“These people are completely crazy”

Just FYI, this article contains major spoilers For The Acolyte Episode 5Turn around now if you’re not caught!

The costume design for Star Wars: The Acolyte’s main villain was partly inspired by Elden Ring, according to showrunner Leslye Headland.

In an interview with Inverse, Headland discusses the choice to make Qimir, aka The Stranger, an unarmored Sith. Headland recalls instances where she was playing Elden Ring and the players she summoned were not wearing any armor, which she considers “crazy.” Additionally, it was these nearly completely naked Tarnished, which is of course the signature style of Elden Ring legend Let Me Solo Her, that at least partially inspired the design of Qimir’s costume.

“A lot of Qimir was figuring out how to use your body and not just stand there in a suit or be encumbered by a suit. We were like, ‘He needs to have something that flows.’ As soon as I said he didn’t have armor, everyone lost their minds. ‘How can you not have armor?’ I was like, ‘Why wear armor if you’re not going to get hit?’ It’s like the Elden Ring costume. The Elden Bling. When you summon people, you always summon people who aren’t wearing anything, and it’s like, ‘These people are crazy.’”

Headland even gave some advice on how to deal with the notoriously difficult bosses in Elden Ring. “Yeah, you have to go in with that offensive attitude, especially with these bosses. You can’t back out and panic. You have to be aggressive with them. You have to go for it.” In things,” she said.

For more on Elden Ring, here’s our guide to all Shadow of the Erdtree bosses and how to beat them.

The Acolyte continues weekly on Disney Plus, and you can learn more about the series with our deep dives and exclusives below: