#Elden ring shadow of the tree

[momijigari]

I’m feral

[satoshi-mochida]

Elden Ring expansion ‘Shadow of the Erdtree’ – ‘Story’ trailer.

[eyestrain-addict]

Unpopular Elden Ring opinion: Ik that its probably just the death blight making Fortissax's scales black, but I like to imagine he was always black, simply because it would suck if one of the most important dragons lore-wise just had the exact same model as the other ancient dragons. (as is, it still sucks he's just a reskin, but at least he has a unique color palette)

[lesbianslovemorgott]

Oh shit maybe the shadow world's tree is actually the crucible

[dreadfutures]

SHADOW OF THE ERDTREE TRAILER TOMORROW

[sordidbask]

Why, oh why...

I'll be waiting, waiting for you

Let me hold you under the tree

Under the tree...

I'll protect you

[buzziebeezz]

The World of Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erd Tree

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erd Tree is an upcoming action role-playing video game developed by FromSoftware and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. It is a highly anticipated collaboration between renowned game director Hidetaka Miyazaki, the creator of the Dark Souls series, and George R.R. Martin, the acclaimed author of "A Song of Ice and Fire" series. In this article, we will explore the world of Elden Ring and delve into its captivating gameplay, intriguing story, and the expectations of fans eagerly awaiting its release.

The Collaboration between Hidetaka Miyazaki and George R.R. Martin

Hidetaka Miyazaki, the visionary game director behind the critically acclaimed Dark Souls series, has joined forces with George R.R. Martin, the mastermind behind the captivating "A Song of Ice and Fire" series. This collaboration has sparked immense excitement among fans of both gaming and literature, as it combines the rich storytelling elements of Martin's fantasy world with Miyazaki's signature gameplay style.

Setting and Lore: The World of Elden Ring

Elden Ring takes place in a vast and immersive world known as the Erd Tree. This world is filled with mystical landscapes, ancient ruins, and mysterious creatures. The Erd Tree, a centerpiece of the game's lore, holds immense power and serves as a catalyst for the events that unfold throughout the game. Players will embark on a journey through different kingdoms, each with its own distinct atmosphere and challenges to overcome.

Gameplay Mechanics: Combining Dark Souls and Open-World Exploration

Elden Ring combines the challenging combat mechanics of the Dark Souls series with the freedom of open-world exploration. Players will navigate the Erd Tree and its surrounding regions, encountering hostile creatures, formidable bosses, and intricate level designs. The game offers a seamless blend of action, strategy, and exploration, allowing players to approach encounters in their preferred playstyle.

Character Customization and Skill Progression

In Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erd Tree, players will have the opportunity to create their own unique character. The game offers extensive customization options, allowing players to choose their character's appearance, abilities, and playstyle. As players progress through the game, they will acquire new skills, weapons, and armor, further enhancing their character's capabilities and opening up new strategic possibilities.

Boss Battles: Epic Encounters and Challenges

One of the defining features of FromSoftware's games is their epic boss battles, and Elden Ring is no exception. Players will face off against colossal creatures with intricate attack patterns and awe-inspiring designs. These encounters will test the player's skill, patience, and adaptability, providing a sense of accomplishment upon their defeat. Each boss battle will be a memorable and intense experience, pushing players to their limits.

Multiplayer and Co-op Features

Elden Ring offers various multiplayer options, allowing players to engage with the game's world alongside other players. Whether it's cooperating with friends to overcome challenging areas or engaging in competitive PvP battles, the multiplayer aspect adds a new dimension to the gameplay experience. Players can choose to explore the world alone or join forces with others, fostering a sense of camaraderie and shared triumph.

Artistic Design: Graphics and Soundtrack

FromSoftware's attention to detail is evident in Elden Ring's artistic design. The game features stunning visuals, atmospheric environments, and intricate character and creature designs. The soundtrack, composed by industry veteran Yuka Kitamura, complements the game's dark and immersive atmosphere, enhancing the player's emotional connection to the world and its inhabitants.

Release Date and Platforms

While exact details regarding the release date and platforms for Elden Ring are still under wraps, the game is expected to launch on major gaming consoles and PC. Fans around the world eagerly await further announcements from FromSoftware and Bandai Namco Entertainment regarding the highly anticipated release.

Anticipation and Expectations from Fans

The announcement of Elden Ring has sparked widespread anticipation and excitement among fans of FromSoftware's games and George R.R. Martin's works. With the combined creative forces of Miyazaki and Martin, players are eagerly awaiting the opportunity to immerse themselves in the captivating world of Elden Ring. The promise of challenging gameplay, deep storytelling, and a vast open world has set high expectations for this upcoming title.

Conclusion

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erd Tree combines the talents of Hidetaka Miyazaki and George R.R. Martin to create a captivating and immersive gaming experience. With its blend of challenging combat, open-world exploration, and rich storytelling, the game promises to deliver an unforgettable adventure for players. As the release date draws nearer, fans eagerly await the opportunity to embark on a journey through the mystical realms of Elden Ring.

[facts-i-just-made-up]

Elden Ring DLC Bosses Revealed!

From Software has released a guide to all the bosses of the upcoming Elden Ring DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree! Here are the ten great monsters you'll fight in the Shadow Lands:

Messmer The Impaler

Messmer is the third triplet with Malenia and Miquella, banished to the shadow lands because for liking snakes and impaling people. Mostly for impaling people, but the snakes didn't help.

The Burning Colossus

A big heap of flaming bodies used as a weapon of war in the rival kingdom of Nausicuu, this massive beast has to be scaled and slain because that's what you do with colossi in games.

Albinauric Orphan Tear

The missing link between mimics and albinaurics, this monster throws his "husk" at the player like a boomerang. The first boss of the DLC, it guards the cave that leads to the Shadow Tree.

Godskin Brigade

The Gloam-Eyed Queen is guarded by an army of her progeny, the godskins. They bear her most fearsome weapon, the Incantation of Ganqskwa-Darengi, which makes them act unpredictably and never need to stop to let the player get in a single stab or arrow.

Godlion Dancer, Firstborn of the Gods

The murdered soul of Godwyn, son of Godfrey and brother to Godrick, Godrranq's lover. This guy has God written all over him. He also has 30 legs so he's good at dancing.

Birdmaster Tonguay, Slayer of Literally Everyone

Ever wonder who tied all those knives to all the bird feet? Ever wonder why there are so few people in the Lands Between? Meet Tonguay, murderer of all those people at the claws of his bird-knives.

Ribbitus, Priestess of the Frog Cult

Elden Ring's new gimmick boss can only be defeated by jumping from platform to tiny platform to poison the flies she likes to eat. She randomly kills the player without warning or opportunity to recover. She sings to you in French the whole time.

Metalgiir, Armored Gandamu

An occult robot constructed by Robot-Master Iji Jr., Metalgiir demands an entirely different kind of gameplay that doesn't fit or scale to anything else in the game, yet is not optional so you have to learn to beat him or you get nothing.

Ouchlord Vivaldi

Just... Don't fight this guy, he clearly has enough problems going on.

Daniel R. Clarksen

Little is known of Daniel Clarksen or why the Tarnished must fight him. He seems like a decent guy, but he probably like turns into a giant demon thing with boobs. These games have lots of those.

[cerastes]

so Drimo for those of us who do not know what is the Armored Core series about [leaves out convenient soapbox for no reason]

If you asked a room of 100 people nowadays, "do you guys know FromSoftware?", the majority of them would stand up and answer, "oh, yeah! The guys that made Dark Souls, right?" You would hear about people wondering when Bloodborne will be ported to PC, or when it will get a sequel. You would hear lamentation for the lack of Sekiro DLC. You would hear praise and anticipation for Elden Ring DLC.

If you were in 2008 and asked a room of 100 people, "do you guys know FromSoftware?", maybe 4 would stand up and say "Oh, the guys that make Armored Core, right? My cousin had it, it looked ok."

The truth of the matter is, FromSoft was a niche studio before Demon's Souls planted a seed and it grew into the massive tree we know as Dark Souls, and its countless branches lush with beautiful flowers, like Bloodborne, Sekiro, and Elden Ring. It even inspired nearby trees, all beautiful in their own right! Trees like Code Vein, Nioh, and others.

But I'm not here to talk about fucking trees and their god damn branches.

I'm here to talk about the sterile wasteland, the wilderness of fallen angels, where the ocean meets the sand. I'm here to talk about pre-Soulsborne FromSoft, when FromSoftware was an unknown, niche, small video game developer barely hanging on to relevancy. They had games like King's Field. They had games like Shadow Tower. They had games like Armored Core. Hell, all of these games still live on in Soulsborne! Did you know? The notorious Mushroom enemies that punch your entire lifebar out from Dark Souls are originally from 1999's Shadow Tower:

Iconic boss fight, Seath the Scaleless from Dark Souls? He's originally from King's Field 2!

The well-loved bald rascal with a penchant for annoying fighting styles and kicking, Patches? Originally from Armored Core! Lucky Patches AKA Patch the Good Luck:

The Moonlight Greatsword? That's originally from King's Field:

Knight Commander Dragonslayer Ornstein? The Bloodborne Reiterpallasch? Armored Core originals, baby:

The truth is, Soulsborne is as dear to old school FromSoft fans such as myself as it is because it carries the past of FromSoft, it carries part of all the old games. The old, niche, unknown FromSoft that we fell in love with lives on in this new, successful, popular FromSoft of nowadays, all without selling out. FromSoft's design philosophy and mission statement has always been to make things that are out there, that aren't generic, that have that slab of esotericism to it, that are inspired and raw and difficult and challenging and oh so rewarding. Soulsborne wasn't a surprise hit. Soulsborne exists built on a foundation of trial and error that carries in its DNA years upon years upon years of difficult, niche titles. I've not even mentioned all the Tenchu references that Sekiro has! How the Powderkeg weapons from Bloodborne are mostly Armored Core weapons scaled down to human size, such as the iconic Stake Driver being the mighty Kiku from Armored Core!

Armored Core was the biggest franchise FromSoft had prior to Soulsborne. The biggest. And it wasn't too big, to be honest. A rather niche, unknown game franchise with numerous titles that did just well enough to justify sequels, with strong cult followings, Armored Core is all about that mecha high octane action, right? Well, it's 50% about that mecha high octane action! Your average Armored Core is a high intensity, breakneck fast game full of machine guns, laser swords and huge explosions when you're in the field, but in order to be able to do that, you must construct your machine, your Armored Core, piece by piece. Not just the chest core or the head piece or the arms, we're taking about generator, radiator, targeting system, thrusters, subsystems, all of that! And each given piece has a stat screen that looks like this:

This is a single laser rifle's stat screen. Every piece has about this many numbers to it. As you can imagine, it wasn't everyone's cup of tea, but for those that took the time to understand it? That familiarized themselves with the game well enough to just be able to look at a piece and understand what it did and roughly how well it performed? Oh, this was to die for. The amount of unique builds, of mechs that were your very own, unique creation, catering to your own specific tastes, was basically infinite. You could make your own dream gameplay machine, that operated in exactly the way you wanted it to. 50% of the time, you were in your garage, tinkering, mixing and matching different parts to improve your Armored Core more and more, to make it better, comfier, stronger, cooler.

Do you know what was influential in Dark Souls' success? And I say this with all the love in my heart, as a massive Dark Souls fan: It was simplification. Dark Souls is a different beast in many regards, of course, compared to Armored Core, but what Dark Souls did was simplify the Armored Core formula, in both comparative gameplay execution and building, and focused on other aspects, like making incredibly cool unique enemies, polished combat, great enemy placement, the works. But end of the day, Dark Souls is a simplified Armored Core. You're not boosting around and firing laser weapons in Dark Souls, but the fundamentals are all there: Tempo based fighting, with intensifying speed, lots of numbers to play with in order to optimize your character to your preference and needs, and the flexibility to switch around builds to certain degrees, more so in the mid game and late game. Hell, the ever-present "little plain white number above the enemy that shows you how much damage you did recently" and how Poise works in Dark Souls are both originally Armored Core things. Most every Armored Core veteran that I know, myself included, that played Dark Souls just felt it click naturally after a bit. Because it's an extension of Armored Core (and King's Field/Shadow Tower).

Armored Core, since its inception, has been about being a mercenary in a callous world where companies that are as powerful as countries, plural, wage in economic war with each other. Rarely has there ever been a good guy in Armored Core, it's the pristine FromSoft absolutely horrid and doomed world narrative that they love so much. You can even go into debt! Your rewards at the end of any mission are affected by how much ammo you consumed and how banged up your AC got, you have to foot the bill for repairs and ammo (unless your client specifically states that they'll cover it for you), and if you don't perform too well and end up going into sufficiently big debt? Why, you forcibly get put into the Human-PLUS program to offset your debt, which actually makes your stronger, since it gives you the ability to ignore Total Weight restrictions and gives you infinite energy! At the cost of, you know, your humanity. At that point, you're literally just a corporate drone with more machine than brain in the nogging. It's a fancy Easy Mode toggle, so to speak, that comes with lore. This game is from 1997. Even from back then, they were making stuff like this. The setting of Armored Core is ruthless, cruel, and brutal... And yet, beautiful, the little things, they are there. But I won't tell you about them. You have to find them yourself. The beautiful things only have value if you find them in a horrid world by your own merit.

This is true for Armored Core, and this is true for Dark Souls.

Armored Core, on a personal level, is what I grew up with, what inspired me as a child, the kind of storytelling that gives you a few explicit morsels, and the rest, figure it out yourself. Armored Core is basically what came before Dark Souls. I consider Soulsborne sequels to Armored Core. They are so very alike.

Brutal gameplay, challenging management, ruthless storytelling... It's heaven.

Armored Core is a series of a gaming era long gone. Armored Core is the opposite of "cinematic experience" games. Armored Core is brutal, it wants to test you, it grants you no quarter, but it wants you to succeed. Armored Core wants you to master its management systems and its high speed combat. Armored Core wants you to be a sharper, better you.

Armored Core is a video game series about giant robots blowing each other to bits.

Armored Core is both a test and teacher, and it wants you to win. It wants you to become the you that can beat it.

Armored Core loves you. Armored Core will do all in its power to prevent you from winning. Armored Core knows you can win, which is why it tries so hard.

Armored Core is a good video game.

[astrifer777]

GUYS GUYS GUYS

I hate to say this but it finally clicked.

WHAT CLICKED YOU ASK? NO YOU DIDNT BUT HERE WE GOOOO

Now before we start (we meaning me and my rotten brain), this sword is associated with Miquella. We know this because the symbol used in this animation:

Has the symbol associated with Miquella and his Haligtree:

And while scrolling on tumbler I read it's description for the the 30th time. And I quote

A sword made to commemorate the death of Godwyn the Golden, first of the demigods to die.

Infused with the humble prayer of a young boy; "O brother, lord brother, please die a true death."

And it made something click for me that has felt... Odd since the trailer of the DLC dropped. Something that felt wrong.

From bandai namcos elden ring page:

"And now Miquella awaits the return of his promised lord".

And I know obviously this is referring to the player... But wait a minute. Is it? We have never interacted with or met Miquella what so ever. why we he be awaiting our "return"? Why are we his "promised lord"?

Because... We aren't. We don't need to return to a place we've never been. This has bugged me SO MUCH because it feels so... weird for it to be the tarnished. It doesn't make sense even. But if he's awaiting his "Lord Brother".... who has been dead since the before the shattering. He is absolutely waiting for the return of Godwyn... I don't think it's a stretch to say Godwyn is his promised lord.

And we know how Godwyn is gonna come back, or at least miquellas plan from some random ghost:

Lord Miquella, forgive me. The sun has not been swallowed. Our prayers were lacking. Your comrade remains soulless... I will never set my eyes upon it now... Your divine Haligtree.

Soooooo yeah. I think Miquella is awaiting the return of Godwyn. What does this means?

The DLC rotted my brain and I'm probably wrong, but it's what feels right.

(Also also the shadow looks so white and black.... And the sun is much brighter in the background?? And is being eclipsed by the tree, while MIQUELLA POINTS AT IT?????)

ok done now bye bye

[sillovn]

The Beginning

Ok, finished gathering my thoughts on the "Shadow of Erdtree" trailer. Credit to @rinboz and @crumblingfaggotazula for beating me to the punch for many of these observations.

The corpse scene reads to me as 'pregnant woman with open gown' - the implication being that Marika steals 'gold' from the god of the previous age.

At present, the Elden Ring is held in Marika's body. Thus, the golden thread is probably the Elden Ring (or a great rune) in some form?

There's also the language surrounding this; 'seduction, betrayal, affair'. Is this confirmation that Radagon has always been Marika? the entire arc with Rennala being intentional and part of wider pattern?

Marika's rune seems to be a representation of golden sap dripping from the twin trees seen later in the trailer.

The corpse pile being the Erdtree's 'Primordial Matter' (see. Gilded Greatshield) makes a ton on sense; note the general shape and central fissure.

It explains the Erdtree (and it's descendants) ability/habit of corpse absorption. Also the implication that Jar-burial is not (strictly) a new practice - but based on something much older. Jars also have appeared frequently in the trailers.

Land of Shadow being 'obscured by the Erdtree' seems to be very literal - the Erdtree being a door with once side facing The Lands Between and the other; the Land of Shadow. Also explains the massive 'hole' in the lands between map - its not a meteor crater but where the Land of Shadow was.

Colour of Homeward Yearning

You could also say that in this scene; Marika is changing gold from it's original 'red tint' to how it appears as present.

Red (Primordial gold's colour) sits between yellows and purples (ie. gloam) on the colour wheel. The scene hue being nested gold-red-purple. Therefore, the Shadow was a natural byproduct from splitting "true gold" from the original "red gold"?

Also, is "homeward yearning" because red-gold calls back to a time before Land of Shadow+Lands Between split? or is it because of something else...

"Where all life was once blended together"

The Crucible being a corpse mountain fits that description well. Main caveat is that the corpses appear to be human, no beast parts. Then again, 'Omen-like' beings seem to be common in the 'Pre-Erdtree Culture' so perhaps they are the source of the horns/tails etc.

Its assumed that the corpses are of Marika's defeated enemies, but what if instead they are 'willing sacrifices'? Its been suggested that Erdtree followers don't reproduce biologically - they return to the tree on death and are assumed to be reborn at 'the foot of Erdtree'. Did Marika's original followers give themselves to seal away the Land of Shadow with the promise of being reborn into a new land? Therefore, "all life blended together" is because everyone who has ever lived in the Lands Between is a reincarnation from said original corpse mountain?

Side note; the Erdtree originally being made of bodies draws parallels with Rykard and Godrick and what they're up to.

Its also stated that Messmer's war follows said birth of gold, so clearly the corpses cannot be from said war.

All those stripped of the Grace of Gold

Going back to Marika's theft of gold; Im guessing that the pre-Erdtree culture loses the grace of gold in this act - ie. they become Tarnished. Messmer seems duty-bound to burn all those 'stripped of the grace of gold' which explains both his war against the pre-Erdtree Culture as well as his contempt for the player character.

Its interesting how becoming Tarnished potentially has been wielded as a punishment deep into the past.

Also note how Godfrey is 1st Elden Lord (even though Placidusax exists) and the 1st Tarnished (even though the pre-Erdtree culture likely became Tarnished).

The 'Lion Dancers' do not have golden eyes, but they also appear to be 'constructs/suits' - so who knows really?

Misc Stuff

One of the stranger things in the reveals is how finally have context for the various shield emblems - Candletree, Crossed-Tree, Red-Thorn (maybe...)

[miquellaluciscaelum]

A bunch of brainworms about dlc. Speculations, theories, my personal opinion, which I think I will stick to until the release of dlc.

Miquella.

(1) The main plot is that we go after Miquella. It is not yet very clear for what purpose and who sent us there, but judging by the voice at the end, it could be Ranni or Melina, or even Miquella himself. Voice is quite feminine.

(2) Miquella is likely to be our companion, as Melina was, or we will follow some messages from him, maybe meet his followers who will guide us, since the announcement says that we will be "guided by Miquella" and "meet others who follow in miquella footsteps".

(3) I'm not sure if we will have the opportunity to fight with him or not, but the last scene where we see the first shot of him where he's literally SHINING, can be both the ending cutscene of the dlc and the beginning of the bossfight.

(4) It's likely he will look the same with his first concept art appearence, because the hairstyle with braids and his skin, they are very similar.

(5) If this tree in the Shadow realm is the Crucible of life that I explain below in my theory, it is quite possible that Miquella came to this world for obtaining its power or something like that, it is also quite possible that he goes there because he knows that Marika has hidden something in this world, something very important.

(6) Overall, Miquella's trip to these lands seems like a pretty desperate move to me. He literally commits a very terrible sin by "divesting himself of his flesh, his strength, his lineage. Of all thing Golden". It sounds like he finally broke all his connection with the golden order and his family, including his blood connection with MALENIA that sounds crazy, and he also renounces his power, as I understand, magical and which is hidden in his blood. In my head, it looks very similar to what Ranni did, killing her body and moving her soul into a doll. It's just that Miquella killed his body or left it and moved his mind into this hidden world with the help of the power of sleep and dreams. I repeat, it seems to me some kind of desperate last step, perhaps he felt that his transformation was interrupted by Mogh and was no longer possible to complete because of his poisoned body, maybe he felt that his tree had died or something like that.

(7) Most likely, based on the words that Miquella is "awaits the return of his promised Lord", he cannot leave this realm on his own, either because he is captured by someone, maybe Messmer, either because his initial plan failed and he simply does not have enough power to return. So he's waiting for the promised lord. Here we have at least two options:

- This opens for us consort ending, but with Miquella, he will essentially be an alternative for Ranni, because he is also an Empyrean just with other purposes. And can replace Marika as a vessel of the Elden ring like Ranni. This is also supported by rumor that From software wanted to make another extra ending - the Age of Abundance, but either they cut it out at the end, or maybe abandoned the idea.

- I also saw the option that it could be Godwin as promised Lord, to whom Miquella could bring the true death, it can be the reason why he came to this world initially.

World.

(1) We are going into the world of shadows and it seems that this is not Miquella's dream or the Erdtree afterlife or something else, as many assumed earlier, but some kind of hidden realm that is not accessible to ordinary people and may be either under the map, or as some people suggest, either be at the intersection of all towers where we activated great runes, behind a large cloud on the map.

(2) Very important, some kind there once was Marika in this shadow realm, as mentioned in the summary of the game's plot in the announcement: " a place obscured by the Erdtree where the goddess Marika first set foot". Perhaps this world was her home before she became a goddess, or she ruled these lands before they were hidden, apparently during some kind of war: "a land purge in an unsung battle". It was quite possible that it was the war with giants, given some of the symbols hinting at it in Messmer + flame magic.

(3) Looking at the baldachin over the tree and keeping in mind its similarity to Marika's chambers in the capital before Morgott, I think that perhaps Marika herself made these lands forbidden or closed from others with this baldachin barrier, so the theory that Messmer may be an unwanted or forgotten demigod-child of Marika, left in this shadow world, as Marika's dark secret, has some basis. This is also hinted at a special dungeon in Leamgrave, Impaled Catacombs, thanks super lore guys in twitter!

(4) Speaking of the secrets of Marika, the tree at the center of this realm. I have a lot of thoughts about this. It may be wild, but I assume that this could be the Crucible of life or what's left of it. That golden liquid that flows down is the power of the Crucible that goes out into the world. In the Lands between, due to the overwhelming influence of the Erdtree and the Golden order, its power is almost not felt, and can only manifests itself in the birth of Omen children, but in THIS world, the world of shadows, we see signs of the influence of the Crucible: horns, spells and etc in almost all creatures. Thus, Marika could lock the tree in a separate dimension, hoping that it would soon die on its own and its influence would finally dry up, but it is still alive. Or, of course, it can simply be a reflection of the Erdtree in the dark world, if we consider the theory that the world of shadows is a reflection of the real world. I definitely don't think it's Miquella's tree, because it has absolutely no reason to be one.

(5) I also want to note the time in this story, chronology is quite a mess in Elden ring in principle, but according the trailer, a significant place in this shadow world is occupied by some faction associated with Saint Trina, and therefore with Miquella. That suggests that either Miquella came to this world quite a long time ago to be able to organize and build his own order or something like that, either time goes faster there than in the main game, which is quite interesting.

(6) Speaking of factions in this world, there are at least a few: the faction of Saint Trina (we saw a knight who fought with some kind of sleepy magic, although it could be a gravity spell because of lightning🤔) but there were lilies on his armor🤷), we also saw someone very similar to a Carian woman in a room similar to Raya Lucaria, more than that there are architectural elements of the Carian architecture and the architecture of Sellia, which means Kariya faction. Almost forgot, we also can see Moon in one shot.

Perhaps Messmer has his own faction, most likely ruling in this dimension. And also there are some coincidences in how the branch that the elderly man pulls out of his body looks, with the shape of candlesticks that some enemies fight with and the symbol on the black knight in the form of a pointed branch or rune. These all symbols are black and golden. Probably this is some kind of pro-erdtree faction, followers of the Great order and Marika. The color scheme echoes Marika and Maliket at least. From the voice lines we can assume that in this shadow realm there are followers or Erdtree faithful and those who opposite them, perhaps it can be even active conflict in present time and wars in the past.

Messmer.

I see for myself two working variants of his origin:

(1) Marika and Radagon. Since he has a rather distinctive appearance, the theory of butterflies in the game, where the smoldering butterflies actually refer to him, and not to Melina; more than that when he addresses to his mother and talks about Lordship, I don't think anyone other than Marika has the authority to make a man the Elden Lord; and in the scene with him, there is a statue of a woman with a child behind his back, the woman is difficult to see, but by the location of the bracelets on her arm, you can compare her with the statues of Marika in the main game;

(2) Gloam-eyed queen. The portrait of a woman with an elderly man refers to this, the woman in the picture with dark hair, she holds her hand on her stomach as if she is pregnant; Messmer has some similarities with the "children" of Gloam-eyed queen - the apostles; he uses a very strange black and red flame.

(3) The theories that Messmer is some part of Miquella or he himself look strange to me, considering that we have known for a long time from the main game that there was some other child of Marika that we don't know about, we just used to think this was Melina. According to the announcements, although indirectly, we can assume that this shadow world and Messmer existed for a long time, perhaps even before the birth of Miquella and Malenia, probably Messmer was exiled there for blasphemy or something like that.

(4) l also don't think Messmer is Miquella's son or Mogh and Miquella somehow had a child together. I think all the influence of Mogh in this dlc will be directly related to his influence on Miquella. I don't think he's affected the world around him, everything that happens in this world, I think should be the influence of the Crucible of life and Messmer directly, perhaps some other forces, but not Mogh.

I'm sorry all of this is such a mess, like in my head after trailer. I'd be glad to see your comment and theories too, maybe you can challenge some of my theories, it gives them extra development and I could add something later. So thank you for attention.

[drenched-in-sunlight]

okay forgive me cuz i only just started playing elden ring and getting into the lore n such but like,,, if the dlc's main story from the player perspective has anything to do with becoming miquella's consort and elden lord like some ppl are saying, do u think maybe then messmer's thing is defending marika and her order from those would would usurp them? maybe you've talked about that before and i missed it BUT. idk. i love the mama's boy thing a lot it's very cute and honestly this early on i think it really has some merit too :3

yes i did discuss the idea that Messmer is acting as Marika's secret executioner in the shadow when the first trailer dropped, & with the newly released story trailer, i think his role is even more sinister than that: the one plunging a whole world in flames for his mother's ascension....

i never really thought about the significance behind the lore that the Haligtree had to be watered by Miquella's own blood to grow, but now if you factor in Messmer's "tyranny" and that shot of him raising his spear and the camera panning up to the giant tree either bleeding gold or absorbing it... is he destroying civilizations to nurture the Erdtree? is he the main force at the start helping Marika become a God??? hmmmm there's a lot to unpack here ...

im excited to find out what does it all mean with everyone when the DLC drops! i hope you enjoy your time with the game !! :D

[unalloyed-thoughts]

Miquella, Torrent and some DLC speculation

I said that i would address this in my last post so here we go!

So all the way back in February of last year (god where the fuck did time go) the first Elden ring dlc announcement was released, and with it this fairly well documented piece of concept art, depicting Miquella riding atop our lovable and trusty spiritual steed Torrent, gazing onto the shadow tree towering yonder.

Of course this spawned many theories, one of the most well known and popular being that Miquella is torrent's former master, the very same one mentioned by Ranni that supposedly delivered the spirit calling bell onto her. Now of course this is all very interesting, as if proven true it means that Miquella did some serious planning ahead, it would also mean that Miquella would be aware of Marika's plan involving the tarnished, at least to some degree. Yet of course i have to still temper my expectations as concept art of Miquella riding torrent isnt exactly hard proof, at least not yet, the dlc announcement showed us a new cover art for the dlc and a much more fleshed out enviroment which looks pretty different from the original announcement, so i wouldnt be surprised if torrent was there for scale rather than hinting at a possible connection. Of course only time will tell...

Even so, lets assume Miquella is indeed Torrent's former master for a second. Because one of the DLC description line in the bandai page is pretty interesting...

Now why is this important? well first off i wanna get something out of the way, this line isnt exactly accurate to the original JP's text, where it says that Miquella is "awaiting the promised lord" so there is no mention of a "return" which makes more sense, now of course the lord in question would be us, the player, who is being guided by Miquella into the lands of shadow for some purpose yet unknown, but there is a chance that Miquella's hunt for a possible lord is something that has been going on for a while...

One of Elden ring's recurring themes is that of beasts following worthy lords, we see this a lot of times, Godfrey being one of the main examples, an elden lord accompanied by his regent beast Serosh. We also have placidusax, another elden lord who ruled over the beastmen. And of course we also have the shadowbound beasts that accompany and serve empyreans.

The bloodhound knights also carry on this particular themes, being knights that choose their own masters, and serve them for life. This part is important because it expands on the themes of Beasts choosing worthy lords.

Finally there is the beast champion armor, that reads: Beasts are drawn to champions, and to lords. And this armor befits a champion worthy of becoming a lord. And that is what Bernahl was. which is again more of the same theme we have been over. So where does torrent fit into all this? well when we talk to Melina she tells us that "Torrent knew our measure from the very start".

From the very beginning Torrent trusted us, he knew we were worthy of becoming lord and decided to follow us and help us achieve our goals, way before Melina truly trusted us. Torrent was our beast and we its lord. See were im going with this? If Miquella used to be Torrent's former master then i believe he was given away to look for a fitting lord, one who would help him carry out his vision. We are Miquella's promised lord. As another theme of elden ring is Lords being subservient to their god. Godfrey was loyal to Marika and carried out her will, placidusax also remained loyal to his god. So now we will become Miquella's lord and aid him in his quest.

I feel the fact that the item that summons torrent is a delicate goldwork ring is also telling of this, The lord that serves their god is usually also their consort. Much like we give ranni our ring to form our union, miquella might have given us this ring to brand us as their coming lord. It also would Make sense if Miquella was the creator of the ring, if he was torrent's former master then he knew a thing or two about spirits (because he entrusted the spirit calling bell onto ranni) and also he is described as a master craftsman, so he could have made the item that summons our spectral steed. its interesting to think about him working with Ranni as at the end of the day they have pretty different goals, one wanting to follow in his mother's footstepts and establish a new order while Ranni wanted to Make order inconcivable, removing it far away from mortal lives. Both being scheming little bastards however doesnt make it to difficult to believe that they would work together for their own personal benefit

But anyway, those are my thoughts for now, i may expand upon it later but who knows. After all this is all WILDLY speculative and likely to be proven wrong when the dlc releases, yet i have hope that maybe some of it will be true!

[catcas22]

Prehistory of Elden Ring

I can't rightfully call this a theory. This is somewhere between a fanfic and an elaborate headcanon. But it accounts for a lot of little lore-tidbits that I don't really have enough canon info to do a proper theory on.

            Eiglay was the first of the gods, the World Serpent who held all potential for life within himself. Having consumed the world that came before, he birthed a single egg and then laid down to die. While the egg slumbered deep within the molten core of the world, Eiglay’s corpse lay unburied. The Twinbird descended to peck out his eyes, and where the cold blood spilled there sprang up a sapling.

            The sapling grew tall and black, beset by thorns. This was the birth of the World Tree -- the Lampwood Tree, vessel of souls. The Twinbird roosted in its branches.

            As a being of twinned natures, the Twinbird gave birth to two broods. The Deathbirds, corpse-eaters who embodied the decay of the flesh, and the Angels, winged maidens who embodied the immortality of the soul.

            When the Numen sailed from across the fog, they found the Lampwood Tree and its ghost-light towering above all. They built their city of Helphen at its roots, and they both feared and worshipped the Twinbird. For they were a long-lived people, and they dreaded the end all the more for it.

            Far across the stars, a spawn of the void fixed its eye upon the Lands Between. It sent forth soldiers graven from stone, raining as a shower of meteors upon the Lands and led by generals of onyx and alabaster.

            The greatest amongst these were the dragons, animate stone armed with the power of the storm. They were the teeth and claws of the void, and none could withstand them. In a final desperate stand, the angels met them in a great battle in the sky. In an early mirror of the Dread Communion, the angels allowed themselves to be devoured. In doing so, they granted the dragons the gift of free will.

            Now imbued with souls of their own, the dragons took names for themselves and turned against their former masters. Led by the mighty Placidusax, the Lord of the True Storm, they hounded the lords of the void from the Lands Between. They raised up beasts to serve them, giving the gifts of will and reason as they had been given in turn, and they raised up their city of Farum Azula to the south of the Lampwood Tree.

            When they looked upon the eternal dragons, the Numen resented their own mortality all the more. In all things, they sought to cheat death. They built great stone golems to fight their wars. They hid away within their walled city, prolonging their years through alchemy and dark hexes. And at last they created beings made by hands, the children of silver. They sent these thralls out to do the work of the living, to risk and to struggle, while the Numen hid away as if already entombed.

            As the dread of death consumed every waking moment, the Numen dwindled in splendor and in number. They built grand mausoleums to house their dead while the homes of the living stood empty. They embalmed their forefathers and set them in places of honor while their sons died childless. They spent their years seeking the riddle of immortality, and all the while they left the business of living to their silver thralls. And at the end Helphen became a mausoleum in truth, street upon street lined with manors for the dead while those few who still lived lingered in ruined houses and dark corners.

            The Numen remnant who rejected this slow entombment intermarried with the children of silver, and their descendants were the Nox. These were a people equal in stature and nobility to the Numen of old, and where their fathers had cowered at the shadow of death, the Nox looked to the stars.

            Having seen the calamity that had once fallen from the stars, the Nox set themselves to study the movements of the firmament. They raised the Eternal City of Nokceles atop the dead city of Helphen, and in the years to come they established the sister cities of Nokron and Nokstella.

            As their crowning achievement, the Nox constructed the Black Moon, a gravitational well of such magnitude that it could guide the paths of the very stars.

            It came to pass that the Twinbird hated the dragons. The great raven coveted the warmth of the living, and it sought to gather all souls back to itself. While the Deathbirds continued to bring it ashes to eat, with the loss of the angels all the souls of the newly dead were left to roam free. Most of all, the Twinbird hated the ancient dragons, for they lived without fear of death and refused to relinquish their souls.

             In the midst of this, a great ember fell to earth, the burning core of a red star. A giant by the name of Uhl took it up, for the giants had ever worshiped the flame. He sought to carry it down to the Lampwood Tree, to break the hold of death and lay the seed of a new age.

            The Twinbird descended upon him in great fury, cold ghostflame in its wings. It would have snuffed out the ember and Uhl with it if not for the intercession of Placidusax. Twice the dragon and the raven clashed within the storm, and twice death was beaten back. At their third meeting, the Twinbird cast down Placidusax and ripped away one of the dragon’s five heads.

            Uhl might have fallen then, but the lords of the Nox raised up their Black Moon as a shield. For a few precious moments, they confounded the Twinbird. Then Uhl split open the black tree of souls and planted the ember within its heart.

            As souls once frozen and calcified mixed into a great molten core, the World Tree changed -- no longer the Lampwood, guide of souls, it became the Crucible, the wellspring of life. Uhl carved the face of the Fell God upon his breast and named himself the god of the Age of Fire, and he welcomed Placidusax as his lord and consort.

            Now the Nox were consumed by envy, for they were proud, and while they were permitted to exist within Uhl’s order they were given no place of prominence. As their bitterness festered, they fell to the vices of their forefathers.

            They delved once more into alchemy, seeking to thwart the very laws of nature. They raised up thralls of their own, silver tears as warriors and albinaurics as menial slaves. They denied that they had ever been born of silver, and they were all the crueler to their creations for it.

            At the height of their hubris, they called out to the void that they had once sought to hold at bay. For it was whispered amongst their most gifted scholars, if a Black Moon made by hands could sway the paths of stars, then what power had set those paths in the beginning?

            Might there be a god of the void, a Dark Moon of whom their Black Moon was only a paltry imitation? Might this god be beckoned, coaxed to inhabit a mortal vessel as the Fell God had inhabited Uhl?

            By the labor of their greatest alchemists, the Nox crafted a vessel for the Dark Moon, an Empyrean born of silver, a Lord of Night to challenge the Lord of the Crucible. But in the end they were taken by the very void they had beckoned, dragged beneath the earth and left to grow low and stunted.

            And as the age of the Nox perished in its infancy, a new star fell to earth. An unnatural thing, a beast of light that despised the chaos of the living, a beast of void that denied the primacy of death. And from the ruined scions of the Numen, the Beast plucked an Empyrean vessel.

[the-odd-laundromat]

On Miquella, St. Trina, and Spirits

Warning, this is a fairly long post. Best buckle up.

I've started to let my imagination wander of late about Miquella, St. Trina, and spirit ashes within the lore of Elden Ring and its DLC. I made this for fun and I don't intend it in serious spirit. If this doesn't line up with your own theories or headcanons, that's cool. There are billions of people on the planet, and some of us are bound to disagree. Let's all be civil about it, please. (Do note this is just my personal blog, not dedicated exclusively to ER).

My theory is this: Apart from sleep (through St. Trina), Unalloyed Gold and the Haligtree, Miquella holds dominion over spirits; specifically Torrent, Spirit Ashes and spirit bosses you fight.

Miquella fits, if abstractly, into Elden Ring's mythological basis. He parallels the god Baldr from Norse myth, already an influence on Elden Ring (e.g., The Erdtree = Yggdrasil) in some ways: Baldr was associated with light and all good things, and was specifically noted to be beloved by all. Baldr's death (though that's Godwyn in ER) triggers Ragnarok. Baldr is among the gods who survive and return to a renewed, clean-slate world (Miquella wants to create a new world order with the Haligtree).

Now, I'll go out on a limb and propose that he also parallels Apollo of Greek myth. Apollo wasn't specifically beloved by all (I don't think), but he was significantly venerated, comparably to big-shots like Zeus, Athena, Aphrodite, and Hermes. He's also associated with light (one of his most common epithets is Phoebus Apollo, meaning Shining or Radiant Apollo), and is a twin (granted, Apollo and Artemis are rather different to Miq and Malenia). In the DLC trailer, Miquella glows, and the camera cuts immediately to a bright light bathing the strangler-fig tree (nature unknown) from behind.

Now comes the fun part: The connection between music, death, and sleep. Apollo is also famously a god of music, and in Elden Ring, spirits are also associated with it. You summon spirits in combat with the Spirit-Calling Bell, and Melina gives you the Spectral Steed Whistle to summon Torrent (who some speculate Miquella is the "original master" of, as supported by promotional art for the DLC). Curiously, Miquella's alter ego St. Trina is also associated with music: One of their titles is Saint Trina of the Cradlesong, and as mentioned in a cut quest, Miquella, as St. Trina, supposedly sang a lullaby to the Frenzied Flame Merchants to ease their suffering. To my knowledge, no other figure has such an association to music.

Fittingly for a game constantly trying to kill you, Elden Ring is in no shortage of death gods and suchlike figures. Maliketh and Godwyn may be considered death gods through their relation to Deathroot/the Rune of Death, you have the Deathbirds/Twinbird and the Gloam-Eyed Queen and the Ancestor Spirit, Ghostflame and Blackflame and the Frenzied Flame - heck, Malenia/the Scarlet Rot God could even qualify, as a harbinger of decay and apocalypse. My proposition is that Miquella is or will become another death god, but of merciful death, of deathlike sleep and the peaceful dream of oblivion - hence his connection to the Shadow Realm. And potentially the first spirit tuner - Hewg tutors Roderika because he's "indebted to a spirit tuner [he] met long ago". After all, in Greek mythology, Sleep (Hypnos) is brother to Death (Thanatos).

Are there holes in this? Yeah, probably. Will the DLC canon crush this theory under Messmer's open-toed cowboy boots? Most definitely. That's okay. Part of the fun of speculation is seeing just how crazy you can get with it. Sorry this is so long-winded. I hope you enjoyed this deranged romp through the mythology of this super cool video game.