A recap of...
Elden Ring
Elden Ring takes place in the Lands Between, a realm blessed by entities called outer gods. Most prominent is the Greater Will, who sent down the Elden Ring – a collection of magical runes that govern the land's physics – and the Erdtree – an enormous, golden tree that empowers the inhabitants. The Two Fingers, an emissary of the Greater Will, chose a woman named Marika as Elden Ring's vessel, ascending her to godhood, and she ruled the realm alongside her consort, the Elden Lord, in a dynasty known as the Golden Order. Two served as Lord during Marika's reign: Godfrey, a barbarian who was later banished; and Radagon, her own male alter-ego. To create her ideal world, Marika confined the Rune of Death and entrusted it to her bodyguard, Maliketh, eradicating death in the Lands Between. However, not all were equal under the Golden Order, such as the Omens, who are born with horns and discriminated against; and the Tarnished, humans not empowered by the Erdtree who were exiled from the Lands Between.
After her firstborn, Godwyn, was assassinated using a stolen piece of the Rune of Death, Marika shattered the Elden Ring, prompting its guardian, the Elden Beast, to seal her inside the Erdtree. Afterward, shards of the Ring called Great Runes were inherited by Marika's remaining offspring, corrupting them into warring against each other. These demi-gods are: Morgott, an Omen loyal to the Golden Order despite facing discrimination; Mohg, Morgott's twin who wishes to form his own dynasty; Radahn, a warrior general who went feral after being afflicted by the Scarlet Rot disease; Rykard, a former praetor who turned to blasphemy for power; Ranni, a witch seeking to overthrow the Greater Will who orchestrated Godwyn's assassination; Miquella, a charming mystic cursed with eternal youth; Malenia, Miquella's twin who is regarded as the realm's greatest swordswoman despite being the progenitor of Scarlet Rot; Godrick, a distant relative who grafts his subjects' bodyparts onto himself for strength; and Rennala, Radagon's ex-wife and queen of the royal Carian family.
As if to address the situation, the exiled Tarnished were mysteriously gifted power, resurrecting and granting them immortality, and instructed to return to the Lands Between to repair the Elden Ring and become the new Elden Lord. Those summoned include: Goldmask, a fundamentalist seeking to revitalize the Golden Order; Fia, a deathbed companion who is attempting to revive Godwyn; Dung Eater, a criminal who wants to strip everyone in the Lands Between of the Erdtree's power; Sir Gideon Ofnir, a spymaster researching current events; and the player character, a Tarnished of no renown.
Shadow of the Erdtree introduces the Land of Shadow, where Marika originated. Her people were persecuted by the Hornsent, beings similar to Omens who ruled the Lands Between at the time. Spurred on by the Two Fingers, this prompted her to become a god using an artifact called the Gate of Divinity. Afterward, she magically concealed the Land of Shadow from the rest of the Lands Between before having another of her offspring, Messmer, massacre the Hornsent to avenge her people; later ostracizing him there, both to keep her origins hidden and to prevent him from becoming a future threat.
During their quest, the Tarnished meets a mysterious maiden named Melina, who offers her assistance in return for them bringing her to the Erdtree. After proving themselves by driving away a powerful Omen named Margit, Melina brings them to the Roundtable Hold – a gathering place for Tarnished – where they meet the Two Fingers, who reveals that at least two Great Runes must be collected and brought to the Erdtree to repair the Elden Ring.
Eventually, the Tarnished makes their way to the foot of the Erdtree, where they once again duel Margit – revealed to really be Morgott – and kills him this time. However, despite having the necessary Great Runes, they find the path inside blocked by thorns. In response, Melina advises the Tarnished to seek out the Fell God's power, the Flame of Ruin, and ignite the Erdtree. Alternatively, they can also form a pact with another outer god, the corruptive Frenzied Flame. Should the Tarnished use the Flame of Ruin, Melina immolates herself as the kindling to set the Erdtree alight. No sacrifice is needed if the Frenzied Flame is used, but Milena abandons the Tarnished.
As the Erdtree burns, the Tarnished tracks down and kills Maliketh to obtain the Rune of Death, infusing it into the flames to burn away the thorns. On their way back to the Erdtree, however, they are confronted by Gideon, who has gone mad after learning the truth about the Greater Will, and Godfrey, who seeks to reclaim the Elden Lord title. After vanquishing them both, the Tarnished enters the Erdtree, where they fight and slay both Radagon and the Elden Beast. Afterward, the Tarnished gains access to Marika's corpse, containing the remnants of the Elden Ring, from which six endings are available depending on their choice of allies:
After her firstborn, Godwyn, was assassinated using a stolen piece of the Rune of Death, Marika shattered the Elden Ring, prompting its guardian, the Elden Beast, to seal her inside the Erdtree. Afterward, shards of the Ring called Great Runes were inherited by Marika's remaining offspring, corrupting them into warring against each other. These demi-gods are: Morgott, an Omen loyal to the Golden Order despite facing discrimination; Mohg, Morgott's twin who wishes to form his own dynasty; Radahn, a warrior general who went feral after being afflicted by the Scarlet Rot disease; Rykard, a former praetor who turned to blasphemy for power; Ranni, a witch seeking to overthrow the Greater Will who orchestrated Godwyn's assassination; Miquella, a charming mystic cursed with eternal youth; Malenia, Miquella's twin who is regarded as the realm's greatest swordswoman despite being the progenitor of Scarlet Rot; Godrick, a distant relative who grafts his subjects' bodyparts onto himself for strength; and Rennala, Radagon's ex-wife and queen of the royal Carian family.
As if to address the situation, the exiled Tarnished were mysteriously gifted power, resurrecting and granting them immortality, and instructed to return to the Lands Between to repair the Elden Ring and become the new Elden Lord. Those summoned include: Goldmask, a fundamentalist seeking to revitalize the Golden Order; Fia, a deathbed companion who is attempting to revive Godwyn; Dung Eater, a criminal who wants to strip everyone in the Lands Between of the Erdtree's power; Sir Gideon Ofnir, a spymaster researching current events; and the player character, a Tarnished of no renown.
Shadow of the Erdtree introduces the Land of Shadow, where Marika originated. Her people were persecuted by the Hornsent, beings similar to Omens who ruled the Lands Between at the time. Spurred on by the Two Fingers, this prompted her to become a god using an artifact called the Gate of Divinity. Afterward, she magically concealed the Land of Shadow from the rest of the Lands Between before having another of her offspring, Messmer, massacre the Hornsent to avenge her people; later ostracizing him there, both to keep her origins hidden and to prevent him from becoming a future threat.
During their quest, the Tarnished meets a mysterious maiden named Melina, who offers her assistance in return for them bringing her to the Erdtree. After proving themselves by driving away a powerful Omen named Margit, Melina brings them to the Roundtable Hold – a gathering place for Tarnished – where they meet the Two Fingers, who reveals that at least two Great Runes must be collected and brought to the Erdtree to repair the Elden Ring.
Eventually, the Tarnished makes their way to the foot of the Erdtree, where they once again duel Margit – revealed to really be Morgott – and kills him this time. However, despite having the necessary Great Runes, they find the path inside blocked by thorns. In response, Melina advises the Tarnished to seek out the Fell God's power, the Flame of Ruin, and ignite the Erdtree. Alternatively, they can also form a pact with another outer god, the corruptive Frenzied Flame. Should the Tarnished use the Flame of Ruin, Melina immolates herself as the kindling to set the Erdtree alight. No sacrifice is needed if the Frenzied Flame is used, but Milena abandons the Tarnished.
As the Erdtree burns, the Tarnished tracks down and kills Maliketh to obtain the Rune of Death, infusing it into the flames to burn away the thorns. On their way back to the Erdtree, however, they are confronted by Gideon, who has gone mad after learning the truth about the Greater Will, and Godfrey, who seeks to reclaim the Elden Lord title. After vanquishing them both, the Tarnished enters the Erdtree, where they fight and slay both Radagon and the Elden Beast. Afterward, the Tarnished gains access to Marika's corpse, containing the remnants of the Elden Ring, from which six endings are available depending on their choice of allies:
