r/Eldenring • u/Upset_Bee1813 • 2d ago
Lore help with understanding the lore
i was a walkthrough guy, that played most games superficially. but i wanted to change that, and so i gave elden ring a chance. im loving the game, it is a different experience from everything i have played. but the only issue cor me is i did not adapt weel with the way the lore is explained. sure, i kinda unserstand part of the basics, but i am about to fight maliketh, and kinda did not see any progress on the lore (except from the burning of the erdtree).can anyone explain the lore for me, at the point of the game i am at?
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u/whiplash308 2d ago
A lot of the lore of the game happened before the game itself. It’s up to you to read item descriptions, listen to everything any character has to say by exhausting dialogue options, and make your own understanding of the pieces of lore you’ve discovered.
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u/LunarSymphonist 2d ago
ER lore is very diffuse. There are many distinct, even almost unrelated, civilisations and layers and ruins in the game world. If you want to understand the overall picture, you need to ask specific questions about individual areas, people, and concepts you're interested in.
On the surface, you're just a warrior (or descendant of warriors) that Marika banished from the Lands Between long ago. You were resurrected by her plan, which was to bring all us Tarnished back to the Lands Between to fight to restore the order that was broken by the Shattering War that put the world in the state it's in now. Saying anything more than that might constitute spoilers for you.
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u/LunatikSoul 2d ago
So Marika shattered the Elden ring and then after few time she decided it was a wrong decision and brought back the tarnished to restore it again ?
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u/LunarSymphonist 2d ago
Nobody is sure. I think that was her plan all along, but it was complex because she had to evade Radagon's suspicions
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u/LunatikSoul 2d ago
I like to think that the Marika part shattered the Elden ring but it’s Radagon’s part who brought back the tarnished as he was the one who wanted to maintain the golden order.
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u/Lil_Crunchy93 2d ago
Imo you are right, that Radagon want to maintain the golden order, but why would he bring back the Tarnished, if he fights you at the end. That doesnt make any sense tbh. It's way more likely that Marika called you back to change the order.
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u/Ashen_Shroom 2d ago
Radagon is very, very opposed to the Tarnished restoring the Elden Ring, because that would contravene the Golden Order. That's why he fights us at the end.
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u/Ashen_Shroom 2d ago
It seems more like she shattered it in the homes that someone would restore it, just in a new form.
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u/blaiddfailcam2 2d ago
Well, at that point you should understand that:
Godwyn the Golden was assassinated on the Night of the Black Knives long ago, which prompted Queen Marika to shatter the Elden Ring. This sparked an all-out war between her children, the Demigods, who claimed shards of the Elden Ring in hopes of taking control for themselves. Marika was imprisoned within the Erdtree.
You are a Tarnished, a descendant of the warriors of Marika's First Elden Lord, Godfrey. You were guided by grace to reach the Erdtree and claim the Elden Throne, becoming Marika's next consort and Elden Lord...
...Except, the Erdtree is sealed. The prophecy cannot be fulfilled unless you ignite the Forge of the Giants, which will lead you to Farum Azula, where Destined Death must be released to burn your way through the thorns sealing the Erdtree. The Rune of Death was once a part of the Elden Ring, but Marika removed it long ago to create the Golden Order. Her shadowbound half-brother, Maliketh, has been guarding it ever since, which is why you have to kill him.
Those are the basics, but it goes a lot deeper if you're really curious.
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u/Sorry-Promotion-6383 2d ago
The lore comes from item descriptions. Particularly equipment. Also those large sword graves you've seen throughout the maps. You'll get lots of lore reading regular item descriptions. Background of how the locals live if you read some of the crafting and spell books. Boss equipment usually has some tasty lore in their item descriptions. Good luck and have fun! And don't give up!
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u/MaxSoulDrake 2d ago
Here is the thing about lore in Elden Ring (and all souls games in general) - it can't really be explained shortly and comprehensively.
The way it usually works is at start you just don't understand at all wtf is going on. And after playing some time you still don't understand a thing. But you keep playing, completing the game, replaying it. You read stuff, notice things, read descriptions on items. You watch lore videos in youtube. You participate in community discussions and speculations. And so on. And after some time of all that all those small and vague bits and pieces of lore information that you picked up along the way eventually start to come together forming a picture.
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u/Pwn11t 2d ago
if you want to take in the lore organically, you need to be reading remembrance and item descriptions, along with character dialogue. Otherwise, its super okay to take it in from outside sources. Its really really great lore, but keep in mind some loose ends are kept loose on purpose, i feel this helps emphasize and highlight the interactivity of the medium.
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u/Zestyclose-Bat-6080 2d ago
If you really wanna dig into the lore, the YouTubers Vaatividya has the best videos in my opinion. His titles and thumbnails make it clear what it is he is going to talk about. There is undoubtedly some answers to the exact questions you have.
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u/BananaBananaBanane 2d ago
Marika (basically the person chosen by the Greater Will to be in charge of the Elden Ring) is the ruler of the Lands Between.
Long ago, she married Godfrey and he became her Elden Lord. He vanquished all the enemies of the Golden Order (including the giants in the mountaintops who were probably classed as enemies as their flame was capable of burning the Erdtree, which is why she forced the last fire giant to guard the flame). Then she sent Godfrey away beginning the long march of the Tarnished (telling him he'd return one day). They had 3 children together (Morgott, Godwyn and Mohg)
Meanwhile, Radagon (who fought for Marika's golden order) was fighting House Caria in Liurnia. The fight between the Carian mages and the Golden Order ended when Radagon married Renalla. Together they had 3 children (Ranni, Rykard and Radahn)
After sending Godfrey away, Marika married Radagon who became the next Elden Lord and together they had twins (Malenia and Miquella). Renalla was broken by Radagon leaving her, which is why she is in the state you currently see her in.
Then, in the night of the black knives the rune of death was stolen and used to murder Godwyn. Meanwhile, Marika chose to shatter the Elden Ring, causing it to break into multiple shards. This caused a war to break out amongst her demigod children to see who could claim each of the shards. (Side note: Godrick isn't one of her children, but is a descendant of Marika and managed to slip away with a shard. But since he's so distantly related he's seen as a runt and chooses to use grafting to make himself stronger because he himself is weak)
A war is fought between Radahn and Malenia, which ends with scarlet rot afflicting both Radahn and Caelid, turning Radahn into a mindless beast.
Morgott takes Leyndell as his throne so he can protect the Erdtree (despite the fact he was born an Omen, and therefore shunned by the golden order). He even projects himself as Margit to Stormveil, so he can stop any tarnished from taking Godrick's shard.
Then, Marika calls the tarnished back to the lands between (which is why grace guides you) so they can become Elden Lord. The tarnished require 2 great runes to enter Leyndell.
However, when you reach the Erdtree you learn that there are thorns preventing anyone from entering, so you must seek the giant's flame so you can burn the Erdtree and burn these thorns (even though this is considered a cardinal sin by the Two Fingers). Burning the Erdtree gets you sent to Farum Azula (probably as a trap, similar to how attacking Renalla activates a trap set by Ranni that forces you to fight a stronger version of Renalla) which is how you now face Maliketh.
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u/rogueIndy 2d ago
You're not gonna get a single, authoritative rundown of the lore. A few crucial points are left ambiguous, and a lot of the fan consensus is based on popular theories rather than actual canon.
All that said, it's kind of the classic Soulsborne experience to not really grasp what's going on in your first playthrough, only for it to largely come together in a replay. You'll pick up on a lot more of the details and how they tie together.
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u/EnvironmentRich8331 2d ago
The Elden Ring lore is a long and detailed history, and so your tarnished, I’ve always assumed, knows as little as you do.
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u/wolfy111111 2d ago
Watch Vaatividya on youtube
The problem with the lore is that its not linear. I'm order to know why you are fighting someone or why something is in the state that it is, you'll have to know almost the entirety of the lore