ER DLC Story Trailer Analysis 2: GEQ Boogaloo - 5/21/2024

[@DrnMontemayor]

No, I think the three parts of the trailer are indeed showing key events of three distinct moments in history: 1) Marika's ascension and the creation of the Erdtree, 2) Further in time, Messmer's conquest on Marika's, his mother, behalf, and finally, 3) Miquella's arrival in the time closest to the main game's story. Abandoning the things previously associated with him. These three different moments in history are very clearly far apart, the three parts of the trailer are totally and easily differentiated by tone, color, and themes. There's nothing in them to suggest they're abstractions. Especially since this trailer differs from the base game's in showing very specific actions made by carefully selected characters. There is no reason to doubt the veracity of it. The absence of Maliketh is transparently because parts 1 and 2 of the trailer are before she even gets to the point where she even gets a Shadow Beast. This could happen by the 2nd part of the trailer's timeline as well. We see Messmer fight the original inhabitants of the Land, we see the debris being absorbed into the Tree. We see Messmer facing the Tree as he presents his victims. To me, this is directly telling us that they are feeding everything to it for it to become the Erdtree we know of.

[@HeevaEgo]

Agreed. The initial scene really seems like it’s the beginning, at least for Marika’s ascension, before she came to be known as the “Goddess Queen Marika, the Eternal” as we know today. As well as the next two scenes differing in tone and shift of narrative seems to imply time passage. Messmer likely burned the ENTIRE Land of Shadows, so it wouldn’t make sense if Miquella’s arrival was concurrent with the banishment of the Ancient civilisation - on Messmer’s behalf - given the much more peaceful, and “finality” tone the last section of the trailer has, almost as if everything was conquered and defeated, so now it is up to miquella (and us) to explore the remnants. It’s very clear that there’s distinct eras of progression in timelines of events being shown. Even with the information we have within the basegame, removing the context we know of the DLC trailers, Miquella embedding himself in the Haligtree is the VERY last thing he does before venturing into the Shadows. It’s supposed to imply that Miquella’s embedding is much more recent. Wording is also important. The narrator talks about how (presumably) the scene being shown in the opening resulted in the distinction between Shadow and Light, birthed from some weird gold thread thing (hair? The Elden Ring?) from the body of something else. VERY clearly this is meant to represent one of, if not, the earliest point in the timeline of Marika’s ascension (1) MARIKA’s Ascension (nothingness from a massacre)-->> (2) MESSMER’s unseen war (after ascension, “burn the evidence” so to speak - also in aid of the tree’s absorption)-->> (3) Miquella’s Arrival (back to nothingness, change is needed for the new age)

[@harpe9415]

This is basically confirmed by a new Fromsoft post which says: Marika's Golden Order was birthed from Shadow. Messmer's flame purged the Lands. Miquella would abandon Grace in pursuit of something greater. Will you walk with him? Which is a summary of the trailer. The start shows the birth of Marika's Golden Order, then it shows Messmer "purging" the Land of Shadow, and finally Miquella abandoning everything to pursue whatever he's looking for in there.

[@mattb6616]

Yeah pretty much. If we're shown something in a trailer it's basically documentary footage.

[@mattb6616]

Or Maliketh is simply off screen for those shots.

[@Aerolon]

Thanks for mentioning Quelaag. I've been worried.

[@blondegirl7240]

Pots with corps feed Minor erdtrees, Miquilla fed his blood, probably Marica killed tons of people to grow the Erdtree :(

[@kingnro1]

Perhaps the people killed in Shadow War were the sacrifice needed...

[@blondegirl7240]

@@kingnro1 Yeah :( However, I still dont understand one thing: it seems Godfrey and his solders are crusable why would they follow Marica and serpants aka snakes are prohibited as traitors :( I am so confused

[@LoopedThoughts]

Interesting that Marika’s hands have had all the skin burned off, although it looks like blood, possibly connecting Marika and the burned lady statue as being one and the same

[@X-Vidar]

I don't think the Gloam Eyed Queen was the previous goddess or was ever a god. She's only referred to as an empyrean with no indication she ever ascended. The remembrance of the Black Blade refers to Marika as an empyrean when Maliketh was given to her, doesn't mean she could still be called one now. I think life(gold) and death(shadow) were originally one thing, and so the Shadow that was "plucked out" and the one that was "created" would refer to the same event, Marika created Destined Death as a distinct entity by taking it out from the crucible. The way I see the timeline at the moment is that Marika and the GEQ were empyreans in the same period, Marika became a god and created the Golden Order, then the Queen obtained Destined Death and created the Godskins to oppose Marika, then she was defeated by Maliketh and DD is sealed inside his blade, then the Night of the Black Knives happens, Maliketh becomes Gurranq and seals the blade inside his body.

[@theredknight9314]

The previous god is said to be the one who made Placidusax elden lord. So it would be the god of dragons.

[@mattb6616]

I think its still very possible that marika in the opening cutscene is the gloam eyed queen and the flesh she's pulling runes out of is the corpse of an old god. Unless the game directly proves otherwise i dont think thats Marika after defeating the gloam eyed queen, BECAUSE of the resemblance of the pile of flesh to the godskin outfits. The godskins are wearing the skin of the gloam eyes queens victim, not the queen herself

[@theredknight9314]

Just had an idea. What if the corpse in the beginning is actually plucidesaxs god. Its said that he was elden lord before the erd tree. So what if merika discovered that nameless dragon gods body and used a portion of her rune or elden ring to become a god which is why the elden ring is no longer as big as portrayed in farumazula. Which also explains why the crucible is there because it happens in-between the age of dragons and the age of gold.

[@MATCHLESS789]

All the corpses give me big Rhykard and thus Serpent God vibes. I think there's a good chance the betrayal trailer talking about is essentially mass sacrifice performed by Marika. I speculate that Grace was a natural occurring thing found in every living creature and that she then took all of their grace in some sort of sacrificial ritual and formed the Elden Ring, thus becoming God. Then, she formed the deathless The Golden Order, so grace was circulating in a closed loop, always returning to the tree and then being recycled back into the newborn. She would remain God as long as she was in charge of this system since she would choose how much grace is to be given out (dew giving ritual statues) and how much of it she kept. Then, shit hit the fan when Rune of Death was stolen and death was introduced to the world. This closed cycle wasn't so closed anymore. Now the grace is leaking out of the Lands Between back into the place it was originally taken from, weakening Marika in the process, probably opening the way for Outer Gods influence, including Elden Beast. This is probably why the dew giving rituals ceased - she needed it all herself to fight it off. Perhaps she didn't go mad that her firstborn died like a common explanation says. Perhaps, shattering the Elden Ring was basically a response to the "oh shit, the ship is sinking" situation, basically a last resort "reset everything" button.

[@DarkManRay]

What if melina isnt actually miquella but someone elses soul inside his body

[@Photoloss]

55:45 Nope. The German word "Kind" ("child") is pronounced like "kin" or "chin" as far as the I is concerned and is exclusively a noun. Adjectives can be derived from it but that requires suffixes, and "-ly" or its phonetic equivalent is not valid in this context. The closest proper German words would be "kindlich" ("child-like") or "kindisch" ("childish"). For that matter "Halig(tree)" doesn't line up with German either, but does somewhat match Swedish or Norwegian (albeit all of those spell it with E instead of A, with varying insertions of I or L).

[@euphoricganjanath5625]

Schizo theory is not offensive. Its funny how Souls games are games which push you to interpret language, and one person cant interpret what someone means when they say they want schizo theories. The souls community, is known, for how "crazy" and "addicted" we all are to these games right? Sure the combat is great but even if people dont play souls games, they know how deep and philosophical the games are. What even is offensive, thats just like your opinion man! Seriously, do not feel pressured by people telling you what is okay and what isnt okay to say. You as an individual person, are adding to the discussion and other people will build upon those ideas! Isnt that what makes "Schizo Theories" so awesome???? Look at how much creativity and FUN theories that are sprouting up like a tree now? I would say that its the best thing ever. People who have been thinking in weird, and outlandish ways are now making youtube videos so that people can THINK more and THINK differently. Elden Ring is a lot deeper than previous games, we HAVE to THINK outside the box. If one person, out of MILLIONS thinks "Schizo theory" is offensive, I think that one person, is offended, not the millions of people.

[@lupinsensei7456]

I'm pretty sure that bagina thing at the start is the Gloam-eyed queen. Marika kills her and becomes a goddess and creates the Erdtree . The most important point of the story to me is that you can't become a real god using the erdtree, you need the sap of the crucible. That's why the GEQ was creting a new one in the Shadowrealm using all those bodies as nourishment. This will imply that there's a second GEQ that killed Godwyn...and the main suspects are Melina and Miquella. Also, the parallel with Vlad the impaler is really strong, so I bet that Mesmer fire is blood flame . Also there're 2 trees in the shadowland, one is the crucible, the second is literally like an hand that torces him allowing for the sap to be collected. So in the beginning the Crucible was not like that at all and the Shadowlands were blessed by its light.