Elden Ring Lore | Deep Dive Into the Starting Classes

The Tarnished were all once warriors but beyond that they have a complex history. Tarnished Hunters, Prophets who have seen the flame and inheritors of the Blind Swordsman. The Starting classes of Elden Ring each hold a story (mostly) that can provide a great bedrock of Lore.
Editor: Creators Studio - creatorsstudio.co.uk/
Intro: 0:00
Confessor: 1:25
Warrior: 6:17
Samurai: 12:19
Astrologer: 16:55
Prophet: 22:03
Hero: 25:37
Prisoner: 27:13
Vagabond, Bandit and Wretch: 33:20
Final Thoughts: 35:46
I found this to be a worthwhile subject as the starting classes are excellent on informing us about the cultures, crime, history and scope of the lands between as well as the nature of the Tarnished themselves.
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Soundtrack is Demon's Souls, Dark Souls, Sekiro and Elden Ring
I do not own the rights to Elden Ring, all rights to FromSoftware
#eldenring #tarnished #godfrey

[@SmoughTown]

Thanks for watching guys, let me know what you think of the Tarnished below! Don't forget to subscribe for more Elden Ring Lore

[@amalgamation3679]

Awesome! Was super pumped when I saw this! Thanks for taking the time to make such interesting and informative content!

[@SmoughTown]

@@amalgamation3679 Thanks my friend! I found it an interesting subject!

[@BardTheDJ]

This was a great video. Lot of fun and I feel there's so much information to dissect. You could even potentially revisit it after the DLC comes out or if we somehow get more information on the surrounding lands the land between. It's a stupid detail but I'm surprised you didn't mention the mad pumpkinhead when talking about the prisoners torture helm.. Also what if the rift is the rift to get to the lands between? Since we know that entering and exiting the lands between is somewhat of an ordeal. Always look forward to the next one!!

[@klefthoofrobert787]

As always, your hard work is really appreciated by myself and other lore nerds :) thanks again.

[@SmoughTown]

@@klefthoofrobert787 Thanks dude, it's my pleasure

[@AgentSmith21119]

The idea that if you start as a prophet you foresaw the burning of the tree but end up burning it yourself is so funny. “Be the change you want to see in the world”

[@Iffem]

sometimes you're so desperate to be right that you slam your whole hand on the scale

[@Picmanreborn]

@Charles Hastings yo that's fucking crazy to think about😭😭😭

[@jahredharrison4069]

"Be the change you had godforsaken visions of in the world"

[@TF-Times]

Ha. Perfect use of that quote.

[@pustuleofyelough]

Fine… I’ll do it, Myself

[@chumleyhuffington1450]

I love Vagabond! I always thought it was cool that a lone errant knight would fight to become Elden Lord, not due to any inherent belief, but rather to prove their own worth in response to being banished.

[@jessegauthier6985]

Also has the coolest set in the game. I've been rocking that same armour for all my 230hr playthru so far.

[@yosemitesam7.62]

Same. My tarnished was a vagabond knight who grew up admiring knights and the honor they stood for and aspired to be the greatest knight to live. After witnessing the sheer power and skill of the banished knights he trained and trained to become part of a brotherhood of mercenaries feared by all. After years of traveling and serving whatever Lord they chose to follow and becoming the most powerful and feared of all the banished knights he grew tired of serving lords and decided that he himself was worthy of not only lordship but the greatest lordship to behold "the elden lord." After a bad and resentful (as the banished knights resented his leaving) separation from the banished knights he decided to grow his strength and faith in the power of the erd tree and the very dragons that he wore upon his helmet and wield the biggest, scariest, gnarliest sword of them all. Powerful in strength, faith, and the dragon communion his journey begins after the calling of grace. Shortly thereafter calling on the servitude of the two banished knights oleg, and engvall, to serve under a new more graceful and purposeful lord with a mission not only to be the most revered but also to make the lands between a better place as his left and right hands to become part of the greatest monarchy to ever be. 👍 There's plot holes but I'm working on that lmfao.

[@Brute_Studios]

@@jessegauthier6985 I applaud you're skill and devotion.

[@jessegauthier6985]

@@Brute_Studios its good armour doesnt take skill to wear lol

[@SADmemer.]

I like it, except its open helmet

[@slug6034]

the confessors seem like the opposites of the recusants, the recusants hunt tarnished aligned with the Erdtree, while the confessors hunt those who have abandoned the order of the Erdtree

[@Mr.Gettlebeese]

You!

[@KRIMZONMEKANISM]

Which kinda explains why they send you after one during the Volcano Manor invasion questline. Rileigh the Idle was his name I think.

[@Kravenrogue]

The Confessor IS a interesting take on a "Paladin", Very different from what we see in other Sagas, now its Stealthy and "Dark", but in purpose its similar, someone religious who Hunt down the enemies of Said religion

[@TheActualMrLink]

Which also makes it fitting that you find the confessor set from the merchant on the path to Mt. Gelmir!

[@Anklebiting]

hunters i guess

[@LilCptMajesty]

One thing I would like to point out regarding the prisoner class is that their origin seems to have strong links to the Carian faction. Their starting spell is Magic Glintblade, a spell "said to be the prototype of the sword-phalanx sorceries wielded by royal enchanted knights" that can currently only be learned from Miriel, someone who has been associated with the Carians since before the Shattering. The prisoner's favored stats are intelligence and dexterity, a combination that synergizes with frost weapons and magic (equipment and spells associated with the Carian family). The playstyle their equipment and stats encourage also mirror the combat techniques of Moongrum the Carian knight found in Raya Lucaria (a melee playstyle supported by tactical sorceries). Also the prisoner class does not start with the Glintstone Pebble spell, a spell of the Academy of Raya Lucaria described as "a universal first step on the journey to true knowledge of sorcery". I believe that they originally studied sorcery among the Carians before their imprisonment.

[@joshuakim5240]

The Prisoners might be war prisoners of the Cuckoos during the Raya Lucaria civil war.

[@marcinolszewski2260]

I think it is more likely he was a prisoner in Lleyndell, cause Boggart with almost the same mask description and prisoner clotches, was imprisoned there. Maybe he did something to the people of the capitat during/after the liurnian war.

[@BigGuy172]

Given that information the prisoner might very well be a (former) carian Knight.

[@victorprati7908]

The rift motif does resemble themes of imprisonment like the rifts inside the evergeols

[@psyo_nade3177]

Oh! So my roleplay of prisoner becoming an Enchanted Knight could be in line with lore! cool.

[@ericcooke2661]

You missed that confessors were the wielders of the twinblades according to the twinblade talisman. "The twinblade technique is a tradition of the confessors, who closely guard the secret of how they preserve the momentum of their attacks."

[@zsDUGGZ]

Confessors wielding twinblades... Seems like they really want you to cosplay as Darth Maul

[@JosefSloanson]

@@zsDUGGZ you my good sir just helped me figure out what my next build is.

[@amberhernandez]

Makes me wonder if they're linked to the Godskin Apostles, as the Peeler is the most important kind of twinblade we can find in the game.

[@emperorweskatine8999]

Holy crap, as a Confessor I just switched from Sword and Shield to a Twinblade. Crazy that it’s lore accurate. What a cool feeling.

[@landsquid-hm5lv]

WAIT A MINUTE, I'm not my first playthrough and I'm a confessor using elanoras twinblade...

[@seelcudoom1]

the idea of the vagabond possibly being the former knight of one of the demigods has a lot of potential, especially for Rykkard , finally returning to take up that spear and put an end to his madness

[@alyseleem2692]

" What the ### did you do to yourself while I was gone?!" " TOGETHAAAA!"

[@hello-gx6oi]

The name now even makes more sense

[@Kravenrogue]

No, our Character IS a descendent of the Original Tarnished, not the actual ones that lived there in the past

[@seelcudoom1]

@@Kravenrogue i mean your brought back to life at the start, you very well could be either a descendant or one of the originals, we know Hourah Loux was one of the original but he was one of the ones called back

[@Kravenrogue]

@@seelcudoom1 yeah, that also true, good point there But we are one of the last to be brought back, and we have various Classes that looks like we a from a more modern Era, and Myiazaki said we were Descendents from the Original Tarnished, but your point Still stands, we could have been a Tarnished dead many centuries Ago, who was brought back only now, as a last Hope kind of thing, the Grace maybe tried every one, when ALL failed they tried that last Tarnished with no renown, could be open to Role-play that way

[@akaErma]

My one finished playthrough was as a Confessor, and it seems thematically poignant that a former loyal servant of the Two Fingers became so disillusioned with the Order they ultimately fought to undo it.

[@SmoughTown]

Same my confessor became the Lord of Frenzied Flame

[@zombiehippo9477]

Same I even modeled mine after the original Mother Confessor, Kahlan.

[@enderking6904]

My Confessor became Loyal to Ranni, after fighting all the demigods and seeing what some of the outer gods could do, it would be better to just remove all of them at once. Edit: I recall that it was Shabriri who was the last straw for me. All these dubious outter gods doing as they please trampling who these wish.

[@XxRileyxX42]

@@SmoughTown my confessor ended up as everything. I got every single ending except for the Dung Eater ending. So I guess I’m an all rounder?

[@seelcudoom1]

in a way you could also consider it simply continuing to carry out the same mission to enforce the proper order, its just as you become disillusioned with the church and uncover more of the lore you realize the way things are is not the proper order

[@snohnathan4613]

something i find interesting with the prisoner class is the specific wording in the description-that they (the tarnished) were convicted of an appalling crime. convicted of-not necessarily committed. mostly, i say that because it leaves the possibility that they didn't do anything at all-which, role-playing wise, would also allow for a lot of resentment to build up over the potential years spent with that suffocating mask on before the tarnished finally died.

[@SmoughTown]

Yeh absolutely!

[@chiefbeegee5860]

The prisoner is definitely a reference to either the man in the iron mask or the count of monte cristo. Very cool either way.

[@TheMuslimMan1337]

@@chiefbeegee5860 Or maybe he could be a reference to Griffith from Berserk, who was imprisoned and wore a similar mask

[@curts7801]

Very important to note is the fact that the prisoner has the lowest stat any character can start with: 6 Faith. This character cannot use any incantations, and it takes substantial effort and investment to get the prisoner back up to snuff. The prisoner is an enemy of the church, and holds it in deep disdain right back.

[@TheseUseless]

@@TheMuslimMan1337 that mask was hardly an invention of berserk

[@akaErma]

This has brought into clear focus just how many types of people have become collateral damage in the affairs of demigods and outer gods in the Land's Between and beyond. Each and every class has an abundance of motive for burning the Erdtree, whether they restore, append, or supplant the Golden Order in the end.

[@TheBestOfAll2010]

For me the Wretch has been abducted from the end of a Dark Souls game for entertainment and experiments by an outer god and after getting bored of them, they were ditched in the Lands Between as a tarnished with nothing but underwear, a stick, a golden seed and a LOT of anger.

[@toodleselnoodos6738]

“I’m here to kill chaos.”

[@alexkuhn5188]

Sounds a lot like something Zelretch would do.

[@the_ideal_grease5565]

The ultimate testosterone build

[@alfalldoot6715]

Not even a seed, my tarnished had jack shit

[@krishonk7754]

The wretch got isekaid

[@selenalulamoon1167]

Hearing this makes me want someone to do a role play series in elden ring. Like actual role play. These classes would really help with the start.

[@blueray2174]

I always start my first time with a From game by making those weird faced blue skinned purple haired abominations they let you make but for ER I went HARD on the role play made a guy that looks like a fusion between Godfrey and Radagon and called him Manni "Champion of the Stars" to one day be Manni "Lord of the Dark Moon"

[@jaeclark5102]

Already starting a story of heroes and heroines called The Elder Gods Legion

[@tylerh2548]

Ironsworn solo rpg Elden Ring hack @shawntomkin !

[@Hawntbawt]

I know some are unhappy with the shift in the assassin spell from int to FA, but I loved how either From or Martin took inspiration from both the Spanish inquisition and the middle eastern origins of assassins, as well as Martin’s themes of light casting shadow to create a really cool order. It’s a shame we never meet Crepus or anyone else from the order. Maybe DLC, or at least an interesting RP concept.

[@SmoughTown]

Yeh I really like the Confessors and their role within the faith.

[@yurinoworry]

Is Rileigh Crepus or did he just kill and steal Crepus’ stuff?

[@keziahavila4827]

@@yurinoworry Raleigh is a member of the order because they're wearing the confessors set, which also explains why the recusants want them dead

[@SorowFame]

@@yurinoworry he’s probably an apprentice or something. My guess is that most confessors get a Black Key Crossbow and a vial and you just lost yours.

[@holyspear26]

I just want to point out they have invisibility for intelligence schools. And there is an ash of war that turns you invisible. They stack with each other to make you almost perfect invisible in pvp and can’t be locked on to.

[@dylanfarrow6901]

The barbarians essentially being the OG tarnished will forever be cool to me. Amazing and enlightening video as always.

[@kizami3]

The irony. I began with samurai, discovered dragon communion and began to level arcane for bleed and faith for the spells. Then slowly moved to self buffs and statys debuffs before going in for the hemorrhage. And then my exploration and disdain to burn Melina sent me down the path of Frenzy. I went insane trying to find what Shabriri/Yura was talking about and finally found the three fingers. And my 'faith' faltered at seeing the tomb where Kale's people where sealed away. Then the madness continued as the path to deeproot opened to me, and I found Godwyn's corpse. It wasn't until I got down there that Melina left me. And I wandered the frozen peaks alone, confused, and found Okina and the White Reed set. This completed my new, maidenless look and my new source of faith, Rivers of Blood.

[@AegisKHAOS]

I like your samurai story alot. Funny how so many of us saw the samurai going down the madness route, since my main/samurai also ended up finding the Three Fingers and got the Frenzied Flame endings first. Mind you, his story went more like this: he fell down that platform too many times.

[@Ancor_Vantian]

A *Frenzied-Samurai-Dragon* combination, my current build, is _insanely_ overpowered. Fire buffs, like 'Flame, Grant me Strength' work very well with Faith buffs like 'Golden Vow'. Rivers of Blood, and the Eleonora Twinblade deal both Fire and Bleed damage, meaning they get stronger. Frenzy incantations are mostly Fire-related so they also get stronger. Pair these with some Agheel's Flame, and maybe some Ekzyke's Decay if you want an even easier time. And all of this can be used with the Dragon Communion Seal, which enhances Dragon incantations, and has a high level of Incant Scaling.

[@tescobakery1927]

Mr. Worldwide

[@Mantis-ti5ve]

Grats you played the stock standard generic way everyone else in the world did with samurai bleed cheese and RoB

[@caseycox1002]

@@Mantis-ti5ve Too true my man, too true.

[@claytonbarham8755]

I personally always thought of the Prisoner as a former Carian Knight. While likely not Canon, the network test offered the Glintstone Sorcerer and Mage (aka Carian) Knight as as starting classes, which were replaced with the Astrologer and Prisoner respectively. The Prisoner in Elden Ring starts with the same estoc, staff, and sorcery that the Carian Knight in the network test did, and that sorcery is one associated with the Carian royal family (iirc, all sword or blade sorcery is Carian in origin, and the one the prisoner starts with specifically mentions it being a prototype for other Carian sorceries). In Elden Ring, the Carian royal family is a defunct organization, with the manor in ruins, the Queen senile in the Raya Lucaria archives, Ranni pursuing her personal agenda, and very few non-phantom defenders left. It's possible that the Prisoner is Carian Knight who survived the war with Leyndell and/or the civil war with Raya Lucaria, and that their 'appalling crime' is nothing more than still being alive when the victor wrote the history of the conflict

[@mikaelwallentin..]

Wow that sounds so cool of a backstory. They were convicted of a crime making us ourselves choose if we did ir didn’t do the crime

[@jakobrenner2230]

Or could it be the reverse? The Prisoner could be a Cuckoo Knight who got imprisoned precisely because of high treason against the Royal Family.

[@dontmindme9323]

Well if you look at the rift shield equipped to the player and that class, I’m sure your crime had something to do with the Frenzy Flame and possibly the Frenzied Flame Village in Raya Lucaria

[@CannonXG]

The vagabond set looks like a well used version of the knight set you can buy at the roundtable imo. Doubt there is any lore implications to it just a neat detail.

[@Night-Lord]

Only real implication is that your character has been wearing it for a very long time

[@ajarciniega2758]

Altered looks nice as it reveals a pack, daggers, and what looks to be a water skin. It really adds to the banished knight backstory.

[@johnnapi52]

Wouldn't say that the Vagabond doesn't have any lore. The armor is clearly a "tarnished" version of the Knight armor which would make them a banished knight of the Roundtable and the motherland mentioned is the Lands Between. The crest is the same on both, also happens to be the same shape as Godfrey's armor. My take is that the Vagabond was a follower of Godfrey much like the Hero is a follower of Hoarah Lux.

[@MarcoLoewenherz]

​@@johnnapi52 I absolutely agree. That was my interpretation as well.

[@Bender_B._Rodriguez]

@@johnnapi52 I never really looked into item descriptions for backstory because someone would start videos like this eventually. I started as a confessor because I wanted to do faith and buff stuff like old D2LOD paladins and it didnt work. Unless you spend only so little fp to do buffs you better be good or you just spend a lot of time buffing up just to die in .01 second. So I just made a hodgepodge of stuff to help out like lightning spear for a good ranged attack, dragons breaths for rot and flame to hit AOE, black flame for things like plants. Then I run around with a multitude of weapons, 3 different swords, a shield, and a seal with a bow for back up range that my spells just cant reach. I tried making a pure confessor build based on the ideas of what all their items mean and well it didnt work.

[@feralbunnydonut8495]

I played as an astrologer numan and went with Rannis quest line before I even knew that canonically it fit my characters back story lol

[@battlericky17]

Did the identical path

[@battlericky17]

Did the identical path

[@RMWestcott]

Did the identical path

[@blingsing5383]

Did the identical path

[@BOT_GPT]

Did the identical path

[@violettreglio2933]

on the subject of the mysterious rift on the rift shield, i had always assumed that it was the same kind of rift as we see evergaol bosses step out of, especially since that connection to the evergaols made sense being a starting item for the prisoner class. perhaps the prisoner themselves was not trapped in an evergaol, but rather the symbol of an evergaol rift was synonymous with prisons of all sorts, and would have been emblazoned on the arms and armor of a prison guard, explaining where the prisoner got it from. in fact, to take it a step further, i propose the theory that the prisoner was once a page, maybe one who rejected their master and was punished for their transgression. to make it fit the appalling crime they were accused of, maybe they even murdered their master. the estoc that the prisoner wields is the very same weapon of the pages, and both also are said to live among nobility. note that the starting quote said the prisoner lived among nobility, not that they were nobility.

[@SmoughTown]

That's a great shout

[@jbark678]

Rogue page? That's a good one.

[@dannyd.9932]

I like the bandit because it implies that among the Tarnished that left with Godfrey there was those who weren’t warriors or knights but were still chosen and fought with Godfrey as part of his army.

[@RockyRockthrow]

I assumed that some of the Tarnished were descendants of Godfrey's original army that's why they have such disporatic origins

[@knightcaelum0999]

A couple points about the Confessor class that I'm surprised wasn't touched on. The special black key bolts that are used with the crossbow actually inflict scarlet rot as well. "Bolts used in Crepus' Black-Key Crossbow, an assassin's tool of exquisite craftmanship. The intricate spiral tip bores deep, injecting scarlet rot far into the flesh of its target." That paired with the target you go after in the Recusant hunt using the scorpion stinger makes it seem like Confessors used poison to kill, Scarlet Rot in particular. Confessors also seem to be known for fighting with twinblades, Twinblade Talisman reads: "A talisman depicting a twinblade and a confessor. Enhances the final hit ending a chain of attacks. The twinblade technique is a tradition of the confessors, who closely guard the secret of how they preserve the momentum of their attacks. Thus is the final strike of their onslaught all the more deadly."

[@zsDUGGZ]

With the description of the twinblade talisman, I like to think that the momentum preservation goes in tandem with flowing water, as it prevents the scarlet rot they use from affecting them.

[@glebthereviewer]

I started as a Prisoner and sort of role-played him as an heir to some Carian Knight, who was disgraced and placed in jail for a crime he didn't commit. My guy basically tries to re-learn the sorceries of his ancestors, reclaims his proper armor and, obviously, stumbles into Ranni, later on becoming her Consort. I played him more like a fragile young man relying on Carian Sorceries, not a dexterous trickster, but as he claimed the Moonlight Greatword, he became a true Royal Knight. Never role-played anything in any of FromSoft games, but my playthrough as this Prisoner turned Consort changed everything.

[@user-ik3xt1bx2n]

Maybe go outside to touch some grace and find yourself a consort

[@TerribleWarden]

Hoarah loux might have been like Genghis Khan during his time in the Badlands. In the sense that he has many MANY descendents

[@LanguageAndBrain]

Land of Reeds is probably a huge homage, if not exact reference to, the Sekiro's land of Ashina, as "Ashina" means "Reed" in Japanese (hence the reed fields in opening and ending of the game). Possibly, the land of reeds is what Ashina came to be after the Shura ending, as bloodthirst demon (shura) engulfed the land.

[@ethanwashington6789]

With all the references to eastern lands in fromsoft games, I hope they'll eventually make ashina canon in the lore of a future game, as a sort of crossover. That's just assuming sekiro never gets a sequel, though

[@SorowFame]

Isn’t Ashina in Japan though?

[@ethanwashington6789]

@@SorowFame oh fuck i forgot about that

[@Slender_Man_186]

@@SorowFame well that only leaves one conclusion, *Japan itself is canonically in Elden Ring.*

[@HuggyBuddyOwO]

@@SorowFame that's why the description of samurai class, it's a "distant land of reeds" A warrior from a far away land, has been graced and thus began his journey through the land between.

[@thestralner6335]

its interesting that the astrologer starts with glintstone arc, given the description. it seems like part of the reason they came to the lands between was to further learn glintstone sorceries, as an "heir to the school of glinstone sorcery". with this, it doesnt make sense that they departed from raya lucaria, and were given glintstone arc, still clad in astrologer gear. my speculation is that their teacher, who taught them glintstone pebble from outside the lands between, still remembered the courtesy of teaching glintstone arc to those embarking on journeys, and bestowed it to them. just a fun bit of speculation, but it may imply the existance of glintstone schools in other lands.

[@sneezewax3567]

The astrologers predate Raya Lucaria. They lived in the Mountaintops of the Giants and their decendants became the glintstone sorcerers.

[@thestralner6335]

@@sneezewax3567 im aware. it is interesting that astrologers live on, still going by that title. im not really certain whether the game implies that player characters were among the tarnished who were banished with godfrey, or if they are simply their descendants, but i'd think the astrologer we see is a pretty modern one. i see now that glintstone must be pretty normal to modern(?) astrologers, given the existance of the astrologer's staff. lots to think about

[@thestralner6335]

"modern" astrologers might be speculation nonsense

[@battlebear7214]

@@sneezewax3567 Raya Lucaria absolutely existed before the tarnished were exiled, as Radagon left Rennalla and Raya Lucaria to join Marika when Godfrey was banished.

[@Duv1995]

YESS, one of the most interesting things of fromsoft games is classes lore. Knowing more about your character's background gives the opportunity to roleplay them and get even more immersed in the game world. It's so sad that this part of the lore is always so rarely discussed or even ignored by most :c

[@dark-ambition]

I've always imagined the Vagabond starting class as one of the original Tarnished, who left the Lands Between alongside Godfrey and his warriors in the Long March of the Tarnished.

[@alyseleem2692]

" The march was long, my Lord.... But I found you, in the end." " Brave Tarnished. Thy strength befits a crown."

[@kwan2110]

Something interesting I saw Honored Madman point out is how the Bandit Set is similar to the Raptor's Set. And the fact the Raptor's Set is meant to imitate the Deathbird

[@minespatch]

Poor Bandit. Smoughtown just dumped on them. "Generic class from Dark souls"

[@tonyawwwno3364]

I find the idea of someone's first play through being the prophet to be really neat.

[@jessegauthier6985]

Goddamn these bots are becoming an embarassment to youtube...

[@ghostfaced4893]

@@jessegauthier6985 for real.

[@seelcudoom1]

interestingly that despite both being members of the church both the faith classes have reason for you to oppose the golden order built in, the prophets are obvious having been exiled by the church, but the confessors to have reason to oppose there former masters, as they are already familiar with its darker aspects and were possibly exposed to heretical ideas from those they hunted, plenty of places for them to become disillusioned along the way

[@soarel325]

Don't think the prophets were exiled by the church, but by the scared general public

[@rotshepherd3817]

Or awakened.

[@SarlesimpMikaelOre]

@@soarel325 and the nobility

[@piratekingthaszar7912]

I thought it would be funny to pick confessor, but my character is literally just a random catholic inquisitor that was dropped into the lands between. "These misbegotten creatures are not made in the image of our lord, God! Purge these so-called "demi-gods" and bring his light to this unholy land! DEUS VULT!!!"

[@EredinLore]

00:59 Appreciate using the barred door at the CoA to match with the Prisoner class

[@DonPetexX]

A very interesting parallel of the blood star and the formless mother is how the former is a sorcery that uses the life-force from the individual to manifest if we go with sepuko skill takes life from the user to work they also rely on faith. The formless mother also works with blood but it doesn't take from the individual her incantations need attuned (arcane) to the forbidden and they come directly from her. Also the mother seems to demand devotion as seen with mogh but the blood star so far just chills and grants power to those who see it since the guilty are made blind then they see the star not backwards.

[@SeventhSeraphOfficerRevolver]

One thing is perhaps the blood star is the formless mother however it is seen from a distance and thus simply resembles a distant light. Another thing is that Mogh is partially blind due to his horns. Maybe the followers of the blood star are attempting to follow the formless mother and yet do not fully understand it, perhaps due to a lack of the omen curse. As both Mogh and Morgot (the big slash in the second phase during which he cuts his hand before slashing) use bloodflame.

[@GrayBones896]

My theory about the Prisoner's crime was that it had something to do with the 3 fingers as many frenzy incantations go through the left eye, the one that's covered by iron. Secondly, the 3 fingers are under Leyndell so for someone born of royalty, the sewers would be pretty easy to access. But their faith is the lowest of any starting class, and they use Carian sorcery so they could just have just betrayed Caria in some way.

[@LegoJolazStarkiller]

The prisoner class may have ties to Sellen. Both were once well-respected in their communities but both were imprisoned. It may well be that the prisoner was a student of Sellen or somehow associated with her.

[@Warlock_Sack]

Always liked this idea. My thoughts exactly.

[@MrHappyinmyhead]

The Bandit Armor set is the base for the Raptor Assassin Set, which may suggest either the bandit class is a disgraced raptor assassin similar to how the highwaymen enemies are disgraced foot-soldiers, or that the raptor assassins were recruited bandits

[@aquaesque3490]

Characters that I want to play in future playthroughs: 1. Confessor who, finding the demigods unworthy of grace, takes up the god-slaying black flame to slay them all and restore proper Order. 2. Prophet whose visions of firey ruin lead them to the Frenzied Flame and ultimately the destruction of the world. 3. Samurai who arrives in the Lands Between as much to flee the bloodshed of the Land of Reeds as to seek the Elden Ring, and who ultimately finds a worthy master to serve in Ranni.

[@lucasgamerdk2984]

I am Literally doing a “Prophet under the influence of the Frenzied Flame”, it’s really fun and good roleplay material

[@yugiano8073]

Very nice video, FS did a great job at making the starting classes expand the infos we get right at the start of the game. Also about the samouraï we can also link Yura to it since he uses the Nagakiba and wears the Ronin set which links him to the land of Reeds and make another connection with the Formless mother since he hunts Mohg’s bloody fingers and particularly Eleonora who drops the Crystal tear that protects you from the Nihil move.

[@monkeysbrains]

all of the stuff connected to the blind swordsman and Crepus is really interesting. I hope we get more info on them in dlc.

[@knightofarnor2552]

Blind Swordsman boss fight 👀

[@symbiote3220]

The fact that the blind swordsman backhand slapped the same god that manhandled the lives of the two most badass swordsman in the lore speaks volumes

[@rogerith7905]

I knew of the story of "Man in the Iron mask" when I did my first play through that's why for most of that play through I never took it off my characters face, I always took it as that my character would have weard it for so long that they have a mental dependency for it now and so when I decided to take it off, it felt it was only appropriate to take it off after a life changing event, that life changing event being when I placed the ring on Rannis finger.

[@SmoughTown]

Prisoner was my first class and kept the starting outfit as far Leyndell!

[@rogerith7905]

@@SmoughTown incredible! Prison buddies

[@hassandurant6861]

@@SmoughTown I think it's so cool that the helmet's great stats encourage you too keep it on for a good long while

[@amanwithnoplan7648]

And then the octopus hat went on

[@SereTheDoggoUwU]

The description of the prisoners mask is 100% a reference to Griffith. Especially the part where it says “slowly fermenting hatred within their heart”

[@SmoughTown]

For sure, fairly undeniable the links

[@Hawntbawt]

It can reference more than one thing. That description is also perfect for “The Man in the Iron Mask”

[@skinless5136]

@@Hawntbawt crab man’s mask is much more similar to the man in the iron mask

[@SmoughTown]

@@Hawntbawt I agree - I think it takes bits from both

[@jakobrenner2230]

Hmmm makes me wonder, what kind of Elden Lord would Griffith be?

[@TheOnlyWarman]

The part where astrologers lived close to the fire giants made me think of Rennala and Radagon, Rennala being an astrologer who saw her moon atop the mountains and Radagon a descendant of these giants.

[@SorowFame]

“You’re also from the Mountaintops? We have so much in common!”

[@Jenkss]

Fantastic timing, just got home from a 14 hour work day and looking for something to watch and relax with. Thanks mate.

[@SmoughTown]

Nice one Jenkss, hope you enjoy

[@edhart8583]

In regards to the Bandit class. The Bandit starts the game with the highest Arcane out of all the classes. Arcane which has ties to Blood incantations and Dragon Communion incantations. So you could build a story that the Bandit is loyal to the old guard of the lands between, the Dragons, before the two fingers. A rebellious group of Dragon worshippers that undermines the new order by causing havoc and disruption whenever possible.

[@thaddeusgigachaddeus2954]

I wish after beating the game we had some new options for our starter class, like starting as a banished knight or a nox warrior

[@SmoughTown]

That's actually a great idea for replay value

[@Duv1995]

A nice little detail is that if you compare them you can see the vagabond's armor is just a worn off and modified version of the knight armor you can buy from the twin maiden husks in the roundtable hold. That must have been what vagabond looked like when he was serving their kingdom with shiny full armor.

[@zsDUGGZ]

I just wish I could get a clean version of the vagabond cape in the knight armor

[@thestralner6335]

i think theres some flavor in the fact that the prisoner only starts with magic glintblade, despite it being implied they were once a powerful sorcerer. probably through their torture, they had forgotten, or lost the ability to call upon sorceries, outside of the most basic, prototype carian sorcery, magic glintblade.

[@jasperfox6821]

I never knew starting classes would have lore, by this point its Fromsoft tradition for starting classes to be just that. But Awesome video none the less ^w^

[@SorowFame]

The assassin in DS3 is heavily implied to be a Vinheim Spook

[@holyspear26]

@@SorowFame Close. He’s the third member of the black hand assassins. All he’s missing is the cloak and hat. Black hand armor is identical. May still be a vinheim spook but definitely a member of the black hand. This video failed to mention the bandits armor is a cloakless copy of the raptors of the most armor set.

[@km0.ccarthy]

Never noticed that the blood madness wording, especially for it being tied to "a star in the darkness". Sounds a lot like Hyetta describing the light of the three fingers. Wonder if the formless mother is acting as a bloody three fingers of sorts. Wild.

[@tomf8093]

The secret 11th class lets you play as Sir Gideon Ofnir the All Knowing but only Smoughtown has unlocked it. Can’t wait to see what you’ve got in store for us today chief.

[@SmoughTown]

Hope you enjoy Tom

[@mrrd4444]

Gideon the One Who Knows Some Things 😂

[@samueltitone5683]

I get this is a joke, but some kind of class balanced toward both faith and intelligence would’ve been cool.

[@SmoughTown]

@@samueltitone5683 Like a Golden Order Scholar?

[@huxleyleigh4856]

@@SmoughTown a fundamentalist of radagon!

[@aidanru.2469]

The lore of the Hero, Samurai, and Warrior classes makes me wish that FromSoftware will make DLC storylines based around them. Like seeing the life of Hourah Loux, or even aiding a daimyo in the Land of Reeds.

[@impositor.]

the bandit might actually have a background. in the sages cave in the altus plateau we find that one chestpiece that makes jump attacks stronger and i believe it resembled the bandit chestpiece but with feathers as a cape in addition. so the bandits might be connected to these bird assasins (sorry i forgot some names).

[@KakeemDude4]

I find it really interesting that the Prophet, a believer in the Erdtree and the Golden Order, is cast out because they simply saw a vision of it's end. And it is presumed that vision comes from communing with the Greater Will. So even though the source of the vision ultimately comes from their god, the society of the Golden Order casts them out. It's a small hint to me that the Golden Order as it is now within the Lands Between may have some key differences to the reality of the Greater Will. Being so distant and separated from it's celestial origins, perhaps The Two Fingers and the Golden Order have become a bit more concerned with self preservation as compared to the Greater Will, which has a more cosmic outlook on things.

[@ckenshin3841]

One thing notable about the Prisoner is that the spell they have is a Glintblade sorcery which belong to the Carian Royal Family. However the Magic Glintblade that the Prisoner specifically comes with reads to have been a prototype to the Phalanx sorceries that are more commonly used by the knights, and not a part of the official sorceries of the Carian family. The most common of the Carian spells, Glintblade Phalanx and Carian Slicer are learned from the Royal House scroll, however the Magic Glintblade is absent from this scroll. The only person who can teach you Magic Glintblade is Miriel who is a very old being that has knowledge of alot of the history of the Lands Between. Speculation may lead that the Prisoner may have been an older noble who had knowledge of the art before being thrown into jail, or possibly they were a thief who was imprisoned for stealing one of the Carian family's oldest spells.

[@thomasvarney5758]

An interesting backstory for non-Reedlander samurai I thought of was that they’re a mercenary who moved East after the Long March but didn’t give up soldiering after the experience they gained in Marika’s army.

[@garcalej]

I like the Hero class. Something tells me they know the answer to the Riddle of Steel.

[@vereornoxx]

I just always had the feeling that the Lands Between are like Lordran. Sure there is an outside world, but the fate of the world gets decided here (Lordran and Lands Between inherit Gods/Demigods too)

[@abaddon130]

For me it's like Demon's Souls where the limits of the land are engulfed in a fog where you trespass to outer lands. Maybe the world rules of the lands outside can be different and not be influenced by the Lands Between.

[@colt4505]

You've created such a great channel, my guy. Great work.

[@SmoughTown]

Cheers Colt, i really appreciate your support

[@coroarc8423]

you are by far the best elden ring lore youtuber, keep up the great work!

[@SmoughTown]

Thanks Ernst. Will do!

[@JayBe443]

Your videos make me want to start a lore friendly build in game. Great job on the lore! I really do appreciate all your hard work.

[@SmoughTown]

Thanks Joel!

[@colemanmichael5179]

Awesome!!! I have only played a couple classes and would have never expected so much background for the starting classes. Thanks for this 😁👊💯

[@brandonf.6495]

I love all the Souls community creators but you and Vaati are truly topnotch! I always look forward to watching your videos and it's amazing you can make them so good and so quickly! Keep up the awesome work! BTW it would be cool if you could cover the official lore from the guide when it releases! Sadly it got delayed for like 3 months

[@SmoughTown]

Thanks Buddy! Yeh a great idea, I have them both on preorder so may be a good one to cover

[@sinuositea]

This came with such good timing, I was itching to make another character & this makes it so easy so thank you!!!!

[@SmoughTown]

You are most welcome! I love the backstories

[@voidraider9016]

It's always a treat to see that you have a new smoughtown video in your notifications

[@SmoughTown]

[@jacobavondet4490]

My favorite account for Elden Ring lore at the moment, thank you for all your hard work I look forward to your videos like I look forward to days of from my job

[@HitTheR0ad]

27:04 my first character was a Hero class, and my weird build was "stre, int and Faith". He was a hero who hunted dragons (so I could use dragon enchantments), used Radahn greatswords and tried to catch moonlight so just like Radagon, I could use magic. It's kind of funny to think that my Tarnished was kind of kin to everyone: Kin to Nepheli, Kin to Godfrey, and Godrick and Godefroy and Godwyn, he defeated renalla and beat her sons, but marrying Ranni for the Age of Stars... then beat Malenia, Mohg and Morgot, Radagon/Marika and the greater will. Now I know why Miquella doesn't want to come out from the coccon.

[@ColdEmperor]

You're a mad man! A MAD MAN!! I find it hard to go for more than 1 offensive stat since I feel so disgustingly weak doing it. 2 strikes that balance of being strong but not dying to a breeze.

[@HitTheR0ad]

@@ColdEmperor You better sit down, what I'll tell you may shock you: I'm on 5th NG+ and my stats are still below 60 because I don't focus on anything LOL. I must say, the first time it wasn't difficult (not because I'm good, but because the game gives you a lot of options to deal with enemies/situations). At first I was getting STR to use the Colossal sword, I defeated some bosses in Limgrave, Weeping Peninsula and Caelid. I defeated Margit... until I crashed into Godrick (incredible as it may seem), which made me change strategies (put few points in vitality, dex and arcane and use the reduvia to get to his second phase faster, switch to curved long sword and use ashes that would remedy the damage he was going to give me - he was such a slow boss and with so much delay in attacks that I lost myself -; explore for summons that lasted longer, find Nephelli and, at the second phase, enter in rhythm with the sequence "Holding out to a Hero"... no joke). In the same way, my first fight with Radahn was sad, either I was very good at dodging, or I went up the levels (one hit from him would kill me)... then on the fourth attempt I deduced from the lore that his weakness was rot, then I used Breath of Ekzykes; and it fell apart (and this before the first nerf, I did it on the second run as a test, and it died). I started to level up my vitality by facing the Spirit of Godfrey (because I couldn't take two hits with me) and since then this character's build is "to be mediocre in everything, but to have a good punch" (the bad thing is that as much as I could use magic, on the first run I barely used magic, but I had 30 levels of intelligence). It's a good challenge!

[@yael4171]

Been looking forward to this all week can’t wait to hear what you have to say this video

[@SmoughTown]

Enjoy Yael

[@kexaman]

Can’t wait for you to reach 100k! Been watching since around 15k and it’s been exciting to see you grow so much in such a small time. Absolutely underrated lore-tuber

[@SmoughTown]

Thank you , amazing to hear youve been with me for a long time!

[@ellipsis5345]

This was one of the best lore videos for Elden Ring I think I’ve ever seen. So many tidbits I’ve never heard before. Kudos!

[@SmoughTown]

Really nice to hear that! I got really interested by it when I was doing some related lore on the prophet

[@jadedbreadncircus9159]

This was a great unique Elden Lore video in the sea of it all.

[@slushygamer8237]

I'm already excited for this vid!

[@timgrove5757]

I've always found these classes interesting but you made me love them even more subscribed 😁👍

[@henryh7140]

Really cool video, thank you! I had never thought about the starting classes as parts of the lore and some of these were really eye-opening.

[@SmoughTown]

Thanks Henry, glad you enjoyed it and appreciate you taking the time to watch

[@miomio6890]

Having something to listen to while studying is so nice, thank you!

[@SmoughTown]

Enjoy and good luck with the studying!

[@Raven_Exp]

My first playthrough I was a confessor and was led to the frenzied flame ending by player messages and I removed the cape for aesthetics. I had no idea the starting classes even had lore

[@elil6758]

Okay this was sick and I've never even seen your channel. Great lore to help me decide next build thanks fam.

[@amberhernandez]

Something to note about the Vagabond set: it's a more rough and battered version of the Knight set you buy from the Twin Maiden Husks. Equipping their pieces back and forth, you can see the similarities, and the stats are generally the same with minimal difference.

[@Doomseer]

Regarding the bandit starting class I definitely believe they're in some way connected to the ravenmount assassins considering the fact that their armor set is the same as the bandits with the only addition of course being the raven feather cloak. Furthermore their fighting style is extremely similar considering just like the bandit they go up close and personal with claws which is very much so akin to the bandits knives or pelt enemies from afar with fan daggers which is akin to the bow. Also they both heavily rely on stealth and subterfuge and with all that in mind I feel as if the ravenmount assassin is in the very least the natural evolution of the bandit.

[@devinguy]

Great work! Really appreciate the depth some of these classes have. I remember learning about the connection between the Swordsman and the Warrior class and memories flooding back of Dark Souls and Bloodborne's own stories of stagnation and decay.

[@remnantryku7112]

Great video. Definitely gives a lot of great lore to the starting classes.

[@dylanschmeichel2008]

Regarding the roleplaying aspect of the vagabond, thats actually exactly why I chose it as for me I wanted to create a character that was banished from their homeland and therefore sought power, i.e. the Elden Ring and becoming an Elden Lord to then meet out revenge upon an enemy house that within their homeland had eradicated the lineage of said banished vagabond for the sake of seizing authority, basically A staged coup of sorts. I felt like that sort of ambition revenge story really meshed well with the premise of Elden Ring.

[@sk8legendz]

this was cool. helped to get a better idea for how to better create a character backstory.

[@seraxx1973]

I’ve been waiting for someone to make a video like this about the classes! Super well researched, very in-depth. Also nice to hear a fellow Scottish accent :)

[@knightrandal]

This video is insanely good! I had no idea there was this much lore connected to the starting classes.

[@SmoughTown]

Thanks dude!

[@Lila_S.]

Another great video, Smough. Prisoner class is the one I am most interested in as well. Off topic, but I am contemplating whether Fromsoft may throw us a curveball with DLC and not go with Miquella or Godwyn, but possibly with The Land of Reeds, due to the civil war, blood-soaked madness description. And if they have some Sekiro unused content, it may be used here.

[@scottsyrup2750]

I forget where I read this (please feel free to help me) but one of the english mistranslations was that one of the item descriptions relating to the Land of Reeds was a direct reference to Ashina in the Japanese text. Such as Okina and his mask are direct references to General Isshin, like The Eccentric's hood is a reference to Slave Knight Gael. While after defeating Isshin in Sekiro his memory reads "At his peak, Isshin Ashina devoted himself to deadly conflict in pursuit of strength. A single-minded killing machine of a man", but in here he is more akin to Shura. Also the weapon Rivers of Blood is the Mortal Blade you get in from Sekiro(it is a sword that can kill the undying), and its ash-of-war, Corpse Piler, is a faster replicate of the Mortal Blade's combat art: Mortal Draw.

[@martinevans3503]

This is impressive! It's clear you've put some thought into this. Well done

[@SmoughTown]

Thanks Martin!

[@splunkmastah4609]

Two videos I’d love to see: a video on Grafting, and a video on Madness (Shabriri, the frenzied flame, the merchants, three fingers,Vyke, etc)

[@topcat59]

a Prophet that see the fated truth. a Warrior that walks the path of his predecessor. a Samurai that seek something more than just blood. a Astrologer that wishes to gaze upon the star’s. a hero that walks the path of a vicious beast that once ruled the lands. a prisoner that was not only stripped of his nobility but also his identity. a confessor that once served the fingers in the shadow. a vagabond knight that has Lost his honor and glory. a bandit that’s seek a throne that he will never have. and a wretch that was robbed by his fellow kin. Warriors each of them, chosen by grace. What they do in these lands is something only you will ever know.😺

[@Hawntbawt]

Idk man pretty much the ultimate goal for most samurai players is RoB xD

[@warhammertrash1626]

Great video! I had a question: would you consider doing a video on the character templates? I'm interested in the Draconian specifically, and haven't found any lore on them in my travels, along with the Northerner and Seafarer. Might be cool to see what everyone else found!

[@SmoughTown]

Yeh I've had this suggested a few times and it is a great idea actually

[@supertome27]

Great stuff, thanks so much for making these videos. Elden Ring lore videos still feel pretty niche, and I think you’re nailing it so far. You approach this difficult lore with a more intellectual process than mere theorizing, as others do. Got a new subscriber right here, friend, looking forward to more! 🤙

[@tad_586]

Great job bringing all this info together. Very interesting. Thanks.

[@SmoughTown]

Most welcome

[@AlexanderJoneshttps]

Amazing video I've never played as the Confessor but I am very intriguing by as I've been getting into magic builds but it is very cool lore

[@donovantheplayboy599]

Are the "wings of unparalleled strength" she gained from learning the waterfowl dance, made into reality by her or the rot god upon her transformation into the rot goddess. It could be her physical manifestation of her ideals and principles she learned from her master. Or it could be a cruel joke from the rot god, given to malenia as she has to rely on his power to rise when she previously used the waterfowl dance and the metaphorical wings to resist the rot in the first place.

[@wiegraf9009]

Yeah I think it maybe implies she ended up fighting the Blind Swordsman (her mentor) and that activated her rot powers, probably killing them in the end.

[@its_nuked]

33:36 that is really cool to hear after just having made a story for my bandit charatcher. Sick video yo, subscribing 🙏

[@Turts_McGurts]

GREAT EFFIN VIDEO BRO!! love your content!

[@SmoughTown]

Thanks dude!

[@Jerkovski]

love the video man. could you make something on the different races that you could choose from? i thought the game would give us more about the dragon kin or the night folk but i was disappointed when i didn't come across anything that detailed their origins in my playthrough.

[@SmoughTown]

This actually the second comment asking for this, and I am interested in looking at something like this.

[@halcyon6098]

i started out as a wretch. ended being Lord of the Frenzied Flame.. 🤟🏾

[@SmoughTown]

Hell yeah

[@jacobstringer5170]

First video I've watched of yours, just wanna say excellent job and I'll definitely be sticking around for more

[@gabez95]

It’s rly fun to choose a starting class and making up your own background for your character in ur head