Elden Ring Lore - The Land of Reeds

Today we discuss the enigmatic Land of Reeds. What can we learn about this mysterious land the Samurai of Elden Ring hail from, and have we seen it before?
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[@Daniel_Lancelin]

The idea of seppuku being transformed from a suicide ritual into a _battle tactic_ due to the removal of the Rune of Death is actually pretty chilling. These warriors are so desperate to die an honorable death that they ritualistically disembowel themselves over and over just so they can wade into battle with blood-cursed blades, praying each time that they will finally be able to join their ancestors in paradise.

[@Memnoch_the_Devil]

WHAT. THE. F. I never even thought about it like that… that is AWESOME!!!!

[@kaijuslayer3334]

Man that’s a great interpretation.

[@Mistercodmobilefan8378]

Man i wish we have more information of the land of the reeds in elden ring cuz it sounds so fascinating to know what was their homeland about

[@gwydkins8252]

first time i played the samurai build, my thought after only a couple fights is that it's their ode to the Sekiro play style, I continued the build focused on that, its not exactly the same but you can feel it once you level up the character enough with all of that in mind and it's pretty satisfying

[@papirooster6236]

I use a samurai character that uses dragoncult incantations it's a very satisfying way to play

[@NickCombs]

I see it as a cultural touchstone for a Japanese game dev. Miyazaki surely feels it's important to look back at the mistakes of the past and learn from them. The Sengoku period is emblematic of our penchant for warfare and strife for honor's sake. This is a looming boss just as much as the more obvious mistakes of greed, blind faith, and subverting the natural cycle of life and death, to name a few others.

[@moonlightwarriorgaming743]

Sengoku was before the Edo Shogunate right?

[@marystone860]

Would it be badass if the main character from Seikro, fought Malenia! To up it even further, Malenia's mentor, The Blind Swordsman, came from Ashina as well, but practiced a different swordstyle than Okina and Yura did. Then, when he got to the Lands Between, he may have become the Vessel/Avatar for the Outer God of Water, then fought, defeated, and sealed away the Outer God of Rot (or at least it's avatar/vessel) ALONE! He vanquished it to such a extent, all there was left was the Stinger, which was made into a dagger. He then watched over things until he encountered Malenia, and we know what happened after that! I don't think he was killed by Malenia, like some have said, but, still around, somewhere. We know that (if he was the Vessel for the Outer God of Water), such people can't be killed that easily. To further theorize, he maybe watching the whole deathblight and Mohg's Cursed Blood situation, that's slowly taking over the Lands Between! Then, when everything is popping off, he reveals himself again, to lend his aid when it's needed the most, or, chooses another to deal with the Outer God of Rot for good, maybe with a Unalloyed Gold special weapon perhaps? I know it sounds NUTS, but, this is FromSoftware we're talking about. It's fun to speculuate like crazy!

[@williambrothers7253]

I actually find it pretty plausible that these two games share a universe. I was always under the impression that the lands between were a whole separate interdimensional land apart from the outside world, hence its name and our means of traveling there (across the fog). The fact that this is intentionally left vague and we hear little about what's outside this world make it possible that sekiro could just be one of these areas outside the world. This also would make it so there are no continuity errors with each of their lore. So technically they have nothing to do with each other but some things could carry over from one world to the next. Edit: might sound a bit far fetched but i think it would make for some fun speculation 😅

[@GenericProtagonist118]

I always compared it to how Middle Earth works. Tolkien wrote it like it was a real place once in the real world that was canonically flat for the elves. So it's safe to say that the worlds of Soulsborne and Sekiro might work in a similar way.

[@enxman7697]

As someone who entered a month ago into ER lore, I'm glad to have found a channel still discussing it. If I may suggest a video, I'm curious about the Singing Harpys

[@deadjoke0963]

Also known as dex Land

[@square-table-gaming]

"The Land of Dex"

[@jaykingston9516]

Ashina Lands

[@errantvice7335]

I find it interesting that there’s a few land of reeds items found in caelid, from the full samurai set to the wakazashi & naginata. I also wonder if the magic katanas like meteoric ore blade and moonviel suggests a connection between the carians and the reedlanders

[@square-table-gaming]

As far as true written connection between the carians and the land of reeds, we have nothing. That said, it's possible the Carians saw Katanas as excellent weapons for magic modification.

[@errantvice7335]

@@square-table-gamingtrue! A dexterous weapon lends itself well to a sorcerer whom would need to have a staff in the offhand

[@levampblaze6312]

Another thing. The way the lands of reeds forged their weapons are more remarkable than all other swords. Beside, samurai are always have a code of honor and keep an oath for any thing. No seeking for power but justice. So it may be why the carian wants to learn from reeds how to make katana or give their material to make powerful magical weapons like meteorite katana and moonveil.

[@sk8legendz]

​@joeytatum6052blood loss

[@ElimGarakSpoonHead]

@joeytatum6052Do you need more than that?

[@TheHogfatherInvades]

The weebs of all reeds!

[@levampblaze6312]

The weeds of all reeds

[@user-tt5lb8gu9t]

​😊😊😊😊😊@@levampblaze6312

[@ethanwintersseveredhand]

I kinda always felt like land of reeds is meant to be where sekiro took place though its probably not true.

[@Blue_Phenoix]

Shura in the lands between

[@Fingledoodler]

Love the video. It's really cool that you have branched out to places and not just people. I love your series on the people of elden ring but you are really good at explaining topics, so I think you can do any part of elden ring justice.

[@ElimGarakSpoonHead]

Been waiting on this one. Ty.

[@christophermurray9581]

I love how you acknowledge that the pand of reeds is in the same world. I personally have mised that all the games are just different geography. So I would like to see a video where in correlation, you think "the lands between" are. 😊

[@christophermurray9581]

Gods my grammar could've been better. Thanks for the likes tho!

[@tjniezek3096]

What if okina is a blood crazed maddend sekiro......

[@drabin391]

Because sekiro is a ninja, Okina is a samurai. And sekiro would mop the floor in a 1v1 against the tarnished. Also, there is a scenario where he becomes that, he becomes Shura.

[@jamB2007]

Also look at the hilt of Elanoras pole blade! It’s the immortal blade👀 it’s kinda wild. It could be connected, I say it’s 50/50 tbh. I loved this video! I hope we can get more info on this land

[@AndrewWilkins70120]

It would be so cool if we got some DLC there I think

[@Dustywhoads]

In the DLC it says "In that forsaken place, blood must spill". Eleonora being a Drake knight from there also kind of links her to Messmer? Reeds grow in swampy area and in the DLC it looks pretty swampy in places. There's also a samurai fighting a dancer in red. Is there where out DLC will be? Words like locked off and alienate always throw me off with fromsoft

[@Liam-jx4zb]

I hope in future DLCs the land of reeds and Eochaid are explored more

[@epiccthulu]

The way Sekiro ends is exactly a land consumed by blood, with the red eyes appearing all over

[@Antierro]

The answer to all your closing questions: yes. But if I may indulge in the first one, heckin yes

[@RetroVideoGamer23]

Elden Ring is like a Stanley Kubrick film, the interpretation is left to the individual, however I feel Elden Ring can put in a little but more info to link things together…just a little bit

[@frankiefromky]

I love it, another banger! no cap!

[@WhoDaF0ok1sThatGuy]

Wait… civil war. That’s the exact same thing that goes on within Sekiro and the mention of blood soaked madness could also reference towards the Shura ending which of course incorporates bloodlust and flames of rage.

[@AegisKHAOS]

Okina taught me the most important lesson in the game: spam L2.

[@colossaltitan3546]

Props for the Ghost of Tsushima title screen reference in the thumbnail

[@sirgrotto8714]

I'm guessing that when the dlc is announced, that the land of reads is probably gonna be the new area that they'll end up making.

[@DaniGerman1499]

I hope we get a dlc where we go to reeds.

[@craignaylor2648]

If you ask me I kinda think wolf would find a kind of peace in the lands between

[@robertsoto5713]

The mortal blade it’s the same thing. I literally finished sekiro 8 times then played elden ring. I saw a connection immediately.

[@brendonwallace6640]

Now this is one I wanna know about

[@iambience8323]

Land of reeds might be where the shadow of erdtree art is located

[@Synpathetix]

I wish we had a Land of Reeds open world game with Sekiro style combat. with the full rpg elements from Elden Ring. The samurai armours while very few are gorgeous.

[@Nihil847]

I honestly thought that the land of reeds was a reference to Ashina and that Mibu village was a way to get to the lands between

[@kallmeej9106]

I think Yamamura was an easter egg more than anything but if he did come from Ashina, and this theory holds true, that woumd mean Bloodborne, Sekiro, and Elden Ring are all connected 🤯

[@melonking281]

Nice reference to ghost of thushima in the thumbnail

[@flavianampoicean7997]

When you go on Radahn's arena, you can see on the east in the ocean some broken ships, do you think they made an expedition from the land of reeds but they failed?

[@kingdragoonmk10]

Much like the upside down in stranger things, even if Elden Rings world is separate from sekeiro physically doesn't prevent them from leaving a impression on each other akin to a echo, much akin to the saying "History doesn't repeat, but it likes to Rime" Besides how else did all those buildings get built into exact abiet currupted copies of the prime material plane?

[@ChannelEA667]

Sekiro has got to be the Land of Reeds!!

[@Writh811]

I was of the understanding that while Ashina itself is ficitional as a specific province that Sekiro was meant to take place in actual Japan during the Sengoku period. I can't remember the various places that told me this but I do remember one item that sorta makes this clear to us. Robert's Firecrackers, pulling the last sentence of the item description: "Their voyage brought them to Japan, where they would seek the "Undying" in an attempt to extend Robert's life." - referring to Robert and his father (the armored warrior). I think the Land of Reeds is heavily inspired by Sengoku Japan, what with all the war. But honestly Sengoku is sorta that time period that modern Japanese Fantasy is often inspired by, lots of swords, lots of folktale monsters being concocted out of the fear generated by all the war, heroic warriors raising up, deadly shadows skulking about. It has all the things western fantasy gets out of feudal Europe but its Japan. So these fantasy samurai countries may seem similar but that is because they all inspired by roughly the same place and time.

[@square-table-gaming]

I tend to agree with you, I personally do not think Ashina and The Land of Reeds are the same place, but it's a popular theory so we wanted to take people through the rationale.

[@Sarpotrius]

Excellent video thanks ! I personally believe that Elden ring, Seikiro and Bloodborne take place in the same universe but different temporalities for bloodborne and Elden Ring

[@destar1]

To me Elden Ring has become Dark Souls IV. For the longest time I though that the night of the black knifes was a unique event in Elden Ring's lore, but I figured out that that in DS1, the way of white also had a assasination plan that's exactly like the night of the black nights.

[@aidanru.2469]

I hope FromSoft makes a half-sequel (i.e. Spider-Man: Miles Morales) based in the Land of Reeds where we play as a lone warrior exploring the blood-soaked conflict.

[@HadiyaTheGift]

I was hoping to hear you explain more about how Elden ring and sekiro may be connected

[@square-table-gaming]

When it comes down to it, the connections I covered are what I believe to be the strongest. If you go any deeper it opens up more holes in theory which is why I don't personally believe it, but we all enjoy the discourse.

[@fallonmichael916]

Nice theory, but the inclusion of Ashina in Elden Ring lore would have to include the entire actual earth, since Ashina is set in the real world Sengoku era

[@user-mb8yy2fh1u]

Obviously the Land Between is the isekai world for the land of reeds (Ashina). (I’m partly kidding)

[@lewismartin533]

Plot twist: the lands between is Australia 🇦🇺

[@Silly_Illidan]

I want a video on the Golden order vs Giants war.... Cuz it makes no sense how the golden order even reached their territory in masse...much less achieve victory

[@momzilla2010]

nice vid

[@topcat59]

Cool vid bro.😺

[@nichmcintosh2699]

Honestly, this distant land sounds more like the foregin land in Bloodborne. Whereever the Rakuyo came from... at least from what I remember

[@nichmcintosh2699]

I only say that because of the blood lust that comes with the hunt in BB, with constant war going on I could totally see the inhabitants succumbing to the same blood lust that befell the hunters and citizens of Yarhnam.

[@williamcase426]

The land of katanas

[@alexandermorgan5958]

I thought the Sun Realm shield was referencing Dark Souls, but I could be wrong. Anyway, while we are still on the topic of blood, does the Shield of the Guilty have anything to do with the aberrant sorcerers, or is it entirely unrelated? I still don't know. It might make for an interesting lore dive.

[@enriquealvarez4702]

Okina mask looks like a demonized Isshin

[@38Jim]

Ashina dlc

[@bklim9428]

One of the sekiro ending, isn't him gonna go other land? What if sekiro is really connected to elden ring? Our imagination is kinda off but it's still amazing if both of them title is connected.

[@killerjoke2945]

It's not called "The Lands In- Between" for nothing...😉 Bloodborne, DS, and Sekiro could all be separate Universes but a "hub" universe isn't out of possibility.

[@kaijuslayer3334]

I do hope the Land of Reeds is expanded enough a little bit on some DLCs. Me personally, I think it would be funny if they used that expansion to add a Sengoku style matchlock as a new ranged weapon, given how common such firearms were in Sekiro. Although regarding Sekiro being canon in Elden Ring. Definitely a hard pass on that. The only similarity is the fact they’re both originating from feudal Japan. All the similarities they have come from a similarity of that singular point. But there is nothing else to suggest it. Basically the biggest gaps in the theory are, -Sekiro ends with the Interior Ministry unifying the country and bringing peace to Japan, not a blood fueled madness. -Ashina is not all of the land and is merely a region in the northern parts of Japan. (inspired by a clan of the same name that existed in feudal Japan.) So it can’t represent the Land of Reeds by itself. And it further suggests Sekiro is taking place in a alternate timeline of our own. -The general world and spirits work differently and life/death seems to work normally. With the grim aesthetic of a dying world in other Souls game being absent. -There are little gaps and inconsistencies of the gear between the Land of Reeds and what we see in Sekiro. The round wooden shield that is part of the class doesn’t exist in Sekiro or in Japanese weaponry at all, and is more inspired by Western designs. And the Longbow used by the samurai being of a western design. Some other inconsistencies exist but that’s just to show there are slight differences in the aesthetic to suggest they are two different things entirely.

[@kalebschafer6483]

I'd love to see a patches explanation if all the souls games are in different universes.

[@BrixieGunMage]

it's literally just a reference. none of them outside of the Dark Souls trilogy are connected to anything else.

[@oscarcordero7811]

Hope we get to go there, because it is confirmed that they have a Civil war caused by the Frenzy Flame

[@square-table-gaming]

Where was this confirmed? None of their items descriptions mentioned the frenzied flame, simply a blood-soaked madness.

[@drakmendoa]

I don't think that Ashina is the same as the lands of reeds for one reason. In Elden Ring gunpowder weapons do not exist, but in Sekiro they do. Sure the lands between are locked in a downward spiral since thousands of years, but there are still invaders from the lands of reeds like Okina who could bring gunpowder weapons with them and yet they do not. And the only logical reason is because they don't exist. And therefor Ashina must be something other then the lands of reeds.

[@kaijuslayer3334]

Gunpowder seems to be at its infancy in Elden Ring. As we do have the Jar Cannon.

[@KingUniverso]

Do imps next!

[@Nolimitsbestfriend]

Wasn't the reeds in ds1?

[@jaxdakid5598]

i feel as the the land of reads acts like a pergatory for battle much like the lands between are in elden ring. i feel as though the people of ashina being cut off from the rest of the world means that it is the place that people go who die in ashina. it’s the place where battle continues because it is the greatest honor. being cut of from the rest of the world could also means the cycle of life and death, much like the lands between and the elden ring controlling the cycles of life and death and what the greatest honor is, getting hewn in the erdtree, which implies that the demigods might have all died, and had the great honor of being “rooted” in the lands berween with the greatest honor. so this is the lands of reads is pergatory of ashina. pergatory or realm of fighting or endless war and a cycle of rebirth and being blessed or cursed in someway. thanks for the great video as always.

[@Ang3lD0wn]

This game takes place on its own don't think they have anything to do with Sekiro the land of Reeds it's just a place from Myazaki just to have katanas in game. Great video as always now to more important matter Where is my damn DLC for this awesome game? 😂

[@ifancyyourmotionsawaaah8489]

Bro I just had a thought so t what if thr dlc is like multiple of lands are connected now with there being no Elden beast other gods are moving in to claim the lands between

[@LoboPal]

Man do I have thoughts on this, as an unexplored topic. In my personal opinion, Elden Ring is separate from Dark Souls's world in the way that Valhalla would be separate from Earth or the mortal plane. I mean everything is a metaphorical representation of real world history, philosophy, and religion, but it also references things with the same names, and people remember past lives. I think it is designed intentionally vaguely to be able to match as many world religions as possible, so for instance Dark Souls is largely based on the realm of hungry ghosts from Buddhism. Elden Ring could be viewed as the Deva Realm or one of the others.

[@gokuFreak3]

I’d kind of hate having Ashina be the Land of Reeds. Given literally that Ashina is basically just glorified Japan in the real world I’d like for the Land of Reeds to be something more unique than just “it’s the prior game in the series”. There would be some cool connections though given that would mean likely the most well known of people from there like Okina and Yura are probably of some relation to people we know but that’s the only really exciting part to me

[@christopherlyndsay8611]

You should try doing these types of videos for Armored Core 6. The majority of lore videos out there currently are lengthy, so bitesize lore for different characters or aspects of the game would be amazing

[@TiberiusRex182]

Reed em and weeb!

[@Silly_Illidan]

Isn't it weird that Mohg had no samurai's working for him.... for a champion of the blood god, one would think some samurai would gravitate towards him Oh wait.... forgot about Okina... my bad

[@square-table-gaming]

There's also a samurai summoned by a spirit caller snail that may have the same eyes as the bloody fingers, but in my opinion that's inconclusive

[@killervic7379]

Morning

[@johncrondis4563]

So many connections to the DLC If it is Miquella on the horse in the DLC picture: Literally in a Reed Field Graves Everywhere, and some look like warrior graves, the circle ones remind me of upside down samurai helmet decor Mohg holds Miquella in a caccoon and orders the bloody fingers (reedlanders) The blood madness, probably related to the Formless Mother of Truth They probably have a lot of sekiro assets that could be used to make things quicker and thus make a bigger DLC Land of Reeds is often a spirit world in ancient myth (egypt, greek, norse, and even japanese) and some suggest Miquella is in a spirit/dream world, just as in Fia's dream we enter the spirit world where Fortissax is trying to save Godwyn. The tree in the DLC pic is either Deathblight and/or the Helphen Steeple [Helphen is found from Tibia Mariner, which are related to death, Godwyn, death blight, spirit world] If it is related to Helphen and the Spirit World grace then it makes sense that the land of reeds is the spirit world (far off land) It guides the dead, but maybe this is messed up due to the rune of death being removed, it even mentions something about only seeing the helphen grace by meeting their death in battle, something the Inabu were seeking. Formless Mother obviously likes death in some way (seems like most of the "outer gods" or nature kami do), and in Hindu/Buddhist Spirituality the afterlife is formless, it is beyond physical. formlessness is very near and dear to the Indian traditions which moved to and steeped Japan (Zen and Mahayana Buddhism). So hear me out, these are the lore pieces and connections I will be using: Land of Reeds "locked in a civil war, alienated from it's neighbors", is literally locked from the Lands Between because it is the spirit world that nobody goes to anymore since the rune of death was sealed. The Inaba "seek" death but never get it. Okina saw the absurdities of the world, how he chose to be a samurai that seeks honorable death, devoted himself and yet finds out he cannot obtain it, so he just lets that shit go and becomes badass. I think the DLC is after we defeat Maliketh, the rune of death now unsealed, we can start to see the Helphen grace, death blossoms (deathroot) and we can go to the spirit world (Land of Reeds). In the DLC picture we see the coffins that teleport us like after the Gargoyle Boss fight that sends us to Erdtree Roots. I think we will have many teleporting locations into the Lands of Reed over the open world. We will see new enemies that got to receive the cycle of death from the Land of Reeds, and we will see familiar faces in the Lands of Reeds. There is some connection between the Reedlanders and Dragon hunting, and there is connection with the dragons and the Gloam Eyed Queen, plus Destined Death. Maybe because the dragons lived so long the Reedlanders felt it a challenge to bring them to the other side.

[@goldfish6720]

Potatoes

[@Carrot-Man1876]

Greetings from the Carrot-Man 👋🥕

[@square-table-gaming]

My liege

[@liquidbeans4209]

I think that Bloodborne is connected to the Dark Souls series, there's plenty of evidence to suggest it.

[@whatsnewbois9814]

Cool, now do Eochaid and dont give me the excuse that covering the Bellbearing Hunter Counts he's just from there like Okina is from Land of Reeds

[@square-table-gaming]

I've done some research and eochaid so you may see a video one day, but arguably there's even less info on it than the land of reeds haha.

[@whatsnewbois9814]

@@square-table-gaming yeah Fromsoft has a habit of introducing cool ideas and then leave them to gather dust...

[@KingUniverso]

IMPS

[@concept431]

Sekiro

[@Obsidianj566]

Hehehehehaw

[@theo7507]

All I can think of is the DLC picture when I heard land of reeds. A coincidence maybe 🤷‍♂️

[@square-table-gaming]

I think the dlc picture is a wheat field, not the reeds we'd associate with their culture.

[@Nathan_Coley]

Not FIRST but early?

[@darklordauron]

The Lands Between is a world between worlds. The lands of the other games are seen as shadows of themselves in each game. One may die in one world, then revive in another, but may never physically travel by normal means between. The Lands Between sit as a corporeal manifestation upon the space between all these worlds. So is The Land of Reeds the world of Sekiro? Yes. Is the literal Land of Reeds in Elden Ring? No, it is a hazy otherworld ephemerally connected and distorted. There are likely dozens of Sekiro worlds out there, each its own Land of Reeds, that only blend into a faint whole when seen from The Lands Between looking out.

[@makia3]

They can’t be connected because sekiro is a Activision game

[@alsimmonshellspawn6021]

Rivers of blood is a very disappointing weapon

[@square-table-gaming]

It used to be a perfect noob weapon but after so many patches it doesn't feel viable in PVE or PVP.

[@sk8legendz]

yeah i tried to cheese malenia and alecto did more work than my ROB lol@@square-table-gaming

[@colossaltitan3546]

@@sk8legendz Try Taker's flames or Giant hunt, those still shred her hp

[@chonkhampter]

Is. But used to be one of the most op weapons in the game. Extremely spamable. That's why it made PvP toxic. So people started hating it and it got nerfed. But before 1.06 you could literally cheese the entire game by spamming corps piler.

[@alsimmonshellspawn6021]

@sk8legendz I bear melenia with a ash of war that throws air slash like a getsuga tenshou

[@robzs8388]

lmao Ashina is comfortably a fictionalized part of the REAL WORLD; sooooo there's your out. It's not hard to understand that the land of reeds is an allusion to an eastern culture and worldview without roping in Ashina ffs. It could just as easily be considered to be the far eastern land from whence that one bloodborne npc comes.