If there’s one thing that Elden Ring has in spades, it would be mysteries — plenty of which stand to be solved in the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. FromSoftware’s storytelling leans heavily on intrigue, encouraging players to go on deep dives into the lore to attempt to piece together the open threads and enigmas presented throughout the game. This is partially what makes the Soulsborne games so great, and Elden Ring might be the best example yet. However, a few answers would go a long way in clarifying some of the more puzzling secrets in the lore.
Strategic placement of ambiguity can amplify a game’s narrative, particularly regarding player engagement. Elden Ring has done this well, but Shadow of the Erdtree will undoubtedly shift this balance. It’s reasonable to assume that the expansion will introduce even more mysteries, sending players on another scavenger hunt into the lore. Offering some answers to the main game’s biggest questions would go a long way to offset the balance shift. Conveniently, the characters teased for Shadow of the Erdtree, like Miquella, have great potential to explain the unclear areas of Elden Ring’s story.
10 Is Melina An Empyrean/Actually A Child Of Marika?
Despite being a central character in Elden Ring, Melina is shrouded in mystery. She mentions that her mother inside the Erdtree gave her purpose long ago, which would imply that Queen Marika is her mother. However, it’s curious that Melina isn’t mentioned as one of the demigod children chosen as an Empyrean by the Two Fingers.
The three butterfly items hint that Melina could be the sibling of Miquella and Malenia, which would also imply that she, too, is an Empyrean because she was a child of Marika and Radagon, who are the same person. However, these details are merely hints that have yet to be officially confirmed, but Miquella could be the perfect candidate to solve this mystery in Shadow of the Erdtree.
9 Where Was Farum Azula Before It Got Dragged Into The Storm?
Elden Ring’s endgame dungeon, Crumbling Farum Azula, is a confusing place that potentially exists outside of time. The enigma of time travel aside, Farum Azula’s other big mystery is that it may have been attached to the mainland of The Lands Between. It makes the most sense to have once been located near the Bestial Sanctum in Caelid, but how or why it was dragged into a storm over the sea is unknown.
8 How Did The Eternal City Make The Fingerslayer Blade?
The Fingerslayer Blade plays a crucial role in obtaining Ranni’s ending in Elden Ring, but how the item came into being is a mystery. The item description mentions that it was born from a corpse, symbolizing the Eternal City’s treason. The fact that it can harm the Greater Will makes the blade even more intriguing. It resembles the Sacred Relic Sword players obtain after defeating the Elden Beast, which seems to have been formed from Radagon’s corpse. This sparks the question of who the corpse was from which the Eternal City fashioned its Fingerslayer Blade.
7 Are St. Trina And Miquella Really The Same Person?
Throughout Elden Ring, players can find mention of a mysterious figure known as St. Trina. Several pieces of evidence point to the figure being an alter ego of Miquella, suggesting that he may have the peculiar ability, like Marika, to become a different person. Cut content in Elden Ring reveals that a side quest revolving around St. Trina and Miquella once existed that would confirm that they are one and the same. However, cut content is cut for a reason, which could mean FromSoftware doesn’t want these characters to be the same person or that this narrative is being saved for Shadow of the Erdtree.
6 Why Did The Black Knife Assassins Betray Ranni?
Elden Ring’s intro cinematic tells how the Black Knife assassins were used to slay Godwyn the Golden in what became known as the Night of the Black Knives. Ranni was behind this plot, which set into motion The Shattering and her goal to bring about her Age of Stars. However, the Black Knife assassins also target Ranni, Blaidd, and Iji during her quest line. So, something must’ve transpired for these once allies turned on each other for unexplained reasons, which could be explained in Shadow of the Erdtree, potentially via Miquella’s recounting of the infamous night.
5 Are There More Dreamworlds Like Godwyn’s Deathbed Dream?
Fia’s questline sends players on the only journey into dreams featured in Elden Ring, specifically into Godwyn the Golden’s Deathbed Dream. This confirms that the concept of entering dreams is possible in Elden Ring’s lore, but it is a little strange that no other dreamworlds are explorable. Perhaps only powerful beings can manifest dreams of this scale. Intriguingly, Shadow of the Erdtree’s focus on Miquella, who slumbers in a cocoon, hints that players will see more dreamworlds.
4 Why Don’t Malenia And Miquella Have Shadows?
Malenia and Miquella are Empyreans, but they lack one of the hallmarks of those with this status: Shadows. The Two Fingers assign Empyreans with a Shadow Beast, usually a wolf-like creature, to guard them. Ranni has Blaidd, and Marika has Maliketh. However, the twin Empyreans’ Shadows are nowhere to be found in the game or the lore. Their whereabouts are a mystery that is bound to be solved by Miquella in Shadow of the Erdtree.
3 Who Is The Gloam-Eyed Queen?
The Gloam-Eyed Queen is never directly mentioned in Elden Ring‘s dialogue, but she lies heavily in several lore descriptions. She played a massive part in the earlier parts of the timeline but is absent from the main game, which is strange for someone who once wielded so much power against the Greater Will. The Frenzied Flame ending provides strong evidence that Melina is actually the Gloam-Eyed Queen, but without confirmation and further lore details, it’s hard to pin down a conclusion.
2 Why Is Ranni An Empyrean If She Wasn’t Born From A Single God?
One stipulation for becoming an Empyrean is that the individual was born from a single god. This is clear in the case of Miquella and Malenia, as the siblings were children of Marika and Radagon, who were two halves of one god. However, Ranni seems to be an exception to this rule, as her parents were Radagon and Queen Rennala. This opens up many questions about what really makes an Empyrean and why Ranni was so exceptional that the rules could be bent to grant her this status.
1 Who Is Torrent’s Former Master?
The identity of Torrent’s former master is one of the more fascinating mysteries in Elden Ring because it directly involves the player, who becomes the Spectral Steed’s current master. Melina was riding Torrent before her gifting the Tarnished with Spectral Steed Whistle, but this doesn’t necessarily mean she is the person in question.
Ranni mentions that Torrent’s former master entrusted her with the Spirit Calling Bell. If Melina was the former master, it’s curious why she wouldn’t just pass on the whistle and bell simultaneously. However, Torrent’s presence on the Shadow of the Erdtree promotional art suggests that players will learn more about the steed and his former master in the expansion.
With all the enigmas presented in Elden Ring, expecting every open thread to be closed would be unreasonable. Moreover, mystery makes the storyworld so engaging, so it would be best to leave some parts of the lore open to interpretation. Still, Shadow of the Erdtree has the opportunity to solve the more baffling questions posed in the main game, which could lead to the reveal of even more intriguing lore details.
