Yep.
Going to make a video about one image, in one tweet, that simply tells us that Elden
Ring's DLC is coming.
And it's going to be a good video too!
Yes, I'm going to present some truly unhinged speculation about the contents of the DLC,
but more importantly, this is actually the perfect excuse to discuss things that we haven't
dived into yet on this channel.
Like Torrent, whose mysterious origins are clearly being teased here..and the dark side
of the Erdtree, which IS absolutely a huge part of the lore already..
So my goal in this video - even if my predictions are wrong, is to at least gear you up with
some knowledge about the game's lore, that you can take with you, no matter where the
DLC actually takes us.
..and my other goal with this video is to let you know that my art book is currently
10% off.
Not gonna lie.
But first and foremost, let's talk about who is riding Torrent..in this image..
Now, at first, my mind went to it being Queen Marika, because of that braided, golden hair.
They're also riding Torrent, sitting sidesaddle, which was historically a way for a woman to
sit on horseback with dignity, while wearing a dress.
The character is also wearing a similarly placed upper-arm band.
So while it's definitely possible that this could be a young Marika, I think that's not
as likely as the alternative, which is that this person is Miquella, who was one of Marika's
many demigod children.
Item descriptions and dialogue all refer to Miquella as a "he".
However, Miquella does have the feminine side to match the person riding Torrent.
Like..literally, they have a more feminine alter-ego, called St. Trina.
If any of this is news to you, then I recommend you go and watch my recent 47-minute lore
video on Miquella that explains so much about their character.
In that video, I showed all known statues of them, which feature them in a long garb
that cuts off at the Elbow.
And looking back, this is the exact same garb that this character is wearing.
What's more - the hair here, while braided, is also long and flowing..and it's identical
to Miquella's, as you can see in the opening cinematic.
Marika's, by contrast, is always symbolically depicted as two standalone braids.
Not to mention, depictions of Marika are always of her in full womanhood, and this figure
is meek, and childlike by comparison.
So in my eyes, this is Miquella.
No question.
If you've watched that video, you would know that I speculate a lot about Miquella's intent
to plant a new world order..and the tweet does say "Rise tarnished, and let us walk
a new path together".
So if we are correctly assuming that this is Miquella, then we can also finally start
to unravel the mystery surrounding Torrent, your spectral steed.
And that's important, because Torrent is not just some random mount.
He's a full on character.
And for some reason, he chose you as his tarnished...down to the very moment that he sniffs you out,
in the Stranded Graveyard.
Melina is actually an unwitting part of this plan to find, and guide you.
She has no real memory or knowledge of whatever plot that she's a part of, beyond following
Torrent's own guidance, which she passes on to you, with a golden ring.
Someone who does seem to know a bit more about Torrent is Ranni, who entrusts you with three
"lone wolf" spirits, and a spirit-calling bell, which she says are "from Torrent's Former
Master".
Now, you could argue she's referring to Melina as Torrent's former master..but then..that
doesn't really make sense, because why would Ranni hide Melina's identity here?
No.
Torrent's former master is surely some other third party.
Someone who is clearly very in-tune with spirits, considering Torrent is himself a spirit, and
considering the spirit-calling bell, and the three lone wolves all stem from the same person.
Speaking of the three-wolf spirits, there's a relief in Farum Azula that depicts three
wolves crowded around a small, slight figure.
Whoever owned torrent would have also owned the three wolf spirits, so I always wondered
if this image was depicting Torrent's master..
And whoever Torrent's former master was, they were someone that was able to compel both
Melina and Ranni to seek you out on their behalf.
My best guess, until now, was that it was Marika doing this, as we know she goes to
great lengths to arm the Tarnished.
Even Hewg forges weapons for you on Marika's behalf..and he even speaks of a spirit-caller
he once knew..so yeah, I also thought that this spirit-caller was Marika - until now.
But now, considering this image, I think we have to entertain the possibility that Torrent's
former master, could have been Miquella.
Miquella had a famous ability to compel the affection and loyalty of others..so it's also
very easy to think that Ranni, Melina, Torrent and even Hewg, might have intervened to assist
you, on Miquella's behalf.
Miquella was also a talented craftsman [Source: Gowry Dialogue], who might have crafted the
golden spectral steed whistle ring.
Anyway, for now, this is all just speculation..but at the very least, we're getting closer to
learning about Torrent's former master here, for sure.
Next, what's with the dark Erdtree in the distance?
Whatever it is, it's weeping gold, and does seem to still be a source of light, as the
Erdtree does in the present game, with a weak golden light filtering from behind its branches.
At first, I thought it might be Miquella's Haligtree, which, as we discussed in this
video - IS a sort of Erdtree, though it's an Erdtree that has already split and withered.
So I'm not sure I buy this theory.
And actualy, if you look closely, it's almost as if there's two trees here.
One that is straighter, like the Erdtree, with a streak of gold within it, and with
light filtering behind its branches..and another that is twisting around it..almost as if it's
strangling the Erdtree, and literally sapping the vitality from it.
The only entity that I'd think capable of this in the current game, would be Godwyn's
black deathroot.
This would certainly explain the colour, the strangling behaviour, and the sort of black
decay..and if Miquella is a part of this DLC, then you'd think Godwyn would be a part of
things too, considering how intertwined their histories are..but of course, this is all
just one line of speculation.
This also raises the question of when this event occurs.
I feel like you can make valid arguments for and against every time period.
If it's in the past, that explains Miquella's healthy state and Torrent being unsaddled
by you, but then it doesn't explain the state of the Erdtree.
If it's in the future, then it might suggest that this takes place after you become Elden
Lord, but then..what if I chose the Frenzy ending?
How does Miquella just take Torrent from you?
Shoudn't Miquella's future be with Mohg?
And then there's the theory that this could be some alternate reality altogether - past,
present, or future.
And I quite like this idea, considering Miquella has a whole storyline where they also exist
within some sort of Dreamscape, as their alias, which is St Trina.
Because.. the landscape here doesn't really look like the Lands Between that we know.
The mountains seem too low, the wheat field seems too vast..so what if this is some sort
of spirit realm?
And speaking of spirit realms, The Erdtree being black, and the spirit graves and torrent..it
also reminds me of the black lampwood of the Helphen.
If you weren't aware, The Helphen is described as being a sort of dark counterpart to the
Erdtree, in that it also offers a sort of guidance, except its guidance is offered to
the heroic dead of the spirit world.
We talk more about that in this video, if you're interested in speculating down this
particular rabbit hole.
But to be honest, "Shadow of the Erdtree" is an extremely evocative title, and there
are so many things it could be referring to.
For another example..I wonder - what if we're supposed to reject the first impression that
this image gives us?
Remember when Elden Ring's first cinematic trailer dropped, and everyone thought that
Radagon was shattering the Elden Ring?
That's what the trailer wanted you to think, but really, he was repairing it.
So I feel like we shouldn't rule out the possibility that: this image might not depict the Erdtree
dying.
What if this image is instead depicting a scene from long ago, back when the Erdtree
was first coming into existence?
This is an idea I put forward in my earliest lore video for Elden Ring, and here, I stated
that an existing Great Tree might have been "taken over" by the parasitic golden Erdtree.
And while I admit that I was way too sure of myself when presenting this theory back
then, I still think the theory has validity.
We know that a crucible of chaotic life existed within the Primordial Erdtree..and we know
that the crucible was related to Great Tree ornamentation, as shown by the Crucible Knights..and
there are suggestions that Great Tree roots are a distinct thing from Erdtree roots..so
I'm just saying..this could be a theory to consider.
Lastly..I do also want to mention that shadow and darkness are already kind related to the
Erdtree, via the Two Fingers, despite how ironic that might sound.
Servants of the Two Fingers were known to cast spells such as "Darkness" and "Assassin's
Approach", which helped them in assassinating the Tarnished who had strayed from the guidance
of grace.
Not to mention, the Two Fingers, being these envoys of the Greater Will, were capable of
bestowing beastly, living "shadows" to prominent characters - most notably Ranni, who was given
Blaidd..and Marika, who was given Maliketh.
They really could be doing anything when it comes to the setting, and the time period
of it all.
But beside the Erdtree, and Torrent, and their rider, what else do we see in this image?
Well again, there are these ghostly graves with holes in their center.
Funnily enough, in a recent secrets video we talked about how From Software loves reusing
these cut "god's grave" assets from Dark Souls 3.
And the asset actually has reappeared in Elden Ring already - there's one at Morne Castle,
where you fight the Leonine Misbegotten.
They can also be found in the consecrated snowfields.
It's also not the first instance of physical objects having a ghostly presence in the world.
You can also see this in Leyndell, with the ghostly flagpoles.
And I'll be honest, I really don't know what this means.
Is it an overlap of worlds?
Or are time periods persisting spiritually somehow?
I don't know.
And then.. you can see a couple of stone coffins here as well.
These appear all over the Lands Between, and it's here that you can pick up a ton of runes,
if you can get through the wolves that often guard them.
Anyway - what do you guys think?
I'm getting the vibe that there's going to be quite a long wait until Elden Ring's DLC
is ready.
I don't even expect a trailer any time soon.
Next most likely time for a trailer might be Summer Games Fest in early June..but then
they dropped this announcement on a random tuesday, so who knows what From Software's
thinking, honestly.
Anyhow, before I go I'd like to quickly talk to you guys about Version 2 of my art book,
Soul Arts, which is currently 10% off for you all, until the end of March, as long as
you enter the code SOULARTS10 at checkout.
So in case you're unfamiliar, Soul Arts is designed to be the ultimate art book for any
fan of From Software's games - it enshrines the hard work of over a hundred artists, telling
unique stories inspired by their games.
The book is split into five chapters, and each asks a question:
What if Bloodborne 2 was real?
What if you could explore other lands in Dark Souls?
What other prosthetic tools could Sekiro have used?
What is beyond the broken, sixth archstone of Demon's Souls?
And what did we think Elden Ring would be, back when we knew nothing?
If you bought during the kickstarter, you would have received Version 1 of Soul Arts
- which is still gorgeous, with glossy pages and deep blacks and colours that look amazing
in optimal lighting conditions - But version 2 uses a thicker, more matte paper
that brings a few more details out of the darkness, making for a slightly easier reading
experience.
But it's the same book in the end, even if it's a little bit thicker...and again, it's
10% off for a very limited time, so make use of that by using the discount link in the
description while you can.
Thank you for watching, as always..and I'll see you next time.