Elden Ring has been out for a few weeks now, so it feels like a good time to try and figure out what the hell is going on with its story. FromSoftware games are very well-known for making players work hard to get to the core of what the story is actually about, which is why YouTubers like VaatiVidya are so popular, because they’re more than happy to get stuck into the worlds and help us lot out with easy to understand videos.
Elden Ring’s story is a little more overt than many other FromSoftware games, but it also chucks a lot of it at you the moment the game begins. So, it’s still not what most people would call easy to understand. Thankfully, as we’ve had a bit of time with the game now, we’re on hand to help explain the basics of The Lands Between, what it is your Tarnished is meant to be doing there, and also what happens as you make your journey through the game.
Elden Ring Story – Intro and Lore
The world of Elden Ring is one filled with magic, miracles, and demi-gods. The game is set in a place called the Lands Between, where demi-gods rule over different regions in the wake of wars and events that led to the shattering of the titular Elden Ring. The Elden Ring is a conduit of sorts that is at the centre of the power of the Erdtree, which blesses the Lands Between with immortality, as a result.
The world is kept in balance, primarily, by Queen Marika, one of the most powerful immortals, who went on to have a few children, who are classed as demi-gods. Her second husband was a man called Radagon, who was initially with Rennala. There are also some hints in the game that Marika and Radagon are literally halves of the same person, but it’s hard to know for certain.
Because of this legacy of immortals and gods, death is highly unusual, let alone the death of one of the great lords. Despite that, the world was turned on its head when a group discovers the key to ending immortality and descends upon the Lands Between to kill Godwyn the Golden, and the body of Ranni the Witch, but not her soul. After this event, the Elden Ring was shattered, seemingly by Radagon, and the world was thrown into chaos.
This is because of multiple things. For starters, some people became unable to see the guiding grace of the Erdtree because of its weakened power. These beings are known as Tarnished (which is you) and are all seemingly linked to the first Elden Lord Godfrey, in some way. This also led to the other demi-gods ending up locked in an endless battle with one another, unable to overcome each other, thus throwing the Lands Between into war, and also leading to it being effectively segmented too.
Elden Ring Story – Progression
Because of all of this, and the residual tension that now reigns over the Lands Between, the Tarnished have been called back with the hope of creating a new Elden Lord. That’s where you come in, as you are one of those Tarnished.
Now, this is where things get tricky. You can take multiple paths through Elden Ring, at least up until a point, and there are also multiple endings. So, we’re going to have to be a little bit vague here, because your playthrough will dictate your own story.
However, the general gist of things is that you’ll fight and kill a bunch of enemies including some of these legendary demi-gods, with the aim being to repair the broken Elden Ring. However, no matter which path you choose, you’ll find yourself at an impasse with the Erdtree itself at one point, and that means you have to burn it to gain entry in order to actually do this. You don’t actually have to kill off all of the demi-gods, at all. In fact, you only need to kill two optional ones and then progress through the story to see the ending, but it won’t be a good one.
Elden Ring Story – Endings
There are at least six Elden Ring endings. The first four of these are dictated by which Mending Rune you’ve gone out of your way to find. If you’ve not found one, then you get to reign over a fractured age, which is the standard ending. However, via a few NPC side quests, you can find different Mending Runes to change the way the Elden Ring functions in some way, each of which tweaks the outcome.
You can also choose to reject the natural order of things and embrace the Three Fingers instead. This leaves you branded and with bright yellow glowing eyes, and also leads to you becoming the Lord of the Frenzied Flame. That’s one hell of a title, but it’ll also kind of doom the Lands Between, but hey, they’ve been treating you like rubbish anyway.
Finally, you can follow along with Ranni the Witch to unlock the Age of the Stars Ending. This is an ending where, rather than embracing the Elden Ring, you choose to overthrow Marika in order to bring the world into a new age. This Age of the Stars is one where everyone is guided by moonlight, and immortality is no more, and souls are free to move on.
Buy Elden Ring at Green Man Gaming
Even though you’re up to date on the story and lore behind Elden Ring, why not see it in action when you buy a copy of Elden Ring from our store. With a price that won’t hurt your bank balance and immediate key delivery, you’ll be slaying monsters and exploring this rich universe before you know it.
