wildly different ways to attack you. The child has a way of fighting that more resembles playing a game rather than actually fighting, and how she relies on screams and curses to attack you. Overall, great bossfight 9/10.

2. Byrn, The Accursed Warlord. Holy shit, is this a great bossfight. Everyone who has fought him knows exactly what I mean. The swelling music that manages to be epic, yet mournful. Dodging around his menacing mace as the burning hall starts to collapse around you, allowing the blizzard outside to make it’s way into the room you are fighting in. Besides that, you can see Byrn’s skin tearing and decaying due to the curse. Seriously, the amount of things and the detail going on in this fight is insane. 10/10 fight, nothing less.

3. The Mortal Sacrifice. The last boss in this area, and one to remember. Just what is required to initiate the fight sets the tone. Having to find and behead Yvold before using the Elden Shard on his head in the room you fought Byrn in to summon The Mortal Sacrifice and the Realm of the Mourning Rune is, simply put, menacing. Onto the actual fight with The Mortal Sacrfice. I think this is possibly the only time From has gotten a puzzle/spectacle fight not only right, but they’ve managed to make it one of the highlights of the game. It manages to struck a balance between being a marvelous spectacle, an intricate puzzle and a damn hard challenge at the same time. Managing to reach it’s weak point is damn hard but also incredibly satisfying. Beyond the fittingly great score and satisfying boss-mecahnics, we need to talk about how The Mortal Sacrifice looks. The only way I can describe it is as if it’s a mix between Cthulu and a Balrog. It’s weakpoint not being some oversized tattoo or eye on it’s forehead, but it actually requires the player to recognize the Rune of Mourning among all the other runes on it’s body. This fight is simply just fittingly great for the being that supposedly caused Julhim to initiate the conflict for the Elden Ring. I have to say this is another 10/10 bossfight.

After all this, I’ve still not mentioned the most impressive thing about this area. The most impressive area about Byrn’s Great Hall is that this incredible area, with so much importance for the lore and great content, is deliberately hidden away more than any other area in any game I can think about. First you must drop down a seemingly bottomless pit to meet Yvold, and follow his questline until it’s finished. Keep in mind that he’ll merely mention once that he comes from another time and realm, and he’ll never actually ask you to help him or tell you of anything that might help him. After that you have to use Glaivemaster Hodir’s glaive as a key to open up the Shrine of Lost Memories. Once there you must kill the npc Urla, so she drops the Rune of Lost Memories. After that you give the rune to Yvold so he can return to his realm. After that you must use the Hail the Fallen emote at the statue of Byrn in The Winterwoods so you get dragged down into The Shadowlands. Once there, you must once again use Glaivemaster Hodir’s glaive as a key to initiate the blizzard that teleports you to Byrn’s Great Hall. This way of hiding away such great area is bonkers, and I can’t think of any other studio but From that would do this.

All I wanted to do with this post is to praise this marvelous area and thank From for making it.

Tl;dr This area is the best in all of soulsborne and if you don’t think so you’re wrong.