When it comes to gaming, dark fantasy has come to be synonymous with FromSoftware. This developer creates grim worlds that make players thankful that they are experiencing them through a screen and not in reality.
A recurring theme in FromSoftware’s games is the degradation of characters in some way, many of whom have fallen from grace from a position of great power and/or authority. Of course,Elden Ringis no different. The game features many characters that once held a monumental place in the world, but are considerably weaker by the time the player encounters them. They may still put up a challenge as a boss, but in the end, they are usually past their prime, and the player is able to defeat these once-powerful beings.
10Fire Giant
The Last Of His Kind
TheFire Gianthasn’t fallen from grace as much as other figures, but his tragedy lies in the story of his race. The one fought in the game is the last of his kind. The rest were wiped out by Queen Marika’s war against them, who saw them as a true threat to the Erdtree.
As the last Fire Giant, he sits in solitude, tending to the Forge of the Giants on the snowy peaks of the Mountaintops of the Giants beforethe player fights him. However, he isn’t in the best shape. One damaged leg is held up with a cast, which the player breaks during their fight. The Fire Giant even has to call upon the Fell God in an attempt to win the fight, ripping his leg off and offering it to his god. Yet, sadly, as he is facing the player character, he is defeated, and his race is finally extinct.
9Miquella
An Empyrean That Could Have Brought Harmony
TheShadow of the ErdtreeDLC brought forth more knowledge aboutMiquella, who is the most mysterious character in the base game. He didn’t have definitive moment where he fell from grace, but throughout the DLC, it’s clear that Miquella decided to tread a disturbing path instead of ruling as a true benevolent god.
Throughout the DLC, players can find Miquella’s crosses, where he discards part of himself, physical or abstract. It is through these crosses, via other characters, and in thebossfight where Miquella appears, that the player learns of his manipulation. He desires to create a world of peace, but one that he controls in its entirety, even the people. Compared to understandings of him in the past, he didn’t seem to hold such qualities, at least to the extent he does in the DLC. Miquella once had close and fair relationships with multiple family members, and a true desire to help those persecuted. In the past, he seemed to have no ulterior motives like he does in the present.
8The Crucible Knights
Once Revered As Holy Warriors
As is the case with many of FromSoft’s worlds, there are beings who came before the player, shaping the lands in notable ways. TheCrucible Knightsfell catastrophically. They are now seen as unholy, living in exileacross the Lands Between.
In the past, they were seen as divine warriors, taking upon vestiges of the Crucible. Yet now, they are hated for resembling the Omen. They were once under the command of Godfrey, First Elden Lord, fighting battles as some of his most elite warriors, such as those against the Fire Giants. Now they sit alone, discarded, found in numerous locations across the Lands Between where they can still pose a significant threat to the player.
7Godfrey, First Elden Lord
A Still Deadly Opponent, But Past His Prime
Out of the bosses inElden Ringwho have fallen from grace,Godfreyis somewhat better off. He faced adversities, given he died in the Badlands and was brought back by Grace, but he is still capable, as seen in his boss fight.
When looking into his lore, it’s clear that he is nowhere near as strong as he once was. Waging wars for Marika, he and his army defeated the Fire Giants and the Storm Lord. Yetwhen the player faces him, his axe is broken. He needs to revert to his true self, Hoarah Loux, in a last-ditch effort to emerge victorious.
6The Godskins
Figures Who Killed Gods
One of the most mysterious aspects ofElden Ringis the story of theGloam-Eyed Queenand her entourage ofGodskins. Wielding the Rune of Death, the Godskins hunted down gods with their blackflame, skinning them onto their outfits.
Yet, in the game, they are spread out. Their blackflame can’t even kill the player Tarnished. Their fall from grace is the result of Marika instructing Maliketh to defeat the Gloam-Eyed Queen. She then fused the Rune of Death into him, taking away a large part of the Godskins' power.
5Roundtable Knight Vyke
The Tarnished Who Almost Became Lord
Before the player Tarnished came along,Vykewas the closest Tarnished to becoming Elden Lord. It’s clear he failed, given his invasion in Liurnia wielding the Frenzied Flame, attacking what would have once, presumably, been an ally.
Vyke accepted the Frenzied Flame tosave his maiden from death, failing his quest to become Elden Lord. He was even in a relationship with Lansseax, with which Vyke notably wields red lightning as the Ancient Dragons do.
4Lichdragon Fortissax
A Heroic Act Leading To Decay
Fortissax’sdegradation is one of the most noble acts inElden Ring. As an Ancient Dragon, Fortissax helped end the war between his kind, as perpetrated by Gransax and Leyndell. He did so by forging a close friendship with Godwyn, the demigod son of Queen Marika.
However, once Godwyn’s soul perished in the Night of the Black Knives, Fortissax attempted to enter his dreams and save his best friend. When the player fights him, his body shows signs of his attempts to rescue his friend. His scales are damaged, and his lightning is corrupted with deathblight. It’s essentially amercy killing from the player. Godwyn is gone, and Fortissax fights an unwinnable battle to save him.
3Dragonlord Placidusax
The Original Elden Lord
FromSoft has always included ancient, godly deities in their worlds, with their stories taking place years before the player’s.Dragonlord Placidusaxis another with this theme, ruling as the original Elden Lord before the time of the Erdtree.
However,when the player finds him, his body is ruined from his battle with Bayle the Dread. He is in a seemingly unending communion with his god, until the player engages him in combat. He still demonstrates his power, but is clearly past his prime.
2Rennala, Queen Of The Full Moon
Once Able To Battle Radagon And Halt The Golden Order
Rennala’srole in the lore, and the power she once wielded, seems like a fairy tale given her feeble state when players find her. In the past, she went toe-to-toe with Radagon and the Golden Order when they invaded Liurnia.
Despite finding love in each other and setting aside their differences, Radagon left Rennala for Marika, destroying her spirit.When the player finds her, she is crushed, enfeebled, and obsessing over the last gift Radagon left her. It’s only in her second phase, via a presumed rune that Ranni put in place to protect her mother, that players see how powerful the Queen of the Full Moon once was.
1Starscourge Radahn
A Traditional FromSoft Characterization
FromSoft has always liked the trope of the once noble warrior that has since been corrupted. Radahn is the latest of this archetype, becoming a fan-favorite character as a result.
Starscourge Radahnwas a monster, described as the mightiest demigod, and a proud and honourable figure. He was able to hold back the stars, stopping the various Astel from falling onto the Lands Between and wreaking havoc. However, he met his end with Malenia, who inflicted him with Scarlet Rot and stripped him of his senses. It’s onlythanks to the playerthat Radahn gets an honorable death. The stars are released after he dies, showing he was still in there somewhere.
Despite this, he appears once more in the DLC. Players once again put Radahn down after Miquella forcefully controls him, most likely not wanting any part of Miquella’s ascension to godhood and ruler.
