LORE Breakdown | Shadow of the Erdtree Trailer

Shadow of the Erdtree has finally been revealed with a brand new Gameplay trailer, which promises to massively expand Elden Ring's base game
In this video we will be doing an in-depth Lore Breakdown and analysis of the lore contained within. From Messmer to Miquella, I will speculate and predict how the story will go and what lore elements we can expect by tying it back to the Elden Ring base game.
Editor: Creators Studio - creatorsstudio.co.uk/
Intro: 0:00
Miquella & Lands of Shadow: 1:23
Messmer the Impaler: 22:02
Shadow of the Erdtree: 38:08
From the Bandai Namco Website: Guided by Miquella, players embark on a new adventure into the Land of Shadow, a world full of dark secrets hidden behind the prosperity of the Golden Order brought upon by Marika.
Subscribe to my second channel: @smoughburgh
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REFERENCES
Quelaag's Channel: / @quelaag
IGN Interview with Miyazaki: in.ign.com/elden-ring-shadow-...
Famitsu Interview with Miyazaki: www.famitsu.com/news/202402/2...
Quelaag Tweet on Leyndell Aristocracy: x.com/xIngenue/status/1760472...
Quelaag Tweet on St Trina Flowers: / 1760325201374720334
Dylan Tweet on Marika Statue: x.com/Oby_LFC6/status/1760384...
Azael Tweet re Omen: / 1760411394636169329
Shout out to amigop for sharing theory re Butterflies: x.com/AmigoP247?s=20
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Patreon: / smoughtown
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Soundtrack is Demon's Souls, Dark Souls, Sekiro, King's Field and Elden Ring
I do not own the rights to Elden Ring, all rights to FromSoftware
#eldenring #shadowoftheerdtree #fromsoftware

[@SmoughTown]

Thank you everyone for checking out my take on Shadow of the Erdtree Let me know your thoughts and speculations below!

[@poopmachine71]

So excited for this, tytyty

[@SmoughTown]

My pleasure! Enjoy@@poopmachine71

[@morcbus123]

Hey ST! I wanted to note that based on the visuals for Messmer (with two snakes seeming coming out of his shoulders) I would recommend you and other Elden Ring fans check out the mythological story of Zahak, The Snake King! There's a great OSP video about him here on KZbin, and I think said mythology could be a major clue about the sort of character Messmer might be. In your own video you mention Dragon communion, and a major part of The Serpent King’s turn to evil was the eating of something he shouldn’t have (in the myth’s case, brains). Just wanted to let you know about this idea because I’ve not seen anyone else bring up this idea in other breakdown videos.

[@SmoughTown]

Hey buddy! Thanks for letting me know, I will investigate as I plan to do an EVEN deeper dive in the future@@morcbus123

[@davisiotta489]

I wanted to deposit my thoughts here about the origins of Marika and Radagon, I think the DLC will most likely show Marika's origins and how she became a goddess, I was wondering if the old man and the apparently pregnant woman with her hand on her stomach in the painting (who is clearly not Marika since you can clearly see that she has very well hidden but visibly black hair) are Marika's parents and the DLC has already confirmed that this is where she became a goddess, I was theorizing about Radagon always being Marika and I think it's very plausible that they were always the same thing, the only thing that seems to contradict this is that Marika says that Radagon hasn't become her yet, he hasn't become a god yet, I'll get to it about this later but I think this is not saying that Radagon was always a separate entity but rather that at that moment he was physically separated from Marika and would become her again, the preceptor's mask says that it has the representation of a sewn mouth, to symbolize that they would be keeping all of their lord's secrets, but what secrets Radagon could possibly have that he wanted them to keep secret, it only makes sense if he wanted to keep the fact that he was Marika even if possibly physically separated from her at that moment, and the death texts of Marika's Relatives appears as a defeated demigod for Rykard and Radahn, but only appears as a defeated legend for Rennala Godfrey and Malekith who could also be considered as Marika's Family, implying that they are not demigods simply for family considerations, the fact that Miquella and Malenia were born Empyreans because they were born from a single god and the Japanese text says that their birth was vulnerable may indicate that this is due to the fact that Marika and Radagon share the same DNA and that is why they are born Empyreans already that therefore they would have 100% divine blood, which, being from the same person, would be the same as incest, making their births vulnerable,

[@mobgabriel1767]

mohg:kidnaps miquella and tries to make him his consort miquella who already went to the shadow realm: i'm 4 parallel universes ahead of you

[@Coolhuh0526]

Common Mohglester L

[@edgarduartegutierrez9860]

When Mogh results to be the actual victim lmao

[@cyrus2306]

I feel like mohg was also in the shadow realm. He comes out of miquella in the bossfight cutscene. Assuming we enter the dlc via his hand, mohg might have done the same..

[@sorensouthard927]

Trying to be consort to a discarded corpse basically.

[@yourlocalasleeponioperativ4095]

@@cyrus2306i thought that was him communing with his blood goddess or something

[@lucaslugarinho6634]

my take on the floating Miquella rune that appears at the beginning of the trailer is that it will be the substitute to the guidance of grace, acting as the checkpoints in the Lands of Shadow. remember Miyazaki said we would follow Miquella's footsteps like we followed the guidance of grace, and that it wouldn't make much sense to have guidances of grace in a place Marika wishes to conceal.

[@josiahgarber3761]

That’s a great theory!

[@BlackenedRainvowPigs]

Totally agree

[@Ramoccerror]

True. And this is probably also why in the Lands of Shadow there's a leveling up system different from the main game that only exists here, this might also be under the influence of Miquella as well.

[@ruchiraedirisinghe9423]

How do you know they have a different leveling system? And what kind of system would it be? Just curious

[@maheshkrishnan2099]

Lovely !

[@user-rw3dw7ku2u]

40 minutes off a 3 minute trailer, I fucking love this man

[@russiansoul6919]

Genius, pure genius

[@llcoolg8682]

God people online are so dumb and praise literally anything..😂

[@MrFanservice]

When that character in the trailer says that Miquella's power is "terrifying", I think it's because the fanbase as a whole hasn't truly understood how his power works. All throughout the game there are references to how everyone around him comes to "like" him. A couple of items almost describe it as a compulsion that is uncontrollable, seemingly natural in how people come to idolize him. It's decently clear that he does have some power over the emotions of other, or at the very least the power to influence the way others perceive him. So if you have someone who can almost force you to see them as "good" or as a "friend", then what happens if they force you to love them? What happens if they force you to obsess over them, truly idolize them like a god? I think that's why Miquella is truly terrifying as an Empyrean. He just may have to power to force you to perceive him as a god. After all, where exactly does one draw the line between "love" and "worship"?

[@isaiahlem]

I had this thought too. We don't know that Miquella is definitely a good guy. How do you fight someone you're compelled to love or worship? How do you even question their motives? That is a scary power if they don't have the purest intentions.

[@robgowing6139]

maybe that's why the tarnished are so important, they are untouched by grace and maybe have a resistance to miquella's compulsion.

[@azazelsiad3601]

We know he grew disillusioned with the golden order because it couldn’t help Melania, and so he sought other methods and that’s how Unalloyed Gold came about. Unalloyed Gold doesn’t seem to be compatible with the Golden Order so while he may not be antagonistic he most certainly wasn’t compatible with the ruling power at the time.

[@dumbsterdives]

he does seem to have peoples' best interests at heart given his empathy towards those spurned by the golden order, but you can definitely get the impression that he's willing to go to great lengths to see his goals realized. You have to wonder if the Haligtree footsoldiers who blow themselves up to "light his way home" came to that idea of their own volition...

[@danielbrowning3715]

It'd be one of the most terrifying and hilarious things ever if Miyazaki went full berserk and makes miquella who's essentially Griffith in looks and in description, cause an eclipse(which essentially casts a shadow on the world) and commences his path to God hood. I mean it's all there for the taking

[@zombiebrainsnut6816]

Wild Guess: At the end of it all, we become Miquella's Consort. Cause that's what bros do

[@annieme-tions]

I'm a gaymer

[@dontwaketheneighborsgaming6327]

"bros"

[@Ale-dd3ek]

We beat Mogh phisically and emotionally Cool

[@zekiel2533]

Shoutout to all the women playing the game 🙃

[@Vault96]

Miyazaki said the DLC won't add a new ending to the game, but who knows, maybe it could change an existing ending.

[@Knurlurzhad]

Miquella "divesting his flesh" may mean he's become a body less spirit like Melina or Torrent. Considering we see him riding Torrent in the preview shot, it makes sense for them to be of a kind. It also is reminiscent of Ranni's plot to get rid of her body, so I wonder if we'll find out that Miquella found a similar way to die a false death. Considering the Golden Epitaph, whatever he's trying to do must be very important for him to do an act that calls back to Godwyn's death

[@dustincarroll7296]

Y'all come up with the dumbest shit sometimes I swear

[@getspun6961]

@@dustincarroll7296😂😂😂

[@andreamassari7954]

The thing that get me the more excited is that it seems we will get a lot of info about the Crucible. The Crucible was the bestial prehistoric era before the Erdtree, that was in fact overshadowed by the Golden Order. The Omen curse is a manifestation of it btw. Horns, wings and claws were considered pure at that time, before being seen as heresy by the GO. We saw giant beasts like the porcupine rhino using crucible thorns, the Omen dancers, the Bear incantation or the Crucible wings, all of that is refering to the Crucible imo Also, Ordovis and Siluria, were named after the Ordovician and Silurian eras, that are the second and third eras of the Paleozoïc period. The Paleozoïc is where most of the complex lifeforms originally apeared (basically it's the irl counterpart of the crucible). The first Paleozoïc era was the Cambrian, so it means that we could encounter the "first" Crucible Knight that is related to the Cambrian era

[@KitsuneShapeShifter]

I love Crucible stuff, time to master the bonk and the beast within

[@OneStarRating]

Awesome analogies and I believe you're on the right track because I have been noticing the same things. I believe Miquella is Mycelia from Mycology and Helphen's Steeple etymologies go back to/translate as Hyphae's Temple, which are trees and mycelium. The Two Fingers also look like Hypha/Chromosome

[@marcoasierrabernal4893]

I did an interesting observation today, if you have a chance go to a walking mausoleum and take a really good look at the dead tree they have all of them share the same model of dead tree and is identical to the shadow of the eardtree.Are the mausoleum connected to the land of shadow? Is the eclipse not an event that has to happen in the lands between but a the actual shadow lands after all what is an eclipse but the moon obscuring the sun, and lest remember that the sun in the LB has relations with sin and curses so the been in the shadow of the eardtree may symbolize been in the eclipsed lands.

[@KitsuneShapeShifter]

H@@marcoasierrabernal4893 HOLY SHIT, that's a awesome observation! They're definitely connected to Miquella, on some level! I've got to search the eclipse fortress for lore clues too!

[@pandacakes6613]

I'm also super excited for the crucible stuff (actually currently prepping a crucible knight build for the DLC). But I think the bear incantation specifically might be more related to dragon communion, since runebears have visual connection to dragon communion (they even used to drop dragon hearts before release) and also it just looks like a dragon communion incantation.

[@joeking6972]

13:55 this makes sense. Miyazaki takes a lot of inspiration from the Psychoanalyst Carl Jung who wrote at length about the process of individuation(basically self actualization or enlightenment). In order to achieve this state, the individual must integrate their "Shadow" or dark side in order to become whole(think of a yin-yang). The process also involves combining one's animus with their anima(masculine and feminine energies) which is reflected in Miquella's androgynous appearance.

[@JesusisKing7777.]

Sounds as blasphemous as Rykard 😂

[@optimalrefundable]

never clicked so fast

[@leonguglielmetti]

Fr 😂

[@Lakhany07]

Lol absolutely no hesitation. SmoughTown and Vaati are always immediate clicks

[@skybattle1184]

Facts I been watching them 12 hour videos for bedtime 💀💀

[@obeyy0urmaster]

Hahahahaha I did the same thing as soon as it came on my feed

[@DirtRider999]

Same.

[@neocores]

considering the Vlad the Impaler and Dracula connection to Messmer's title of Impaler, it's worth noting that Dracula means 'son of the dragon'.

[@kt2official597]

This is an interesting parallel I wonder if there's more that will be revealed when the dlc drops

[@jeambeam3173]

​@@kt2official597 Messmer=Marika+Placidusax

[@welby4296]

35:53 I think messmers dialogue towards marika is more so mocking or ironic. When he says "mother would thou truly lordship sanction in one so bereft of light?" He isnt allying with marikas decision to call back a tarnished to become lord, instead he's like "really? This guy? This is beneath even you mom."

[@mastermarkus5307]

Oh, I thought that that was a given. We could be wrong, but I never thought that it was something encouraging towards those "bereft of light". It just seems like he's saying "mother, isn't this person too unworthy to be lord? Are your standards really that low?"

[@welby4296]

@@mastermarkus5307 oh yeah, he definitely thinks that we're unworthy in either instance. What im saying is that in this dialogue he's making fun of marika rather than expressing concern for her "poor" choices.

[@teekay851]

That is hard to believe when he has a stone wall with her image on it...and not in a 'mocking' or 'ironic' image...

[@IdaKoryn]

Hands down, Smoughtown, you deserve a honorary diploma for being able to put up a 40+ minutes video out of a trailer. Have you considered writing a book I'd pay actual money for it

[@SmoughTown]

Hahah thanks bud! Appreciate the kind words and glad you enjoyed. Re a book - I'll have a think about that!

[@mikeredding4667]

Somebody in an Elden Ring Facebook group pointed out that there is a lore ghost outside the *Impaler* Catacombs that says something like "Merika, he is your unwanted child". Maybe they've been hinting at his all along

[@Volition366]

That ghost is outside the church of pilgrimage and is looking towards the wandering mausoleum and it also says that the mausoleum is cradling said unwanted child. The only things outside the impaler's catacombs are 3 dragonflies and a trina's lilly

[@alexterieur8813]

Murica*

[@gnarcissist7669]

There’s also a random patch of an abnormally large amount of smoldering butterflies behind the nearby minor erdtree

[@Volition366]

@@gnarcissist7669 the catacombs you are referring to are called tombsward catacombs. The impaler's catacombs are southeast of the bridge of sacrifice, close to where you fight the alabaster lord.

[@ravencarino6115]

@@Volition366 TRINA = MIQUELLA. Miquella is related to Messmer, Messmer is in the The Impaler being referenced by the catacombs. MIYAZAKI IS A GENIUS!!!!!

[@valhalla_2943]

17:48 “a culture before the Erdtree?” If i recall correctly in the base game we learn about the Crucible being a sort of worshipped symbol before the Erdtree. Maybe its gonna have a role to play here seeing as the lion is covered in horns which are one of the symbols of the Crucible. Also the giant flame basket enemy also features horns and is quite literally a walking crucible.

[@Bennieboy918]

What if the omen curse used to be seen as a blessing because of its crucible resembling thorns?

[@brandoncochran5318]

​@Bennieboy918 holy shit, it would add to why omens are shunned so much, there was really a power there that Marika was scared or jealous of

[@anthonypritchard2798]

@@brandoncochran5318what’s so odd is that mogh kidnapped miquella (we still don’t know exactly why) and the blood flame which is oddly similiar to the flame in the trailer is a “blood oath incantation, granted by the lord of blood” according to the description from the blood flame incantation

[@andreamassari7954]

The crawling porcupine/rhino beast also have the same sound effect and particles when it uses its spikes than when we uses crucible incantations. I bet it will be called "Aspect of the Crucible: Thorns"

[@maximiliangartner1878]

This was my first thought. He couldn't tell us the name of the giant fire enemy because it has most likely the name Crucible in it. Maybe Crucible Golem? Howewer, due to the timeline, before the age of the erdtree there was the age of the Crucible. If the Land of Shadows is the place where Marika set food and if Marika disconnected this realm from the lands between to start the age of the erdtree, I would go as far as saying that this culture has to be the crucible.

[@ringlhach]

It's worth pointing out that in what little we have of Celtic mythology, one of the source inspirations for Elden Ring, the Land of Shadows was at once both the afterlife and the land of faerie. It was a very real place, just... offset from what we could see and hear...

[@lordtrinen2249]

Random observation: Fought Morgott again last night and noticed something during his intro cutscene that I always found odd. The demigod thrones are not equi-distant or anything but there's an unusually large gap between the throne of Godwin and the thrones of Malenia/Miquella. Perhaps this gap is where Messmer's throne was/should be? Also I read in another Miyazaki interview that he said that there WOULD NOT be a new ending added to the base game by the DLC. I'm hoping he's lying/misdirecting to surprise us but I'm ultimately not holding out much hope for a secret Miquella ending.

[@MinerDiner]

Don't you mean Godrick? Morgott never mentions Godwyn

[@LividCreature]

@@MinerDineryeah and he wouldn’t mention Godwyn because Godwyn died before the shattering and couldn’t have been a willful traitor.

[@lordtrinen2249]

@@MinerDiner Yes he does. When Morgott is descending the steps, he cites the names of each Demigod that sat on the various thrones. First one he mentions is "Godwyn the Golden".

[@MinerDiner]

@@lordtrinen2249 You're literally mis-remembering who he mentions. Morgott says "Godrick the Golden", not "Godwyn the Golden".

[@lordtrinen2249]

@@MinerDiner I just rewatched the cutscene. Turns out, you're right. Though I'm surprised in hindsight that it's Godrick and not Godwyn, seeing as how he's basically Marika's grandchild while the rest are her direct children. Also I think that's the only time Godrick is ever referred to as "the Golden". Normally that's Godwyn.

[@truestnihilist]

My guess is that the DLC gonna take place in Eochaid "a lesser, long-vanished domain". I also think Messmer may be somehow connected to House Marais "the family of executioners who presided over the Shaded Castle". The SHADED Castle...🤔 Depraved perfumers there wear robes with the depiction of two thin red snakes entwining a tree. Talking about hints in the base game this makes a lot of sense. Waiting to see if it's true when the DLC kicks in

[@ieatgluesoyoudonthaveto]

hands down best theory i’ve seen about the dlc

[@dioatburgerking-.-9782]

I’ve always thought that Miquellla has a staggering amount of thematic ties to Griffith. And we know how he turned out. But not to say Miquella’s intentions don’t come from green grass roots but I think his sheer potential is what’s terrifying. The “what if” factor of this ever transcending being taking a turn to darkness….hopefully he uhhh, takes the news about his sister well. As a brother myself I wouldn’t take the news that some pothead solo’d my sister over and over very well.

[@LuciaSeelie]

Messmer is just fascinating, I'm so excited to see more of him in the DLC. His aesthetic seems to be 'heresy against the Erd Tree' (hair of the fire giants, snake motifs, draconic eyes, and some kind of fire magic) which would make a lot of sense if he's Marika's unwanted child and upset about it. But I also like your theory that he and Marika may be allied because it'd be interesting to see her intentions explored a little more. Excellent video as always dude! This is going to be a great year for Elden Ring :D

[@TheDevourerOfDots]

You could say Mesmer is... mesmerizing

[@VictorIV0310]

I hope there’s a lot more to him than meets the eye. Like maybe, he was sent to the Land of Shadow both as a form of exile and a duty foisted upon him by Marika to oversee its denizens and the Shadow Tree.

[@KATinBLACK]

I like how the shadow of the Erdtree isn’t represented as a literal shadow behind the tree but like a veil Marika draped over or from the top of the Erdtree. It isolated only what she wanted hidden and then she built the rest of her realm on top of the veil, allowing both to coexist at the same time. The way it looks, it could be alluding to the canopy of her bedchamber, but what if it’s several veils she placed over time? Like these all used to be separate lands, but they came together over time as Marika felled more opposing realms. The environments shown in the trailer are so diverse. They said the land would be bigger than Limgrave, but at least Limgrave had a pretty consistent landscape. To have such huge diversity, makes me think these are different realms and cultures squashed together. I dunno. This is gonna be fun to experience in a few months. I can’t wait!

[@jeambeam3173]

I love this but idk it feels like it be too much like the plot of Dark Souls. Or maybe it's 3 where it's specifically different lands squeezed together

[@griffingagner666]

Stupid theory about what the Erdtree really is. Imagine this… the tree being strangled is the crucible and the leech is actually the Erdtree. It drains its sap and gave Marisa the power to seal off the shadow lands, the cupped build is some kind of transporter to our world. The Erdtree in our world is like an over coat of the original(crucible). Like when you walk in to challenge radagon the glow fades and the inner portion is a hollowed out stump, also the roots don’t seem to match.

[@tristanneal9552]

14:36 If Miquella's rune, this could be the new Sites of Grace that Miyasaki mentioned we'd be encountering in Miquella's footsteps. It could also be Messmer's. There's a theory that he's their third sibling due to the butterflies and naming convention, so his rune would also look like theirs. And the way his snake coils on his spear in the key art looks just like the rune.

[@CULater000]

My impression from the trailer is that Messmer is a Satan-figure: He has snake & dragon imagery, wields fire, rules over a kind of hell, and depending on the story, he might also have the banished angel who betrayed their divine parent aspect (or punishes sinners on their god's command). The Vlad the Impaler connection you mentioned, and this also connects with the Satan association. He seems to embody everything heretical (Dragon communion, flames, snakes) Furthermore, his name is a reference to Franz Anton Mesmer & the concept of mesmerism, which also fits the Satan theme as a hypnotizer or seducer

[@TheXientist]

The thing i find most intransparent about messmer is when he came to the shadow land. If he is a child of radagon, that means that either he was only sent here fairly recently, if we assume that radagon did not exist during godfreys time as lord. If we assume the opposite, and that messmer was stationed there from the very beginning as soon as marika "left", it would mean that either he is not a child of radagon, or radagon had always existed which has huge implications as well.

[@danielbrowning3715]

I mean, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't marika and radagon the same person? Lol

[@JohnMcFallumthelordof]

Yeah they are the same person idk what this guy is yapping about

[@TheXientist]

@@JohnMcFallumthelordof marika and radagon share the same body, but they are clearly different in regards to mind and beliefs, and it is unclear when radagon came into being, whether he always was a part of marika and it just didn't show, or if he only appeared during the war against the carians. If marika and radagon are the same person, why does marika shatter the elden ring while radagon tries to repair it? Are they just stupid? Doing it for shits and giggles? Also, radagon has red hair which is related to the giants, so maybe he was created as a result of marika defeating the giants, perhaps a side effect of cursing the last fire giant to protect the flame for eternity. You know, Smough actually has a great video on this topic. You should watch it, and if you already watched it, watch it again because you clearly didn't pay attention.

[@jeambeam3173]

​@@TheXientistI was gonna say something similar I was curious why would Radagon have giant traits if they hate the giants.

[@michaelgillespie6649]

I’d also like to point out that base of the Erdtree is also not in Leyndell, but is actually in the water and on the cliff south of Altus. It would make sense for the land of shadow would be where Erdtree shadow is deepest, at the base of its trunk.

[@eamsamaraka486]

my theory goes as follows, messmer has inherited everything in opposition of the erd tree. the snake from rykard which is adorned by stone wings which is dragons, the dragons eyes from dragon communion, blood flame etc. since this realm is in the shadow of the erd tree everything that is cast aside is thriving in this realm, miquella came willingly here but miquella is also in opposition of the erdtree which then means he would thrive here aswell.

[@nobodyimportant124]

They found that him opposing the erdtree was a mistranslation and that Marika actually supported miquella

[@elliepira8400]

I always saw it as his power to sway people, to make them devoted to him utterly without even trying just by his nature is indeed terrifying because it is in a way a type of unconscious brainwashing. He has the ability to sway entire nations, enemies and people just with his presence. Rather than he just has pure intentions and the speaker is conservative about change. People who keep their distance from Miquella are right to be terrified that he can just influence people to his will without even trying. Imagine having a friend, an individual suddenly become a hopeless fanatic to someone just because they spent time near them. We even saw how his power is so great its a detriment to him by how bewitched Mohg became. I'm sure he was already interested in Miquella and had his own desires but combined with his power the man became obsessed and ended up stealing his body away convinced they were going to start a new dynasty together. Who's to say how much of Mohg's "love" for Miquella was amplified/warped by Miquella's inherent power of devotion. It reminds me a bit of Paul in Dune and his power over people. How he even laments on seeing powerful individuals, friends with their own wants and wisdom become nothing more than hopeless worshippers at his feet which he sees as a lessening of someone. What terrible things that leads to despite his 'best intentions' and trying to avoid it.

[@Zach-qo1on]

that tree or burned tree is most likely the crucible. When Marika arrived in the lands between it was during when the erdtree wasn’t even sprouting and it’s well known it was during the age of the crucible. it’s why there’s a lot of omen horns, Crucible spells (we saw 3 in total), and primal life all over the place in this trailer. My guess to tie the story together is when the age of the crucible is seen its alway represents a bunch of twigs coming from the a stump or a bigger tree, kinda like grafting a perfect plant. Marika probably saw a perfect sapling sprouting and she took it and that became the Erdtree, probably leaving a lot of damage in her wake. So if that’s the case we will most likely get a lot of lore on the age of crucible and the omen curse itself. I know it’s out of the way from the video itself but it’s cool to look at different aspects of what’s going on in the trailer.

[@unknwnn7673]

Great video! You’re always my go-to channel for all things lore. Appreciate the time it takes to put these together. But one I think worth mentioning is that at the end, when Miquella gestures up towards the tree, it appears there’s no longer any visible drapes or “veil”. So while it’s impossible to know Miquella’s true purpose here, I think it’s reasonable to assume it involves “unveiling” the Land of Shadow in some way. Who knows what for

[@Gagucci_]

This might be a long shot but I need someone to hear me out, what if the land of shadows is under the lands between, like way under. If u look at the tree in the screen shots it starts orange and then where it appears to have another tree taking over it turns gold. And the way it branches out can almost be seen as roots. I bring this up because there’s those theories where there was a primordial force before the erdtree (like the crucible) and it’s speculated the erdtree took over as the reigning force. And so the land of shadows is the world taken over and left behind by queen Marika, leaving all things she deemed heretical to the golden order. The land of shadows could be over shadowed in the literal sense where it was covered by the erdtree and its roots and the lands between was created on top of it, and in a metaphorical sense because that’s where marika rose to god hood and then took everything golden with her into the new world she planned on creating, leaving the world a shadow of its former self.

[@Gagucci_]

It’d also explain the absence of of grace, the sky being all dark, maybe marika’s bed chamber is supposed to be a call back to her origins or representative of how the erdtree literally veils over the land of shadows, obscuring it from history

[@depalodor]

It's like what she did with the Nox: she made their cities crash underground after they betrayed her. And maybe that's why Fia had that fricked dream in the Darkroot depthswith a rather similiar sky, which would be close to the Shadowland then. And that could also be why Godwyn's flies of death appear around the crippled tree, like you see in the first artwork. I'm torn now on whether or not the Shadow tree is the remains of the crucible or just the Helphen.

[@jeambeam3173]

I love this because many aspects outlawed by the Golden Order are found underground. Scarlet Rot has an ocean down there, for all we know Godwyns body only started to mutating after possibly being buried being placed closer to the Land of Shadows. Also what if it wasn't just there suffering that caused the underground merchants to fall to the Frenzy Flame but also the fact they were also placed closer to the LOS

[@joshualogan84]

I think this ‘as above so below’ is the main theme. The snake that adorns Messmer is sharing a body with two heads, signifier of an Ouroboros which is also present in the expansions title text.

[@tylerwarwick7975]

I think I found the alchemy reference here, Miquella is in trying to make an "unalloyed" world which I would interpret as wanting to separate either the noble from the mundane, the mind from the body, gods from mortals or something like that to make the world more pure. I keep getting more and more excited for this.

[@flaming_cayennelive1225]

the thing on messmer's spear, the as above so below, thing you mentioned reminds me of the symbol on the back of the confessor's cape

[@TOTO-bd4if]

Great job as usual, I particularly enjoyed your take on crediting and using the community's ideas as well as yours. That is something missing in most of other lore creators videos. Thanks man

[@AHumanJusticar]

Excited to listen to your analysis of the trailer!! 😄

[@foxygrandpa8188]

Everything said in this video echoes all the crazy thoughts I've had since the trailer dropped. You really are the best lore channel out there i seriously think this interpretation is spot on

[@anonfinally1692]

I'm going to throw a wild one and say Miquella and Messmer is one something like a Marika/Radagon deal. In the broken cocoon the arm is insanely long and does not feel like it belongs to someone eternally young. And the line "touch the arm" in the trailer shows Messmer and I was instantly focused in his insanely long arms.

[@cassavaman3784]

Agreed. Messmer is the result of Mogh's interference.

[@corvisqueer]

Consider instead that perhaps the reason it seems to be Messmer's arm is because he's somehow taken control of the transformation, reaching out from the Land of Shadow and using Mohg's accursed blood to transform Miquella's discarded husk for his own ends. According to the flavor text poem, Miquella divested himself of his flesh; I really do think that this is meant to be taken literally, and that Miquella no longer has any use for, or interest in, his physical body- or at least *that* physical body. Perhaps Messmer took advantage of this, and has been guiding Mohg's forced metamorphosis of Miquella's remains in an attempt to return to the Lands Between from his exile, allowing him to pursue his own Age. Perhaps Mohg has been tricked- not by Miquella, but by *Messmer,* who seems to have some sort of association with the Formless Mother that I propose predates Mohg's own. Perhaps that's why the withered arm will allow us to travel to the Land of Shadow, despite Miquella having divested himself of it (and presumably thus no longer having a connection to it, spiritually). Perhaps it's actually *Messmer* whose connection to the Land of Shadow we are commandeering to use that place. Consider as well that the cocoon's site of grace is called the *Cocoon of the Empyrean.* Not of Miquella. Of *the Empyrean.*

[@Monsterassassin3]

@@corvisqueerI like this theory but the last point doesnt stand, all the empyreans are women/androgynous (Miquella) and need a womb to house the elden ring

[@jeambeam3173]

​@@corvisqueerI really love this take. I think Miquella being Mezzmer was too obvious but some of the few bits of evidence for it is rly the fact Miquellas body is becoming like a vessel for Mezzmer is so much better

[@jeambeam3173]

​@@Monsterassassin3there's zero evidence you need to be female to be an Emperyean

[@indyjoe3150]

Thank you, ive been waiting for a breakdown longer that 10 mins

[@patrickg3872]

Killed the breakdown, Smough! Your channel continues to be my favorite Fromsoft Lore.

[@SmoughTown]

Cheers Patrick - so grateful for your support.

[@evilsmiledn990]

when mesmer said "MOTHER" it could be talking about "the formless mother", it is the god associated with blood flame

[@depalodor]

But who is he critical of being Elden Lord then? Mohg?

[@wasatix]

Few other speculations I like: Mesmer the Impaler - maybe he got this title becouse he is the one who impaled Fire Giants on erdtree stakes in mountaintops Shadow Lands were originally in middle section of the map that seems to be missing. Next to/under current Erdtree and literally in it's shadow. Maybe whole land is not misplaced but hidden. There is an item that lets you take form of an object - as party of animation it veils you in cloth (slightly similar to what we see in the sky). According to item discription its known as "Marika's Mischief"

[@giacomorinaldi8803]

The timeline does not add up. He is a child of marika and Radagon going by the color of his hair. Radagon married Marika long after the war of the giants

[@jeambeam3173]

​@@giacomorinaldi8803that's with the assumption that Radagon didn't always exist. Also possibly Radagon was cursed with Red Hair for what Marika did to the Giants so Mezzmer was as well

[@giacomorinaldi8803]

@@jeambeam3173 To be honest, the japanese wording for Giant Red braid is somewhat ambiguous: it is not clear wether it is talking about a curse FROM the giants or if it is actually referring to Marika cursing the last fire giant to slavery to guard the Flame of ruin. If it is the latter (which is most likely since Marika DID unambiguously curse the last giant according to his incantation description) then Radagon despises his natural red hair because it is a reminder of their shared cursed fate in servitude of Marika

[@jeambeam3173]

@@giacomorinaldi8803 trust me I know everything is very speculative unless very specifically said otherwise

[@toridelire8697]

Out of all of this actually insightful and researched speculation, nothing had me hootin' and hollerin' more than "blood star video in the next week or so". I'm always so drawn to the concepts that have 3 or 4 item descriptions dedicated to them and nothing else. Excited to see your input as always

[@HeywoodFloyd_]

I always appreciate your take, thank you so much for putting this amazing and informative video together. Fine work, as always!

[@melkerbotin7098]

Amazing theory and video!! After I first saw the trailer and Miyazaki's interviews I also thought that this shadow world was a dumping ground for all the heretical. However my idea of Mesmer was that he started some form of rebelion against Godfrey and Marika that was so devastating that it started the over-all hatred for the heretical aspects of Mesmer's design within Erdtree society, and eventually they managed to 'seal' Mesmer away within this shadow world. Though this take would be invalidated if he is a child of Radagon and Marika :')

[@SmoughTown]

Yeh defo a possibility re Messmer - at this stage I think he was 'initially' granted lordship by her but has become twisted over time.

[@toawing]

I don't think Messmer will be the final boss. From software tends to hide things in dlc. He will be a highlight but I think there's something or someone else. Maybe something he's working to suppress

[@SmoughTown]

Most likely correct!

[@lordmudd4101]

The best thing I could've gotten a notification for after work

[@brnecessities3335]

I bet the lands of shadow align with the inner sea in the middle of the map. It lies right beneath where one could expect the Erdtree to cast a shadow, and fits the size description of roughly as large as Limgrave.

[@finnfeaver1196]

💯 and the divine towers surround it perhaps the curtain rails of the drapes

[@thebrannoncannon6565]

I wouldn’t be surprised if Miquella is the true final boss and antagonist of this expansion. There’s multiple item descriptions and dialogue (both in-game and in the trailer) that Miquella’s power to compel affection is terrifying. It would be great if the story revolves around resisting or giving into his compulsions if this is true. Many people have pointed out his power and his appearance are similar to Griffith (another berserk reference). Malenia saying, “He is the most fearsome Empyrean of all,” and her subsequent fear of him gives further credence to the idea that Miquella is a more nefarious figure than wholly benevelont.

[@redluke8119]

I was literally waiting for this video. Excellent work god I cant wait for this dlc.

[@SmoughTown]

Thanks so much - really pleased you enjoyed it I cant wait either!

[@greyworld6242]

I can’t wait for this! Great video man!

[@wesleyvl8572]

Thanks for making this vidoe dude you rock

[@SmoughTown]

Thanks as always for being here Wesley!

[@Dxshboi]

Was specifically waiting for this exact moment

[@the1ghost764]

How exciting 😊. Thank u 🙏 for such a great work to keep us all entertained.

[@SmoughTown]

My pleasure - hope you enjoyed

[@Losgatos3690]

Great work as always sir

[@battlericky17]

Woke up from a nap, ready to watch this whole thing. So hyped for the dlc

[@Potsgud]

Been waiting for this eventual epic breakdown vid from the almighty smough ❤

[@brandonf.6495]

Excellent video as always, man! I was going to comment that the Shadow Realm may actually be in the large "crater" space in the middle of the the Lands Between map but is hidden/spatially shifted by Marika's veil, but Ratatoskr beat me to the punch! He has a good vid on the theory :)

[@Imperial-631]

You know the Helphen’s Steeple? It references a parallel world beneath the Erdtree. If you haven’t seen Crunchy’s video on this it explains a lot..but I believe that the parallel world referenced in the Helphen’s Steeple description is the Land of Shadow in Shadow of the Erdtree.

[@Sayocakes]

Ahh finally the smoughtown take. Thank you for another great watch

[@maxfeinstein4253]

An interesting note I just noticed about the rune we see in the trailer, it looks to me like the convergence of a star and a moon. an eclipse maybe? Which would track with Miquella since we know he tried to use an eclipse to give Godwynn a true death. It could also represent the two sides of Miquella, the star being his normal radiant/benevolent form and the moon being his darker sleep oriented St. Trina form.

[@Blackphanter123]

It seems that the trailer hints heavily to inverted elements such as showcasing the carian statue dude and it looks like the "Tree" in the trailer could be upside down roots. This seems so cool although we already have the underground areas but the inverted gimmick worked in the tower maybe it have some bigger things it can do aswell. The lands between, aka Midgard. So the remnants of the land above elden ring map can be seen in the ground all across the lands between, not sure if thats farum though. It makes sense though that the place where the shadow of erdtree takes place is down UNDER the map to complete the trio of above, middle and below. MAYBE even under the deeprot Depths etc. Like it's spreading in some weird yggdrasil shape... IF this is the case, maybe it isn't roots spreading out in the shadow DLC. It could be another erdtree just inverted. The two erdtrees ABOVE and BELOW are fighting to stay alive, thats why the one in the main game is strong and healthy and the one in the DLC is crumbling, The deeproot depths there have roots all over, what if it's the roots from both trees??

[@RedYellowBird6889]

Smoughtown always with the great analysis.

[@alexgroot2508]

Great analysis, as always. The vibe I'm getting is this: the Numen folk, Marika's people, were rumored to come 'from another world'. Perhaps this was the Shadow Lands. Perhaps her tribe lived there prior, amongst the misbegotten en omen like creatures. Perhaps, at that time, they were 'godless', the Greater Will having vested themselves in the Dragons. When this fell through, perhaps the Greater Will, probably via the Elden Beast, offered Marika the Elden Ring and with it they created the Erdtree. This act apparently split the world, with Marika and her chosen fellows 'ascending' to the lands between whilst her old home remained in the shadow of her new Erdtree. This, I would suspect, is where Marika made the pact with the Greater Will. Perhaps this is the thing Miquella wants to uproot entirely, given his goals. I do like your analogy for Heaven and Hell in this. This would make Messemer something of a Lucifer/Satan figure - a fallen child of God who rules Hell and punishes the sinners.

[@apyorick]

I can't overstate how excited I am for this dlc. This will be my first fromsoft experience going in blind from day one before all the tips and tricks. I got elden ring about six months after its release, fell in love, played DS1 and 3 and Bloodborne and Sekiro, all several times, but I always had help. I might still use some on this play through, but I will be figuring it out in real time with everyone else and compiling all the tips and tricks. So bloody excited.

[@fishinarkansas3348]

Great video man.

[@big-byrd3821]

Finally someone mentioned the spear similarities. Good video

[@OFCRKAY]

Really good video, I think you’re on to something when talking about Merika appointing Messmer ruler over the shadow realm. thank you for sharing your thoughts! I’ve been thinking about Messmers flame and can’t shake something. I too immediately thought of blood flame and/or thorn sorceries. But I noticed that the flame is black and red. I reviewed the thorn sorceries and they don’t show flame at all, just thorns and blood. Blood flame is a big possibility but none of the incantations, or even the fight with Mohg show black in the flame. The only place we see black and red flame is in the death rune as well as the black blade. It doesn’t make sense to me at the moment but maybe Messmer wields destined death?

[@OFCRKAY]

Just noticed that some of Rykard’s stuff (Rykard’s Rancor) is black and red. However, the hue is different. Destined death is still a closer match.

[@harleyturpin2580]

I’ve noticed at least on a movement/control standpoint that I haven’t seen mentioned is the new dodge mechanics. For example against the red dancer, the small weaving away out of attacks. Or with messmer when the tarnished back handsprings away. I hope these are expanded on further as more analysis videos release.

[@user-cx5vl9sq4e]

thank you for your hard work smoughtown, this is the most amazing breakdown of this trailer I've seen!!!!

[@SmoughTown]

My pleasure my friend and thank you for the kind words!

[@alink2dfuture504]

Hey Smough! One thing I noticed watching the trailer, was the seeming link between the draconic and the bestial in these shadow lands. The lion-dragon omen entity you mentioned of course being one aspect that seems to imply beasts taking a similar role to dragons, but also we see for instance the lion's roar incantation as a possible mirror to the dragon's roar, the large hippo-like boss as a possible mirror to the magma wyrm -- which we fight in a body of water, as opposed to lava, for added curiosity -- and the knight riding a bestial hog-like horse as a possible mirror to the dragon-horses of the draconic tree sentinels. All in all so put together, this seems to me too intentional to be a coincidence. I'll be looking forward to seeing the lore implications of these apparent connections between the dragons in the realm of light, mirrored by beasts in the realm of shadows. And I'd be curious to hear your take on it, as well, when time allows :) Have a good one!

[@floorboard563]

I very well can see the bloodflame being the magic he uses. But when I first saw him, I couldnt help but to think of the Giants Flame. The deep red and the fact that Messmer is of Radagon and Marika, with the unique red hair. Then there's also the deep red flame at the dragon communion altars. Messmer's elongated limbs and of course, his serpent-esque eye. His fire could very well be that of the dragon communion.

[@kamikazekiwi]

the main take ive been waiting for

[@nickgreenhow5513]

Someone pointed out on a different video I saw, almost looks as though there are roots reaching into the sky, above the branch canopy. Strengthens the "as above, so below" theme.

[@z3bra_f0untain36]

Something else you might have missed in regards to Messmer: Both the wyrm incantations (magma breath and Theodorix's magma) share the deep red coloring and style that Messmer's flame has, further reinforcing his links to dragon communion. I do think that Messmer exhibits enough qualities to effectively make him an antithesis to the erdtree/golden order, but a substantial number of these fall under that dragon communion umbrella

[@williamsova9313]

I'm starting to believe that serpents are descended from dragons, specifically one of the theee missing heads of paarthurnax, thus possibly making them connected to the three fingers

[@taerg2968]

Thanks for these awesome breakdowns, these videos lift my experience of the games! I was wondering SmoughTown, whether it’s possible the “bereft of light” dialogue is actually Miquella talking about Messmer? I believe in the past there have been trailers where dialogue of another character was played while a different character was shown.

[@WorkingClassNerds]

Awesome video!!!

[@tristynnevels5125]

The symbol on messemers spear is also a tattoo u can put on during character creation

[@AJLoco-]

good vid earned urself a sub

[@Raze394]

Smough is the only person on this planet able to extract 40 minutes worth of lore content off a trailer, insane bro.

[@Kaynadian1337]

The lion motif also exists on the stacked Omen/worm boss thing in the trailer. It looks like the beast head Horah Loux had. I have to wonder where Messmer is referenced in the base game

[@ladooshka]

This is so interesting! Thank you for your thoughts and theories about new dlc. ❤

[@1000mjf]

As always you do a great video

[@SmoughTown]

I appreciate that! Glad you enjoyed it

[@iGreeey]

Im not sure for what I’ve waited more - the trailer itself or Smough unpacking it with his usual top quality. Lore breakdown ahead, therefore happiness ❤️

[@draketinjum428]

I WAS WAITING SO LONG FOR YOUR VIDEO😭😭😭 IT WAS LIKE A WHOLE DAY

[@draketinjum428]

@@Smough_Town_1 "say you're not a robot." "...I am a real person" SMOUGH TOLD ME NOT TO TALK TO STRANGERS

[@nebb.9552]

It might be a bit of a stretch but if you look at Mesmers spear and then take a look at the dead giants on the mountaintops the kind of spear branch looking thing coming out the top of them looks eerily similar.

[@GhostPandaSouls]

Great stuff, Smough. We will be there no matter what when this glorious DLC drops!

I love this chanel like idk what to say i love this man

[@keebmack]

I feel like messemer’s sigil on the right side shows something similar to the imagery we see for the haligtree. Such as, the haligtree knight helm and the cape on the haligtree knight armor.

[@noshnoshka]

Amazing analyses, as always! I was wondering if you had any thoughts on the possible connection between the ring that Miquella wears in his cocoon and Messmer? I noticed what appears to be snakes on the ring, and Messmer is featured with snakes. I was reminded of the ring when you were reviewing the symbol at 34:04, although the ring and the symbol might not be related at all.

[@miquelmoorrees6010]

Vaati also pointed out that there is a new emote in which you hold your arms besides you shaping an "O" making a shape like the great rune and its called miquella's (something i forgot)

[@openshores4288]

every time someone made a video about dlc breakdown, i cant help but click and watch

[@lunarmetamorph]

now that you're talking about the blood star, i think the fiery explosion that's created when messmer hits the ground with his aoe attack could very well be in the shape of a star, similar to how vyke's war spear aoe explodes in the shape of three lines, showing his alliance to the three fingers

[@mfyrisingmayo1913]

i think youre interpretation is the best one YET, this is my third listen

[@90matthews90]

20:58 finally someone mentioned the sealed eye

[@PayYourTick]

This has me wondering if Mohg actually emerges from the Land of Shadow at the start of our fight with him? If so I wonder if he was searching for him?

[@thegloameyedking]

It was early 2017 the last time I looked forward to a fromsoft DLC. It’s different than a new game release. I didn’t know anything about sekiro or Elden ring so the excitement for those is a “let’s see what this all new journey is about” type, while the DLC’s already have a foundation to expand upon. I was 21 when The Ringed City released & remember the insane hype. Comparing the trailers for the 2 dlc’s though, it’s wild how far we’ve come. Now Im 28. That’s so much of my life that’s gone by since then. I always try to savor these periods of fromsoft releases as much as I can because they’re really some of the highlights of my life

[@ThommyofThenn]

One of the fits really reminds me of the Carian queen set. Hopefully we get more of them! One of my favourite locations in base game

[@rizloth350]

It would seem that Mesmer had a hand in the dragon wars, evidenced by his association with dragon communion imagery. Which makes me wonder if many of the banished knights served mesmer. He also seems to be associated with the mountain tops of the giants, and sin. Evidenced by the impaled giants. For something more speculative, I wonder if this place was once the missing area of the main map, and if mesmers "purifying" flames could explain the vitrified faces of the divine towers. Just my thoughts man. Love the videos!

[@astrealbrizbee9815]

I haven't heard anyone discuss the Runes possibly being the back runes of the main title screen. We see the first set we collect in the main game and then what we collect now is either the back of that title screen or what we see in Malikeths room on the wall.