It's no secret that Hidetaka Miyazaki and the rest of the team at FromSoftware love a subtle approach to secrets and storytelling in their Souls-like games. Elden Ring is the developers' latest -- and biggest -- acclaimed hit, and its gameplay and narrative conventions are no exception.
Part of the fun in these games is the immersion of being thrust into a land where the player is trying to piece together the story of the world just like the character is. These mysteries range from being small but tasteful pieces of worldbuilding to having massive implications for the story of the Lands Between and some gameplay-centric features.
Missing Runes In Stormveil Castle
Stormveil Castle is (unjustly) home to the Demigod Godrick the Grafted, a cruel and petty Lord pretending to fall into the footsteps of the likes of Godwyn and Godfrey before him. When exploring the sprawling castle, players noticed that not all of their Runes were recovered after picking them back up from death.
As it turned out, the suspicious gatekeeper Gostoc had been stealing a portion of them each time the Tarnished died within Stormveil's walls. He certainly despises being subjugated by Godrick, but he's far from virtuous himself.
The Cardinal Sin Of Killing Miriel
Affectionately dubbed "Turtle Pope" by the fan base, the Pastor of Vows Miriel is arguably one of the best NPCs in Elden Ring. He's as comionate as he is knowledgable, and is happy to teach and learn along with the Tarnished upon meeting them. However, for gameplay purposes since even NPCs drop loot or incite interesting storylines, one Redditor indulged a dark and morbid curiosity.
They detailed what happens when the player kills Miriel, and it's exactly as soul-crushing as it sounds. He refuses to fight back, still shows the Tarnished comion, and if the player tries to repent their sins in the Church of Vows it will say there's no need for absolution -- implying that, even after being murdered, Miriel has already forgiven the player. This lowly Tarnished did the dark deed so no one else feels the need to.
Radagon's Dark Secret
While talking to Miriel, the Tarnished is told some important pieces of the lore of the Lands Between. Given Miriel's "base of operations" in Liurnia, he has quite a bit of information to offer on the history of Caria Manor, its crumbling relationship with the Academy of Raya Lucaria, the Academy's Full Moon Queen, and her runaway husband Radagon.
Radagon left his betrothed for Queen Marika, leaving the Full Moon Queen Rennala to go mad and eternally depressed. It's later revealed that Radagon and Marika are technically one and the same, with the former being a physical off-shoot of the latter.
Nepheli Loux's Potential Lineage
has several great side quests, but Nepheli Loux's is another worthy mention. The Tarnished can first meet her in Stormveil Castle looking to put an end to Godrick's faux reign. She's the adopted daughter of fellow Tarnished Gideon Ofnir, a member of the Roundtable Hold.
However, upon traveling through the scarlet-rotted land of Caelid, players will discover the lore behind a barbarian people. Godfrey, the First Elden Lord's original name was Hoarah Loux from the Badlands of (presumably) Caelid. The implication is that Nepheli Loux is a direct descendant of the Lands Between's First Elden Lord.
Golden Leaves From The Erdtree Falling At Night
A smaller gameplay secret that's tied to the world of Elden Ring is the golden leaves from the Erdtree. On certain nights, these gold leaves can be seen falling to the ground around the player. At the same time, the Tarnished can be seen buffed with a golden aura as well.
This is a great time for players to farm the game's currency since this event means that the Tarnished will collect more Runes upon killing enemies in the overworld. Elden Ring has several little secrets like this to give players an edge, so it's wise to uncover and make use of as many of them as possible.
The Nomadic Merchants' Bleak Origins
In another classic bit of bleak FromSoftware lore, the Nomadic Merchants hide a haunting origin story. They're peaceful in-game, namely the friendly Kalé that the Tarnished meets at the start of the game. Should players try to attack a merchant, they'll respond accordingly by fighting back. But what's eerie about this is that they use the madness-inducing abilities of the Frenzied Flame.
This magic is used by the followers of the Three Fingers, opposite of the Two Fingers vying for the Tarnished's fealty. These merchants were once a greater people but were persecuted for dabbling in dark, heretical arts. In return, many of these merchants cast a curse upon the Lands Between before their death.
General Radahn's Comically Small Horse
General -- or Starscourge -- Radahn is one of the toughest bosses in Elden Ring. In-universe, Starscourge Radahn fought opposite Malenia, Blade of Miquella in the Shattering War to a stalemate. However, this resulted in Radahn getting infected by her Scarlet Rot and spreading it throughout the ravaged lands of Caelid.
In this boss fight, Radahn is seen as a hulking Demigod riding a comically small horse. In a surprisingly sweet and funny piece of lore, the main reason that the General learned cosmic abilities was so that he wouldn't have to hurt or leave his beloved normal-sized horse behind.
Weather Effects On Spells
Another important in-universe gameplay feature players should keep in mind is the weather. Some of the best open-world games make weather another aspect of the experience to immerse players in one way or another. In this case, players should be careful of Lightning and Fire magic when in the rain.
As expected, the rain and being wet make the player -- and enemies -- more susceptible to Lightning magic. On the other hand, rain and being dampened make Fire resistance for both player and enemy go up. It's a potentially good calculated risk for players to take.
Queen Rennala's Disturbing Scholars
After Queen Rennala's heartbreak, the Academy of Raya Lucaria was devastated to see that they had no champion in the end. In her depression, she became obsessed with the dark art of reincarnation, which players can see in her boss fight. The initial phase of her faith sees a disturbing horde of Academy children scholars fighting the Tarnished on Rennala's behalf and singing.
These child scholars can be heard singing "Sleep tight, bound tight, in mother's umbra; Sleep tight, find life, by mother's amber." This suggests that these children are the eternal subjects of Rennala's practices with reincarnation, fully brainwashed by them, but it seems like pieces of them are lost each time they come back.
Bosses Can Be Inflicted With Sleep
Another hidden game mechanic that players can make use of is Sleep affliction. Plenty of normal enemies can be hit with this, but certain bosses can be made shockingly easy by weaponizing Sleep.
Sleep is an affliction that has a build-up meter like Bleed or Curse, and once it fills it'll put the victim into a harmless sleep condition and much more weak to attacks. The Godskin Duo and Apostle can be put to sleep, providing an excellent opportunity to deal a devastating critical strike.
