ELDEN RING
 | For the in-game concept, see Elden Ring (concept). |
ELDEN RING is a fantasy action role-playing game developed by FromSoftware and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. It is a collaboration between video game director Hidetaka Miyazaki and author George R.R. Martin.[1]
Premise
Long ago, the world was united under the empire of the Erdtree, overseen by the God-Queen Marika. She served as the vessel for the mysterious Elden Ring, which defined the rules of the world.[2] Marika used the ring as a living embodiment of the concept of Order, bringing the peoples of the Lands Between together under the umbrella of the Golden Order.
The Erdtree served as a symbol of the Elden Ring's presence and its blessing.[3] However, the blessed sap of the Erdtree did not flow forever, eventually drying up as the age of plenty drew to a close.[4] After Marika's golden child Godwyn was assassinated in a covert plot, she destroyed the Elden Ring and plunged the world into chaos.[5][6] Soon after, Marika disappeared. Her many demigod children warred over the shards of the Elden Ring in a conflict known as the Shattering. With the Elden Ring broken, the very nature of the world shifted and death ceased to function.[7] The Shattering was apocalyptic, causing the destruction of entire regions and, ultimately, the near-complete breakdown of society. With no victor and no new leadership, the sick and ravaged world has remained in a fractured state for the centuries since.[8]
Since none of the demigods were capable of amassing the shards of the Elden Ring and repairing it, the task has fallen upon the group of warriors known as the Tarnished who were exiled generations ago.[9] They have been summoned back to the Lands Between as a last resort in the hopes that one of them might be capable of collecting the shards of the Elden Ring and putting the world back together. Among the legendary Tarnished beckoned to return, there is one outlier: the player character, a Tarnished of no renown, granted the chance to cross the fog and seek the Elden Ring.
Gameplay
The player character, called the Tarnished, is fully customizable. The Tarnished can level up by using runes, a form of in-game experience and currency. This is done at checkpoints called Sites of Grace.
Summoning spirits is a core component to the gameplay. The spirits can be acquired, leveled up, and upgraded in different ways. The spirits can take on a variety of forms.[10]
The game is open-world, but features multiple story-advancing legacy dungeons that feature intricate level design and powerful bosses. These areas are connected to the open world.[11] The dungeons can be completed in any order for the most part, but the final areas require a certain amount of story progression before becoming accessible.[12]
In the open field, the Tarnished can ride their spectral steed named Torrent and teleport to Sites of Grace they have made contact with. Throughout the open world, there are mini-dungeons, field bosses, and other secrets.
Co-op play is available via a network of summoning pools.[11]
Story
The player takes control of a Tarnished, whose goal is to restore the shattered Elden Ring. Shortly after emerging in Limgrave, the Tarnished encounters a maiden named Melina. Since the Tarnished is at a severe disadvantage from not having a maiden, Melina offers to take that role, gifting the Tarnished an ability to turn Runes into strength and a steed named Torrent. In exchange, Melina wants the Tarnished to take her to the base of the Erdtree, the home of the Elden Ring. Melina later takes them to the Roundtable Hold, a gathering place for other Tarnished seeking to repair the Elden Ring led by Sir Gideon Ofnir, the All-Knowing. The Tarnished earns an audience with the Two Fingers, whose speaker, Finger Reader Enia, informs the Tarnished that to access Leyndell, Royal Capital, where the Erdtree is, they must hunt the Demigods for their Great Runes,
Aided by Gideon's knowledge, the Tarnished travels throughout the Lands Between to hunt the Demigods. These include the insane Godrick the Grafted, who rules over Limgrave in his castle and is protected by the mysterious Margit, the Fell Omen; the mentally broken Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon, who is locked inside the Academy of Raya Lucaria at Liurnia of the Lakes; Starscourge Radahn, who was left feral and mindless after a battle with Malenia, Blade of Miquella in Caelid; Rykard, Lord of Blasphemy, who rules over Volcano Manor; and Mohg, Lord of Blood, who has secretly kidnapped Malenia's brother, Miquella, and resides in his hidden palace.
Among the allies that the Tarnished can make throughout their journey include Ranni the Witch, an outcast Demigod who wishes to overthrow the Golden Order and offers the Tarnished the option of serving her, Nepheli Loux, who can replace Godrick as Limgrave's ruler depending on the Tarnished's actions; Millicent, a girl with a mysterious connection to Malenia, and Fia, a servant of the deceased Godwyn the Golden who seeks to enshroud the lands in Death. After gathering at least two Great Runes, the Tarnished is able to enter Leyndell with Melina, and makes their way to Morgott, the Omen King, the demigod guarding the entrance to the Erdtree and Margit's true identity. After besting a shade of Morgott's father, Godfrey, First Elden Lord, the Tarnished reaches Morgott and defeats him. As he dies, Morgott reveals that the Erdtree itself wards off all who approach with impentrable thorns, making the Elden Ring's repair impossible.
However, Melina knows of a way to burn the thorns: using the legendary Flame of Ruin, which is held deep inside the Mountaintops of the Giants and guarded by the endling Fire Giant. The Tarnished also has the option of harnessing the equally powerful but extremely dangerous Frenzied Flame, hidden deep with Leyndell's sewers, an option that Melina firmly and repeatedly warns against. En route to the Fire Giant, the Tarnished can assemble a secret medallion that will lead them to Consecrated Snowfield, where they can gain access to Miquella's Haligtree and slay Malenia within.
Upon defeating the Fire Giant, if the Tarnished did not obtain the Frenzied Flame, Melina will use the Flame of Ruin to sacrifice herself to set the Erdtree on fire. If the Tarnished did obtain the Frenzied Flame, Melina will abandon the Tarnished, forcing them to use the Frenzied Flame to set the Erdtree on fire. Regardless of the method, the fire is not enough to burn away the thorns; for commiting the "cardinal sin" of burning the Erdtree, however, the Tarnished is transported to Crumbling Farum Azula. Inside is the Rune of Death, also known as "Destined Death", which the Tarnished can use to fuel the fire. The Tarnished eventually locates the Rune of Death's keeper, Maliketh, the Black Blade, and slays him in battle for the rune.
The fire is enough to both burn away the thorns and destroy the entire capital of Leyndell. The Tarnished returns to the Erdtree, where they are confronted by a traitorious Gideon, who believes that is Queen Marika the Eternal's will that nobody should claim the Elden Thone, and then the real Godfrey, who seeks vengeance against his son's killer. After defeating Gideon and Godfrey, the Tarnished is finally able to enter the Erdtree, where they are challenged by first Radagon of the Golden Order, Marika's consort co-inhabitating their body, and then by the Elden Beast, the Elden Ring's guardian. After both are vanquished, the Tarnished finds the remnants of the Elden Ring on Radagon's corpse. Depending on the Tarnished's actions throughout the game, six different endings can then be achieved. These include the Tarnished becoming Elden Lord, the Elden Ring being destroyed by Ranni, or the Tarnished becoming Lord of the Frenzied Flame and destroying the Lands Between. In the latter scenario, if Melina survived, she will vow to bring "Destined Death" to them.
Meta
Promotion
Elden Ring was announced at E3 2019.
- Promotional Material
Key Art
Development
As a fan of George R.R. Martin's work, Hidetaka Miyazaki contacted him with an offer to work together on a project. Martin was given full creative freedom to write the backstory and foundation for the game's universe.[13][14][15] Elden Ring began development in 2017 after the release of the final expansion for DARK SOULS III.
The soundtrack was developed by a team of composers:
- Yuka Kitamura, who previously worked on the soundtracks of DARK SOULS II and DARK SOULS III.
- Tsukasa Saitoh, who previously worked on the soundtrack of DARK SOULS III.
- Tai Tomisawa.
- Yushimi Kudo.
- Shoi Miyazawa.
System Requirements
Reception
Elden Ring is the twenty-sixth highest rated game of all time on Metacritic across all documented platforms.[16] It is the highest-rated PlayStation 5 game on Metacritic as of April 2025.[17] It received a 10/10 "Masterpiece" rating on IGN, as well as full scores on many other review sites including Forbes.[18][19] The Guardian described the game as "astonishingly rendered and seemingly limitless in its creative diversity."[20]
Galleries
| Promotional Screenshots |
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Videos
References
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