Considering that most of the audio in Elden Ring is taken up by music swelling to the crunching sounds of your player character getting smashed under enemy attacks, it’s easy to forget that Souls-Borne games are voice acted. Demon’s Souls, Dark Souls, and Bloodborne have all held the tradition of having a handful of NPCs who are there solely for the purpose of delivering gobbledygook lines of dialog on lighting flames, blood transfusions, and whatever else most players will end up figuring out the actual context of from a YouTube video when they’re done playing.
But aside from Elden Ring introducing an open world to the Dark Souls formula, it also puts slightly more of an emphasis on telling a somewhat comprehensible narrative, and that also means a whole cast of voice actors. Here are some of the highlights from Elden Ring’s voice-over cast.
Aimee-Ffion Edwards (Rani)
First up, we have Aimee-Ffion Edwards as Ranni. Edwards’ lilting, breath-heavy approach to Ranni’s voice embodies the blue witch’s presence well and is in line with what you’d hear from similar characters in Souls games past. Edward’s past credits include Skins, Luther, and Peaky Blinders.
Martha Mackintosh (Melina)
Who’s always there for you when you got no maidens? Melina, that’s who. Voiced by Martha Mackintosh, the Melina-type is a familiar presence in any Souls game since she’s the breathily-voiced conduit for leveling up and getting the beginning bits of the story. Mackintosh herself also voiced Captian Yarshka in Dark Souls 3 and played roles in various BBC dramas.
Nabil Elouahabi (Kale)
Everyone’s favorite Santa Claus-cosplaying merchant, Kale, is voiced by Nabil Elouahabi. Kale’s VO sits right at home alongside the rest of the cast with gravelly tones flowing like a stone tumbling down a dried-up stream. Aside from voicing Cypher in Valorant, Elouahabi’s work also appears in His Dark Materials, The Night Of, and The Sum of All Fears.
Ramon Tikaram (Godrick)
One of the most recognizable multi-arm monstrous boss fights in the game, Ramon Tikaram’s VO performance for Godrick captures the sound of a has-been king. Tikaram puts a sort of elderly Scottish grind and grizzle in Godrick’s voice that’s reminiscent of a dried-out, cracking piece of driftwood that washed ashore and baked in the sun to the point of petrification. Tikaram’s other credits include Jupiter Ascending, Subnautica, and the Total War games.
Pip Torrens (Radhan)
Another big ole boss that has appeared in a lot of the marketing leading up to Elden Ring’s release, Radhan is the red-maned boss whose hulking presence cartoonishly sits upon his itty-bitty horse. Pip Torrens voices Radhan in such a way that creates a stark contrast between Torrens’ reserved, paced-out elegant monotone and Radhan’s hulking, human-eating brutality. Pip Torrens has an extensive list of credits in both film and television ranging from Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Law & Order: UK, and Preacher.
