Elden Ring DLC Gameplay Trailer Reaction + Breakdown | Shadow of the Erdtree

The Elden Ring DLC Trailer is finally here! Join me for a live reaction and breakdown! Elden Ring is a 2022 action role-playing game developed by FromSoftware. It was directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki with worldbuilding provided by fantasy writer George R. R. Martin.

[@Splitboltxful]

44:50 trailer start

[@jaidenr3840]

love you bro🙏🏾😭

[@zacharyperlee4179]

Thank you!

[@spongemanicecone2736]

G shit

[@moresomoze]

Fucking thank you

[@NightDocs]

Trailer: “Step into the realm of shadow” Ziostorm: “Maybe this is some kind of shadow realm?”

[@magnuspeacock5857]

Levels of decective work even Sherlock Holmes would be jealous of.

[@yesmansam6686]

I think he's on the money.

[@adriadarnes]

Hes just used to not giving anything for true😂

[@KeanuChrist]

Miquella: “You’ve acted my trap card and have been sent to the Shadow Realm.”

[@Moody.Smiruai]

​@@magnuspeacock5857joke would work if Holmes was actually a good detective. Bro was ass IIRC

[@Finntastic_Guy46290]

Messemer has snakes, thorns and dragon communion eyes. He probably did everything he could do to forsake the erdtree. Also it makes sense that there is a dragon communion like bear incantationbecause in the beta rune bears could drop dragon hearts.

[@Calamortar]

Dont forget the fact the rune bears have dragon eyes and bits of gravel stone on their fur

[@antonironstag5085]

But WHO is he? The red hair and name beginning with M makes me think a sibling of Miquella and Malenia. Perhaps he was enraged he was the only child of the brood to be spurned, and as you say, sought every form of power the erdtree despises

[@SDSypher]

@@antonironstag5085 I think he could be a version of Miquella. A counterpart/shadow to the Erdtree’s miquella. Who we see at the very end of the trailer. Or maybe even the offspring of some kind of miquella’s. He’s basically the only character other than alabaster lords that have the lanky long arms that he has, which also appear dangling out of the cocoon at mohgs palace.

[@antonironstag5085]

@@SDSypher an offspring of Miquella and Mohg, maybe? I know, sounds impossible but Radagon and Marika had children and they're the same person

[@GordonFreeman24]

@@SDSypherI agree its indeed Miquella. This will probably get into why Miquella and Malenia were cursed. Miquella learns the truth in this shadow realm and becomes Messmer and leads the opposition against the Golden Order

[@TeQxktcg]

I posted this under the trailer on the official Vandai channel but no-one is going to read that let alone ponder it; assuming you’re already going through the trailer frame by frame perhaps this is an interesting talking point: The name “Messmer” might be in reference to Franz Mesmer, an 18th-century physician who developed the theory known as animal magnetism, which later became known as mesmerism. Basically Mesmer believed that there was a magnetic fluid in the body that could be manipulated to treat various ailments. His techniques involved gestures, passes, and sometimes magnets to induce a trance-like state in patients, leading to the alleviation of symptoms. Mesmerism played a significant role in the development of hypnosis and influenced the field of psychology. Given the inspirations for Radogan and his Golden Order I think it’s at least an interesting trail of thought!

[@Kid_Naps]

is that why we use being "mesmerized"?

[@Cosmic-Sorceress-17]

There is so, so much to process: One thing is that purple lightning is tied to gravity magic, appearing from the Fallingstar Beasts and Radahn, so the boar rider may have ties to gravity magic rather than sleep. There is so much to process with all of this, but I know for certain that I am very much excited.

[@panzer3279]

Seems like a weaker version of Astel.

[@dumbsterdives]

the fallingstar beasts are vaguely boar-like if you think of the mandibles as tusks

[@Cosmic-Sorceress-17]

Their posture always looked more horse-like to me, but I can definitely see it now that you mention it.@@dumbsterdives

[@frostflame45]

said the most obvious and least depthy part of the trailer after saying theres so much to process

[@bumpyyetti7751]

I think that main bad guy with the red hair was maybe a third child of Marika and radagon that was banished maybe. I think that third fiery butterfly represents him. As the others did his siblings

[@bumpyyetti7751]

His name also starts with M, which adds up with the other demigods.

[@antonironstag5085]

@@bumpyyetti7751 agree 100%. Another commenter claimed (Messemir was his name?) uses magic the golden order despises. Blood magic, giantsflame, thorn sorcery and he has the dragon incantation eyes. Perhaps he rebelled against his parents because Miquella and Malenia were chosen as empyreans and he wasn't? And that Miquella and Malenia are cursed; does that mean Messemir is cursed too? If so, what is his curse? And if not cursed, then why was he spurned godhood? I could be wrong, but that's what I'm rolling with til proven wrong lol

[@AndrewBrownK]

great catch with the butterflies. Until this point our best guess was fire butterfly = Melina, but Messmer is way more fitting as a Demigod and stature and power level

[@elwynnquinslais2776]

@@antonironstag5085 Maybe his curse was to be in the shadow realm and he's trying to escape to conquer the Erdtree. Miquella is trying to fight him back to have a pure Erdtree. It would make sens with the "Mother (Marika) wouldst thou truly Lordship sanction (giving Elden Lord status), one in one so beft of light (him with the curse) ?". By being cursed, he used what the erdtree shunned to try to come back.

[@RowdyZ32]

The foot in the scene with the lion headed omen creature really looks like Morgots foot

[@omerozel4716]

I actually think thats Godwyn the Golden. With the deathblight and lightning and all.

[@jasonbaxter3658]

Also the lions mouth looked like it was held open with hands.

[@kneeofjustice9619]

It also has multiple hands so it could be a grafted creature

[@AManChoosesASlaveObeys]

And this looks like a grafted Serosh or Royal Lion (with Omen horns grafted?) with access to dragon incantation

[@jenkips9026]

If you look closely at the 1:26-1:27 in the trailer, you can see it's actually just two dudes, and the top one is standing on the head of the bottom one.

[@LostInTheFloatingWorld]

If my Eye theory is correctish, the symbolism during the end-screen of the trailer could be hinting that this DLC takes place in the “other” eye, which could be damaged or blinded. The character making the Ring of Miquella gesture, an arm-circle held to the right side of the character’s body, is also wearing a helmet that leaves only their right eye exposed. The cool snake-guy on the throne also has their left eye blinded/covered, as a repeated motif.

[@seamusdempster]

The old man in the painting is the character later on in the trailer pulling the golden rod out of his head. Same brooch, clothing, and features. He appears to be impaled by something reminiscent of an "inverted" elden ring. I'm noticing a lot of inverted symbolism. Maybe a manifestation of the error of the golden order, stabbing itself. The very thing that impales it also makes up its own ribcage. The tragedy of the Golden Order's destiny to fail - you cannot turn a blessing into a faction. I think the woman in the painting is Miquella, the representation of a new, balanced order, caring for an aging, fearful, decrepid, "losing war'. Messmer is Godwyn's cursed soul.

[@Space_Equestrian]

this DLC looks bigger then the base-game of ds3 Edit: base-game ds3 has 19 bosses, this dlc will apparently have +10 bosses, pretty close honestly.

[@LordOfChaos.x]

I sure hope it is.

[@zade8586]

I wouldnt go THAT far from just what we've seen, but it does look meaty for sure.

[@LordOfChaos.x]

@@zade8586 ds3 was in development for around the same as Shadow of the Erdtree tho.

[@zade8586]

Doesn't really mean anything. They're also working on other projects as well. The whole time is not necessarily spent on the DLC. Im sure it'll be big, I just dont want to set you up for disappointment if it ends sooner than you think.@@LordOfChaos.x

[@-Mister-_._-Sir-]

​@zade8586 yeah from what I counted I think we saw like 4 areas there showcased. If each area is comparable to regions in base game thats good.

[@who_hurt_youproductions8826]

Towards the end she says; touch the withered arm, (which im guesssing is Miquella), and travel to the shadow realm which could be his dream and maybe at the end we end up waking him up

[@Uncle_Fred]

Doesn't the voice actor have those Welsh inflections we hear from Ranni's voice actor? Hard to tell.

[@brdc86]

It was 100% the Welsh accent of Ranni voice actor.

[@zackdoom]

I have a feeling it could be st trina

[@tristanward9937]

Probably Miquella him/her self

[@sedivh0]

That voice line sounds exactly like Nepheli Loux's voice.

[@sillkthashocker]

40$ DLC gonna be FAT

[@jasonfoss2457]

Worth it

[@Sassle16]

First time for dlc to be goty

[@EA-wr2xg]

Its only 40usd? oh hell yeah!

[@josph3n]

worth

[@AmygdalasBalls]

@@Sassle16second time but yeah first for from

[@BriteRory]

Your enthusiasm was infectious, was so happy to get to watch it with you live Zio!

[@fysics5375]

The golden impaled dude gives me final boss vibes, similar to how Marika is impaled by the rune arc at the beginning of Radagons fight. It's just like a bent/snapped rune arc

[@SoulbreakerNB]

rykard's faction is connected to the dlc

[@yesmansam6686]

Maybe he's a descendant of Rykard through Rya? We dont know where she went off too after her quest.

[@AdmiralMila]

That hollow looking guy in the painting looks very similar to the man trying to pull some kind of manifested rune coming out of his head & body. He's got a matching brooch keeping his cloak together

[@eternal7912]

I think yur right. Its exactly the same cloak and brooch.

[@schrodingerscat2133]

He said that tho

[@mocha5742]

Good catch!

[@schrodingerscat2133]

@@mocha5742 but he said it in the video

[@AdmiralMila]

@mocha5742 Thanks, I thought it up all by myself 😆

[@tinnasell4161]

What I find interesting is fabric-like clouds above the black erdtree. Kinda remind me of the fabric that we see in Marika's bed chamber. The lion looks like a grafted beastmen omen thing. The fact that it has lightning magic suggests that the lion comes from the First Elden Lord era. I'm very curious about it. Also, red fabric that enemies reminding of a blue dancer wear could be the indication that we deal with nobles. We even have the blue spirit lady who does a mix of Trina's-Melania's magic. The butterflies at lest are characteristic of Melania's goddess form and I did not see them anywehere else in the game. I'm very exited to use this magic.

[@_bstr_ct1832]

Saw this, maybe the bed chamber represents the dimension Marika found in order to become a god through sacrifice! (Griffith style)

[@moonlightning8269]

Seems to imply both a place veiled, hidden from the outer world, as well as it being a possible dreamscape

[@tinnasell4161]

​@@moonlightning8269 I suppose you're right. The fabric seems very light, ephemeral even, as if anything can easily brake the magic. I wonder if we'll get the chance to do smth with the protection system if any is in place. Like in Anar-Londo.

[@whalwing25]

My guess is the lion is Godwyn's Shadow. Akin to Maliketh or Blaidd

[@liamfleming8531]

Think Messmer could be Rykards son maybe? The Snake connection, the Red hair passed down from his grandfather, an impaler, maybe a torturer for his father the Justiciar?

[@WeyounSix]

I'm pretty sure the Lion looking boss is going to be some aspect of Godwyn. The lion face is clearly some kind of mask, propped up at the jaw at the start of the cinematic, with humanlike feet. He breathes deathblight, and controls golden lightning. Everything screams Godwyn the Golden.

[@whalwing25]

Yeah I agree, I think it might be Godwyn's Shadow. Akin to Malekith, Serosh and Blaidd

[@lucaslee7567]

My first thought was Serosh because of how Godfrey killed him. But perhaps the storm king?

[@alexboninsegna8050]

​@@whalwing25Godwyn's not an empyrean tho so he doesn't have a shadow. also Serosh isn't a shadow

[@antonironstag5085]

@@lucaslee7567 nah, the storm kings are all dead. And any storm king would be using wind magic as their elements, and the eagle is their animal icon. The lion symbolises the Golden Lineage, so definitely godwyn

[@mitchellbutler2307]

Lion head & omen horns to me suggest some kind of mash-up of Godwyn & other golden lineage demigods. Not really sure if it's deathblight or just wind, color isn't quite right (plus a boss that breathes death blight...no thank you).

[@sebastianpinoalipaz5935]

MESSMER IS WEARING DRAKE KNIGHT ARMOR AND HAS DRAGON EYES

[@xAlundrax]

I noticed that too!

[@whalwing25]

What's interesting is that Messmer seems to have a bunch of connections to different outer gods. He has the dragon eyes for the Ancient Dragon Outer God, the snake possibly being a connection to the serpent god, symbolism of the flame of frenzy and the blood magic of the formless mother. Very Odd to have all of those connections to outer gods, wonder what it means?

[@frostflame45]

@@whalwing25what serpent god💀

[@ArmorOfZeus]

Deathblight swamp. miazaki couldn't help himself. And that's not new heavy armor. It's Havel.

[@halcyon6098]

Dude is stuck in the Dark Tower. He's our gunslinger lol

[@trentonshepherd3621]

I have two ideas from watching this: 1. Messemer is the living embodiment of all perverse forms of magic or at least a product of them. Mainly due to his dragon wings and eyes (dragon communion) and the serpents look a lot like the man serpents from Mt. Gelmir and I think I saw some magma behind him at the end (rycard sorceries), also this could just me me but those flames sprout in a very thorn like way (aberrant sorceries). 2. This shadow place could be a painted world of ariandel like world where all hated and loss being can thrive. If this is true then perhaps the hailigtree was meairly a test run of sorts for miquella.

[@whalwing25]

It's a good idea about Messmer. He has connections 4 connections to different outer gods. The Serpent God, The Ancient Dragon God, The Formless Mother and the Flame of Frenzy. Seems to be like an Anti-Empyrean

[@quietprocess7403]

Me “ I’m going to go out this summer and meet women” Now me: June is unfortunately booked solid.

[@moresomoze]

What a sad existence

[@xylonus]

​@@moresomozewhat about both

[@ralphgibbs4240]

​@moresomoze for real. So many more games like black myth coming out. How sad thinking he would have time for girls at all this summer

[@moresomoze]

@@xylonus any person who puts more value on playing a video games. Than actually human interaction, especially from prospective partners, is a chronic neck beard, and probably an incel too.

[@moresomoze]

@@ralphgibbs4240 I game a decent amount. I always have. Setting the precedence that games are first no matter what is super unhealthy for young men, when you Plat a game you shouldn't be thinking about killing yourself because there's nothing left to do. I'm sure everyone's joking, but I bet it's kind of true behind a joke

[@AndrewBrownK]

his eyes are the eyes you get when you partake in too much dragon communion, and his armor looks a lot like the Drake Knight Set, so I think there is some important Dragon Communion aspect to his character/history

[@Dracobyte]

Kinda interesting that the release date (6/21) is the same serial number of the Armored Core 6 protagonist: 621.

[@natediaz1863]

Armored Core 6 was just an elaborate way to leak the release date.

[@weshinds9884]

The dude with the snakes and spear may be Rykard before he transitioned. I am calling it now, that is gonna be the blasphemous spear.

[@Troo-Thirts]

I was thinking the same. I'll have to watch again, but I think I heard the word blasphemous when they were showing him 🤔

[@michaelgibson3479]

He gots a name, its like messemer or something. He has a statue already.

[@weshinds9884]

@@Troo-Thirts The design on the blade of the spear looks like the blasphemous blade

[@Troo-Thirts]

@weshinds9884 maybe a brother from another mother 😂

[@SoI_Badguy]

My bet is he's a demigod child of rykard that partakes in dragon communion

[@GM-xk1nw]

I"m not hollow any more

[@freddybongwater]

Just preordered it I’m so excited!

[@ifancyyourmotionsawaaah8489]

Also bro every prediction made was spot on I notice the chapel from the ghost flame blade and many other things damn fromsoft lore is crazy

[@Apexapee]

Helpen Steeple you mean?

[@ifancyyourmotionsawaaah8489]

@@Apexapee yes yea myb ur on the money tho doesn’t it look like that place tho

[@Scharfster]

I think Messmer was talking about the Formless Mother, cuz that spell he casts is an arcane spell isnt it?

[@vergil8833]

To me it sounds like he's talking to Marika about us. The formless mother doesn't have anything to do with granting light. I think he's another son of Marika and Radagon. The game always made it seem like there were many more demigods once.

[@davidrajaruzicka5546]

​@@vergil8833 That is true. After all, it was said that Sir Gideon had a great rune, so he had to get it from somewhere.

[@cinammorollgaming]

@@davidrajaruzicka5546yeah vyke had 2 it’s pretty much confirmed there were many more demigods

[@yurifairy2969]

​@@vergil8833 Game outright says there's more demigods, we just assumed they were all dead/out of the picture.

[@antonironstag5085]

@@vergil8833 he has red hair and his name begins with M; definitely a brother to both Malenia and Miquella. Look forward to his back story and how he fits into the never-ending demigod family drama

[@zaclovesschool2273]

The trees look like theyre in a lovers embrace, so excited to see where this goes. Seems like its taking the Griffith route but with a few unique and interesting steps

[@ddangho914]

June is far, but I'm glad I now have a date to wait for. Also, I WANT THAT MACHINEGUN CROSSBOW AND BLACK ARMOR

[@nickperri6571]

The I think the boss 2:20 into the Shadow of the Erd tree trailer that Ratatoskr called a mimic is actually Nikhil. It looks a lot like one of the boss designs submitted to VaatiVidya’s Fale Elden Ring Boss design contest, about 21:06 seconds into his video, and also use for his thumbnail

[@ibtehajshaikh]

omg yes! I noticed that too and got unbelievably excited as i was bummed it wasnt in the base game

[@jake212]

@55:14: That symbol is strange because it does resemble Malenias great rune, but they both resemble Rennalas great rune of the unborn. Also interesting is that there's no great rune that has a horizontal line, especially perpendicular to the vertical one and intersecting. Seems like a Sycle like the one's the rot knights use. @56:03 This looks pretty similar to the armor Gough wears, even with little flower symbols knights of Gwyn are associated with, but I believe these seem similar to the flower symbols found on roads that lead to Lyndell in the base game, for instance the road that connected Lyndell to Rya Lucaria Academy @58:43 Mesimir talks to a mother figure which seems to imply that he is a child of Marika. That painting could be Marika when she first set foot here, and this could be his father. Or that's Miquella and the NPC we see at the start of the trailer @59:14 the pipe has some sort of fan in the base of it, and might be there either to pump lava or hot air up the pipe into another location @1:00:02 Obvious Berserk reference, in the manga captured soldiers of the enemy are stuffed into these effigies, and set ablaze as a sacrifice to power the construct. This could be the source of the thorns and their sin @1:00:41WORM BOY, HE JUST WANTS TO GIVE YOU A KISS! Does seem like a odd reflection of the worm faces we find in the base game. I think that there are more odd reflections of things we find in the base game, which you've already noticed. @1:01:09 There are arms that control the Lions head, and is very reminiscent of Godfrey, but is also reminiscent of Godrick his heir. You can see a long area behind him which seems like a tail made of more smaller people. The entire figure when standing still seems like some horror version of the Lion Dance costume from Chinese origins @1:02:15 Mesemir refers to his "Mother" Which makes me think of the painting @58:43, which leads me to think he's referring to Marika. It could also be St.Trina, but I feel this is less likely. His sword spear reminds me of the blasphemous blade, specifically at the blade bit its self. His fire reminds me of pure death flame with the black and red but it's more intense and not exactly the same, which means that those could be thorns coming off of it and might be closer to blood flame instead. @1:03:32 These gameplay moments I feel like is where they hide the most since you're so focused on the gameplay. This room reminds me a lot of Malenias boss battle room with the door far to the back and a pool of water in the center. There is a form of the Erdtree here in this plane, so maybe there's also a hailgtree which is important to Miquella, but its hard to say. The only tree in this plane could be the Hailgtree, which might explain the bedside chamber drapes since Miquella did sacrifice themselves to help the hailgtree grow and to get to this place, seemingly at the same time. If he's a part of the tree wouldn't that make the whole tree his bed chamber? (Dumb conclusion tbh but it gets the point across) These creatures remind me of the priest of the profane flame from DS3, but they likely use the same skeleton and might not share a lot of lore similarities, but their placement makes me think they might. @1:03:46 Looking at the background here behind the character you can see these candle stick things? They also have that curling nature to them, but one curl is significant, resembling a snake coiling up the shaft, not to mention Mesemir is called the Impaler, which obviously makes me think of Vlad the Impaler. Maybe he impales people to be devoured by snakes to some end? @1:04:03 The altar behind the character has two lion figures with horns like a devil on either side of a 3rd figure which seems to be a twisted tree with two main branches. This reminds me of the two fingers, who might be dead in this place. This location seems to be so close to the main tree we see in the promo art of the expansion. @1:04:54 EVERYBODY WAS KUNG FU FIGHTINGS! Although the boss here is holding the weapon that the player uses in his fight against Mesemir later on. This thing is interesting because it resembles Radahns swords. Black blade with some kind of gold inlay to form a symbol on the blade. It could be similar to Radahns and invokes some kind of magic when used, although I have trouble recognizing the symbol its self. @1:06:11 The person casting the bear beast roar spell is wearing new armor, with lots of metal bulges, spikes, and chains, green pants, and a red cloth like a loin cloth. Very barbarian, much bad lands, so nice! There are a lot of good armor sets in this trailer @1:07:43 Interesting moment, the player character seems to lean back to dodge the incoming attack. Which seams wild! They then wind up and attack and get hit which looks very different. The move set is very flowing, but the model and moveset seem to be from the DS3 grave wardens. This could be from the blind swordsman and the blue fairy but the red cloths seem more closely related to Mesemir, and the thorns of sin. She does seem very Romani in design though, with gold dangles and trinkets. The blades seem to be different from the ones we see the player use @1:03:32. The blades have red cloth with a gold hilt. The blades themselves seem to be black and made out of a similar material to Morgotts blade, possibly made out of blood? They also seem to be more jagged when paused. @1:08:26 These sem like another odd reflection of the base game. They seem to share some traits with the Wyverns we fight around The lands between. They have the horn on their snout, similar coloration, and I think even use the same material although they do have funky teeth. @1:09:10 It's Orphan of Kos on a horse. It's interesting and fucked up though. The horse seems to be stuck coming out of the ground and reminds me of Radahns horse Leonard with the way it keeps its head down and seems to barley be holding on. It might also be the purple background that gives me that feel. meanwhile the face of the creature makes me think of a spirit like the ancestor spirit. @1:09:59 Interesting scene here. Not only does it seem like the blade he's pulling out forms his ribcage, which seems like a call back to Radagon becoming a weapon himself, and maybe even is a reference to being impaled, but the man has the same latch on his cloak as the man in the painting @58:43 with a similar cloak. This could be the same guy Which you mention later. The thing he's grabbing onto seems like it might be a weapon, but it also seems to be made out of wood with a golden glow, only dulled by blood. @1:11:55 the spears that the boss shoots out of the ground resemble the blades the weapons used by the lady @1:07:43 with those black jagged blades that resemble Morgotts weapon. @1:12:08 This is a better look at the boss weapon from @1:04:54 where we can see the sigil on the blade although it's only half of it. I bet you could take the image into photoshop and mirror the symbol to get a full picture of it and see if it has any relation to the base game. @1:16:17 MADNESS ALL IS MADNESS God I hope this is some sort of hint that we'll get more madness lore or weapons in the DLC. This thing reminds me of a Garden of Eyes, or a Winter Lantern but with a madness twist to it. The mass for a head reminds me of something but I can't put my finger on it. I feel like it's bug related, almost like a wasps nest, but I'm pretty sure there's something in the real world that looks just like that without the yellow glow.

[@laszlokovac6173]

In one shot of the Video, the city we see, that was Farum Azula but intact.

[@Superlizardy36]

proof: just trust me bro

[@jamesredmon6221]

Those kicks are 🔥

[@pearce7709]

That thing that looks like Serosh also had two sets of teeth one human and one lion, with the horns it really would make sense for it to be Serosh since he def used the power of the crucible.

[@maeziyon6751]

The spell with the bear projection being very similar to dragon spells is so interesting. It definitely seems to be conveying that the rune bears from the old alpha tastings out of bounds with dragon hearts are actually cannon. The bears eat dragon hearts and now we are getting dragonish bear incantations? That’s my theory.

[@emperorangel6540]

Keep up with the awesome videos

[@Atarius]

@47:21 I'm wondering if we're actually fighting the snake and the body is a new attempt at the general concepts that have been used in the past like Bed of Chaos, Boreal Dancer, The Twin Princes etc... It looks like at least in that frame the guy's (Miquella's?) eyes are closed but the snake is watching. Makes me wonder if the body was stolen from Mohg's room and we go on a quest to stop this new body snatcher enemy. Which would culminate in a brief meeting of Miquella before he expires perhaps. Also, the opening line "He wields love..." I'm thinking this may support the idea that someone else has stolen the love of Miquella to do as they see fit with the heart's of men. Looked back at the first appearance of this character and he did have at least one eye open that looked like a serpent's. I'm thinking possession of some sort, corruption of miquella or rather an unwilling use of his powers. We defeat him, meet him and reveal a bit more of what happened during the war and how we got here. Someone else mentioned that the guy in the painting and the guy pulling the sword out of his eye are the same. I think they're correct on that. I also wanted to add that I think the woman may be Tanith and she may be pregnant in the painting with Zoraya. Making that the great lord of her birthright maybe? Making the serpent that may have stolen or taken over Miquella's body this great King? "Lady Tanith is my mother. I am told I was born by the grace of a glorious king. That my mother cherishes this form I inhabit. I am proud of what I am. But people are cruel. If they saw my true form, the wouldn't speak to me." - Zoraya

[@FancyTophatDude]

There are definitely a lot of signs pointing to this being a land either pre-erdtree or just never influenced by it. Lots of weird beast amalgamations pointing towards the crucible, snake imagery etc.

[@StallionFernando]

I'm in love with the OST, hope it's in game.

[@ThePomoAa]

56:44 The chapel is much smaller in the academy, but it kinda looks like the boss fight area in Volcano Manor (the big dude, not Rykard), in scale.

[@LunaRose1312]

The Royal city looking thing they showed. Something maybe you didnt notice, it looks like rubble blowing out into the sky. A falling star maybe ? Damn this is super exciting

[@Psychonaut42]

Lands between have higher order side and now a shadow chaos side, snakes represent chaos in mythology , the crucible can be symbolic of alchemy. In order to truly repair the Elden ring you have to integrate the shadow to transcend and become greater.

[@AndrewBrownK]

I can't remember where I heard it but I heard lore nerds talk about how much FromSoft games (or was it Berserk? either way) demonstrate Jungian psychology which if I'm not mistaken is the shadow integration theory or whatever

[@loblo5542]

And the Lion guy doesn't have omen horns. It's wearing trinkets that are embedded with the horns like the Omen Cleaver.

[@MarkJones13453]

If you pause at 46:12 and look closely you can actually see he has two different types of horns on his back. The ones that are embedded with the trinket are are the same horns as the Crucible and the ones directly on his back are Omen.

[@huntersm00n]

In the dead decayed area looked like the Nuckelavee, an undead horseman attached to his horse resembling bad omens through scotish celtic folklore

[@BathingInAcheron]

"In that forsaken place, blood must spill" The person saying this line sounds like Kale

[@halcyon6098]

Oooohhh

[@BathingInAcheron]

@@halcyon6098 The tone and accent sound identical, which explains why his questline and several other content was cut from the base game, because FS likely intended to repurpose it for the DLC

[@Slow1337ex]

I think Messmer might have been mentioned in the game. Going by the dialogue where Messmer mentions his mother and his hair, we can assume he is a demigod. In Castle Sol where you find the second half of the haligtree medallion, there's a ghost npc that says "Forgive me, Lord Miquella. The sun has not been swallowed, our prayers were lacking. Your comrade remains soulless." There's a mausoleum with a dead demigod's corpse just outside Castle Sol. A demigod that was Miquella's comrade. Was that him maybe?

[@darrickfranklin7096]

That’s Godwyn.

[@Slow1337ex]

@@darrickfranklin7096 it could be Godwyn. I assumed it's not because I assume that he was already dead when Miquella was born, and curiously there's the mausoleum just outside Castle Sol. But it really could be just Godwyn.

[@monolith_g]

Grossmessemer

[@coreyhansen9711]

@@Slow1337ex Miquella looked up to Godwyn They were both alive during a "fully grown" at the time of the Shattering

[@sudaniheaux]

i can’t help but notice a lot of animal like enemies, maybe something do to with the primordial crucible?

[@halcyon6098]

Yup

[@afrokoku-jin5161]

50:13 the character kicking looks like he’s wearing clothes that’s straight from Bloodborne. There’s so much to process here!

[@Apexapee]

Looks like the holy NPC from LOTF. The fat one

[@DevK0z]

56:41 That woman is the same one on the object you need for Ranni's tower to make it flip. She might be a Carian. 57:35 The old man looks almost identical to Morgott, so it could be relative to Marika. I believe that the woman on the right is a younger version of Marika. 59:52 A historical reference and also a reference to the Berserk manga. I don't think we fight Miquella in the DLC, more like he gives us power or something. We are apparently the "Lord" he's been waiting for. I think him and Mohg have something going on cause clearly that body/hand in the cocoon isn't his. It looks like Messmer's arm.

[@mozzieaussie6445]

That red hair guy has dragon communion eyes, I hope he has some cool attacks in regard to that

[@mushurick4633]

That crossbow guy is the thing I’m most excited for but I still hope for my two handed katana just a bit of anime katana

[@ldyjaybx1]

I pre ordered the collectors edition already I can’t wait!!

[@xflip94]

The guy at the end screen for the trailer, doing the miquella emote is an interesting choice they chose the prisoner which is reminiscent of griffith in berserk.

[@OMGitsTerasu]

Just preordered it. I was spurred by the grace of gold before with preorders. This one im hopeful will change my luck.

[@gwynbleidd1917]

Pre-orders are almost always a disappointment only the most foolish get duped into

[@FancyTophatDude]

The beast with the omenhorns has to be some kind of lord of the crucible with it having a bunch of marks of it.

[@jaidenr3840]

49:39 morgott combined with Godfrey's lion thing

[@redheadsilver8041]

Another thing, where you face Messmer it kinda looks like Stormveil's throne room.

[@DanielALahey]

Only because of the context of the subtitles and the trailer, the cocoon in Moghs arena looks like a shriving stone from Dark Souls 3.

[@halcyon6098]

Wow. Kaos is in the game!

[@lloydfrazier3682]

I just got mine, lol... I CANNOT WAIT for 6/21

[@charmelo6930]

“In that forsaken place” IS THAT REELING RICO!?!?!?!

[@jim0_o]

11:30 I wouldn't mind fighting through a pristine version of Stormveil castle (not the bombarded or decayed version) since it would/could/should open up different pathways and rooms ie. everything blocked by rubble and whatever has fallen into the sea in the current version etc.

[@UncleButterworth]

For some reason, I thought the worm eating your head was like a primordial from of those evergaol worms. And one of those voices definitely sounds like Varre.

[@LunaRose1312]

The butterfly spell looks like its rot themed. I wonder if we will find the source of the rot in the lands between

[@Midnitethorn]

Love your takes! I wonder it GRRM had anything to do with the DLC story. Strange that is says Marika walked in this area. Was it to abandon children she couldn't keep with the Golden Order, was it to wage another war with another faction? Cant wait!

[@cortharous]

1:00:35 a wormface before the worms? The stem picture is definitely a wormface

[@MohidPvE]

The guy pulling the sword out of his weird body and the guy we saw in the painting at the start I think they are the same person I @ed you on twitter with the picture

[@TheBurningcage27]

I STILL feel like theyre hiding godwyn. Like he IS the shadow of the erdtree. Hes literally underneath the erdtree, rotting it with deathblight. Elden ring has ALOT of as above so below symbolism. As well as mirroring. Not only that but in betas and alphas there were scraps of code and models that suggest they planned for a fight with godwyn being a umibozu (japanese water demon). If fromsoft does nothing with him in this DLC he'll be this constant elephant in the room.

[@Apexapee]

Preordered immediately on PS store! (Ps5) Even got a nice days countdown timer in there whahha

[@dackeryman]

I think this is gonna be some type of A Link to the Past “dark/mirror world” concept

[@Conzort_1]

One of the omen brothers, all grafted up.

[@MisterPutUdown]

I've never done souls dlc...so if u beat the game do u hv to restart for the dlc?

[@PersianGhost]

Messmer The Impailer looks so interesting, he has a snake which is like the symbol of the Volcano Manor, he has thorns and red hair which is the symbol of the Giants, he has Dragon eyes and wings on his armor which is about Farum Azula and Dragons, his fire spell probably being a Giants flame or a blasphemous flame, I can't help but think it looks like Mohgs blood flame either way He sounds like He embraced all who are Erd Trees enemies in order to defeat the Erd Tree. And Miquella probably wants you to defeat him, be Miquella's consort to bring in a new age and get the new Ending. I just seriously hope we get to fight Miquella.

[@AndrewBrownK]

the "beast theme" you mention seems like "the era of the crucible" to me, so in other words we are going back in time

[@nanashi420]

They made almost everything I had on my wishlist, my cosplays are aboit to go so fucking hard.

[@thedarklorddarthabyss859]

A popular leak on Reddit says that the dlc is a dark apocalyptic version of the base map, I thought it might be invested with death root

[@snipercomrade3059]

So Nepheli Loux will take us to the shadow realm, if I heard that part correctly. Interesting.

[@xflip94]

I think that veil above the shadow lands is the erdtree you see in the base game. I think the erdtree is an illusion and that withered tree is the original tree. That sap could have some relation to the crucible?

[@redheadsilver8041]

This seems to be a war within miquella's mind. Messmer is a reflection of Mogh's corruption on Miquella, Miquella' alter ego maybe? His worst parts. While the saint trina faction is what remains of his decency, but they are on the loosing side, hence the line about "lost the war". This dream shadow world is Miquella's verison of the lands between, in one of the shots that fortress/castle/palace even looks like Stormveil. The enemies are an amalgamation of different opponents we face, the lion crucible omen enemy is a mix is Godfrey, Morgott and Serosh. We are witnessing the strange mix of elements in Miquella's dream that we see in our dreams, like a "true inspiration" of sorts.

[@damcmadlad2975]

Ok so my theory is that this is some kind of twisted interpretation of what the lands between would look like under the mohgwin dynasty dreamed up by miquilla or rather whatever he's been turned into by mohg and his cursed blood perhaps even messemer himself is the ideal "perfect fusion" between mohg and miquilla

[@thattopG33]

Messemers armour is like the drake knights and he uses fire like dragons

[@Kaleb._]

At 46:44 we see the Elden RIng high monk moveset. Is that armour set already in the game? I havent played in a long time so I don't know. All I know is that I want that armour set!!

[@adamkazma]

55:25 looks like miquella's great rune if I had to guess

[@djkymaera]

Snake man looks wicked, he's definitely connected to Rykard somehow, he has to be. Rykards last words are 'a serpent never dies'.

[@dorklord1804]

The corrupted Godwin fight will be like bed of chaos 😂

[@lucaslee7567]

The guy pulling the sword out of his face is the same guy in the painting

[@amwazdraws6890]

1:12:49 that scene of Miquella could be from the ending cutscene.

[@edward.constantine]

I'm gonna cry

[@makungukabole4298]

Don't know if this has already been put out there but I think Mesmer is the son of Rykard and Tanith. That would explain the red hair and the snake imo. Also the some of the areas are very similar to vocano manor.

[@legojunk53]

Following the game's internal logic regarding names he requires a parent with an M name.

[@NikolaNiKucu]

Hmm.. why does it look like there's a veil, or some sort of drapery all around the tree in the first opening shot? 49:03

[@robertpayne6781]

Messmer= mezmorise, also the last name of the inventor of hypnotism Fits the sleep theme

[@ThinkerOfThoughts]

the guy who pulls the sword out of his face is the same person as is in that portrait near the beginning! Look at the brooch!

[@Midnitethorn]

Also just noticed this!

[@andrewomahony9260]

Fia is in that painting

[@PersianGhost]

That swamp looks like a death blight swamp.

[@zimm_zimmaa960]

Big speculation but what if that lion with omen horns is serosh. Could explain why godfrey had omen children (unless that’s already explained) Messemer reminds me of Daemon with that armor. Wouldn’t surprised me if he is from Volcano Manor and is a product of Rykard. Pure speculation. Also that golden symbol could be the sign for Miquellas great rune

[@thomaspeterson8357]

The skeleton on the white horse looked like it was Radahn's horse but white

[@readitandweep69]

Lion head omen guy had a hand moving the bottom jaw up and down. Maybe it’s worn like a mask?

[@TheBlackyoshi95]

I believe that the beasts we see have to deal with the remnants of the crucible