Summary

• Elden Ring's lore remains partially ambiguous, with some aspects elaborated on, but many mysteries left unanswered.
• Mysteries like Melina's identity, the land of Kaiden, and Radahn's motives remain unclear despite Shadow of the Erdtree's release.
• Empyreans lack consistency, and characters like Godwyn and the Gloam-Eyed Queen remain unresolved.

As with any Soulsborne game, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree requires players to do some investigating to uncover its story, lore, and mysteries. The expansion left many mysteries unanswered, annoyingly, but this isn't surprising, since FromSoftware is known for leaving many aspects of the worlds it creates up to interpretation. Quite frankly, discovering and learning about the lore that the game doesn't overtly tell its players has become part of the fun and is something to look forward to in many Soulsborne games.

The expansion has done a decent job on elaborating on many aspects of the base game. This includes more on Miquella, since Shadow of the Erdtree largely revolves around him, the Dragon Communion cult, how the Two Fingers and the Greater Will actually operate with the introduction of Metyr, and much more. Still, plenty has been left unanswered despite how vast Shadow of the Erdtree is, and with no more DLC coming to Elden Ring, these mysteries will only have theories for answers.

10 Elden Ring's Demigod Family Tree Has Too Many Branches

Who Is Even A Part Of It?

Before the introduction of Shadow of the Erdtree, Marika's family was complicated, but largely made sense. Prior to Messmer's inclusion in the family tree, the ages of the children of Marika and Radagon were known, with Godwyn being the oldest and Miquella and Malenia being the youngest. Now, it is a little less clear, since it is assumed that Messmer is the eldest, with Marika and Radagon being the parents, given that Messmer calls Marika his mother, and he has Radagon's red hair.

Messmer isn't the only demigod that complicates things, since it isn't known whether Melina is a demigod and a part of the family. With Radagon once being married to Rennala, the family tree is quite extensive, especially if Shadowbound Beasts are included. The mystery of whether Messmer is actually the eldest (he presumably is, but apparently had a brotherly relationship with Radahn) is certainly a confusing one, and the questions surrounding Melina don't help either.

9 Who Is Melina Really?

Why Doesn't She Have Any Screen Time In Shadow Of The Erdtree?

Melina is a bit of a conundrum. Despite being one of the better known characters in the game, no one can agree on who or what she really is. Is she a demigod? Is she the Gloam-Eyed Queen? There's evidence for both, but Melina has such little screen time and lore that it is hard to work anything out with her, especially since she hasn't been given any additional scenes in Shadow of the Erdtree, which is a shame given how popular she is. She gives the player Torrent, which implies she met Miquella at some point, but this doesn't make much sense.

The promotional art for Shadow of the Erdtree implied that Miquella was once Torrent's former master, but it isn't clear how the steed ended up with Melina.

The problem with Melina is that she doesn't have much to do. She isn't scheming like Ranni and doesn't have much presence in the history of the Lands Between, like the other major characters. All she does is act as a temporary Finger Maiden for the Tarnished, then optionally fights Morgott in Leyndell and sets fire to the Erdtree. We know she's against the Frenzied Flame (but realistically, who isn't?), and she knows a strange amount about the world and its history, but most of Melina's story is made up of theories.

8 What's The Deal With Kaiden?

The Mercenaries That Roam Limgrave Have A Home

Kaiden is a bit of a minor player in the world of Elden Ring, but that doesn't mean its inclusion doesn't cause some confusion. Kaiden mercenaries can be seen throughout the Lands Between and are first met in Limgrave. From what the item description tells the players, it is known that Kaiden mercenaries hail from their homeland in the northern mountaintops. The Tarnished visit the Mountaintops of the Giants to the north, but Kaiden is never seen.

It isn't known where exactly Kaiden is, but it was never going to be visited in Shadow of the Erdtree and likely isn't in the Lands Between. With a Kaiden mercenary sitting on a beach next to numerous shipwrecks, Kaiden could be a place across the sea, leaning into the Viking inspiration behind the mercenaries. Since they are sellswords, it is assumed that these Kaiden warriors have been hired to be here, but what is their relationship with the Lands Between and do they have a history of being hired before the Shattering?

7 Did Radahn Want To Be Miquella's Consort?

There Is Evidence For Both Sides

Radahn's inclusion as the final boss of Shadow of the Erdtree came as a surprise, considering that he was turned into a cannibalistic zombie, then killed during the Radahn Festival. Players did want to fight Radahn in his prime, and although this wasn't quite that, it is relatively close. Still, there is some confusion about how Radahn got to this position. His soul was put into the body of his half brother, Mohg, after the Tarnished kills him, which is pretty clear, but his status as a consort to Miquella is less clear.

Miquella once tried to make his own Erdtree by watering the Haligtree with his own blood. It failed, and he failed to become a god as a result.

Miquella believes that Radahn promised to be his consort at one point, but the Starscourge's actions during the Shattering contradict this. He attacked Leyndell, and was repelled by Morgott, but it made his intentions of becoming Elden Lord and Marika's consort quite clear. When Miquella brings him back to life, it isn't clear whether Radahn is entirely sentient, since he doesn't talk, and consents to what is happening. Did he want to be Miquella's consort or was he forced to do so after his revival? He likely didn't, but it isn't really confirmed.

6 Who Managed To Kill Godfrey The First Time?

The Tarnished Died & Came Back To Life

When Godfrey and his warriors left the Lands Between after losing Grace, they began the Long March and became the Tarnished. The Tarnished were brought back after the Shattering by their long-lost Grace to try to become Elden Lord, and Godfrey is one of these Tarnished, but that begs the question of who managed to kill Godfrey in the first place. It isn't that important to the lore, but considering who Godfrey managed to defeat during his time as Elden Lord, whoever got the better of him must have been someone fierce.

Godfrey has a lion on his shoulder called Serosh, the Beast Regent, who suppresses his ceaseless bloodlust.

Known as Hoarah Loux at the time, Godfrey had one half of his axe broken during the Long March and became the Chieftain of the Badlands, but before that he was the Lord of the Battlefield. Everyone was in opposition to the Greater Will at the time and Godfrey beat them all, including the hero of Castle Morne and the Storm Lord in single combat. It is interesting to think that something or someone outside the Lands Between is capable of slaying such a warrior, although his death could easily be attributed to being exhausted and outnumbered too.

5 How Is Gurranq Still Alive After Killing Maliketh?

Farum Azula Doesn't Make Sense In General

Gurranq, the Beast Clergyman, and Maliketh are a bit of a paradox. They are one and the same, since Maliketh will comment that he re the Tarnished in Farum Azula if Gurranq is given all the Deathroot available in the Lands Between, and they share a character model (at least in Maliketh's first phase). Since they are the same person, why is Gurranq still alive after killing Maliketh and claiming the Rune of Death?

This could be an oversight from FromSoftware, although it is unlikely given how much detail it puts in its games. This could be explained by the implied dimensional and time warping nature of Farum Azula, since time does reverse before the Dragonlord Placidusax boss fight. Perhaps Maliketh split his body in two like Marika did, as he is her Shadowbound Beast. There could be a plethora of reasons for this, but there isn't anything completely concrete to confirm any of them.

4 Empyreans Don't Seem Entirely Consistent

Some Get Shadows While Others Don't

Empyreans are candidates chosen by the Two Fingers who can become gods of a new age and vessels of the Elden Ring, but the Empyreans that the game tells players about aren't exactly consistent. For one, some get Shadowbound Beasts, like Ranni and Marika, while others don't, like Malenia or Miquella. There isn't a reason for this, and the argument that they are granted to those who could oppose the Greater Will doesn't make sense, since Miquella works with a worshiper of another Outer God – Mohg communes with the Formless Mother – to get what he wants but doesn't have a Shadowbound Beast.

If an Empyrean rejects the path set by the Two Fingers, they will go mad and become Baleful Shadows.

Confusingly, there doesn't seem to be specific criteria for becoming an Empyrean either. Miquella and Malenia are Empyreans, but Messmer isn't, despite all presumably being the children of Marika and Radagon. Ranni is one, while Radahn and Rykard aren't. Other than them, the Gloam-Eyed Queen, who wielded a sword to kill gods, was chosen as an Empyrean too, which seems like an odd choice. All that is known is that Empyreans have to be chosen by their Two Fingers, but the reason why they are chosen specifically is largely unclear.

3 Why Was Godwyn The Demigod That Was Killed?

And Why Did He Become A Fish-Man?

Godwyn is a strange character and the only demigod the Tarnished doesn't fight, unless Melina is considered one. He was known as Godwyn the Golden and was considered Marika's favorite before the Night of Black Knives and his partial death. The Tarnished can see Godwyn as a strange, fish-like being, tangled in Deathroot, which opens up its own can of worms, but one of the prevailing questions around him is why was he killed and was he the original target?

The undead worship Godwyn as the Prince of Death, and when his body was buried beneath the Erdtree, it corrupted it, leading to the sprouting of Deathroot.

This could be a matter of convenience, since many of the demigods could have been elsewhere at the time, like with Malenia and Miquella probably residing in the Haligtree at the time. It could also be because Godwyn mattered the most to Marika, and the Black Knife Assassins are Numen women with ties to Marika. Ranni was behind this, although it isn't known whether Godwyn had to be the one to die in order for her to free herself from the Greater Will. There are even theories that Marika was involved in the plot, but these remain as just theories.

2 How Do Marika & Radagon Work?

Can They Be In Two Places At Once?

Marika and Radagon are a bit of a conundrum. They are the same person, but have different personalities and can have children together. It was assumed that Marika split her body during the Liurnian Wars, since the Golden Order needed a champion, which ultimately led to his marriage with Rennala and the birth of three children, Ranni, Rykard, and Radahn. This could have happened earlier, however, since Messmer could also be the child of both Marika and Radagon, but this poses the question of how exactly the pair work.

In the Radagon boss fight, he transforms from Marika's body, but would this have been the case before the Shattering? Radagon only came back to marry Marika after she had told Godfrey and his warriors to leave the Lands Between, implying that the pair can be in two places at once, but the cutscene during the boss fight contradicts this. It also wasn't widely known that the pair were actually the same person, which could mean that they were seen together at points. It all kind of makes sense, but is incredibly confusing at the same time.

1 Who Is The Gloam-Eyed Queen?

Very Little Is Known About Marika's Rival

The Gloam-Eyed Queen is a well-known character in lore without a face to put to the name. What is known is that she was once the rival to Marika and a fellow Empyrean who was defeated by Maliketh, but her fate after the fall of her campaign is unknown. She led the Godskins and wielded the power of Destined Death, something Marika genuinely feared enough to have her Shadowbound Beast lock it away. Despite this, it seems as though the Gloam-Eyed Queen has been swept under the rug somewhat.

Many theories assume that Melina is the Gloam-Eyed Queen, but there isn't much concrete evidence for this. With the Gloam-Eyed Queen being the former rival of Marika, a fellow Empyrean, and a character whose fate remains unknown, it seemed to be the perfect character to include in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, yet players have received practically nothing about her. It is odd that such a prominent character in the world's history has such little information about her.