Summary
AsElden Ringfans eagerly await the arrival ofShadow of the Erdtree, many are wondering just how many lingering questions will be answered by the DLC. The base game, like most FromSoftware titles, is overflowing with rich, complex, and sometimes confusing lore, much of which is vague or left open to interpretation and speculation. Fans are expecting some of these story elements to be clarified in the DLC, picking apartminor details of theShadow of the Erdtreereveal image for any clues possible, but it might be best if the expansion keeps things vague and obtuse.
When it comes to storytelling, FromSoftware has a distinctive approach. Rather than revealing information by way of cutscenes, dialog, or some other traditional narrative device, most details of the lore can be found by analyzing the games' environments and item descriptions. This style makes it so that much of the lore is missable and requires extra effort from players if they want to gain any sort of deeper understanding. While there is likely a portion of theElden Ringplayer base that is wishing for some more concrete, digestible lore delivery inShadow of the Erdtree, FromSoftware should take care not to erase its identity for the sake of easier comprehension.
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Elden Ring’s Vagueness is What Makes it Special
Elden Ringhas no shortage of lore. Whether a player wants to learn more about the Erdtree, the Greater Will, or the Golden Order and Radagon’s extensive family tree, it’s likely that FromSoftware and George R.R. Martin have left behind a great deal of enticing info for them to discover. However,Elden Ringdiffers from other lore-rich video games, movies, or books in its method of delivery; nothing is set in stone and very little is objective or outright shown to the player in a cutscene. This is no doubt frustrating to some players who want to easily understand the lore behind a game that they love, but it certainly has its merits.
The way thatElden Ringpresents its loreis more than just unique for the sake of being unique; the vagueness allows for a more engaging experience for the players, as they have to use their imagination to fill in the blanks of the story. There are many cases where an extremely complicated and dense history can be suggested through just a single sentence hidden in a paragraph of an item description. Yes, players have to put in extra work to understand this lore, but this strengthens the relationship that these players have to the game, as the story isn’t just something they are passively consuming, but rather uncovering for themselves.
Elden Ringlends itself to speculationmore than most games, and this speculation is important to the game’s identity. Aside from the passionate community of fans that subsists on theories about the game, the game’s interpretive nature allows for multiple different understandings. For example, some fans might think that Ranni is justified in her actions, while others might consider her one of the game’s greatest villains, and a lot of this comes down to how individual players interpret the lore. If every detail were to be cleared up, then this important quality of the game would be lost.
In many ways,Elden Ringis successful because it doesn’t conform to what players expect from modern video games. It’s brutally difficult, doesn’t hold the player’s hand, and isn’t easy to comprehend. Thetreasure hunt nature ofElden Ring’s lore is part of this unwillingness to conform, and is an inextricable part of its identity. Thus,Shadow of the Erdtreeshould lean into obscurity, shedding light on some parts of the story, but casting darker shadows on others. By doing this, the DLC can satiate players while leaving them hungry for more knowledge, keeping the community of the game alive for years to come.
Elden Ringis available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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