When Elden Ring first launched in February 2022, its version of the Lands Between felt impossibly large. Even in 2026, years after release, players still talk about how long it takes to cross those fields, cliffs, and cursed swamps on foot. Fortunately, the spectral steed Torrent arrives early to make exploration less punishing. Torrent is more than just a speed boost—the mount also protects riders from poison buildup while wading through some of the game's nastiest bogs. But according to one talented dataminer, FromSoftware may have originally planned to give players far wilder travel options, including a giant dragonfly.

The discovery comes from Zullie the Witch, a YouTuber known for digging through FromSoftware code. After inspecting Elden Ring's internal files, Zullie found evidence that developers experimented with letting players ride many of the game's creatures as mounts. The most eye-catching example is a huge dragonfly that could presumably zip through the air while the player clings to its back. In a demonstration video, the player character can be seen flying over the landscape on the insect, using weapons and abilities mid-flight.

That kind of mobility sounds thrilling in single-player, but it would be a nightmare to balance. Imagine an invader swooping down on a host with a fully charged spell or a colossal weapon, then vanishing into the sky before anyone can react. Zullie herself notes that much of this cut content was removed for good reason.

This is not the first hidden gem uncovered in Elden Ring's files. The same investigation pointed toward a scrapped Torrent ability that would allow the horse to launch enemies with a well-timed kick. On paper, it sounds like the perfect addition for players who love crowd control while riding. In practice, it may have been too strong or too buggy for the final game.

Still, the modding community has not let those limitations stop them. Over the years, several cut features have been restored or reimagined through mods, and the discovery of rideable dragonflies is likely to inspire similar projects. It fits a broader pattern: FromSoftware often leaves traces of ambitious ideas inside its games, and dedicated fans keep finding them.

More than twelve million players bought Elden Ring in its first few months, and many have spent hundreds of hours across multiple playthroughs. In 2026, the game still has an active community of lore hunters, speedrunners, and dataminers who treat the code like an archaeological site. The Lands Between is already enormous, but these discoveries reveal that it could have been even stranger.

Here is a quick breakdown of what has been found so far:

Feature	Status	Why it might have been cut
Torrent horse mount	Included in final game	Balanced for exploration and combat
Giant dragonfly mount	Cut content	Too dominant in PvP and traversal
Torrent kick attack	Cut content	Possibly too strong or difficult to tune

Of course, cut content does not mean the idea was bad. Some mechanics simply do not survive the long development process because they clash with the game's overall balance or technical limits. A flying mount that lets players attack from above would completely change how invasions, boss arenas, and even hidden loot are designed. It might have been fun for a few hours, but it could have broken the careful tension that makes Elden Ring so memorable.

For now, players will have to settle for Torrent, which is still one of the most reliable video game mounts ever created. But if history is any guide, modders will eventually find a way to put a giant dragonfly under someone's saddle. Whether that becomes a beloved feature or an absolute PvP disaster is another question entirely.