A cut feature in Elden Ring allowed you to collect dreams from snoozing foes

With games as massive as Elden Ring, it makes plenty sense why some content would get cut before release. After all, there’s only so much time to fully implement ideas, regardless if they’re good or not. Elden Ring is, of course, huge, as developer FromSoftware filled it to the brim with enemies, places, and things to do. But there was more. As some dataminers peel away at the layers of code, others are comparing pre-release content with the actual launch build. That’s what content creator Lance McDonald did with a video, which showcased a cut feature in Elden Ring that allowed you to collect dreams from sleeping enemies. And then turn them into booze.

As spotted by Eurogamer, McDonald’s video goes in-depth with the lost feature. It existed in an unfinished form within the 2021 preview versions of Elden Ring. McDonald recalls when the preview contained various sleeping enemies, from wolves to a slumbering giant land octopus. These creatures happily slept, and wouldn’t wake up unless directly attacked.

The video introduces a cut NPC, whom you could interact with at the Scavenger’s Shack — later renamed Stormhill Shack. This mysterious, gravel-voiced NPC described a coveted drink called “dreambrew,” which he described as “nectar of the demigods.” This alcoholic beverage can only be made by collecting Dream Mist (or Slumber Fog) “from any sleeping being” using a cut item called the St. Trina’s Crystal Ball.

Buried secrets

And what can you do with a fresh supply of Dreambrew? Using it with specific NPCs apparently unlocked new dialogue options. One such example is seen in the video, in which some Dreambrew is handed to the shop keeper at the Church of Elleh. We even hear an entirely spoken line of dialogue pertaining to the drink.

Not everything can be known about Dreambrew or what the boozy NPC’s story is about, sadly. The feature allowing you to collect dreams is likely just one of many pieces of content cut out of Elden Ring before launch. It is intriguing, though, as the NPC promises that collecting dreams is a way to “uncover someone’s deepest, darkest secrets.” I kinda want to know what those are. Oh, well.

The cut feature also suggests how much more important sleep as a mechanic was to Elden Ring. Before launch, FromSoftware showed a gameplay video that demonstrated how you can sneakily dispatch enemy encampments by using sleep arrows to knock out guards. Would you have been able to collect their Slumber Fog before putting them into the deep sleep? It’s possible, but McDonald’s video shows that sleeping enemies were scattered throughout the Lands Between, which means the brew was most likely a reward for diligent exploration.

(Image source: Lance McDonald / FromSoftware).