10 Fascinating Lore Discoveries in Elden Ring!

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TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Juvenile Scholar voice lines
01:18 Tiny ring on the Queen's Set
02:24 What the Moonlight Greatsword represents
04:10 Radagon's Seal
07:17 Marika's Seal
09:03 What it means to "complete" the Elden Ring
09:56 What the Mega Elden Ring represents
10:42 Could Ranni's Great Rune be hidden on the moon?
11:47 Margit's Intriguing Voice Line
12:30 Elden Ring's Lore: Explained corrections
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[@Etticos.]

The Carian royals really do marriage and engagement right. One partner gets a beautiful engagement ring, the other gets a moon greatsword.

[@TheRealestEric]

That was my reaction, too, lol. That's how it should be. Put a beautiful ring on your girls finger, and she gives you a fuckoff big sword. I like it.

[@dartoney]

Now that's a marriage tradition i can get behind!

[@TheAzCorner]

Marriage swords should be a thing ceremonial And practical

[@reaperoflife113]

@@Artaxerxes. As far as I am aware from the Sagas, it was not a thing.

[@klaushipp1207]

@@Artaxerxes. Dont think so, a sword was very expensive and took a long time to make. Nothing any Viking woman could afford. Maybe they gifted them an axe with fine woodcarving that took days and weeks to carve, some runes and shit.

[@ultimomos5918]

Radagon reforging the Moonlight Greatsword after leaving Rennala is heartbreaking, especially considering how much it shattered her. It also further solidifies Rannis resentment of the Golden Order. Such fantastic writing in such minute detail.

[@TiddyTwyster]

I hope it turns out that Radagon was forced to leave, true it's a lot more tragic with 2 broken hearted lovers, but I think that would be a neat story arc I can't quite wrap my head around Radagon being Marika, I wonder if she didn't just forcefully take his body in preparation for the shattering to try to escape the wrath of the Erd Tree/Elden Beast I should point out I haven't progressed more than halfway through the game yet either, so I'm probably getting things wrong on a foundational level

[@faizanahmad7730]

@@TiddyTwyster there's a pretty good theory about them having a split personality. That'd be cool

[@SaSa-gn3rr]

@@TiddyTwyster Me too. It's just so weird that radagon left rennala all off sudden without a warning when he seemed head over heels for her and did so much to marry her. In my head it only makes sense if: 1) radagon never truly cared about rennala at all and seduced her with the sole purpose of conquering liurnia, or 2) he really did love rennala and was forced to leave her (I kind of lean towards this bc he left rennala a great rune and kept his moonlight greatsword)

[@intensebug]

@@SaSa-gn3rr From what I've been reading, I think Radagon was split from Marika in order to conquer the Carians. In some item descriptions I'm pretty sure it's stated that the Carians were one of the only forces able to stand against Marika's conquest of the Lands Between. Fighting against the power of the moon and the stars wasn't working so Radagon successfully won Rennala's heart instead. As for why Rennala is so messed up now, my guess is that she realized that Radagon and Marika were the same and suffered some consequence in some way. Or maybe she's just that heartbroken, we've all been there lol

[@ettu357]

@@intensebug Maybe Radagon gained a will of his own (or had one all along) after being separated from Marika and genuinely did fall in love with Rennala. But in the end perhaps Marika had some sort of power over him that forced him to return.

[@Shagnastyjr]

Radagon's rune can also be seen within the Wave of Gold attack of the Sacred Relic Sword. That pattern is burned into my eyes from hours of Albinauric youngling slaughter 😅

[@jhsrt985]

😂🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@JordanHance]

The crucified bodies are hung up by the tarnished hunters that I think Varre warns you about when you first talk to him after leaving the Chapel of Anticipation. A lot of the crucifixes have sentries sitting beneath them or camps nearby. There's also usually golden runes found at their base, signifying that they were tarnished tortured to death and have dropped their runes now.

[@tbotalpha8133]

A lot of them are smouldering, possibly because they were meddling in Frenzied Flame worship, which we know is considered heretical by the Golden Order.

[@Sioolol]

@@tbotalpha8133 Debatable. They are smoldering with red hue, similar to some red smoldering stones and structures, and Mohgs palace is also smoldering with red. It may point at their connection to red flame, while flame of chaos is distinctively yellow in hue. Also, they are suprisingly still for the amount of screaming they produse.

[@piotrdaniel3829]

@@Sioolol theres a lot of them, if they were all animated for screaming it would be demanding a lot of resources which would causs framedrops at night

[@BlemmiganGallivanter]

We’re *definitely* finding more great runes in DLC. It isn’t only Ranni’s rune we’re still missing, Miquella’s still has yet to be found. Considering how much is left in the air surrounding Miquella, and all the theorizing that we’ll get a Painted World-styled “Dream World dlc, it wouldn’t be surprising if we find his great rune in a future expansion.

[@nobody2416]

I hope those 10 great rune slots in the inventory wheren't just to be surprised and then disappointed

[@Oshawott315]

What about Godwyn the Golden? He died, but he must have had a great rune...?

[@benip3751]

@@Oshawott315 No, his death (atleast in soul) occured before the Elden Ring was shattered, so I doubt he would've be able to claim one.

[@tonyredgrave7593]

@@benip3751 but he died before the shuttering

[@dani.phantm]

@@Oshawott315 he died before the Elden Ring was shattered, so he doesn’t

[@Tayturs]

Have we considered the Erdtree was literally grafted onto the base of the Great Tree? Looking at the Erdree's trunk where the doorway inside is, there is a large, stark triangular cut where the color is darker instead of golden. Tree graftings can look exactly like this when cuttings are forced to grow onto the base of another plant. This would make sense with the "symbiotic" nature of roots of one tree feeding into the branches of another. Where they meet is where the player enters, and where both Marika and Radagon are housed simultaneously. Maybe Godrick's grafting idea was pulled from the tree.

[@Wylkus42]

I think grafting and botany in general have a much larger role to play in the lore than people have realized yet.

[@pinolskun8764]

Going to paste my other comment: i think that the erdtree is probably not an actual living being, but a spiritual entity conjoined with the previously existing greattree, which provides the physical body. I think the fact that the erdtree interrupts without a clear end, exactly like the ones you see during the Elden Beast fight, shows this. Its also impossible to see where it ends in the ground, while it is possible to see the complex of roots of what is probably the greattree in the underground locations, where godwyn's body and fia are. And as you correctly said, where the erdtree "cover" isnt present, the normal tree you see is instead, imo, the greattree.

[@tactic4795]

There is also Godefrey who is older than godfrey and is grafted himself

[@pizzaman11]

@@pinolskun8764 That also could explain why Melina lighting herself on fire could cause the erdtree to burn. She is bodiless yet has some sort of connection to the erdtree, perhaps her spiritual connection allows her to be kindling to spread the flame to the erdtree.

[@vanoven9205]

In the Lord of Frenzied Flame ending, when the Erdtree is being consumed by the Flame of Frenzy, you can see a trunk is left behind, much darker in texture and color, a bit more similar to the roots in Deeproot Depths. Maybe this is the trunk of the Great Tree that the Erdtree was grafted onto?

[@Zaheer_Zafar_Zawhereeveryouare]

Vaati: "But I'm not all-knowing, not yet." That has some real sinister vibes. Vaati is a dlc boss confirmed.

[@chromasus9983]

Vaati is actually Gideon..?

[@thikim8562]

ok

[@tamtri6218]

ok

[@DynoSkrimisher]

I would not be surprised if Vaati himself is voicing a boss character. We had Gideon the All-knowing, but what about Vaati the Lorekeeper.

[@diogenessilviocemartins9019]

Sir Vaati Ofnir, the All-Knowing!

[@femthingevelyn]

I think the fact that the knights cavalry "used to be led by the fell omen" may just be because Margit/Morgott doesn't directly command them anymore, now that he's protecting the erdtree itself, so he doesn't give them orders as their leader, but his enemies are still their enemies

[@ASmartNameForMe]

That or it's because by that point in the game morgott is dead

[@Ultimaniacx4]

I thought it was really cool that some random misbegotten had Radagon's sword in a cave. I've always liked that fantasy trope of great power falling into unlikely hands by some chance. It's like Smeagol finding The One Ring, or the pygmy and the First Flame. There's a story there that we may never know.

[@voidinheritant]

it’s so cool and makes the world seem so much more alive and likely.

[@UsernameyMcUsernameFace]

A similar example of this is that you can get Rune Arcs as a rare drop from rats. Sooner or later, everything reaches the bottom.

[@booster330]

Stone word key

[@Burtyburtburt8]

Gael gobbling down the dark soul

[@eyeballpapercut4400]

@@Burtyburtburt8 "Hand it over, that thing, your dark -shaft- soul, for my lady's -craving- painting."

[@justinw.6925]

I feel like Radagon's cross-hatch rune is supposed to represent him re-forging it. Like his rune is holding the rest of them together.

[@lololo]

I don’t think so, considering all other times we see the cross-hatch patterns are from objects that were, technically, built before the shattering of the Elden Ring (his statues, his seal, etc...)

[@AxxLAfriku]

You dislike the stuff that gets uploaded by my fingers clicking upload? Are you just a h8er boi? I say see you l8er, boi. Don't watch the stuff that gets uploaded by my fingers clicking upload anymore. Your dislikes are damaging my good good GOOD reputation. I am a superstar, dear jus

[@TheXpender]

In the context of this, Radagon's slam attacks crack said cross-hatch into the stone floor. Perhaps his rune is 'the rune of regression' for that matter, smashing the elden ring using his runic strength would mean every hit would return it to form.

[@cybertruckeralpha]

The crosshatch could be a sign of Radagon's commitment to the order the Elden Ring represented. Like a net, binding the law together, or even chainmail protecting it from being broken. His work in reforging the Elden Ring would fall in line with that commitment, and provide added symbolism to the crosshatch: stitching it back together.

[@redmarch8]

This is a great theory-the shape of the hatching also seems like a visual reference to skin grafting, which would also place the concept of "grafting" into the world more solidly, as a sort of bastard-version of the original reparations/perfections Radagon made to the Ring. Might also give some understanding as to why there are things like misbegottens and demi-humans if Radagon's "grafting" of the Golden Order had some sort of trickle-down effect on the biology of the Lands Between. Animals became enmeshed, "grafted" together into these winged half-humans.

[@Navhkrin]

The thing with Radagon and Marika is that they "transform" into each other. Hence Marika saying "you are yet to become me". We know that they coexisted at same time. More info is needed but I don't think Marika just became Radagon but they existed like two souls in same vessel

[@supernova00500]

When I heard the "Radagon is Marika" thing, I was like "wait she married herself?!" 🤣🤣🤣 I'm still new to everything, but the game's lore is definitely doing a good job of confusing me haha

[@jossebrodeur6033]

I think that they were originally Marika and then the Greater Will split Marika into her and Radagon since I believe they planned to have Radagon we'd with Rennala from the start.

[@DGARedRaven]

You know what this makes me think of? D

[@IHiggs]

Look up "Rebis"

[@windflier1684]

Maybe it's like D? two minds, but one single soul

[@SirVyke]

I think that it's highly possible that Ranni may have given her great rune to Vyke. Gideon says that Ranni casted aside he rune and Vyke was the closest to becoming Elden Lord before the player. And the 2 fingers forbids you from going to the capital until you collect at least 2 runes. And Vyke clearly made it to the capital and even further, to the mountain of giants because you can find him imprisoned in an evergaol there. And when you get 2 great runes and speak the the finger reader in the roundtable, she will state that she has only ever seen 2 great runes in one place one time before. Considering that Vyke was the closest other person to Elden Lord before you, I think she could definitely be referring to Vyke also collecting 2 great runes. So I personally like to believe that Ranni gave Vyke her great rune, and he may have collected a second great rune that we haven't seen. Possibly Miquella's, since we haven't seen theirs. There could also be some other great runes that he may have had and we just haven't heard about. Some more lore and theories on Vyke and his story with the frenzied flame for those that are interested: Vyke was the closest to becoming Elden Lord before the player, which is stated by his armors description. Also another interesting fact is that Vyke is on the cover of the game. Though, I think the cover version of him is before he became frenzied because he doesn't have fingerprints on him from what I can tell. The exact description of his armor reads, "Iron armor singed and blistered by fingers. Worn by Vyke, knight of the Roundtable Hold. No other Tarnished was closer to the throne of the Elden Lord than Vyke. But without announcement, Vyke traveled far below the capital, and was scorched by the flame of frenzy. Did he make his choice for his maiden, or did some other force lure him with suggestion?" Something that is really interesting, is that when you first arrive at the mountain of the gaints, there's a possibility that you may run into Yura the bloody finger hunter. However, he is no longer Yura. It is actually Yuras corpse being possessed by the spirit of Shabriri. There, he will inform you that you will have to sacrifice Melina to burn the Erd Tree and tries makes you feel bad by basically saying that you are a shitty person if you make your maiden burn herself alive just so you can become lord. He then follows this up by offering an alternative that "spares" your maiden and allows to still become lord. So he gives you directions on how to reach the 3 fingers and sets you on the path of the lord of frenzy ending. Remember the item description of Vykes armor? "Vyke traveled far below the capital, and was scorched by the flame of frenzy. Did he make his choice for his maiden, or did some other force lure him with suggestion?" I think it's safe to assume that Vyke got to the mountaintop of the giants and was probably tricked by Shabriri into seeking out the three fingers because he wanted to save his maiden. There, he became the vessel for the frenzy and was set on the path of becoming the Lord of Frenzy... But he never became Lord of Frenzy. Or Lord at all. Why? well some believe he just went mad and was incapable of continuing on the path because of that. But you fight 2 version of Vyke in the game. You fight him at the church of inhibition near the frenzied village where he will use a bunch of frenzy incantations on you. And then you fight a second version of him that does NOT use frenzy spells at the mountaintop of giants imprisoned in an evergaol. evergaols are basically eternal jails where powerful and dangerous individuals are kept. As for what exactly they are, how they work, and who makes them, I have no idea, but I'm sure someone could do more research than me. The real question is why are there 2 versions of him? Well I think it's clear that the evergaol version his supposed to be the original version of Vyke before he became frenzied, because this version doesn't use any frenzy spells. Keep in mind that even though Vyke became the vessel for the frenzy and was set on the path of Lord of Frenzy, he still had control over himself. He didn't just go insane right then an there. This is evident by the fact that we as the player still have control over ourselves and our actions after becoming the vessel up until the end of course. It's because of this that we are still able to quell the flame by using Miquellas needle. If the frenzy had complete control over us and our actions right when we become the vessel for it, then obviously it would probably not allow us to quell it with the needle. SO. What I believe happened was Vyke was tricked by the spirit of Sharbriri into trying to "save" his maiden by becoming the vessel for the frenzy. After that he probably quickly soon realized that that was a BIG mistake. He didn't have access to Miquellas needle like we do, so he didn't have a way to quell it. And becoming Elden Lord was pretty much no longer and option anymore, so he probably went and either somehow imprisoned himself in an evergaol to prevent himself from doing so. Or it's possible someone else stepped in and forcefully imprisoned him (maybe even Melina). As for why there are 2 versions of him? Well I think it's simple. The evergaol version is the real Vyke, or more specifically, Vykes spirit or soul. And the invader frenzied version is basically what's left of his corporeal flesh and body completely taken over by what is left of the frenzy that was inside him. But that's just my personal theory on his story. As for who Sharbriri is and the lore on the flame of frenzy and three fingers itself, I'm not getting into that and I hope Vaati does a video on it because the frenzy lore is the most interesting lore in the game to me. Some other interesting things: There's what seems to be a recently dead maiden sitting in a chair in the Church of Inhibition where you fight the frenzied version of Vyke. (This is quite possibly Vyke's maiden.) Shabriri is mentioned a couple of times in lore related to frenzy and the wandering merchants. I can't believe how much frenzy lore there is. It's like a never ending rabbit hole. I didn't even get into the lore of the frenzy itself, the wandering merchants, Shabriri and his grape, or Hyetta and why she is a clone of Irina and only appears after Irina dies. This was pretty much just a miniscule piece of the total lore of frenzy and an even smaller piece of Elden rings total lore. Fuck, I love FromSoftware.

[@finmat95]

If Ranni gave her rune to Vyke then we should receive it when we kill Vyke.

[@oatmeal8274]

@finmat95 bruh we don't kill vyke lmao he's already dead we fight his corpse body controlled by shabriti and then his soul that's been jailed in the mountains. We'd probably get it if both version where whole but since he's dead and neither is really him we don't get it.

[@voidvasilias6489]

Bro nice job!!

[@yeti1835]

Really nice theory

[@falamadur]

why did you type an entire essay cool theory but dam that hurt my brain

[@spyguy318]

One neat detail I’ve noticed: Trolls are descended from the Giants, specifically ones that betrayed their fellows during the war, and all of them have hollow stomachs where the torso-face should be. If you squint you can almost see the faint details of a nose and eyes on their remaining chest.

[@renatlottiepilled]

That makes sense, what a sad fate for them since they are used mainly as guards and basically slaves in most circumstances (except for the carian knights)

[@ahealthkit2745]

Wonder what happened to all those extra torso eyes.

[@Dubaikiwi]

I can't see it, but this makes so much sense

[@spyguy318]

Plus, the Fire Monk armor explicitly emulates the Giants and has the face of the Fell God on its chestplate

[@ivorymantis1026]

The sign of the Fell God is the face-torso. Considering Prometheus symbolism, the traitor Trolls obviously had the influence of the Fell God "ripped" from their abdomen. This would be like Prometheus' torture to Aquila, Zeus' Eagle. The giants in the graveyard, killed by thorns...obviously killed by Death, all have these faces. There are also tablets of some form within each troll's torso, which might be in relation to the stone tablets made in the Queen's Bedchamber. Considering that it looks like the body has taken to these tablets as if held in by roots might be the evidence.

[@OffbeatOutlaw]

Something I have noticed is that the “misbegotten” enemies share a lot of design elements with the crucible knights. The misbegotten have tails that look like the aspect of the crucible: tail, a misbegotten lion fights alongside a crucible knight, and those lions even share a move with the crucible knights (one where they stomp on the ground and do two spinning slashes). Additionally, the misbegotten themselves look like a bunch of creatures mismatched together, almost parroting what we know about the crucible, the fact that it was a time when all life was together. Crucible knights and misbegotten also have massive feathered wings. There are so many similarities. I think the answer to the question of what the crucible is lies in the link that is between the crucible knights and the misbegotten

[@jaggidfire]

What is a mistbegotten lion?

[@wutzerapple3]

@@jaggidfire misbegotten leonine I think is what it’s called, the Demi humans with the greatswords, one of them was a boss in castle morne

[@ghostriposte2977]

There’s also a boss fight in Redmane castle where you fight a Misbegotten with a greatsword and a Crucible Knight at the same time so maybe you’re onto something.

[@pigzy9807]

The godskin also seem to be some the crucible. Since they were lead by the glome eyed queen and thought Marikia, I think that dates those events to be very early

[@jaggidfire]

@@wutzerapple3 I see. but I do not believe there is any evidence that Mistbegotten and Demi Humans are related.

[@Chambers_90]

I think I am more fascinated by Elden Ring's lore than any other Fromsoft game to date. Things like the Halig Tree, its origins and purpose, and Miquella being 'unalloyed' really captured my fascination towards the end of the game. I really liked how in the Golden Mask ending, the Erdtree is so much a more vibrant gold than in the fractured era basic ending. Even such a small thing has so many connotations. Love both your work and your soothing voice Vaati - the community is lucky to count you amongst its number.

[@quinnholloway5400]

Goldmask is underrated One of the better endings in my eyes

[@ImTr1pp1nFace]

When Radagon holds the hammer in the air, besides his mesh seal on the handle, you can see Marika's seal on it as well (the upside down crescent is in the head of the hammer, and the straight line goes down the handle). So the hammer has both seals conjoined.

[@Kriosaivak]

It’s also worth noting that there’s at least two Great Runes that another Tarnished (probably Vyke) held. Finger Reader Enia mentions that she’s seen somebody else with two Great Runes before. My theory is that there were a lot of more minor Great Runes, held by weaker Shardbearers, but since the Shattering all of these have since been claimed, leaving only the strongest Demigods in the most advantageous positions. That could be part of why Margit is guarding the route to Stormveil. Godrick is the weakest demigod remaining, so Margit is using him as bait. As to why we never see these lesser Great Runes, I’m not sure. Maybe they’re just so relatively insignificant that they’re absorbed as regular Runes? EDIT: Damn, apparently doing edits removes hearts, lol. Updated the comment to include more of my thoughts, and lost the heart that Vaati gave it.

[@fluffybunnie5s]

I had often wondered who the headless demi-gods in the walking mausoleums would have been - perhaps they were weaker shardbearers that other tarnished have killed.

[@Zazie900]

Vyke is a beast

[@kates9231]

It's also possible Bernahl possessed some Great Runes at one point, since his armor set suggests he came close to becoming Elden Lord.

[@OneLooseGal]

His description does say he was closest to tarnished to elden lord

[@Spike2276]

@@Zazie900 it's surprising how little fanfare he has in game, dude was THE tarnished before us and even shows up in the cover for the game, hell he even showed up in the game informer article as a piece of official art, you'd think he would be more than an invader + evergaol boss

[@VaatiVidya]

Many people are rightly pointing out that the Rune of Death curves downwards, and that Marika's "seal" or the crucifix curves upwards. Not sure what to make of that yet, but I should have mentioned it. Compiling some current theories I've seen posted below: Delphyne Null says "Marika’s seal isn‘t quite the same as the Rune of Death, the arc turns downward in Destined Death but upward in Marika’s Elden Rune. Perhaps the similarity owes to the fact that it’s the rune kept by her empyrean shadow and half-brother Maliketh" Swag Yolosmith says "We have seen that siblings tend to have complementary runes. Melina's rune of rot and Miquella's rune of abundance, in addition to Morgott and Mohg's runes being mentioned as being twins as well. Maybe marika's great rune is the rune of Life, which is why it's so prominently featured; her blessing is the promise of eternal reincarnation and life through the erd tree for the worthy. It makes more sense that it would be in iconography if this was the case." Paraphrasing Quelaag: "It could represent the marriage of opposites which is a common theme in Elden Ring (see: gravity, crucible)"

[@BiGOunce_0]

Hey vaati just wondering do you have any updates on souls art?

[@VaatiVidya]

@@BiGOunce_0 You can check the kickstarter page for updates or contact the publisher :) shipping in May I believe. Printing has begun.

[@BiGOunce_0]

@@VaatiVidya nice can't wait to get mine thanks for the info

[@colbybrungardt3676]

*I commented this before I saw this comment, and figured this would be a better place to put it* Kind of similar to a point already made in the comments, the death rune arcs down while all imagery of Marika arcs up EXCEPT for the stakes of Marika, where you respawn after you die, which arc down similar to the rune of death

[@gloam2428]

It’s interesting that Ranni might have hid her rune on the normal moon instead of her dark moon. I had never noticed the mark on it before

[@jhsrt985]

That secret boss Pladusax in Farum Azula is the very 1st Elden Lord, his great rune might be what makes the super great rune you can see in Farum Azula

[@R3XoXo]

How do u know he was the 1st Elden lord

[@mozaary]

Godfrey is the first Elden Lord, it's his title. Pladusax was the lord of the Lands Between before that concept was a thing.

[@someoneimportant2517]

@@R3XoXo it says it in his rememberence that he was the very first elden lord. Back before the erdtree was even there. He was the *original* elden lord

[@someoneimportant2517]

@@mozaary godfrey is the first elden lord of the *erdtree era*. Placidusax was elden lord way before the erd tree was a thing

[@mozaary]

@@someoneimportant2517 I assumed Pladusax was called something else other than "Elden Lord" since the whole Elden Ring thing wasn't really mentioned in the age before the Erdtree. I think it was Storm Lord or something but all of this could just be me misremembering and forgetting details.

[@vahlok1426]

4:53 I can't get over how awesome Radagon's design is. Absolutely one of my favorite Soulsborne boss desings- hell, character designs.

[@seamusfinnerty5897]

something of note is that the rune of death's arc curves down, unlike marika's or really any rune arc, which all curve up. it's also stated in an item desciption (I think the rune arcs) that the bottom of a rune arc (which would be the part that curves up) is where energy originates. maybe the elden ring was literally ring shaped before marika removed death?

[@burningGodzilla1]

You can also see it when looking at the elden ring itself, being a obvious deviation where the 2 differ from their overlap

[@metlspaz1]

i agree here that the rune of death is the inverse of marikas in general

[@BloodyDIMISIS55]

i have another theory about the bottom rune, i say its Ranni's Moon Rune the she casts away. you can see it in the moon, a giant semicircle with a faint line perpendicular from it.... that said Rune do overlap so both rune of death and rannis rune can be on top of each other

[@pedrovilar6123]

Maybe the Elden ring in Farum Azula looks different because its a depiction from before the rune of death was taken and the roots are prob some reference to life feading from death, Maybe i'm reading 2 much into it

[@DarthCinnabon]

On the same note, there is almost no way Radagon's Great Rune wasn't part of the original ring. It wasn't added when he joined the order, especially given the likely theory he was "created" by Marika taking his rune out of the Elden Ring and giving it life somehow

[@ShutItKyle]

"Misbegotten" can refer to an illegitimate child. Considering the red hair, they may be Radagon's progeny.

[@elf-lordsfriarofthemeadowl2039]

oooh, maybe he had some bastard children which is why they came out Beast-like

[@c.b.5104]

It might have just been stolen during a riot or assault to the Royal Capital considering we can find Leonine Missbegotten there and other Missbegotten. The Golden Order is known to repudiate that which defies it. Such is the nature of the primordial crucible. The Consecrated Snowfield is the land of the rejected, so it's not outlandish to think that the raiders just landed into the snowfields to find refuge and hence the we find the sword there. They don't even attack, they're sleeping.

[@blipboigilgamesh7865]

In some languages the misbegotten have been literally branded as bastards so I'm on with this theory!

[@tb4076]

Damn, then Radagon’s been busy huh. Not only did he bang the queen of caria AND the literal goddess of the land, he also had time to father illegitimate children on the side and give them legendary weapons lmao

[@muburu_]

demi-human queen has got radagon acting unwise

[@nergalrior7841]

11:16 Also I just noticed recently, you can use the golden bird feet (forgot the name of the item) to boost rune farming, but at night around Limgrave and if you happen to see the wisps of the Erdtree fall around you, you passively get that buff of boosting rune collecting, but it only happens if you are at night, which you will usually see the moon, and the wisps of the Erdtree (petals of leafs, take your pick) are around you. As soon as you go in to a mist, cave or even somewhere like Calid, you don’t get the passive buff of increased rune gathering. Could this be something with the influence of the Erdtree at night, and maybe Rani’s Rune?

[@hash4badi]

the item is the gold-pickled fowl foot

[@kirbo7184]

did you put a group in your multiplayer tab

[@nergalrior7841]

@@kirbo7184 nope. Not even done invasions. Only the story related one.

[@MrKeinoz]

A few things are still bothering me in the lore. First, what is the link between half men, misbegotten and the beast men of farum azula? Second, what are those weird shadows that seems like reverse elongated grace when you take the elevator on divine towers?

[@leoblaidd]

My theory is that the divine towers were places of worship for the Godskins and the silver-eyed goddess. Precisely because these shadows look like the flames of destined death they use and in one of them we find the god-killing sword.

[@Primslim]

@@leoblaidd good somebody mention the godskins which is the ruin of death something he got wrong he said Marka took it from the erd tree but the dusk eyed Queen had it but the taken by the black blade after her defeat

[@Primslim]

Also farum azula use to be the main capital of the land run by the dragons before Erd Tree if you defeat the dragon lord his remembrance saids that he was the Elden Lord before the time off the erd tree but his god has left dragons were the original rulers of the lands between coming from The crucible

[@TrueSkyblueClouds]

@@leoblaidd we do fight a godskin apostle at the bottom of one of the divine towers (in caelid, I think?)

[@gabrielarchie2944]

I didn't notice it until starting my second playthrough, but in the first cutscene you can see Markia swap places with Radagon in the first few frames of the game. Thought it was cool that they were showing it to us in plane sight.

[@JadedJackalope]

Even the announcement trailer shows Marika and Radagon swapping places while they break/mend the Elden Ring. They really dangled that in front of us from the start.

[@fuchsmichael93]

They also showed us that Mogh has Miquella in the Opening but nobody knew who that was or remembered that when meeting him 100 hours in

[@gabrielarchie2944]

@@JadedJackalope that what I love about this game, it was there the whole time then when it was revealed it all made sense.

[@ongka2000]

@@JadedJackalope Yeah, I was so confused back then as to why was that guy look like a woman in some shots.

[@bengough6772]

@@JadedJackalope in retrospect they did, sure, but with all the trailers using so many out of context scenes I'd call BS if anyone says it was 'obvious' or that they'd figured it out.

[@someguy5358]

From what I've heard the misbegotten may have had the golden order sword as they were once slaves to the golden order and when the either rose up or escaped they stole weapons. That's why misbegotten warriors tend to have legendary armaments.

[@kates9231]

I like the idea that the Misbegotten Crusader was a hero trying to lead its group to the Haligtree to escape persecution, since we see more Misbegotten there later on.

[@roshanemad-syring3943]

I don’t know how much we can trust Hait, he’s a fundamentalist and seems relatively self important/biased in favor of the Order. The Demi Humans still attack us when we return to his fort, after all. Beyond that, the misbegotten seem to be a separate race from the demihumans; perhaps the Erdtree looks on them less fondly.

[@shadow325325]

There's a creature in brazilian folklore that's somewhat similar to the Fire Giant and it's called Mapinguari, a giant with one eye, long arms, big mouth on the belly, covered in red fur, wandering on the Amazon rainforest.

[@HuhWhatHuhwhatHuh]

Also Misbegotten is typically found before the word “son” as in “misbegotten son”. Meaning that beast is probably Radagon’s bastard son.

[@cosmic_caveman9427]

Just something to note , radagons rune looks like a trellice , they’re used in gardening to help plants and trees grow . So his rune is the symbol that holds the Elden ring together . The fundamental principle of order. Don’t no if I’m just talking rubbish here haha but good video . I love the lore in these games

[@maniakb416]

Know

[@delphynenull2136]

Marika’s seal isn‘t quite the same as the Rune of Death, the arc turns downward in Destined Death but upward in Marika’s Elden Rune. Perhaps the similarity owes to the fact that it’s the rune kept by her empyrean shadow and half-brother Maliketh.

[@swagyolosmith3126]

We have seen that siblings tend to have complementary runes. Melina's rune of rot and Miquella's rune of abundance, in addition to Morgott and Mohg's runes being mentioned as being twins as well. Maybe marika's great rune is the rune of Life, which is why it's so prominently featured; her blessing is the promise of eternal reincarnation and life through the erd tree for the worthy. It makes more sense that it would be in iconography if this was the case.

[@melomet3789]

Yeah I think the rune of death is on the opposite end. Marika's rune being the one that confines her, or maybe hers is "life" since she gave birth to the rest of the great rune holders. Maybe since she is so powerful, her own rune is the only thing that can contain her and the Greater Will had Radagon leave Rennala to go seal themselves in the Erdtree.

[@ultragamer4465]

Marika's rune is the same as the Elden Beast's which is the one rune at the bottom (looks like a rune arc) while the Rune of Death is the top most shard of the Elden Ring

[@Ven93_]

I also thought this when I was watching the video and agree with you. I think it is also worth noting that the Stakes of Marika have her arms turned downward just like with Destined Death. I feel like those two sharing that similarity make sense in the simple fact that they both represent death.

[@4x4cheesecake_19]

Yeah, that actually bothered me a little. Not in this video but in the game. Kinda want them to look the same since it would make sense in some way. Also the "mega" Elden Ring has this upward turned arc at the very top so it could have been the part which got removed by Marika but it can't be because of this difference.

[@cykasoviet831]

For the mega elden ring, I’d imagine that at the beginning stages when the ring was formed it had more rings, but there was probably another discrepancy similar to the one in the story long ago where the rings had to be reformed once more, but the one who restored order was unable to get all of the great runes (or was just too lazy), thereby leading to the rings as we know them now. It would make sense for each reformation to have fewer & fewer rings since we know it’s possible to complete it with only 2 or 3.

[@welshycarrot936]

I’ve also heard a theory for the Mega Elden Ring that being that there are multiple Elden Rings each belonging to an outer god, the main backing evidence I’ve found is the Dragonlord’s remembrance stating that Placidusax was an Elden Lord in a time before the Erdtree supposedly under a different god. However how can one be an “Elden” Lord without an Elden Ring?

[@supernova00500]

The very first Elden Lord was a Speedrunner: Confirmed

[@masonjohnson4310]

We also see that the Runes can be altered by interaction with outer gods. Mohg's blood rune and Malenia's rot rune, for example. It seems likely that the Elden Ring possesses many domains, pieces, that can be removed, added back in, sealed, etc. New runes can even be made and added to it, as with Fia's rune of Death ending and Dung Eater's curse rune. A rune is a piece of reality, something that can be made fundamental by cramming it into the Elden Ring. So, Outergods having their own seems quite possible.

[@MrSomerandomchap]

It's possible the mega elden ring was what was taken from the crucible by the Greater will and reforged by the Will/Elden Beast and further changed by Marika leading to the Golden Order. The roots in the mega ring seem connected to the Great Tree which has roots spanning the earth and also reminiscent of the horns of the omens.

[@BeggarBarnaby]

Perhapes the reason the Mega Elden Ring isn't achievable is maybe it looses rings during a shattering event? Maybe eluding to there being multiple shatterings or the possibility of re-shattering the Elden Ring?

[@martinmelanopaz6925]

Giving how there were other tarnish like Varre that were closed to becoming Elden Lord, and that one of the decrees of Marika was basically telling her children to do something of themselfs or be erased from history, some have speculated that they were other Demingods that also claimed parts of the Elden ring and, since it was the Early Shartering, were quickly forgotten as they couldn't do anything impactfull, explaining why this "Mega ring" exist, its the orignal one, we just got fewer parts of it to make it as grand as the one we see

[@epiccthulu]

Alberich’s altered head piece shows his head was replaced with a red crystal like Lusat and Azure and that he found a red star primeval current.

[@R.MaxumOff]

👀↖️A creepy content is here my friends 😱😱😰😰😰...

[@avillahanya]

its a shame that there's only 2 spells in said current then

[@colorgreen8728]

And that’s probably why alberich went insane in the end

[@iyeetpaste3797]

The alternate helmet is a bandana with crystals on it that's pulled down over the eyes. _It doesn't replace your head with a red crystal._ I've no clue why you said otherwise.

[@CrimsonXenoProduct]

alberich most likely found, not the red currant, but found the Blood Goddess that Mohg follows instead

[@ozylocz4078]

One of the best things I’ve noticed when playing was that when Godfrey is holding Margot and he turns to “ash” he gets his grace back and when it zooms out you can actually see Godfrey’s grace pointing directly to the player. As in YOU are his next objective.

[@black1blade74]

that's such a cool detail!

[@Isnogood12]

And we know Grace is trying to keep us fighting and struggling forever. Hmmmm!

[@enzomondet]

I would have loved to see Godfrey confront Marika one last time after all he’s been through on HER command. Taking away his grace and senting him to die in some lost land.

[@thestormkage]

That’s sick

[@tylerfarris7930]

@@enzomondet i agree. when i fought him all i could do was wonder how he would fare against marika/radagon if he were to beat the pc

[@hellogoodbye3786]

13:19 - 13:25 this makes me think that the “mega Elden ring” we see at Farum Azula, behind Maliketh, is depicting the roots of the erdtree extending down onto the great tree

[@CallOfTheMadMan]

This may already be documented, but I found something curious in the naming patterns of the demi-gods: All of the demi-gods' names share the same first letter of their mother's name, except for one. Renalla birthed Rykard, Ranni, and Radahn. Marika birthed Malenia and Miquella with Radagon. Then we get to the curious part, with Godfrey, Marika had Mohg, Morgott, and Godwyn... I thought that was weird, they should all have "M" names since Marika is the mother, then I read Mohg's boss weapon "Mohgwyn's Spear". At a glance it seems like it could be Mohg's full name, but what if Mohgwyn went through a similar process as his father Godfrey and adopted a new name: Godwyn, and now Mohg carries his brother's spear.

[@danieldato6213]

Godwyn Godfrey Godrick Godefroy Radagon Radahn Ranni Rykard Rennala Marika Miquella Malenia Mohg Morgott G R R M George R. R. Martin

[@CallOfTheMadMan]

@@danieldato6213 I do like that correlation as well. Though I do wish that there would be twice as many R names as G and M to keep the ratio

[@ZeroX7649]

@@danieldato6213 God damnit fucking George RR Martin....

[@Red_Rem]

One thing I found interesting about the Great Runes; All of the runes have a circular design, which often represents chaos (or something natural). On the opposite side, straight lines often represent order (or something man-made and/or unnatural). Radagon’s great rune is the only one that does not have a circular design. So it could be a hint that he was actually created rather than born. Created by Marika or the Greater Will, I’m not sure which. But I found it interesting nonetheless.

[@theman964]

Brilliant observation man, here is one i think you would like, the “blade” part of radagon hammer is marikas rune

[@Red_Rem]

@@theman964 Do you mean his Greatsword (Golden Order Greatsword)? Because the hammer is named Marika’s Hammer. Radagon just uses it afaik. But the Golden Order Greatsword was Radagon’s & contains both Marika’s rune & the rune of death (visually). Either way, you got me looking and I appreciate that.

[@Elementroar]

His rune reminds me of the kind of diagonal trellis people use to grow plants on, to guide them in a sense. Not a tree obviously but well, maybe there’s still a plant metaphor there.

[@jamespateluniversity]

Marika's rune is also not a circular design. Might just indicate who is the chosen vessel of the ring.

[@Red_Rem]

@@jamespateluniversity while it doesn’t feature a full circle, it still has a semi-circle within it. Radagon’s is just straight lines.

[@Solaire_of_Astora69]

An interesting thing to note; in the description of the incantation "Fire's Deadly Sin," it mentions a prophet foretelling that the Erdtree would eventually burst into flame, bringing ruin. This could've been the reason first cardinal sin was created, to prevent the prophecy from becoming true.

[@shakkoryu]

Elden Ring II: Scholar of the First Sin

[@evelinodavidarevalo1692]

So, Aldia is fucking with us again? That bastard brother of Vendrick never ceases to amaze me 🤣

[@Elementroar]

It’s in the item description of the Prophet set from the start of the game. The Erdtree burning was already foretold, but why the faithful, even Corhyn, have those visions is unknown. Could be the Three Fingers or something else.

[@Eladelia]

@@Elementroar I suspect it's similar to the way that the "Eyes of the Fire Keeper" from Dark Souls 3 causes the fire keeper to see visions of an age of dark to come. One of the themes Miyazaki seems to really like is the fact that ages of the world naturally begin and end, regardless of our efforts to make time stand still and cling to a specific moment. Elden Ring's version of the fire will eventually go out is that the Erdtree will one day burn.

[@iboofer]

@@evelinodavidarevalo1692 Many Tarnished have come and gone. One drowned in frenzy and another's maiden succumbed to flame. Still another forsook his claim to fight. Not one of them stood here as you do now.

[@CHEEBnRUN]

The erd tree is like a great mushroom, the roots consuming and recycling the energy from the last great tree as well as the bodies in the catacombs, and the tree itself the fruiting body that drops its spore like leaves some nights, and grace its mycelia connecting everything in the lands between.

[@KRIMZONMEKANISM]

13:00 I have an idea regarding the Erdtree and the whole "parasitic" view on it, because I get what leads one to think of it. But the Erdtree as a parasite is misguided, but not wholly wrong, because what the Erdtree does do is that it "converts" or better yet, it "overrides" the natural order of things, into its "Golden Order". And it does so through forceful influence upon the land. This is why the Altus Plateau fauna and flora are completely golden. This is also why there are Golden Centipedes, and also why even the "Gold-Tinged Excrement" is gold-tinged to begin with. The influence of the Erdtree latches on to things and it doesn't let go.

[@MyriDog]

Just noticed in my last playthrough, Radagon's rune is etched onto the surface of the amber egg. You can see it in pixelated glory during Rennala's opening boss cutscene

[@oantran8060]

ok

[@callumburke6967]

There is definitely more Missing runes from the elden ring, as Miquella also has a great rune, much like Ranni which we don't claim

[@lancesbeataxes2901]

I was about to say the same thing. I said Miquella out loud when he said Ranni. I would expect DLC and maybe another ending if we get all of the great runes that the game will eventually offer.

[@Spike2276]

Since Godrick has one we can also assume that Godefroy would have had one before being thrown in an evergaol, Godwyn likely had another before his death

[@DonPetexX]

Let's not forget Vyke almost became elden lord himself so he must have had ateast 2 great runes on him

[@peterisdeead636]

I always thought that Mohg took Miquella's

[@Donovarkhallum]

@@peterisdeead636 no because miquella is just sleeping not dead

[@joemama-vk2oo]

With how often the game "copies" certain areas, like dungeons or the roundtable, the idea that Radagon and Marika are connected could be explained by Radagon being a copy of Marika. Hence, him "returning to his roots" at the end of the game, and his original idea of order and restoring the Elden Ring whereas Marika has already had time to question those beliefs.

[@semanticsman5192]

“While you were fighting Renalla, did you ever wonder what words her children were singing?” Honestly no I had to redo that like 300 times. I hear that lullaby in my dreams.

[@eliasevergreen7763]

As someone pointed out already, there are a lot of other great runes that Tarnished may have conquered during the ages. For example we can be almost certain that Gideon and Vyke held two or more "Shards" (Finger Reader Enia does expect us to do as well as "young Gideon", after we earn our second great rune). Vyke can also be the reason of the destruction of the first Roundtable Hold in Lyndell, after it was discovered he became a follower of the Three Fingers or maybe just because he wanted to comitt the "Cardinal Sin" as we do.

[@Kieran.Rob53]

It’s called the cardinal sin, not the capital sin

[@Tide2375]

Vyke and Bernahl almost certainly held runes before losing or forsaking them. Both of their items state that they were close. Gideon is a possibility, but by the end of it we learn that he didn't want to, or didn't think anyone could, be Elden Lord

[@SorowFame]

@@Tide2375 considering that you can only get the item that tells us that after beating Maliketh I think it’s more that he wanted to but had some last-minute realisation that caused him to block our path

[@pauloariente]

In respect to the Erdtree, I can't take out of my head the fact that, when you approach it after you defeat Morgott, the glowing golden part of the Erdtree is enveloping a more normal, wooden-like tree structure. Furthermore, when you enter the chamber where Radagon is, you see it's made of stone (in fact, it's called Stone Platform) and the surrounding walls are made of wood. Since Placidusax was a Lord before the coming of the Elden Beast and (I think) he was linked to the Great Tree, it is my belief that the Erdtree took over the Great tree, enveloping it, but they both coexist, in a way. Also it is worth pointing out that Placidusax is waiting in a place beyond time for the return of the God that he served.

[@absolutepineapple4115]

Fair point, might also be worth recreating and comparing the faram azula architecture to the erdtree one.

[@bayoh777]

@@imout9739 'Respect' when used as a verb can become interchangeable as a synonym for a word like 'regard'. It changes a bit from it's noun-form and loses it's emphasis of admiration and can be taken as just pointing out an aspect of something.

[@WittyBaguette]

Whom is this God of which is more ancient than Elden Beast and Placidusax? I am so eager to know

[@kek490]

He also has 2 heads and 1 body; "grafting" theme is usually used in regards to trees; "Lots of trees are hermaphroditic - that is, their flowers contain both male and female reproductive parts."; It's like the elden beast came, grafted itself into the OG life source of the "realm" to rule over it, and then made a counterfeit "2-headed lord" thing to act within realm's capabilities. Those golden "strings" within the Elden Beast look more like a parasite mycelium that usually develops inside the roots/branches of the actual tree; The scarlet rot, that comes from a demigod child of 2 full greater will gods, also has that mushroom parasitic vibe to it.

[@floppaquest4916]

@@WittyBaguette The world in elden ring used to be dominated by dragons

[@sarahriti8159]

Think about it. You play elder ring without viewing any tutorial, or how to’s, and you get your own interchangeable, unique story play-through. That’s elden ring.

[@ryangosling28]

There is a tutorial tho

[@nebunezz_r]

Fuck off? Lol, people like you telling people how to play their FromSoft game are really one of a kind.

[@qaywsxedcrfvful]

@@ryangosling28 i think he means tutorials for questlines etc.

[@Bone8380]

It's almost like that was the entire core idea behind the very concept of how every single Soulsborne game presents its stories and lore. Also almost like this isn't something unique to Elden Ring. As if every single one of its predecessors did it too.

[@ori-yorudan]

There is a very clear story under it all, but the story has already been told. It's not your story. You're essentially exploring the long dead ruins of a now stagnant world in an effort to either revive it, or put an end to it. Every single Dark Souls, Demon's Souls and Bloodborne are the exact same way. In all of them, you wake up somewhere strange, stand up and off you go, figure out what's happened.

[@al3rgen]

Thank you for all your work, videos, lore explanation. I'm fan of open world rpg's (witcher, skyrim etc.) and I was playing Elden Ring when in launched. And I was just bored, no clear quest, lore to me a mystery, just bosses and bosses and more bosses. I needed a break. Now before going back I decided to watch your videos to learn more about lore, setting etc. and now I'm pumped to go back to this world. Thx again, great work !!!

[@TimeBucks]

This is absolutely legendary

[@rahulkumarmanjhi9512]

Fantastic

[@somelosercalledjab]

I think the Night's Cavalry set saying they "were once led" by the Fell Omen doesn't necessarily contradict the voice line. After all, you acquire the set in the Consecrated Snowfields, which you can only access after defeating Morgott. Thus "were once led" could simply be referring to how the Fell Omen is no longer around to lead them.

[@ArthaxtaDaVince777]

Then how are NPCs using the powers of the Fell God is he is truly dead? Most likely they destroyed his physical form, but his still exists in some form and grants his followers power.

[@winstonsmith3703]

@@ArthaxtaDaVince777 fell omen is very different from the fell god

[@ArthaxtaDaVince777]

@@winstonsmith3703 That's true, I guess I was confused.

[@john7649]

So, am I dumb? I've been thinking that Margit was the one being referred to since his full title is "Margit, the fell omen". Is there really no relation between the two?

[@danhtranquoc3745]

ok

[@saedt]

I think each player forms a part of the Elden ring in their playthrough. The part where Marika’s hands are hung are at the Top part of the Elden ring, as if it nothing but the lower part of a bigger ring. It’s an infinite number of worlds. Which makes perfect sense because that part that connects us to the larger ring is the symbol of Marika (both gameplay wise and symbolically as part of the Elden ring)

[@GluttonPeach]

I’m definitely getting the feeling that the DLC is going to involve miquella’s hand and their great rune, hopefully we learn more about Ranni as well. Anyone else hoping we get to hear more about the outer gods, too?

[@Colinn-15]

Something interesting I noticed is that all of the trolls have little gravestones on the inside of their hollowed-out stomachs. I was always wondering what those were for/represented, and I think they are supposed to be shackles, like the ones that Mohg and Morgott have. They look pretty similar, and it would make sense that the same tools used to confine the omen are used to enslave the trolls.

[@alyandthecats]

I have a theory that their stomachs are hollow because that's where the fire giant deity used to reside. Part of their betrayal in the war against the giants was removing it.

[@KnightLincoln]

I agree it is the shackle but imo the one that trolls took willingly. Troll item descriptions and statues in hero grave show they were rewarded and once honored. They removed the torso face as sign of dedication in their betrayal. I think only few centuries after war against fire giants they are treated poorly.

[@michaelwerkov3438]

does the shackle weapon tool thing do anything to the trolls?

[@TheTriforceDragon]

@@michaelwerkov3438 Probably not, given the two shackles we can find are both tailored to specific individuals.

[@Fedorchik1536]

Talking about being "all-knowing" Sir Gideon Offnir calls himself All-Knowing and his armor is adorned with eye and ears. And, also some characters call him all-hearing instead (at very least Lutenna does that). I think there is a wordplay here. Gideon poses himself as the smartest man in the hold, clearly playing his all-knowing title as "The Wisest". His armor, however, betrays this meaning - it shows that he is actually all eyes and ears i.e. he sees everything and hears everything and this what makes him all-knowing. And, finally NPCs that don't like him call him all-hearing because he's not seeing anything as he just sits in the roundtable hold, while his agent move around lands between and he only receives their reports. i.e. only hears things.

[@christianbusch5499]

I agree with you there, always got the feeling Gideon was a *very* self-deluded spymaster. There's an Eye Surcoat you can snag in Rykard's boss arena that mentions in its description that he has multiple agents in the Lands Between. That being said, he does know (nearly) every high-level Sorcery and Incantation in the game. There's a fragment of merit to what he claims, I suppose.

[@cookicooker]

Yeah thats pretty smart interpretation..

[@RatKillCat]

Could “the all-hearing” also carry with it the implication that he doesn’t critically filter and analyse the things he hears, to the extent required to really internalise it as proper wisdom? Do his opponents think he’s just a massive info sponge likely to take rumours at face value? I think it’s evident his intelligence is somewhere above average still; he does use sorceries after all, as well as incantations. Maybe he just places too much of that faith in his own intelligence.

[@scottbecker4367]

For someone who's all knowing, you'd think he would know not to monologue for so long while I hit him with my sword.

[@jamesrobsonza7752]

Spoiler warning: Oh its very clear quite early on Gideon is a spymaster. As early as the village of abenuracs which you can visit immediately after killing Godrick, you can find his agents looking for the secret medalion (as it leads to Miquella's Haligtree and Gideon is obsessed with finding Miquella). He even sends his loyal aid (the edgy dude outside the door) to kill you once you find the medalion and claims innocence when you kill the aid. Later on you can find surcoats with his symbol in volcano manner which reinforces he has or had spies everywhere. Finally his questline revolves around you going to the Haligtree and looking for Miquella. If you read the item descriptions of the spells he gives you, its obvious he believes the Greater Will abandoned the world and believes the task of killing the Elden Beast impossible. He is looking for Miquella as Miquella is the only being who can save the world but it looks like Mohg ruined that as well by feeding Miquella his cursed blood and taking him from the Haligtree

[@ashschmidt4354]

Speaking of secrets, I just made a discovery I haven’t seen anyone pick up on yet. The statue in which you stone at in the Church of Vows is dressed almost identically to the Nox Swordstress outfit, from Nokron

[@nicorodriguez9244]

Love the elaborate cam delivery of your videos man. Seriously, I feel like your demeanor/voice could tame a wild beast. Keep ‘em coming🤘🏽

[@HammerspaceCreature]

Radagon's mesh pattern can also be seen on the magical barriers of places sealed by the Carians, which is super interesting. Because it's something inherent to Radagon I think that implies he either helped create those barriers or somehow taught Carian scholars to make them.

[@emerald_digger5192]

good eye

[@Vamirez]

Or the magic just uses this pattern because it symbolizes that concept of order / barrier.

[@DonPetexX]

He did live with the carians while married to Rennala so this is possible

[@HammerspaceCreature]

@@Vamirez That's kind of what I mean by maybe he taught them. Other sorcery seals don't seem to incorporate symbols of the Golden Order, so it's pretty coincidental that the ones that do happen to use the symbol of somebody who we know was allied to sorcerors.

[@YokaiGotha]

@@HammerspaceCreature it is said that Radagon studied sorcery and faith (via Turtle dude i think?

[@andrewryan1946]

It dawned on me watching this that the very first Elden Ring cinematic shown at E3, alternating between Radagon and Marika with each hammer strike; The end, after the final hammer blow, shows Marika taking a deep breath looking up (she has succeeded in Shattering the Elden Ring, like she wanted), while Radagon kneels down in despair and cracks (he failed to repair the Elden Ring, like he was trying to). It’s insane just how much lore was given away in the very first trailer. We just lacked the context to understand it.

[@highflame4984]

Wow, the fact that something that teases the Radagon-Marika plot twist was given to us so early and it goes under the radar for so long is mind blowing to me

[@scottjameson5358]

Yup, the same thing could be said to the story trailer as well. The fact that it's Ranni narrating the trailer. It begins with the Rune of Death being stolen, showing Margit has a bigger role in the story, and the stalemate between Radahn and Malenia that led to Caelid's eventual demise. And then you've realized that all those things are connected with her. She was the one who "orchestrated" the assassination, she needs someone who can fulfill the role of Elden Lord, and the fact that her tone of saying “And so, we live in a fractured world.” is a subtle context considering Radahn is The Conqueror of The Stars and he has made sure that Ranni's fate has come to a halt.

[@maharaja101]

​The fractured world mention in the trailer was interesting. Age of fracture is also the default ending that you get when you finish the game without doing any of the ending related side quests, sort of signifying that nothing has really changed in The Lands Between. In fact all four endings where you become the Elden Lord are just variations of the same thing (you sit down on the throne and it's an age of something). It's only when you "break the cycle" and go against Greater Will that you see a different ending to the story, which I thought was a really nice touch.

[@xnflg3074]

I think the proper term for the Erdtree's relationship with the Greattree is probably "commensal." Commensalism is similar to symbiosis except only one of the two entities explicitly benefits while the other doesn't suffer nor gain anything from the relationship. Symbiosis implies that both entities involved are benefiting from one another's presence. Just a little biology nerdery.

[@leandrapereira1045]

You forgot Antonius Tertius' discovery of the old Harpy ladies' past through the translation of the Latin chant they sing. Look for 'Elden Ring Song of Lament Secret Revealed'.

[@lyfelessvin]

I always thought the shape of Radagon's Rune looked like a weave pattern. How everyone else's are circles that are loop through each other, but since Radagon represents the god of "Order". It's his rune that "weaves" all the runes together

[@Elegyification]

As a possible link to this, Malenia's arms and legs are stitched or spliced together with a golden weave. There is some imaginative fanart of Miquella using his needle to stitch up his sister - maybe a family skill :)

[@EdeasKnight]

Ironically, while weave can attempt to hold things together, it is also prone to fraying at the ends. As far as we know none of Radagon's children remained loyal to the Greater Will's grand design, and only one even respected his father on a superficial level. While Radagon attempted to fix Marika's trespass and bring Order it only frayed it further until he was the only one left desperately trying to hold it together.

[@miikakyllonen5871]

It's the backdrop onto which all the other runes are grafted.

[@ZechariahofJudah]

That weave criss cross pattern probably symbolizes his bondage to The Golden Order. It looks a lot like the brick tattoos prisoners get in the US. We know Radagon and Marika are basically controlled by The Greater Will, so that’s just something I thought. The weave Idea also makes sense though

[@bb-sw6ur]

@@miikakyllonen5871 Much like a lattice on which plants are meant to grow.

[@raziel6304]

In my mind, the reason why Margit or rather Morgott says that line about the hands of the Fell Omen is because, although Morgott was an Omen born without grace and shunned, he was later released from the Subterranean Shunning-Grounds by his brother Godwyn or even Marika herself and helped defend Leyndell from invaders, this would explain why he then ordered the creation of the sentry's torch, and later defended Leyndell from Rykard's forces. He became Margit so that the common people would not associate something as shunned as an Omen to the Demigods and created the Night's Cavalry as his personal army/police force that would do his bidding, this duty later changed to hunting down the Tarnished that tried to become Elden Lord as he stayed behind guarding the Erdtree.

[@spookmeyer970]

Yeah, Morgott's other name is the Veiled Monarch, and Margit was supposed to be his evil stabby omen minion.

[@bear5016]

4:10 You also find the cross hatch pattern when you use the Sacred Relic Swords Wave of Gold.

[@ryanmedina2541]

Love these videos bro! Keep it up!

[@rateater1857]

12:25 I think the reason why the armour says they 'used to be' led by the Fell Omen is that the armour only drops from a Night Cavalry we can access *after* we kill Morgott. No more Morgott, no more Fell Omen.

[@snowfox6148]

Radagon is one of the most mysterious and interesting characters in the game and he influenced a large part of the plot, but at the same time there is so little information about him, his personality, how independent he is from Marika and his motives that it leaves a lot open for theory. Theory : I believe Radagon tried to repair the Ring as he concluded it would be the best way to save the lands between - as an avid servant of the order, he probably already knew the possible consequences of such a heretical act. Perhaps in his perception, Marika's decision to shatter the Elden Ring would not be enough to rid the world of the Greater Will ( and in fact it is not, only with our help, the protagonist ) and neither would it be prudent, so he desperately tried to repair the mistake of his other half but couldn't and was punished along with her. About him leaving Rennala - Well, as Marika said, he is : " the loyal hound of the Golden Order ", his life existence is tied to the duty he must fulfill, as we can see in his Soreseal's description: "Solemn duty weighs upon the one beholden; not unlike a gnawing curse from which there is no deliverance." But even so in the midst of it all, he still left his Great Rune and his red wolf with her. I believe that the reforging of the Carian Greatsword may have been a way for him to try not to remember his wife and fulfill his duty - symbolically putting duty above love as his purpose and curse. Great video!! I just discovered your channel but I really liked it!

[@Tenchigumi]

Honestly, I get sense that, despite Rads and Mari being the "same" being, they seem to be in opposition to one another. Like, Marika is literally summoning us to her, using Melina to guide us toward burning the Erdtree and doing something about the Elden Ring. On the other hand, the instant you meet Marika inside the Erdtree, Radagon appears and tag-teams with the Starswag Beast to murder you, seemingly in opposition to Marika's plans. But yeah, definitely agree that Radagon is a compelling and mysterious figure.

[@masternate2993]

I thought radagon and marika were like a zelda and shiek situation like they are just the same person but with a magical transformation like he didnt wanna stay with rennala so he made up a girl he was leaveing her for but rennala didnt allow it so marika shattered the elden ring so the gods could die and they could get rid of her but instead godwyn was killed and death was stolen so i didnt think radagon was trying to undo marika's shattering but instead repair the mistake he made while under the guise marika

[@snowfox6148]

@@Tenchigumi Agree! Many events in the game looks like on purpouse : The creation of the tarnished, Godfrey's tarnishment, Radagon's amber egg gift with the power of rebirth ( coinsidently exact what Rennala is trying to use to revive Ranni, even if Radagon can't fight his duty curse), the theft of the death rune facilitated by Marika etc. Everything seems orchestrated in a way that the apex is the final confrontation with the vessel of the Elden Ring and the rupture with the age imposed by the Great Will.

[@Elementroar]

One big mystery is why he had a Great Rune BEFORE the Shattering that he could gift to Rennala. Was it used in his creation? Is he actually a living shard of the Elden Ring somehow and the Rune of the Unborn Demigod is part of him? Who knows (until DLC hopefully).

[@Elementroar]

@@masternate2993 In Marika’s bedchamber, Marika talks to Radagon as a separate being. Whether it’s like, talking into a mirror or what, I don’t know. Radagon did interact with his kids as himself, Miquella only really gave gifts to his dad, and Radagon was also grateful to Miquella. Whether Radagon and Marika ever appeared together at the same time tho, I wonder…

[@pustuleofyelough]

I love your videos man, so much to find, I am personally intrigued by the Envoys and what they could be as they evoke the Horns of Azathoth in the ways they herald in a new god/ play horns for them. It’s very Lovecraftian in that way I think, especially with them popping up in the Capital and Haligtree.. close to godly powers or would be gods.

[@Tanular]

8:15 actually the rune of death is similar to Marika's, but the arc in the rune of death is pointing down, you can see it just killing Maliketh.

[@ethanrummel7638]

I'm an ancient historian and the citation of Pliny the Elder really brought a smile to my face.

[@waltzofdemons7942]

Can you explain me why?

[@ethanrummel7638]

@@waltzofdemons7942 just very few people actually cite ancient sources. It shows good research

[@waltzofdemons7942]

@@ethanrummel7638 :)

[@Sumec90801]

My theory with the individuals crucified in Limgrave was originally that they must have been tarnished that arrived much earlier than us who were judged 'unfit for grafting', but also too much of a nuisance to be left around, with the whole continually respawning until their job is done. They only scream at night because whenever you die, you come back to yourself at the previous site of grace the following daytime phase from whatever it was when you were killed. Thus, the crucified victims are silent during the day after bleeding out all night, only to revive the following night still nailed up. That said, there are a few problems with this. The first is that I kill tarnished all the time, and for the most part they just kind of stay dead when I do? There are a few exceptions of enemies making repeat appearances, like Anastasia, and then there's the Milicent invasion. The other thing to consider is that everyone in the land's between who has grace is supposed to be immortal. "Abandoning their birthplace after the shattering, these undead wanderers are the pitiful product of unending life." It's enough to wonder if undead is even the correct English translation here, since the proper undead would honestly just be 'those who live in death'. One of my friends felt it's possible that Tarnished have special dispensation to kill people who are otherwise immortal - the whole hewing champions into the erdtree in the form of remembrances deal - and maybe the weaker enemies are hewn without really producing anything of substance beyond runes. So when Tarnished fight other tarnished, it's a bit like Highlander, and a tarnished can kill a demigod without using a rune of death. But that doesn't really hold up either, because it's not as though it's game over forever if Gideon or anyone else kills you.

[@Sujad]

The crucification towers are cursed or magical in some fashion.

[@Stephetheon]

I figure it plays into either our being worthy of becoming Elden Lord or our ability to see the guidance of grace. For example: Blackguard Boggart near/outright explicitly states that he is no longer guided by grace, and he's an NPC that dies permanently. Ensha may be another example, but idk since I haven't really set any smaller lore details to memory yet.

[@oem1877]

Only those who are guided by grace, tarnished or not, have immortality

[@ericspratling9252]

This is really just incredible stuff. Kudos to Vaati for going to such amazing efforts to untangle it, or at least, untangle it as necessarily imperfectly as anyone can. And what staggering lore it is: deep, compelling, strange, often beautiful and terrifying. From Software is arguably the modern king of storytelling that WOULD be terrific to experience "traditionally" but they choose to bury & seed it in a million different places that the player/reader has to piece together on their own, and even then with a lot of subjective interpretation & mystery remaining. I could be frustrated by this but it actually creates a dual-layered enjoyment: a casual player will be entranced by the strange & alluring story they can only see the edges of, while a more hardcore/curious fan will get to have that experience AND the thrill of the deep dive.

[@alex49621]

Thank you for your voice...and the way you give a soul to the story . You are giftet man....chapeau!

[@cybertruckeralpha]

What I love about the Rennala fight in particular is that you don't technically fight her directly. In her first phase, her children protect you from her and provide the magical shell she's hiding in. She doesn't fight back when you're attacking her, seemingly as unaware here as she is after the fight. Her second phase is especially interesting. There you aren't fighting Rennala, but her daughter Ranni. Whether it's Ranni herself in disguise or a spell based on her memories of Rennala, or even Ranni using some magic to make her mother lucid for a time, I'm not sure, but you are taking Ranni on here in some way in either case. It's an incredibly telling fight that speaks volumes for From's mastery of environmental storytelling.

[@Isnogood12]

Or Ranni using her Great Rune through the moon? She wants to bring about the age of the moon and stars, so maybe her ability to bring back Rennala at her prime is somehow linked to the heavens? That would also place Starscourge Radahn as a direct opposite of Ranni, and killing him is what sets the heavens free from his control and enables Ranni's whole quest. Maybe Ranni's rune was stuck in the moon before Radahn went mad and locked it out of her reach?

[@tylerfarris7930]

@@Isnogood12 your redahn theory is interesting because, if i remember correctly, the reason redahn seized the stars was because ranni’s fate was connected to the stars and she wanted to escape her fate - hence why she removed herself from her original body. Redahn seemingly did that for her, yet ends up holding her back from what she wants to achieve

[@doomdoot6731]

Also a great part of that is showing that in spite of how weak Rennala is in terms of mental strength at this point, her body is ridiculously durable. She takes the Tarnished head on for a chunk of time without even noticing that anything happens, and is absolutely 100% fine after being beaten up and bruised by the Tarnished and having her Great Rune taken. Guess there really is a reason that Radagon and his army couldn't defeat the Carian forces in battle even when outnumbering them by orders of magnitude.

[@CaliburXL99]

@@Isnogood12 Is it ever really explained in game why Radahn was holding back the stars? The Demi-god children were supposed to all be at war with each other right?

[@CaliburXL99]

@@doomdoot6731 Plus Rennala comes back after Sellen’s questline if/when u go back to the Raya Lucaria library after Sellen was supposed to have “defeated” her.

[@tux75]

Everyone’s playthroughs of this game is so different. So many options and freedom. Quality game

[@BeAsTMoDE528]

they really arent

[@pablojavierhernandezcalder6243]

Damn your profile pic man

[@alejandroortega5625]

Because all the NPC and quest are always in the same place, eventually everybody will experiment the same playthrough over and over again.

[@coley1555]

@@BeAsTMoDE528 First playthroughs absolutely are different. Fighting bosses in different orders, doing and completing different quest lines, finding different secrets and optional content, experiencing completely different endings to the game, etc. For example I missed 70% of the content in Liurnia which completely altered my playthrough and ending compared to my friend who nearly completed it all.

[@chelswu3880]

The roots/branches imagery are also present on the emblem of the Tree Sentinel set robes.

[@holyrod2001]

More than just being a symbol of the rune of death, because Marika borrows so heavily from Odin, and Odin is most known for his sacrifice of hanging for wisdom, I think it's meant to represent even in the fiction of the game the idea of Marika sacrificing to help the world.

[@TheWour]

Silly theory for the crucified bodies that scream at night: they're scarecrows for Deathbirds. It requires an adversarial relationship between Marika and the Deathbirds but I think it fits.

[@coincfff3161]

Well, the deathbirds are born from the twinbird, who is an envoy of an outer god (probably not the greater will). You can read this on the twinbird kite shield's description. so the deathbirds are probably not in a good relationship with Marika.

[@Wylkus42]

The Deathbirds were servants to the older aspect of death, connected to the Gloam Eyed Queen and the Godskin Apostles. They were defeated by Marika and Maliketh who took the Rune of Death from them, the ones we see in the game being last hold outs of what was once a powerful force. Something I don't fully understand is that the Godskin Apostles were apparently an offshoot of the fire monks who discovered the godslaying black flame inside the fell flame of the Giants. But the Deathbirds seem like something that would have been around at least as long as the Giants. Not sure how that timeline works out.

[@randomlychosen850]

​@@Wylkus42 Yeah, I think the ghostflame and the god-slaying flame are distinct from each other. The black knife's imitated death birds while the god-slayers imitated the flame. Deathbirds originate from an outer god, though I'm not sure it was the Gloam Eyed Queen. The Black knife's are linked to them well enough and you can even find one near a hidden necromancer who found one of the old death hexes, Rancorcall. (Godskin) Nobles definitely came first, they were apparently around since the Primeval Erdtree and like the crucible they changed their form except its more serpent-like instead of horns, tails, and wings. One of the Blackflame Monks ashes you find says they fled from the giantsflame. They were probably afraid of being bound to it for eternity like the Fire Giants. Magma Sorceries might be linked to godskins because of the serpentine comparisons? Then again they also have Rykard's Rancorcall which could imply that its linked to ghostflame hexes. Well they both need faith to work. There's so many different flames in this game. At least Frenzy flame is the easiest one to explain and doesn't cross contaminate.

[@Wylkus42]

@@randomlychosen850 I think they were fleeing the giants because they stole the godslaying black flame from them. Perhaps the godslaying black flame is the rune of death. It comes from the fire of ruin, after all ruin could not be totally destroyed no more than death could. No matter how much Marika tried to bend the rules of reality, nothing can last forever.

[@randomlychosen850]

@@Wylkus42 Nah, I'm fairly certain the Godskins has access to the blackflame BEFORE recruiting any Flamemonks to their side. For the Flamemonks, it was an alternative flame to worship without the adverse effect of being bound and sacrificed to it like the giantsflames. That being said, they're fire was stolen, but not the blackflame. Adan stole it and thats why they were in Liurna. I'm not sure how long the Flamemonks were around but they might have turned to Godskins during the war with the Giants. Even Corhynn sells Catch Flame, which says that some prophets glimpse the Flame of Ruin no matter what. The blackflame might be something that has to be passed down. It was given from the Gloam-Eyed Queen to her apostles.

[@GmodArgentina]

When you descend into the deeproot depths you not only see that the roots of the erdtree are not golden, but you also see other trees that have been cut down. I think this Is proof that not only the erdtree has been grafted onto the great tree, but also, that the first civilization was also the one we see underground and was later hidden by god knows who, so nobody could see the grafted nature of the erdtree. Something that also helps my theory are the pillars holding the crumbling cliffs all over the lands between. Pillars holding the land mass that hides the underground roots

[@vinhxo2k632]

@JPG That’s a good theory

[@cowboy4187]

Nice.

[@mangoman1096]

I also think the Erdtree is only a spiritual being covering and living with the Great tree. As melina is bodiless and can burn the erdtree, perhaps her being a type of spirit allows her to be connected to the erdtree. Same with the flame of frenzy as the merchant guild were cast down in the sewers and called upon it, creating it and thus it being a spiritual being aswell. But, that’s just a theory

[@karenamyx2205]

I never considered the concept of grafting outside of that boss with all the arms all over him. But yes, maybe it applies to the erdtree as well

[@diegofelski]

@@karenamyx2205 It would explain why there's an entire Great Rune dedicated to it.

[@nevertruelydead]

I love your videos so much. Maybe we could get one on Torrent's former master? I'd love to explore such a big plot hole considering Renna (Ranni?) goes so far out of her way to greet the Tarnished after somehow figuring out that they're Torrent's new master. There has to be more to it considering how important of a role Ranni (Renna?) plays in the overall story. . . , right?

[@gabenvandenbrink9114]

I think that Radagon's rune pattern can be seen in the Elden Ring's design is a nod to the fact that he and Marika merged into one. You can also clearly see a rune arc at the bottom of the symbol. The three rings symbolizing Marika, the cross pattern symbolizing Radagon and the rune arc at the bottom, which they both hanged on.

[@hododod246]

I think apart from Ranni's Rune, Miquella's Rune is also missing. We've never get his Rune as well.

[@zackfaircc5624]

I dont think it is missing, it is just miquella is still alive and we never kill him

[@nepdisc3722]

I would not be surprised if there is cut content or unfinished future DLC regarding Miquella.

[@arryn786]

@@nepdisc3722 it’s definitely most likely that he will be the first dlc. Because as of right now the entire Malenia encounter makes no sense unless it’s to set his dlc up.

[@Necrotaku999]

i dont think miquella has a great rune, great runes were not innate to the demigods, they got them when the shattering occurs, godefroy had no great rune despite being of the golden lineage, ranni was dead so what she inhereted was half the great mending rune of the living death like godwin, miquella was embedded in the halightree so he couldnt claim a great rune

[@scottbecker4367]

Miquella could have the roots great rune since he's of the Haligtree.

[@TheCaptainstupendous]

11:30 Anyone else notice that the shape on the moon, which might be Ranni's rune, looks like the shape of the Ripple Blade, which description reads "wielded by young Albinaurics, this sword is modelled after the ripples that are thought to be the origin of their species."?

[@weman201]

Love it. Keep them coming my dude.

[@andrewh3079]

Great video dude, you do fantastic work.

[@MarthMarthy]

The Misbegotten may posses the legendary armaments because of Hewg, another misbegotten. He has a curse to compel him to forge a weapon capable of killing a god; perhaps he made the legendary armaments, and gave them away when they didn't live up to his expectations.

[@bencrandall-malcolm8303]

That doesn't make sense, because at least two of the Misbegotten's weapons, the Golden Order Greatsword and Grafted Blade Greatsword, are directly stated to not have originally belonged to the Misbegotten In the GOG's case it was originally Radagon's, and in the GBG's case it belonged to Castle Morne. Also neither were forged by Hewg

[@iVaz15]

My speculation of the Mega-Elden Ring in Faram Azula is that it the Greater Will had a larger more ancient Order during this past. Dragons had a massive presence and relevance in the time before the Golden Order, so my guess is that this was their version of it. I also speculate that there is a reference the Crucible of Life due to roots being highlighted substantially on the symbol which was also a great period of importance before the Erdtree. There may be a connection to dragons and the Crucible of Life. We do encounter 2 Crucible knights within the Faram Azula, the Crucible incantations are EXTREMELY Dragon-like; horns, tails, fire-breathing are all examples. This may have been the "Primal Order" as I like to call it. Dragon Placidusax , after all, was once an Elden Lord in an ancient past before the Erdtree as his remembrance states, "The Dragonlord whose seat lies at the heart of the storm beyond time is said to have been Elden Lord in the age before the Erdtree. Once his god was fled, the lord continued to await its return."

[@SUPERDUCK145]

I'm happy to see someone posted this, I've been scrolling and looking, was only going to mention it too, specifically placidusax once being elden lord etc.

[@zubleo8590]

Dragons also had a massive presence when Golden Order is just starting up invading the Lands Between. The first time that the walls of Leyndell was ever broken down was because of the dragons (Source: Bolt of Gransax). This is because Ancient Dragon Gransax invaded the Leyndell Capital and the Golden Order suffered a catastrophic and pyrrhic victory. The only way they were able to win back is to become dragon themselves. (Source: Malformed Dragon Armor). I also have a theory that this war against the dragon drained most of Golden Order's resources that they were not able to properly fight back against Carian Royals and the Academy of Liurnia.

[@SUPERDUCK145]

@@zubleo8590 indeed i also have the idea that the dragons invaded because the greater will abandoned (or fled, whichever) the dragons and placidusax and wanted the greater will and their version of the elden ring and so invaded to destroy them and win the favour of the greater will back? or maybe a case of if they can't have it's favour no one can? All speculation, but that's what's in my mind, sure we'll find out someday

[@zaishijunior9455]

Love this one.

[@winstonsmith3703]

@@SUPERDUCK145 this would basically make them elden rings version of Destiny's fallen.

[@lordofbanana6869]

Fevre Dream read by Ron Donachie is my favorite book read by my favorite narrator. I've listened to it multiple times and seeing you suggest it to people made me happy.

[@claytonbarham8755]

I'm curious to know more about the deal with eyes in this game. There's a lot of eye symbolism (the flame of frenzy and Shabriri grapes have loads of it, but even the scar and sore seals associated with Marika and Radagon). Bloodborne was very overt about it's eye symbolism, but there's a ton of eye symbolism in this game that isn't as front and center

[@foggy_sheep]

The mega elden ring has tendrils that sprout from the bottom, and I'm wondering if it has something to do with the Greattree or the Erdtree as their roots, because it definitely looks like roots to me, at least

[@monarch1649]

It's also worth noting that the Farum Azula was built during the age where Dragonlord Placidusax was the lord of the lands between, before the greater will was present. Because that sign of the ring was made before the erdtree, I think it is almost definitely its previous form. Also, because the root resin description talks about how the roots were ONCE intertwined with the erdtree, I think the roots not being present on the elden ring now very likely has a connection to those roots not being intertwined anymore.

[@Recklesteen]

I personally think it's the Crucible of Life.

[@AzureFides]

I believe it's the original form of the elden ring. The dragon lord served another outer God before the great will but fleet at some point in the history which can be assumed that the great will invaded the land between and stole elden ring and great tree as themselves, hence there was a great war that godfrey and malika had to fought before the Erdtree Era.

[@gwen9939]

I think it's very possible that the elden ring wasn't as much put in place of an existing order that related to the crucible but that it was originally an extension of it, and later on they were cut away. The crucible was removed both as part of the elden ring but also physically buried underground in the deeproots including the civilization built around it, and the additional rings was also sealed away whatever their significance was, much like Marika sealed away the Rune of Death. The elden ring that holds the lands together that we know was most likely part of something much greater and sealing those additional runes away, including the Great Tree/crucible, was maybe how Marika and her children, or maybe even the elden beast/greater will sealed away the dragons, the beastmen, the fire giants, and most importantly, the three fingers and their influence on the lands.

[@Cwronaga216]

Also something I found out that I thought was pretty interesting is that the tree Sentinels are there to protect the tree obviously and also serve Margot which makes the tree Sentinel at the beginning of the game as a skill check for lowly tarnished makes a lot of sense

[@thestormkage]

True maybe that’s why that guys there just in case a weak tarnished comes out he’s there to fuck him up

[@calyk3105]

I noticed something the other day that I just feel like mentioning here in case anyone else found it strange. The fingerslayer blade you have to bring to Ranni for her questline looks a lot like the sacred relic sword of the Elden beast? I'm very curious if that's mere coincidence or wether there may be something to it

[@hazeplazs3599]

Isn’t the fingerslayer blade the shard of the rune of death? The shard was used to kill godwyn so I figured it was a blade

[@brocksteele7475]

I noticed that on one of my playthroughs. It's too close to NOT be intentional. It also lead me to wonder: the Sacred Relic Sword is said to have been made from a god's corpse, but the Elden Beast is wielding one when we fight it. How did it get that? What god died for that sword? And who's the Fingerslayer Blade made from?

[@muslithefish]

the lattice is almost similarly represented in the raya lucaria glowing sigils at the academy gates. could be an influence of renalla on radagon that he brought back to the golden order. another comment on here mentions that lattices are often used to grow plants, so, maybe a stretch, but the lattice represents the "binding" of the erdtree to the golden order, that previously had a more organic feel (the tendrilly roots on the symbol in malikeths arena), the power of which is something radagon learned from renalla, much as the academy is bound by that glintstone seal

[@tomsmith1067]

Symbiosis: "interaction between two different organisms living in close physical association, typically to the advantage of both." Parasite: "an organism that lives in or on an organism of another species (its host) and benefits by deriving nutrients at the other's expense." I was under the impression that the Erdtree used the Great Tree as a nutrient to sustain it's growth - that's parasitism, not symbiosis. Parasite doesn't really have a negative connotation in this context. It's (more accurately) describing the Erdtree in the same manner you would Cuscuta - or even Mistletoe!

[@Vulgarth1]

According to another commentor, the Erdtree and Great Tree are one and the same, and it's just a botchjob by the translators. If so, then the Erdtree simply exists. Perhaps it's a locus or focus for energy/magic/etcetera.

[@acommoncommenter9364]

if there's no negative effect on the other part though it's called commensalism.

[@mattwatkins1800]

Agreed. If there was symbiosis, the Great Tree would've grown too. And yet, all we see of the Great Tree is withered husks, while the Erdtree flourishes

[@Vulgarth1]

@@acommoncommenter9364 Oh, thanks.

[@ixinor]

​@@Vulgarth1 That comment is not entirely correct though. The translation mentions a Great Tree in which Greattree sounds specific. Doesn't mean they're the same but it could mean they're the Minor Erdtree's or perhaps the great tree roots you see in the underground. Also there's another item besides the Resin that describes Greattree meaning that it could be very specific as it's described as one entity. So either another tree exists like the Erdtree or the Greattree is the Erdtree like you mentioned.

[@sirgoo9962]

Here's a theory: I was wondering what the game actually meant by Vyke being closest to Elden Lord, and well, it seems he didn't have any of the Great Runes, and it's unlikely he was in possession of a number of unknown Great Runes, so... perhaps he had a deal with Morgott, or some kind of leverage? After all, he made his way to the Three Fingers which is blocked by a seal placed by Morgott, which means he had to have passed this somehow. As well as this, Vyke sought the Three Fingers in order to save his maiden from burning herself at the Forge(I think) which meant he had to have known the Erdtree was sealed by the thorns. If he did not have an agreement with Morgott, which I think is unlikely because of Morgott's hatred of the Tarnished, which he repeatedly calls "foul", then perhaps Vyke had leverage. Namely, Lanseax. It states in Vyke's dragonbolt that he was most loved by Lanseax, and we know Leyndell had a pretty powerful dragon cult as a result of Gransax's attack, and that Lanseax was the high priestess of the dragon cult. Vyke might have been able to hold political power in Leyndell as well as the loyal support of the dragon cult, likely allowing himself some freedom permitted by Morgott. Feel free to pick this apart, anyone, but this is my theory as to how precisely Vyke could be considered closest to Elden Lord. 🤔

[@thestormkage]

Or maybe he got plot armour 😂

[@Zayindjejfj]

It's interesting because apparently Vyke is on the cover of the game. That person kneeling over holding onto the sword. That's supposedly Vyke's armor. So it seems like Vyke was meant to be a more important character.

[@SophisticatedGoat222]

One small correction, the dragon cult was formed due to Fortissax's friendship with Godwyn, Gransax's attack on the capital was presumably unrelated. That doesn't really matter to your theory, though.

[@justpazzingby13]

Depending on how long ago Vyke's attempt was, he could have been from a time when Tarnished were given a bit of leeway when it comes to the guidance of Grace. He could have very well been driven mad by what he saw inside the Erdtree (there's a suspicious red lightning bolt looking spear lodged on Marika's side). It didn't really make all that much sense for Morgott to hate Tarnished as we are pretty much like Omen (with how unwelcomed and unliked we are).. maybe Vyke was the catalyst for Morgott's hate of the Tarnished. Also Vyke could very well have made his way to the 3 Fingers through the Deep Roots.

[@LuisSoto-fw3if]

@@justpazzingby13 Morgott might have been unaware of the three fingers in the depths and only casted the barrier after Vyke.

[@Leafsw0rd]

This video (and finally beating Maliketh) made me realise something. The rune of death that we see after Maliketh's boss fight is almost an exact match for Marika's Rune, except that the arms of the crucifix are pointing down, not up. This makes me think that Marika's rune is meant to be the Rune of Life - the opposing force of the Rune of Death. It would explain why many of the people under Marika have some form of immortality, like the Tarnished and the cursed fire giant - she gave them a curse of Life.

[@benruniko]

Ooo that makes good sense, i like it! She would hold the rune of Life and her shadow the rune of Death. Very poetic!

[@markprice9810]

Hmmm ill recheck that theory again after finishing another playthrough...do you mean after killing maliketh or during his second phase where the he stabs his hand witha certain pendant/seal?

[@Leafsw0rd]

@@markprice9810 the cutscene after killing him. you touch a giant standing mark that has the shape i described.

[@spoopyartorias]

Vaati: im not all knowing, not yet Fans: impossible, perhaps the archives are incomplete

[@ksvens8658]

The "primordial" Elden Ring makes a lot of sense to me, because I've never understood how Dragonlord Placidusax was a former Elden Lord when Godfrey was supposed to be the first. The answer has to be that Placidusax was an Elden Lord of the Crucible Elden Ring (with all the tree symbols), while Godfrey was the first Elden Lord of the Erdtree!

[@laimarus]

Also dragonstone that dragons have can twist time.

[@Donovarkhallum]

There wasn't an elden ring with the crucible. The crucible was a precursor to the elden ring. It's the source of power the diving beast corrupted

[@NihongoWakannai]

@@Donovarkhallum do we know for sure that the elden ring was created by the greater will/elden beast?

[@calebgraham3334]

Oh, definitely not! Too much evidence shows otherwise.

[@acommoncommenter9364]

I'm sure it's stated aomewhere that Placidusax was a direct vassal of greater will itself. Given nor radagon or marika isn't elden lord cuz they're a vassal of the greater will, maybe Placidusax wasn't elden lord but a god like Marika is.

[@gildedgoblin2999]

For me, Radagon's symbol, the cross-stitch pattern, represents his duty. He was a master of the forge, and it became his duty to repair the Elden Ring, to *stitch* the world back together, to do as stitches do, and hold things as one.

[@edwardsantos193]

Sadly stitches can only go so far. At least in his case

[@bladexic5461]

@@edwardsantos193 maybe he just needs Patches instead

[@eyeballpapercut4400]

@@bladexic5461 secret great rune of patching I guess

[@nobodycares99]

9:56 that's an amazing guess there was probably previous forgotten lords, a guess that they'll be in dlcs is amazing ❤️ keep doing your thing mane😌 love the content. Also don't forget Godwyn, if all Lords that were deemed worthy by the great tree had a great rune ofc he'd have one. It could've been taken by one of the black blade assassin's 😅

[@nobodycares99]

@bilishu aliss well dang I wonder where his great rune went🤔 Maybe it was one that the infamous tarnished held?

[@typeomaiden4038]

Not sure if someone else mentioned it, but I noticed line patterns with some of Radagon's attacks during his fight. Much like those that make up the lattice on the back of the statue.