Elden Ringhas followed the legacy of FromSoftware through its famous boss battles, a large part of the action RPG’s success and notoriety. The Soulslike genre that the developer pioneered has always found fame from its harsh difficulty, but the juxtaposition of the deeper lore lying beneath these challenges is also a huge part of these games' long term relevance. WithElden Ring’s DLC expansion in development for some time now, the game’s reputation for gripping storylines in its dark fantasy world is certain to only grow eventually. Multiple threads throughout The Lands Between represent the bleak and beautiful nature ofElden Ring, but one in particular - Millicent’s - is difficult to beat.
Following the reveal of a teaser image along with its announcement, there has been much speculation regarding whatShadow of the Erdtreewill contain. Due to the seemingly young, blonde figure and corrupted tree in the image, many players have predicted that the expansion is likely to focus on Miquella and Godwyn, with some even theorizing that the figure could be a young Marika. It is likely that the teaser image is highly significant to the expansion’s content, but the possibility of more is still left open through FromSoftware’s tendency to explore unexpected parts of its games when it comes to DLC. No matter what is explored, though, matching the emotional impact of Millicent’s questline will be difficult.
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Millicent’s Questline is a Fan Favorite Despite its Darkness
Malenia, Blade of Miquellais one ofElden Ring’s most infamous bosses, with the character being the subject of many viral videos that have reached far beyond the traditional fan base of the Soulslike genre. She may be a popular part ofElden Ring’s lore, but few players discuss the true implications of her wider storyline. Malenia is a truly mysterious character at face value, but there are several hints throughout the game that actually flesh out her backstory in a major way. Only encountered once during the entirety of the Tarnished’s journey, a lesser known optional questline is highly relevant to the Empyrean’s story.
Encountered in Caelid, Millicent is an initially hostile NPC that ends up requiring the player’s help to stave off her Scarlet Rot. A vessel of the outer god that controls the ailment, she seems to somehow originate from Malenia and bears many similarities to the rot goddess. While she can be considered one of the more sympathetic and optimistic characters in the game for many,Millicent’s questultimately ends with her seemingly losing the will to live and simply giving up right before she achieves her goal of reaching Malenia. With the only other alternative ending seeing the player fully betraying her trust and killing her, it’s only logical that this questline could be considered one of the most heartbreaking.
FromSoftware has a Challenge with Shadow of the Erdtree’s Tone
As Shadow of the Erdtree is poised to continueMiquella’s arcfollowing the events of Mogh’s defeat or otherwise, it’s highly likely that the latest lore provided in the DLC could become the new peak of the game’s tragic tone. Miquella has become a husk after his sleep was interrupted by the twisted and predatory Mohg, and any developments related to the enigmatic Empyrean is certain to confront this horrific reality in some way. Furthermore, Miquella’s ties to the extremely dark tale of Godwyn are substantiated by the potential presence of Death Root in the teaser image for the DLC expansion.
The lore revealed inElden Ring’s DLC may appear to be oriented towards Miquella’s story specifically thus far, but that doesn’t guarantee it will be the only focus of the narrative. Malenia’s story truly concludes when the player returns the evolved Unalloyed Gold Needle to her Aeonian flower form that is left behind following her defeat, and she actually returns the favor by providing the player withMiquella’s Needlein return. With Miquella’s influence playing an important role in the late game ofElden Ring, and Malenia appearing to have survived through the sacrifice of Millicent, there is a chance that one of the game’s most emotionally captivating stories could continue to be a major force when Shadow of the Erdtree eventually releases. If it does not, though, it is hard to imagine any other storyline coming close in terms of emotional impact.
Elden Ringis available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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