The Elden Ring, The Elden Lord and the mysteries of the Lands Between. Dive into our overview of Elden Ring's lore and learn of the many subtle stories hidden throughout. Spoilers ahead!
List of Contents
Elden Ring takes place in the Lands Between where Queen Marika the Eternal rules the land. The vast world is comprised of 6 areas and each area is a domain of the major demigod characters.
The Erdtree gives grace to people in the Lands Between. Those that have lost their grace are called the Tarnished. These Tarnished individuals were banished from the Lands Between and were exiled. A long time after the Tarnished were exiled, the Elden Ring is shattered, which causes their lost grace to return.
The player character is one such Tarnished, said to be of no renown but nonetheless called back to attempt to become the Elden Lord. There are also other such Tarnished in the Lands Between that can be encountered, each with their own stories and motivations.
The Shattering is the series of events that launched the Lands Between into turmoil and caused the Greater Will to call back the Tarnished to claim the title of Elden Lord.
In an event known as the Night of Black Knives, Queen Marika's firstborn son Godwyn the Golden was assassinated. This was orchestrated by Ranni the Witch in order to strip herself of the influence of the Greater Will.
After this event, Queen Marika shattered the Elden Ring herself, weakening the influence of the Greater Will over the Lands Between. Radagon, Queen Marika's consort, attempted to mend the Elden Ring, but failed.
The Greater Will, seeing that Queen Marika had turned against it, imprisoned her inside the Erdtree as punishment. However, it could not remove her from being its vessel, and thus called back the Tarnished in hopes of finding a new consort for her that could mend the Elden Ring.
Godwyn the Golden, however, still exists in the Lands Between. Due to Ranni's ritual, his soul was destroyed, but his body remains and is nestled in the Deeproot Depths, where he is sought by Fia and Those Who Live in Death. They seek to resurrect Godwyn and to reintegrate Death back into the Elden Ring.
The shards of the Elden Ring were scattered and some were claimed by Queen Marika's demigod children. These shards, now called Great Runes, gave them immense power and they desired to rule in Queen Marika's place. The demigods warred with each other, but none emerged as a winner.
Eventually, they settled on a tenuous peace to stay within their own regions. Other Great Runes also exist outside of the Elden Ring, though the origins of some are a mystery.
Defeating these shardbearers and claiming their Great Runes will allow the Tarnished to mend the Elden Ring.
The Greater Will is the being worshipped by those who follow the Golden Order, the largest religion in the Lands Between. It is said that the Greater Will speaks through its Two Fingers and the Finger Reader Crones interpret them to others.
The Erdtree is said to been created by the Greater Will and those who are deemed worthy by it are granted blessings of grace.
In truth, the Greater Will is an Outer God that came to the Lands Between and was responsible for the creation of the Elden Ring and the Erdtree. For some reason, it is unable to physically manifest itself in the Lands Between and thus needed a vessel.
That vessel was Queen Marika the Eternal, who served the Greater Will and spread its influence across the Lands Between. With her help, the Golden Order was established and its worship spread.
However, the influence of the Greater Will was lessened during the Shattering. In order to restore its influence and the Elden Ring, the Greater Will is said to have called back the Tarnished to the Lands Between.
No matter the actions of the Tarnished, they will find themselves being opposed by Radagon and the Greater Will when they finally arrive at the Erdtree. It's unknown why the Greater Will is determined to stop the Tarnished from claiming the title of Elden Lord, but after Radagon is defeated, the Elden Beast emerges from his body as a last ditch effort.
And with the Elden Beast defeated, the last influence of the Greater Will is banished from the Lands Between, leaving the Tarnished free to ursher in a new age.
There are 6 endings in Elden Ring and the conditions for all of them can be unlocked in one playthrough.
After defeating the Elden Beast, the Tarnished has the option of choosing one of these endings and the future of the Lands Between (with the exception of the Lord of Frenzied Flame).
| Ending | Description |
|---|---|
| Age of Fracture | The Tarnished mends the Elden Ring and takes the title of Elden Lord. |
| Age of Stars | Ranni takes the Tarnished as her Consort and begins the Age of Stars, where all souls are no longer bound to the Erdtree and are free to do as they wish. |
| Lord of Frenzied Flame | The Tarnished becomes the Lord of Chaos and the Lands Between are seen burning. It said by Hyetta that the Tarnished will burn all sin, torment, despair, and sin until all are one again. |
| Age of the Duskborn | The Tarnished becomes the Elden Lord, but now with the Mending Rune of the Death-Prince now reintegrated into the Elden Ring, immortality has been stripped from the beings of the Lands Between. |
| Blessing of Despair | The Tarnished becomes the Elden Lord, but with the Mending Rune of the Fell Curse being integrated into the Elden Ring, all souls will be unable to return to the Erdtree. |
| Age of Order | The Tarnished becomes the Elden Lord and ushers in an age where there is no conflict brought on by gods or those emboldened by ambition. |
Endings Guide: How to Get All Endings
Version 1.06 Full Patch Notes
Updated 6/18/2024
Bloodhound's Step and Rivers of Blood have been nerfed!
What Consoles Will Elden Ring Be On?
Updated 1/6/2022
Playstation? Xbox? Pc? Switch? Find out all the consoles for Elden Ring!
All Special Edition Differences
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What's the most worth version for your cash
Elden Ring Release Date Countdown
Updated 11/22/2022
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Story and Gameplay Trailers
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Does Elden Ring Have Crossplay
Updated 2/26/2022
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How to Preload Elden Ring
Updated 2/21/2022
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Pre-Order Bonus Guide
Updated 2/15/2022
Find out how to get pre-order bonuses in the game!
What Are Tarnished?
Updated 2/14/2022
Learn more about the Tarnished and their role in Elden Ring!
Is Elden Ring a Souls Game?
Updated 2/1/2022
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Will Elden Ring Have DLC?
Updated 7/25/2024
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Where Does Elden Ring Take Place? Lore and Story
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