Now that it’s been a few weeks since Elden Ring was released, it seems like a good time to find out what the heck is going on in the story. FromSoftware games are known for asking players to do a lot of work to get to the heart of the story. That’s why YouTubers like VaatiVidya are popular, because they dig deep into the world and help us out with easy-to-understand videos.

The story of Elden Ring is a little more open-ended compared to many other FromSoftware games, but you’ll see a lot as soon as the game begins. Therefore, it’s not something most people would consider easy to understand. Luckily, we’ve spent a little time with the game, so we can explain the basics of The Lands Between, what Tarnished has to do there, and what happens as you progress through the game.

Elden Ring Story – Intro and Lore

The world of Elden Ring is full of magic, miracles, and demigods. The game is set in a place called “Land Between” where demigods rule over different regions after the wars and events that led to the destruction of the titular Elden Ring. The Elden Ring is a type of conduit that sits at the heart of the Earth Tree’s power, bringing immortality to the Land Between.

The balance of the world is primarily maintained by Queen Marika, one of the most powerful immortals, and she had several children who are considered demigods. Her second husband was a man named Radagon, originally with Renara. There are also some hints within the game that Marika and Radagon are literally half the same person, but it is impossible to say for sure.

Thanks to this legacy of immortality and gods, death is very unusual, let alone the death of one of the great lords. Nevertheless, the world is turned upside down when a group discovers the key to ending immortality and descends into the Between Land to kill the bodies of the golden Godwin and the witch Rani but not their souls. After this event, Elden Ring appears to be shattered by Radagon and the world is thrown into chaos.

There are several reasons for this: Firstly, the power of the Earth Tree has weakened, causing some to no longer recognise the benefit of its guidance. These beings are known as the Tarnished (that’s you), and all appear to be connected in some way to the first Lord Elden, Godfrey. This has resulted in the other demigods being locked in a never-ending battle with each other, unable to overcome one another, which has led to the lands in between being plunged into war and essentially divided.

Elden Ring Story – Progression

For all these reasons, and the tensions that now exist in the middle, the Taint has been called back to create a new Elden Lord. And this is where you come in, because you are one of those Tainted.

Here’s where it gets complicated. Elden Ring allows you to take multiple paths, at least up to a certain point, and has multiple endings. We need to be a little vague here, because your gameplay will determine your own story.

But the whole gist of the problem is that you fight and defeat a multitude of enemies, including legendary demigods, with the goal of repairing the broken Elden Ring. No matter which path you choose, you will eventually reach a dead end with regards to the Earth Tree itself, meaning you will need to burn it down before you can access it and actually do this. You don’t actually have to kill all of the demigods; in fact, you could just kill the optional two and progress through the story to see the ending, but it’s not a good one.

Elden Ring Story – Endings

There are at least six endings to Elden Ring. The first four of these will vary depending on which Repair Rune you were looking for. If you don’t find one, you’ll end up ruling the Broken Age. This is the standard ending. However, through some NPC side quests you can find different Repair Runes that will somehow change the way Elden Ring works, optimizing their respective outcomes.

You can also choose to reject the natural order of things and accept the Three Fingers instead. This will cause you to be branded, with eyes that glow a bright yellow, and as a result you will become the Lord of the Raging Flame. A great title, but also kind of blaming the countries along the way, but anyway, they treated you like garbage.

Finally, you can follow the witch Rani to unlock the End of the Star Age, an ending where instead of accepting the Elden Ring, you decide to overthrow Marika and lead the world into a new era. In this Star Age, everyone is guided by the light of the moon, immortality no longer exists, and souls are free to move forward.