Elden Ring is one of the best games ever made. But did you know the effort and detail that Hidetaka Miyazaki and FromSoft put into the voices?

Elden Ring

Like every FromSoftware and Hidetaka Miyazaki title, Elden Ring has some iconic boss fights, brutal combat, and a hell lot of death screens. But what many players don’t consider is the sheer effort that goes into making those deaths feel real. Simon Gregor, the voice behind Praetor Rykard, previously opened up about the recording process for Elden Ring.

Rykard in FromSoftware and Hidetaka Miyazaki's Elden Ring.There are a lot of iconic lines in the game. | Image Credit: FromSoftware

In an interview, Gregor revealed that during his recording session, the developers asked him if he could do some character death sounds. According to him, it ended up taking half an hour and was a grueling process. All that death does fit the setting of the game and world, and he did great work,

Hidetaka Miyazaki and FromSoft really went above and beyond

The Lands Between in Elden Ring.
The Abyssal Wood in From Software’s Elden Ring
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Rykard in Elden Ring.

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The Land of Shadow in Elden Ring.

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The Abyssal Wood in From Software's Elden Ring
The Abyssal Wood in From Software’s Elden Ring
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A player on top of Torrent in Elden Ring.

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The Lands Between in Elden Ring.
Rykard in Elden Ring.
The Land of Shadow in Elden Ring.
The Abyssal Wood in From Software's Elden Ring
A player on top of Torrent in Elden Ring.

Speaking on the Dan Allen YouTube channel, Simon Gregor described FromSoftware’s approach to directing as very respectful. The developers never directly demanded changes but instead relied on the director to communicate their needs. He does mention that the sessions took a grueling turn when they asked him to record numerous death cries.

They did the kind of thing like “While you’re here, could you also give us a few ughh, aghhh. I would like you to die (make death lines) as soldiers. “That sword is going through your gut, could you give us a reaction. This one is going through your head, could you give us a sound for that?”

For an Elden Ring voice actor, we know this kind of work comes with the territory. FromSoftware games are known for their punishing difficulty. Not only do we players die frequently, but we also put down many enemies throughout these games.

Gregor acknowledged this in the interview, pointing out that the sheer number of characters in the game meant his efforts were very much justified. “There’s an awful lot of people being ughh, aghh.”. While this may sound like standard work for a voice actor, he does mention that it’s what “killed me more than anything else.”

Elden Ring has some excellent voices and iconic lines

The challenge of voicing Rykard is more than just the cries of pain. The character is one of Elden Ring’s most terrifying bosses, and we know him as the Lord of Blasphemy. Once a noble ruler of Volcano Manor, Rykard’s descent into madness saw him willingly consumed by a monstrous serpent, fusing with it in his insatiable quest for power.

Rykard’s boss fight is one of the most memorable in Elden Ring, not just for its grotesque imagery but also for his chilling voice lines. His iconic line, “Join the Serpent King, as family… Together, we will devour the very gods!“—is one that we’ll never forget. Gregor delivered it with a hypnotic, sinister conviction.

The success of Elden Ring has only magnified the importance of performances like Gregor’s. Since its launch in 2022, the game has sold over 28 million copies, making it FromSoftware’s most successful title to date. With the release of the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC in mid-2024, Elden Ring brought all of us back to the Land of Shadow for an even harder challenge.

Gregor’s experience in the recording booth may have been exhausting, but it’s clear that his efforts paid off. His portrayal of Rykard adds a lot to the game, and while Rykard isn’t really a favorite boss for most people, his one iconic line will always be remembered.