Games

Every Elden Ring Mystery Left Unsolved So Far

Published

1 month ago

November 26, 2024

The end seemingly came with the release of Elden Ring: Shadow of Erdtree earlier this year along with subsequent statements indicating it would be the last piece of content released for the game. The well-received expansion has brought closure for many, but has also left lore theorists stuck on several points of ambiguity that were not addressed by the end of the DLC. As the biggest title ever released by FromSoftware, it’s only natural that the setting of Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree contains the most lore threads and loose ends of any Soulslike yet, but the degree to which some plot points have been left up to interpretation is hard to ignore.

SotE came with several answers that enriched the base game’s lore, including everything from confirming the existence of St. Trina to showcasing the dark history that drove Marika to the point of her cruelty and dedication to the Golden Order. On the other hand, the DLC brought new questions to the table while simultaneously ignoring existing aspects of Elden Ring‘s narrative and worldbuilding, potentially making them permanent missing links.

Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree Still Has a Lingering FromSoftware Problem

Table of Contents

For as great as it is in parts, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree maintains a long-running issue FromSoftware has had with its narratives.

The Identity of the Gloam-Eyed Queen

An Empyrean of Ages Past Who Could Be One of Several Characters

As possibly the most enduring subject of speculation in the game’s community, the truth behind Elden Ring‘s Gloam-Eyed Queen has been left vague after SotE‘s revelations. Originating from item descriptions, she was allegedly the progenitor of the Godskins who wielded the power of Destined Death through Black Flame, but only the remaining relics of her power are seen in Elden Ring proper. Despite theories connecting her to the snake traits of Messmer or Marika’s past of betrayal, the Gloam-Eyed Queen has received no new meaningful lore since Melina came to resemble her in one of the base game’s endings.

How the Land of Shadow Was Separated From The Lands Between

The Unknown Extent of Marika’s Influence on Geography

A detail emphasized by several bits of text in the DLC is the fact that SotE‘s map used to be connected to the main world of The Lands Between, but there’s no information regarding how this was performed. While the sky around Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree‘s Scadutree has a projection resembling the similar veil in the Queen’s Bedchamber and there are theories connecting the Mimic Veil to this process, it remains unknown what the actual mechanism, be it genuine or illusion, that splits these two realms is.

Giant Corpses and Logic-Defying Stratigraphy

It’s Unclear if Geological Disaster Created The Lands Between

Ever since the game’s launch, players have speculated as to what the origins of massive buried corpses throughout Caelid and the Mountaintops of the Giants could be to no avail. Impaled bodies of typical huge scale are theorized to be connected to Messmer, but the corpses that drive theories about Elden Ring‘s giants vastly tower over those in size and seemingly have no in-game references.

This resembles the massive skeletons on thrones in the Eternal Cities, the unexplained remains of an apparent death event. With The Lands Between itself having countless buried structures that seem to have been around for centuries, and buildings like Stormveil Castle which appear to have been initially built and then occupied and modified in different eras, there have clearly been unseen tragedies and power shifts across Elden Ring‘s extinct civilizations.

The Tarnished looking over a cliff at the Erdtree in Elden Ring

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The Contradictory Timeline of Messmer’s Parentage

Radagon Seems to Have Predated Godfrey

The status of Messmer as a secret child of Marika was a major reveal already, but SotE further indicated that he seems to be her firstborn. With Godfrey previously considered to be her Elden Lord and the father of her first set of demigods, this development shakes up the perception of the entire family tree’s history. The red hair and determined demeanor make Messmer being Radagon’s son in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree seem practically guaranteed, but how Marika could have been with her other half so long ago challenges many notions of the timeline that were established by the base game.

The Purpose of Godwyn’s Corpse Husks

Some of Elden Ring’s Most Striking Imagery Lacks Explicit Meaning

It was predicted that the DLC would delve into the connection between Miquella and Godwyn, but the Prince of Death was relegated to references in places like catacombs and Stormveil that continue to feature bizarre Deathroot growths resembling his corpse. There are solid theories that propose that Godwyn’s story was finished within Fia’s questline and Elden Ring‘s Age of the Duskborn ending, but the ongoing presence of his strange husks appears to show that the demigod has unfinished business.

The Origins of and Relation Between the Two Fingers and Three Fingers

Seeing the Mother of Fingers Didn’t Bring Enough Closure

The enigma of the Two Fingers as eldritch entities which appear to communicate the will of gods stands as one of ER‘s most original bits of lore, but they ultimately lack a deeper explanation beyond coming from Metyr. Despite entire Finger Ruins areas and strange finger-like structures hidden in Midra’s Manse in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, the origins of the Three Fingers and their relationship to other magic in the world are up to the imagination. While it may be enlightening to finally know where Fingercreepers come from, the idea that they have just been the random offspring of an abandoned godly being can seem underwhelming.

The Non-Hornsent Petrified Corpses in Enir-Ilim

The Gate of Divinity May Be Never Fully Understood

Upon arriving at the final battle arena and facing Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree‘s Promised Consort Radahn, noticing what composes the majestic Gate of Divinity which grants Miquella his power can be a chilling realization. The gate visibly contains countless petrified Hornsent bodies, showing their sacrificial practices. Upon closer inspection, however, the gate, and much of Enir-Ilim itself, appear made up of many corpses lacking horns. With the Hornsent being the only well-understood culture of the tower and the Land of Shadow as a whole, this sign of other peoples who have been erased remains an ominous sign of the age of Elden Ring‘s world.

Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree Tag Page Cover Art

Shadow of the Erdtree is the first and only DLC expansion for FromSoftware’s groundbreaking Elden Ring. It takes players to a whole new region, the Land of Shadow, where a new story awaits the Tarnished.

Released: June 21, 2024
Developer(s): FromSoftware
Multiplayer: Online Co-Op , Online Multiplayer
ESRB: M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence