While Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree DLC was a success overall, as it gave players a lot of new content to explore, many players felt cheated by the developers after experiencing the DLC, as it did not live up to its promises.

During the promotion, the developers said that Shadow of the Erdtree included a lot of important revelations and basic backgrounds from the base game, and completely redefined most of the base game. But this is not the case.

This article will list a few examples of developers “cheating” players, hoping that late DLCs can be improved.

The Earliest Trailer Image

In the earliest trailer image of Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, Miquella was riding Torrent. However, after players completed the entire DLC’s quests and main storyline, they found that Miquella and Torrent had never appeared or been described together in the game.

Although the figure in the picture only has a back view, based on the special length and braids, as well as the white clothing, it is roughly Miquella. The white wildebeest is also believed to be Torrent, because no other such creature appears in the base game of Elden Ring.

Therefore, many players will think that some clear connection between Torrent and Miquella will be explored in Shadow of the Erdtree, but in the actual game content, it has not yet. Although Miquella and Torrent both appear in the DLC, their identities are completely different.

There is also no indication that they have been seen before, let alone Miquella will ride Torrent through Shadow Land, as shown in the picture. Although the DLC is very interesting in terms of new content, this will still disappoint some players, because there is also less explanation about Torrent in the base game, making it more mysterious.

Very Little About Torrent

As mentioned earlier, there is no further explanation of Torrent’s lore in Shadow of the Erdtree, and a brief explanation in the base game, which makes players know nothing about Torrent’s mystery.

However, based on the concept of art in the trailer, we can infer something about this Elden Ring’s spectral steed. At the beginning, Melina gave them a Spectral Steed Whistle when she first met the Tarnished to summon Torrent.

But her mind is more than just a simple gift, because before meeting Melina, Torrent had already chosen Tarnished to help him seize the Elden Ring. In the final storyline of the DLC, Melina admitted this after defeating Godrick.

So, although Torrent seems to be on Melina’s side, it already has its own thoughts, conscience, and preferences to help him make the right decision.

Witch Ranni is one of the few NPCs who knows Torrent’s name, both in the base game and in the DLC. When you talk to Ranni after Tarnished is first in Church of Elleh, she will reveal Torrent’s name to you.

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During the conversation, she will hear that the enemies are riding a spectral steed, which triggers Torrent’s name, and will give Tarnished a gift said to be from Torrent’s previous owner - Spirit Calling Bell. This item will allow you to summon Spirit Ashes in Elden Ring.

In addition to this, Ranni will tell you two important pieces of information: the first is that Torrent once had an owner, and Ranni knows him. The second is that if you can find that owner, it will only benefit Tarnished’s success.

But when the same Tarnished begin to follow Miquella's soldiers, posing a threat to them, Miquella is forced to join, becoming the enemy you need to fight in the game, and will provide you with a tons of Elden Ring Runes and the ultimate weapon.

In the concept art of Shadow of the Erdtree - the teaser image, it may be hinted that Miquella is Torrent’s previous owner. At the end of Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, Miquella will tell you that she and Tarnished have the same goal - to end Golden Order’s tyranny and usher in a new era.

Many players will guess that when Torrent was running around Land of Shadow, he left his former master in Lands Between, and could find Tarnished by smell and form an alliance in Land of Shadow.

But when the same Tarnished began to follow Miquella’s soldiers and posed a threat to it, Miquella was forced to join and become the enemy you need to fight in the game. In these hints, the connection between Miquella and Torrent has always been subtle, vague, and contradictory.

But I believe that players who often come into contact with FromSoft’s series of games should have become accustomed to this kind of vague and contradictory legend, and are accustomed to relying on these discontinuous points to piece together the complete storyline.

In Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, there are still many mysterious things waiting for you to explore, and I hope to see you in Land of Shadow!

I have thoroughly analyzed the Elden Ring DLC gameplay trailer, delving into key aspects to offer informed speculation. This includes insights into the DLC’s plot, revelations about new lords and, significantly, how the DLC will reshape the narrative we previously understood. Today, we’re addressing a critical topic - the role will Miquella play in the DLC.

Now that we have some background information on the Shadowlands, and confirmation that Miquella disappears here every time he leaves the Lands Between, we can begin to formulate a compelling explanation for why this is the case.

About Miquella

In the original Elden Ring, the story of Miquella left us at a dead end, with him seemingly dead inside a cocoon, kidnapped by Mohg. However, numerous references throughout the game imply that Miquella is too powerful to give in to such a setup so easily.

His ambitious goals, such as lifting the curse on Malenia and restoring the withered healing tree, all ended in failure. This contrasted sharply with his reputation as the most fearsome Imperion. It became evident that there was more complexity to his story than initially presented.

Now, with the upcoming DLC, Miquella emerges as a central figure, offering the promise of answers to these lingering mysteries as players, along with the NPCs in the DLC, pursue him as a primary plot element. But the question still remains: Why is he in the Land of Shadow when everything he cared about in the Lands Between is in disarray? In order to get closer to this character in the game, don't forget to prepare some Elden Ring Runes.

Land Of Shadow

Let’s start with the facts. The Land of Shadow is a place veiled from the outside, hidden from normal sight by Queen Marika, a place ravaged by an unsung war where, according to Miyazaki, the tree was born and Queen Marika ascended to godhood.

It was to this land that Miquella departed, divesting himself of his flesh, his strength, his lineage, of all things golden. And now, Miquella awaits the return of his promised Lord. Which makes it seem as though the caved state we find him in was indeed the key to reaching the Land of Shadow, and could suggest that Mohg’s intervention was part of his plan.

It is currently established in the Lands Between that in order to become a lord of a new age, there needs to be a god and a consort, which is what Mohg was trying to achieve, knowing that Miquella would awaken as a god with him as the consort. But we ultimately put an end to those plans.

The description also makes it seem like Mohg is aware of all of this as he’s awaiting a lord. So, there’s an endless stream of questions here, but assuming that the goals Miquella had in the base game are consistent with his ambitions in the DLC, what does he actually stand to gain by going through all of this trouble and venturing to the Land of Shadow?

Erdtree

With the Erdtree being the primary object of Mohg’s divinity, there has to have been a reason aside from Mohg that it didn’t reach its full potential, something that can only be found in this Land of Shadow and that will help him achieve all of those ambitions. The Erdtree could be the key to everything, just as Erdtree governs the laws of the land, holds life-giving power, and houses a god.

But if the Land of Shadow is the place where Erdtree was born, as well as the location where Queen Marika became a god, does that mean her obtaining her Erdtree is what granted her that godhood? There’s a pretty simple explanation here if we think about it for overall ideas.

The Land of Shadow is a place where a proper Eldtree was born. Miquella tried to grow his own in the Lands Between but ultimately failed. And now, it’s a mystery why he’s in the place where one was grown before. There’s probably some power in the Land of Shadow that enables these trees to grow. Perhaps that’s why Queen Marika veiled it so no others could emerge to challenge hers.

Final Thought

Why is Miquella terrifying? Why this constant framing of fear when the only images of him we ever see are of a little boy in need of comforting? Miquella is an Imperion, a candidate chosen by the Fingers to ascend to godhood and inherit the Erdtree. However, none of the current Imperion we know about in the game follows their intended path.

But that’s the most obvious and simple explanation. Miquella on a mission to find the missing link that will allow him to complete his Erdtree. There are still far too many mysteries around Miquella for him to simply be this all-good hero figure, because why then all the fear? There’s much more to unravel, but these are the answers we won’t find out until we actually get our hands on the DLC.

In Elden Ring, the Empyrean are very powerful beings capable of ascending to godhood. Although there are many Empyreans in Elden Ring, Ranni the Witch is among them. However, it's Malenia who's best known, as she's the only boss you fight head-to-head. In the game, it is known for being the most difficult encounter. However, Malenia believes her brother is stronger.

In Elden Ring, Miquella doesn't appear in your field of vision as a boss fight. However, during your encounter with Mohg, Lord of Blood, you were able to see a bit of the most powerful Empyrean in his cocoon. Since Miquella only appears briefly, you know little about her potential power level or abilities. However, you can know from the title that I'm going to describe to you what it's like to fight Miquella.

A boss fight with Malenia should be near legendary status for you. With wide-sweeping combinations, she's really fast. And, compared to any encounter in the game, she hits just as hard. Still, if you fought Malenia, it would still be a physical encounter and nothing else. In order to deal with this fight, amazing counters and tight dodges are required, and these will be relatively simple. For Malenia's brother, Malenia describes him as the most terrifying Empyrean. According to legend, when you encounter Miquella's boss, that experience is quite different.

With all the lore surrounding Miquella, his boss encounters seem more cerebral. In the game, there is a clip that shows you one thing: when Miquella ascends to godhood, then he will take the form of St. Trina. The Sword of St. Trina can cause a unique effect on the enemy, which is a heavy sleeping effect. This highlights the underlying mechanism in the hypothetical matchup with Miquella.

Miquella himself can make pure gold, and he is famous for this. Usually, this item comes in the form of Miquella's Needle and has the effect of suppressing the Flame of Frenzy. In addition, pure gold can also cure Scarlet Rot, which is one of the relatively few known substances that can cure this disease. Based on Miquella's association with status effects and removals, then we can assume a situation where fighting Miquella will have a lot of effects against you.

Mohg's Influence May Be A Factor That Affect Miquella In A Boss Fight

The only place where you'll encounter Miquella is in one such place, inside a giant cocoon in the arena of Mohg. For this, we need to consider Mohg's influence. While Mohg was trying to help Miquella ascend, the process seemed to affect Miquella's physical form. However, this seems understandable, since Mohg infused his brand of blood magic into Miquella, which may also hint at another boss encounter path for you.

From the picture, we can see an arm that emerges from the cocoon on the stage, which seems to imply that Miquella will be a very scary experience. That vascular arm seems to tell you that it is full of Mohg's blood magic, and Miquella seems to have grown very large. In general, the average height of a human being is approximately the height of your character. And Miquella's forearm is roughly the size of your character's height. Although Malenia is a few feet taller than the player, it's still not as long as Miquella's arm. If you fight him in this form, Miquella will cement his place in Elden Ring, one of the biggest bosses. And he's probably second only to Elden Beast and Fire Giant.

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