Summer Game Fest 2021's Live Kickoff ended with a long-awaited trailer from the much anticipated Elden Ring's release date, fans are finally getting some more information on the FromSoftware game. Announced two years ago at E3 2019, hardcore fans of From's Souls games have been desperate for any footage of Elden Ring. This latest trailer offered a much more comprehensive look, including some gameplay and hints at Elden Ring's narrative and world.
Elden Ring was initially marketed as the largest Souls game yet, with the creation of the universe's lore being a collaboration with George R.R. Martin, and the map being more expansive than any made by FromSoftware thus far. This latest trailer shows many previously unseen locales, and introduces a number of concepts pertinent to the still-nebulous story, including an organization known as the Golden Order.
The Golden Order is mentioned only once, near the beginning of the trailer, when a woman's voice says, "The Tarnished will soon return. Guided by grace once lost. The Golden Order is broken to its core." This is immediately followed by one of two male voices in the Sumer Game Fest trailer for Elden Ring, both presumably belonging to characters at odds with the Tarnished - potentially Elden Ring's protagonist.
What Elden Ring's Golden Order Might Be
The new Elden Ring trailer seems to be setting up the Golden Order as the primary antagonists of the game. The female narrator mentions the Tarnished repeatedly dying as part of "an unending curse. For how else is a champion, or a lord, to be born?" This is soon followed by the second male voice saying, "A lowly Tarnished. Playing as a lord." These two lines combine to give the impression that the Tarnished is attempting to usurp the Golden Order, who might be ruling over the world of Elden Ring.
The trailer also notes that the Tarnished is searching for the Elden Ring, which - according to the first reveal trailer from 2019 - was shattered. It is mostly speculation at this point, but it seems the general structure of Elden Ring will have the Tarnished overthrowing the lords of the Golden Order, retrieving pieces of the Elden Ring. The Tarnished are "guided by grace once lost," so perhaps the Golden Order disgraced the Tarnished when destroying the Elden Ring and seizing power.
FromSoftware has a habit of weaving incredibly obtuse narratives that require players to piece together the whole story by examining environments and reading item descriptions. It's no surprise that very little was seemingly given away in the Elden Ring trailer, but at least there is some indication of where the narrative will go.
