The Haligtree went underutilized in Elden Ring, especially when it comes to the game's many possible endings. In a time before the Tarnished reached the Lands Between, Miquella the Empyrean created the Haligtree in hopes that it would one day replace the Erdtree. Making Miquella's vision come true would have made for one of the more interesting endings in the game.
[Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Elden Ring.]
Instead of this, Elden Ring opted to make the Haligtree a beautiful albeit somewhat needless area. Millicent and Latenna's Elden Ring questlines do reach their climaxes here (and Malenia is found here, too), but other than that, Miquella's wondrous tree society feels a tad underwhelming, as much of the Haligtree is inhabited by enemies and bosses from other areas. Still, the reason why the Misbegotten, the Albinaurics, and Loretta are present presents an opportunity for learning some lore. The Haligtree serves as a safe haven for the weak and those who desire to protect them from Outer Gods and discrimination.
Such a motivation behind the creation of the Haligtree makes the realization of Miquella's vision potentially one of Elden Ring's best endings - or it would, if that ending were actually an option. Players are, unfortunately, unable to help Miquella in this project, which feels upsetting and even antithetical to the game's philosophy of player choice. But what makes this even worse is that Elden Ring has already created what would be a suitable storyline to make a Haligtree ending possible. Between Millicent and Latenna's quests and defeating Mogh the Omen, it feels as if director Hidetaka Miyazaki has left a trail of breadcrumbs toward a Lands Between with the Haligtree as its center. Sadly, this trail doesn't go anywhere.
How The Story Of The Haligtree Could Work In Elden Ring
A Haligtree ending could work by combining the quests of Mogh, Millicent, and Latenna together. All three of these missions culminate in endings related to Haligtree lore in the Elden Ring universe in one way or another and are thus already tangentially connected. However, when put side by side, they unveil a plot line that could result in the Haligtree becoming the replacement for the Erdtree.
This is because of three separate reasons: The Albinaurics need to be empowered; Malenia and her Valkyries need to be awakened; and Miquella needs to be returned to the Erdtree. All three quests essentially accomplish these goals, more or less. Bringing Latenna to the safe haven of the Albinaurics ends in her blessing a large Albinauric woman in the Consecrated Snowfields with a Birthing Droplet, which, while not explained, sounds as if it may allow Albinaurics to repopulate or become something new. Millicent's quest in Elden Ring results in either her becoming a flower or her sisters becoming flowers (although this is only suggested). This in turn will allow them to become Valkyries of Malenia in the future. Finally, defeating Mogh frees Miquella from the Omen’s grasp, meaning the Haligtree’s leader may return home - though Miquella's ultimate fate may be more complicated.
In all, this would seemingly allow the powers of the Haligtree to be at their height, in turn enabling Miquella’s cause to replace the Erdtree. An ending in which this would happen would be beloved, as the Haligtree’s positive and humanistic (or at least anti-Outer God) intentions grant sovereignty to the people of the Lands Between. With it being unclear as to where Miquella goes after defeating Mogh, and whether Malenia is a goddess by the end of Elden Ring, it seems that this ending could still be possible in future DLCs or updates.
