One of the new NPCs from Shadow of the Erdtree, the Drake Warrior Igon has become what appears to be the fandom favorite, following his debut in the game’s Jagged Peak sidequest.
A lot of it boils down to the formula of how Souls NPCs are usually designed: they’re usually sad, or optimistic and about to be made sad.
At first, you’d think Igon would be more of the same- you find him injured on the road to Jagged Peak, screaming in pain because he’s lost his legs.
Yet what follows is the character arc of a grade-A hater: he intends to climb Jagged Peak for himself to face down Bayle The Dread, the great Dragon who rivals Dragonlord Placidusax from the base game.
Of course, this isn’t just some Don Quixote quest to fight something stronger than you, because Igon soon realizes his limits after using the power of spite to crawl after you up to the halfway mark of the hill- so instead he gives you his finger, telling you to summon him as a spirit instead once you reach Bayle.
What follows is one of the greatest vocal performances from a Souls NPC in the entire genre’s history, performed by Richard Lintern, which you can see below:
Igon’s screaming declaration of hatred for Bayle the Dread has been the subject of memes all weekend, as he uses his newfound ability to walk in spirit form to make sure Bayle knows who’s going to put a harpoon between his eyes.
It’s a delicious kind of venom, really- one born of someone who has more hate left than he has functioning limbs.
Fans have been putting together edits of this speech, as well as fanart to commemorate a hater who keeps the game going even after death.
Some fans pointed out that Igon’s obsession with running it back against Bayle might draw inspiration from another famous fictional hater, Captain Ahab- made especially apparent by his use of harpoons against the dragon.
Others yet simply celebrate Lintern’s amazing performance- in a series known for hushed whispers and quiet laughing, it’s been a while since we’ve had a character go all-out and scream, especially considering he’s an NPC summon
Why Igon Rules, In Brief
The popularity of Igon is one of those things that really shows the magic of games like Elden Ring– the series is built on stumbling into NPC quests, and Elden Ring in particular has an awareness for how many people are familiar with From Software’s formula over the years.
Igon’s entire questline just wouldn’t have worked without the Souls formula- you only meet him if you walk over to the sound of agonized screaming, and you only get the payoff of his crazy speech if you decide to summon him against Bayle.
This isn’t the first time a voice actor in Elden Ring has gone above and beyond- during the base game many fans were hot and bothered for Blaidd, the game’s sexy welsh wolf-man who plays a central role in the Ranni questline.
That being said, Igon’s quest is fairly straightforward, confined entirely to the Jagged Peak area- not having to run across the whole world definitely helped bolster his popularity, especially since his crowning moment happens right at the end of his quest.
