Summary
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtreesecretly answers one of the base game’s most mysterious lingering questions. As a DLC,Shadow of the Erdtree’s purpose isn’t just to throw some tough bossesin front of the player, stick them in a new map, and call it a day. It takes things a step further by satisfying player curiosity about much of the lore. Many ofElden Ring’s DLC revealsfocus on Marika,Messmer, and Miquella, but even minor characters are mentioned and recontextualized inShadow of the Erdtree.
But sometimes,Shadow of the Erdtree’s lore drops aren’t about particular characters at all. Sometimes, they fill in gaps in the player’s knowledge ofElden Ring’s history and cosmology. One such reveal, hidden in an obscure bit of item flavor text that many players will never even come across, seems to approach an answer about one of the base game’s greatest mysteries - but still leaves many stones unturned.
Shadow Of The Erdtree May Have Named Elden Ring’s Fallen Giants
What Elden Ring’s DLC Reveals About The Giants
As addressed in a Reddit comment bySundownKid,Shadow of the Erdtreemay have finally given a name toElden Ring’s mysterious dead giants: the Old Gods. This is based on the commenter’s interpretation of theAncient Meteoric Ore Greatsword’sflavor text, which describes the item as having been “fashioned from an excavated shard of an arrowhead that once was a part of the old gods' arsenal.”
The Reddit comment focuses on the fact that theAncient Meteoric Ore Greatsword, an enormous, two-handed weapon in its own right, is described as a mere shard of a much larger instrument. That alone implies a much larger being, probably akin to the living giants players face throughoutElden Ring. However,the Greatsword is specifically described as a piece of an arrowhead, which means the actual projectile it came from was probably large enough to dwarf even those behemoths.
The Ancient Meteoric Ore Greatsword is found at the altar of theRuined Forge Starfall Past inElden Ring’s DLC.
The only creature, living or dead, large enough to fire a bow capable of nocking this arrow would be one of the now-dead “super-giants” that dotElden Ring’s map. That meansthese previously unnamed creatures must be the Old Godsmentioned in the Ancient Meteoric Ore Greatsword’s flavor text.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC Ruined The Base Game For Me
After completing the Shadow of the Erdtree, I returned to Elden Ring’s base game and, surprisingly, was underwhelmed by the challenges.
What Actually Happened To Elden Ring’s Giants?
Theories About The Old Gods' Fate
Even though they have a name in the DLC,there’s really very little evidence to suggestwhat actually happened toElden Ring’s dead giants. Conventional wisdom in the base game suggests they were killed byGodfrey’s’s army, perhaps with the help of Thorn Sorcerers, in the last mission Marika gave them before revoking their gift of Grace and sending them into exile. But could Godfrey really hold his own against beings of such size? With the new information revealed inShadow of the Erdtree, some players have come to conclusions of their own.
In another comment,SundownKidgoes on to speculate thatthese giants are much larger than their living companions because they were born when the Crucible was at its strongest. At that time, they ruled the Ruined Forges, the Mountaintops, Rauh, and many of the other oldest structures in The Lands Between and Land of Shadow.
This does align with their apparently ancient origins, as the Crucible’s power is known to have diminished with time. As it did, giants were born smaller and smaller, perhaps even becoming human-sized by the time of the Shattering. They also suggest, however, that the Old Gods' undoing wasn’t a war with Godfrey,but the arrival ofMetyr, Mother of Fingers(or maybe theElden Beast) in the Lands Between.
Metyrand theElden Beasthave a lot in common. Both are ancient beings who wield great power in the Lands Between, and both are at least somewhat credited with predetermination of everything that happens there. Both are worshiped as deities. But most importantly,both are also giant creatures from outer space.
Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree Theory Puts A Convincing Twist On The Scadutree
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree continues the base game’s habit of hiding lore in the smallest details, and this one puts a spin on the Scadutree.
When they landed, they must have made a large impact, both physically and metaphorically speaking. SundownKid speculates thatthis is the reason why the Old Gods are buried under a layer of rock: they were killed by that crash landing, then blanketed with ash. Over time, their bones were petrified, and they grew into the earth.
But while the Old Gods-giants connection seems pretty sound, the rest is just speculation. No one really knows for certain where they came from, how they died, or much of anything else about them.Shadow of the Erdtreemay finally give them a name, but the truth behindElden Ring’s Old Gods will likely remain a mystery for a long time to come.
Elden Ring
Elden Ring is a popular game released by From Software, creators of games such as Armored Core, Dark Souls, and Bloodborne. Players assume the role of a Tarnished, a being once exiled to the Lands Between and has returned to repair the Elden Ring after the events of “The Shattering.” “The Shattering” occurred when the offspring of Queen Marika battled to claim the shards of the Elden Ring, known as Great Runes. Their war has brought lawlessness, destruction, and chaos to the land, and the player will challenge them with the assistance of a Maiden known as Melina as they travel towards the great Erd Tree to face their destiny and to become the one true Elden Lord. Players can tackle the game how they choose and can adventure across realms as they build their character how they want - be it a powerful magic caster or a brutal swordsman - they will have complete control over their build.
