The dreambrew concept looks like fun
Datamining can uncover all sorts of secrets, including this Elden Ring cut mechanic that deals entirely with booze and NPC relationships.
This past weekend, YouTuber Lance McDonald (with some help from Sekiro Dubi) put out an incredibly brief and palatable video explaining a very interesting Elden Ring cut mechanic. It mostly deals with the concept of sleep, sleeping enemies, a “dreambrew” drink item, and NPC interactions.
In short, animals used to be in a deeper state of sleep, even as late as the network test edition of the game. This deeper sleep was entwined heavily with “sleep mist,” a substance that let you craft a dreambrew to give to NPCs. You could then use it to instill confidence in said NPCs with a hearty draft, and learn more information about themselves and the overall lore.
The Elden Ring cut mechanic St. Trina’s Crystal Ball questline:
The whole miniature questline kicks off at what became the Stormhill Shack, where a fellow Tarnished character (Monk Jiko — fully voiced with dialogue) speaks of “dreambrew, the nectar of the demigods, once forbidden to mortals.” At this point you can refuse to acquiesce, but you can turn right back around and talk to him again to accept and start the questline.
He tasks you with collecting dreams via “dream mist,” through the St. Trina’s Crystal Ball item. After obtaining it you can see “mist” surrounding characters and enemies that are in a “deep sleep” state. Said state is much harder to break than the current version of sleep, as even running into character models might not rouse them. After collecting two doses of dream mist [slumber fog], you can pick up one dreambrew: which you can offer to NPCs through the “talk” function. Not only does this produce unique dialogue for even offering them a drink, it also leads to new subsequent conversations.
While I understand why any given piece of content is cut, this is a really cool discovery that would have added yet another thing to do to this giant game.
