All The Elden Ring Lore You Need to Remember Before SotE

Elden Ring‘s lore is sprawling and complex, and will only continue to expand when Shadow of the Erdtree releases this summer. Although one could fill an encyclopedia with the story of Elden Ring‘s world and history, there are a handful of characters, events, and concepts that will likely be more critical than others when it comes to understanding the narrative elements of Shadow of the Erdtree.

Devised in collaboration with George R.R. Martin, Elden Ring‘s lore maintains the mystery of FromSoftware’s previous IP while injecting a new sense of scale, scope, and drama. It’s slightly less grimdark than Dark Souls, though its fantasy world is no less hostile, with an abundance of disturbing twists around every corner. Many of the most bizarre, baffling, and unsettling aspects of the game’s lore revolve around a few key players, all of whom are connected to Radagon and Marika, a spiritually, psychologically, and physically linked couple that spawned the Golden Lineage before the events of the base game. Members of this lineage, particularly Miquella and Marika, will no doubt play important roles in the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC.

Miquella and Marika Will Be Instrumental in Shadow of the Erdtree’s Story

Miquella’s Story Connects to Shadow of the Erdtree’s Premise

It’s been long suspected that Miquella will appear in Elden Ring‘s DLC, and the most recent Shadow of the Erdtree trailer confirms this. Like all of Radagon and Marika’s children, Miquella is incredibly powerful and influential, with an Empyrean’s ability to ascend to godhood. But unlike other members of the Golden Lineage, he escapes Elden Ring‘s base game intact, with the player never really coming into contact with him. As such, his story is still ongoing and will continue in Shadow of the Erdtree.

By the time Elden Ring kicks off, Miquella has been ripped from the Haligtree where he was slumbering in a cocoon designed to help him reach adulthood, as he suffers from the curse of eternal youth. He was stolen by his half-brother Mohg, who is an Omen and thus ostracized from the Golden Lineage and the society of The Lands Between altogether. Perhaps this ostracization drove Mohg to seek great power, as he communed with the Formless Mother, an Outer God, to obtain destructive bloodflame magic before kidnapping his brother.

Mohg’s goal is to use magic to raise Miquella to the status of godhood. Mohg wishes to become Miquella’s consort by carrying out a dark ritual wherein Sanguine Nobles, serving Mohg, pour their blood over a cocoon shared by the two half-siblings, turning it into a “bloody bedchamber.” Disturbing implications aside, this ritual has not appeared to work in the way that Mohg intended, with Miquella remaining an Empyrean and not a full god. Players will have to kill Mohg before being able to access the DLC, so it would seem that his plans to become consort to a god are not destined to come to fruition.

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That doesn’t mean that Mohg’s actions have been inconsequential, though. Hidetaka Miyazaki has confirmed that the entry point for the Shadow of the Erdtree map will be Miquella’s cocoon, which is still in Mohgwyn Palace. Some theories have posited that the Land of Shadow, where the DLC takes place, is either some sort of dream realm formed by Miquella, or a world that is otherwise influenced by the slumbering Empyrean. Either way, Miquella is clearly connected to this strange land, and the DLC will likely shed some light on this connection and the impact of Mohg’s blood magic.

Marika’s Role in Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC

One of the most enduring mysteries of Elden Ring surrounds Queen Marika’s identity. A twist near the end of the game reveals that Marika and Radagon are the same person, though the specifics of this union are extremely foggy.

For instance, it’s not clear whether Radagon and Marika were always the same person or if they merged following their marital union, with some evidence supporting the former theory, since Radagon’s history prior to the events of Elden Ring is left unexplained. Of course, the two being one and the same from the start raises a number of other questions, such as how they were able to produce offspring and how they can be so at odds with each other when it comes to restoring the Elden Ring.

The description of the Shadow of the Erdtree trailer hints at Marika’s connection to the Land of Shadow, stating that the region is where “the goddess Marika first set foot.” Though this phrasing is ambiguous, the Land of Shadow referenced in the DLC trailer may be actually the land of the Numen, which is referenced throughout the base game as Marika’s homeland.

Since she and Radagon are the same person, expanding on her backstory will also mean expanding on his. Additionally, Messmer may be another child of theirs, as his physical appearance and his references to “mother” seem to tie him to the Golden Lineage, although there is no information about him in the Elden Ring base game.

Elden Ring‘s labyrinthine world is sure to grow exponentially with the addition of this upcoming DLC, which could very well loop in a number of unexpected characters, areas, and events from the base game. That said, it’s essentially confirmed that Miquella and Marika will play significant roles in Shadow of the Erdtree, so an understanding of their backstories will be crucial going into the expansion.

Elden Ring

Elden Ring is a fantasy action-RPG adventure set in a world co-created by Hidetaka Miyazaki, the creator of the influential Dark Souls video game series, and George R.R. Martin, the author of the best-selling fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire. This collaboration between two renowned creators has resulted in FromSoftware’s largest game to date, filled with danger and discovery at every turn. Hidetaka Miyazaki, president and game director of FromSoftware, has a history of directing highly acclaimed games in franchises such as Armored Core and Dark Souls.

Released

February 25, 2022

Multiplayer

Online Co-Op , Online Multiplayer

Engine

Proprietary

ESRB

M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence

How Long To Beat

58 Hours

Metascore

96

Platforms That Support Crossplay

PS4 & PS5 and Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S

PS Plus Availability

N/A