Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree is widely considered one of the best DLCs in recent years, not only because it adds a variety of new bosses, armor, weapons, and new areas for players to explore, but also because it provides players with a lot of different lore stories from the base game.

FromSoftware, the developer of Elden Ring, has always been known for having some of the most complex and dark backstories, and this DLC does not disappoint. If you think about some of the lore in Shadow of the Erdtree, you will find that it is actually very interesting. This guide will list a few for you.

Romina And Scarlet Rot

Players who have played Shadow of the Erdtree will definitely know that Saint of the Bud Romina is not the most tough boss in the game. But her creepy design and always unpredictable attacks will make you always a little annoying when facing her.

In addition, she will cause a lot of Scarlet Rot, which will make your fight with her more difficult. Have you ever wondered why she could cause this passive effect? ​​And how did she get this deadly plague that defeated Caelid before?

In fact, if you explore Land of Shadow carefully, it is not difficult to find that she has a mission to protect Church of the Bud from Messmer. But more players are more inclined to believe that she came across the divine elements of Scarlet Rot at some point and used it to protect herself and her beloved church.

This allowed her to keep most of the church intact successfully, but the price paid was too high, as she transformed into the creepy crawler that players encountered in their travels. Players also believe that she is fully responsible for the spread of Scarlet Rot in Land of Shadow, and may even have played a role in spreading it to Middle Land.

Miquella

Since the base game of Elden Ring, Miquella has always been a very mysterious main character. Players know nothing about him except that he is Malenia’s brother and that he is trapped in Empyrean Cocoon in Mohgwyn Palace.

Fortunately, in Shadow of the Erdtree, some of Miquella’s story, personality, and true intentions are unfolded in front of the player page by page, like a book. However, these differ completely from Miquella that players have imagined before, and even destroy the pure and noble image of Miquella in the players’ minds.

As players explore Land of Shadow, they will find that this area has become one of the last resting places of Golden Order. Miquella’s intentions appear to be to create a new world of peace, justice, and harmony, but beneath this layer of appearance, he wants to do something improper.

He is willing to do anything to achieve this goal, pretending that the end can justify the legitimacy of the means. In Miquella’s pursuit of this whitewashed goal, he lied, deceived, and manipulated many people, including his relatives. Mohg, who was used as a pawn by him, finally succumbed to his “master plan” so that Miquella would look more kind.

Gate Of Divinity

When Elden Ring first came to players’ attention, there was very little information about Empyreans in the game and how they ascended to godhood. Players only knew that the demigod Ranni was one of the top choices to replace Marika, and there were only a few other candidates on the waiting list, but that was it.

Shadow of the Erdtree also answered many of the questions players have been asking for nearly two years, revealing the divine process of becoming a god in Lands Between. And in the last part of the DLC, players will reach the so-called Gate of Divinity, which sounds interesting and epic even without any background to it.

Gate of Divinity is not only the battlefield for the last confrontation between players and Radahn Promised Consort in the DLC, but also the place where Empyreans ascended to godhood. While the actual process is unclear, it can be easily inferred that Miquella is the mastermind behind it all. He is looking for the ideal conditions to ascend and transform to reclaim his birthright.

Jar Innards

Many players may ignore Jar Innards enemies in Shadow of the Erdtree because they are ugly and very ordinary. They are just NPCs that players must defeat to unlock a certain area, and some players even just use them as a tool to obtain Elden Ring Runes. But if you watch their introduction carefully or understand their story, you will find that they were shamans before they were hunted by Hornsent and subjected to many cruel experiments.

During the experiment, Hornsent would first chop them into pieces, then put them in a jar and deprive them of their sanity, turning them into mindless creatures that can only attack. This not only fully illustrates the nature of Hornsent but also how cruel Lands Between and Land of Shadows are.

So you can always think about this question with every creature of Defiled you encounter in the subsequent games: Are they pure evil, or once noble tortured souls?

Reasons For The Fight Between Malenia And Radahn

In addition to the fact that players will completely change their views on Miquella in the DLC, Radahn will also change because players will learn a terrible truth. In the base game, players know that Caelid has always been influenced by the previous battle between Radahn and Malenia.

When this epic battle ended in a draw, Malenia unleashed Scarlett Rot on the area, becoming the phenomenon of all corruption in the player’s eyes. This not only made Caelid one of the most tough places to explore but also destroyed Radahn’s mind, turning him into a meaningless beast.

But the story does not seem to end yet. It has been established that Miquella is not a so-called “good guy”. He is manipulative and has evil intentions. In order to fulfill his birthright as a god, he needs to meet the appropriate conditions, one of which is to make his half-brother Radahn his spouse.

Not surprisingly, Radahn refused this plan, which triggered this long-standing conflict. Perhaps in the subsequent base game or DLC, the developers will have a clearer explanation of the details of this battle.

The above is some interesting lore in Shadow of the Erdtree. If you have already explored the main content of the DLC, you might as well explore it carefully in Land of Shadows. You may find unexpected surprises! If you find something more interesting, welcome to IGGM Discord and share it with many players!