Summary
The head-spinning, complicated, ethereal lore ofElden Ringis, in many ways, built around one family. FromSoftware’s massive open-world triumph follows in the trend of the studio’s other games when it comes to storytelling, doling out narrative through item descriptions or other indirect means. Enter George R.R. Martin, known for his stories of political intrigue and dysfunctional noble families, and the major players ofElden Ring’s lore become rather complicated indeed.
As players wonder about thestory implications ofElden Ring’s DLC, it’s worth wondering what role the established central characters will play. The family at the core ofElden Ringis spawned from four parents. Godfrey and Queen Marika birthed Mohg and Morgott, the Omen twins, alongside Godwyn the Golden. Radagon and Queen Renalla had Radahn, Ranni, and Praetor Rykard. Radagon and Marika gave birth to Miquella and Malenia. All of these characters are, in their own way, tormented, cursed, or driven by madness, and they all have a rich, often bloody, history with each other, which could be explored and altered inShadow of the Erdtree.
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Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree Could Show Alternate Versions of Characters
In typical FromSoftware fashion, virtually no information has been revealed about theShadow of the Erdtree DLC.That hasn’t stoppedElden Ringfans from scrutinizing detailsof the single promotional image the developer has shared, though, and while it doesn’t provide a lot of information, its imagery is potent. One of the most obvious hints can be gleaned from the landscape of the image; it looks nothing like any area of The Lands Between, and the dying Erdtree in the background is certainly a major departure from its magnificent, glowing appearance in the base game.
Bloodborne, another FromSoftware game, took players to a sort of shadow dimension in theOld HuntersDLC, presenting alternate, nightmarish versions of familiar locations from the base game, while fleshing out characters that were only referenced at other points in the game. There are a number ofElden Ringcharacterslikely to appear in the DLC, and since many of the members of the central family are either dead or transformed in some way before the game begins, a similar storytelling device could present an opportunity to show these characters in an alternate light. For example, Rykard transformed himself into a man-snake hybrid, but his alternate version could still be human. Another example: Mohg and Morgott, who are reviled and cast out for their appearances, could lack the typical Omen traits, which could perhaps be transposed onto another member of the family.
While these changes may not impact the “real” world ofElden Ring, the alternate reality could be presented in such a way that it is just as significant as the reality that players visit in the base game, which would again mirror the Hunter’s Nightmare inBloodborne.Shadow of the Erdtreelimits its quest potentialif it sticks to the reality or timeline that players are familiar with, since most major characters are already established and, depending on when in the game the DLC can be accessed, dead. Alternatively,Shadow of the Erdtreecould feature some sort of linear time travel instead of a parallel dimension, which would allow for similar character work and the presentation of significant characters like Godwyn and Miquella. This would involve some potentially difficult narrative implications, however.
Radagon, Marika, Rennala, Godfrey, and their offspring all play a role in some of the most interesting story content FromSoftware has ever produced. This story is part of what makesElden Ringimpossible to replicate, so it makes sense that fans would want to squeeze as much lore out of the game as possible. With the arrival ofShadow of the Erdtree, FromSoftware can build and alter the relationships between these characters, either through a parallel universe, time travel, or some other, more cerebral means.
Elden Ringis available now for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Series X/S.
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