In spite of how much I've enjoyed Elden Ring, I've always had the impression that the Lands Between don't have nearly enough giant robots stomping around—unless you count the Wandering Mausoleums, but that's a philosophical debate for another time. Thanks to modders like Zullie the Witch, a prolific Souls dataminer whose most recent work involves dropping a dang Armored Core into Elden Ring, that is a problem that we might someday see a solution to, and we can thank them for that. No, it is not pilotable, so try not to get too excited about it. In point of fact, it is incapable of even moving, but let's give the modders some time to work. Even the mechanics need to start with the basics.

Zullie explains that the crossover between the two games was made possible due to the fact that both games use the same development engine in the video content that can be found on YouTube showcasing the Armored Core's sortie across games

- In point of fact, it is a lineage that has been passed down through FromSoft games ever since Armored Core 4 was released in 2006, with each game being built on an offshoot of the same foundational engine

- The most recent games have sufficient technical similarities that modders can already use some tools built for Elden Ring with Armored Core 6 in their pursuit of creating great and terrible designs

- It was those very same tools that made it possible to port CJ into AC6 less than a day after the game was first made available to the public

- Isn't it amazing how far technology has come

As it turns out, that line of reasoning also works when applied in the opposite direction. With Dropoff's help, Zullie was able to port Armored Core 6 model assets backwards into Elden Ring. Dropoff is one of the modders responsible for CJ's nightmare transformation into a jet-propelled war machine. Zullie was able to do this by using Elden Ring as a conduit. The end result was a mech that was ten meters tall and towered over the Lands Between. I'm pleased to report that it presents a significantly more appealing image than CJ's contorted skeleton during combat.

It should be made perfectly clear that the purpose of this was only to serve as a demonstration, and it should not be interpreted in any way that suggests Zullie intends to modify a controllable AC into Elden Ring. Even if AC6 and Elden Ring share the same engine underneath their hoods, it is reasonable to assume that a modification of that magnitude would be a massive undertaking. Despite this, it is encouraging to see that the technology that is shared between the two games has a great deal of untapped potential. It's only a matter of time before modders transform our Tarnished into AC pilots, but in the meantime, it doesn't hurt to fantasize about zipping around Altus Plateau in an Armored Core and firing missile barrages at Leyndell soldiers. Perhaps one day I'll even have the opportunity to battle Malenia while piloting a mech. If I had a few missile racks and laser rifles, it might make me feel as though I was finally competing on an even playing field.