“I was entrusted this, for thee. By Torrent's former master. 'Tis a bell for calling forth spirits. Summon them with it, from ash unreturned to the Erdtree.” FEVOR'S COOKBOOK [3] "A record of crafting techniques left by a man who was utterly captivated by St. Trina. He continued the search for her in his slumber." I also say placidusaxxs dream I meant fortisaxx apologies it was 3 am 😭
My immediate thoughts were "that Erdtree is leaking with madness" then I was drawn to all the ghostly gravestones everywhere and it felt like; yeah this has to be the aftermath of plunging the world into chaos. I do think you're on point with the figure riding a spectral steed being Miquella but think that she would be the new Melina of the DLC guiding the player towards a goal rather than focusing on the cut sleep quests and things.
@@Spellfork The Erdtree looks very different to how it does in the Flame of Frenzy ending though. In the Flame of Frenzy ending, the golden illusory parts of the Erdtree that we can normally see have all disappeared, and the physical broken trunk part that we enter to fight the final boss is all that's left, with a great fire reaching from it and into the sky. Compare that to this image, where the tree still has its branches, and a golden fluid or perhaps light is leaking downwards towards the Earth, with the tree's blackened wood surrounded by some kind of particles - maybe dust, or ash, or swarms of insects. To me the colour palette of this tree does not suggest Flame of Frenzy but instead Deathblight, which spreads through the roots of the Great Tree and could be the titular "Shadow of the Erdtree." A Deathblight themed DLC would also make sense with the figure on Torrent being Miquella, as Miquella had unfinished business with Godwyn and was working to end the Deathblight once and for all. Plus, maybe Miyazaki can fit in some Deathblight swamps for us to enjoy :')
Kind of interesting that the candle in Limgrave leads you to Mistwood Ruins which contains a sleeping rune bear. Makes sense considering the cut content. Might have been leading to a sleeping NPC to harvest dreams from
I just can't get over the artwork, I love this landscape. To me the tree sort of looks like the Haligtree with molten gold pouring out of it. It might be a dreamscape of Miquella's and their old ambitions of what their plans were to be. Torrent might show connection again with the snow witch and Ranni since the witch was Torrent's former master. Torrent being unburdened with all the gear might also suggest this occurring in the past
@@fooguwu to me they look like the massive black stone arches and columns everywhere in limgrave and cailed, altho it could definitely be something else
The tweet said “a new path”. Imagine if they reinstated all of the cut content stuff for the dlc and it’s like a Back to the Future thing that leads to a different ending.
I realllllly think it would be great if the dlc doesn't just add a new area, but inserts more content into the base game. Assuming a lot of the cut content was cut for time, it would definitely make sense to put I back in, I feel like the only reason not to would be if they worried about not being able to play through that content on saves that are already in the endgame
@@Shmethan I mean Fromsoft always has tons of cut content, and a lot of the time it kinda seems like it's a change in direction rather than time constraints. Then the DLCs usually add a ton of new elements that are very unpredictable, I don't see Fromsoft as the type to rehash on cut content but maybe they took the chance to revise it?
@@Shmethan I mean, they always kinda do. the access to souls dlc are always midway through the game somewhere and not just tacked on the end. they always add something to the base game in some way through new weapons, spells or consumables available, which you can get early if you want to.
@@Shmethan it’s vaguely implied that Rico, or whoever was holding Miquella’s cookbook, is still alive in his dreams, looking for St Trina. So there is a possibility that From has plans for cut content.
I'm hoping it's Miquella's disembodied spirit heading towards the overgrown body of Godwyn to combine with him (Soul + Body). It would be a great solution to Miquella's dilemma of not being able to grow, and seeing how sleep is very much the cousin of death in the Lands Between, I think Miquella always had this ability to separate from his body (hence no response for Mogh from his body as he is not there). The body of Godwyn, with the Rune of Death freed, is probably taking over or growing as the new Erdtree. This allows Miquella, who has failed to grow his version of Edrtree with his flesh (his attempt to use his blood for the Haligtree) and from the interruption caused by Mogh, to take over a perfect host in the form of Godwyn, who is literally the new Erdtree, who Miquella seemed close to (hinted at from the prayer from a little brother asking for a true death) and even philosophically aligned with (Miquella loves all beings, with or without grace; death is all-encompassing, Fia' statement indicates that Godwyn in his current form is sort of the prince of the damned, when he was alive he could befriend dragons). A combination of Abundance and Death would bring a truly Balanced World.
Another hint to this is I think the way the image is divided diagonally. The top left triangle seems very void, like that of Godwyn's dream that we can enter (except Fortissax). The bottom right triangle where Miquella is seems full thanks to the reeds (? or wheat) and the spirits he seems to be heralding. Who knows? Maybe we are there to assist Miquella to stop the spread of Death uncontrollably from Godwyn's Deathroots by helping him combine with the Erdtree to add Abundance for balance. And maybe Melina (Gloamed Eye Queen) will be there to stop us. I've always found it weird/fascinating that the Godskins, the followers of the Queen, kept the flesh of the Gods they killed. Isn't death the total annihilation of both Soul and Body? Shouldn't they destroy the flesh of the Gods as well? The way Ranni used the stolen piece of the Rune of Death seems to indicate this. Maybe the Gloamed Eye Queen is an annihilator of Souls. After all, she seemed opposed to the complete destruction of the world (Frenzied Flame). Maybe in the Queen's vision, all of us are soulless bodies roaming about, like an inversion of the Greek version of Hell. This would make Melina an enemy of Miquella. Or, Melina needs to combine with Godwyn as well to become the complete version of the Rune of Death, as the Melina we meet is bodiless as well. Maybe Melina and Miquella's competition to take over Godwyn's body will be about what aspect of the Elden Ring takes the driver's seat so to speak. Like in Diablo 3 or the movie Inside Out. And we get at least two new endings.
I wonder if that tree in the background isn't the Erdtree, but the Helphen. The Helphen is mentioned only once or twice in item descriptions, and is stated to be a Erdtree like tree that can only be seen by the dead who died honorably. In fact, the Helphen even grants those who died in battle its own version of grace. Perhaps the Helphen is the shadow of the Erdtree in someway. It would also somewhat explain who seems to be Miquella riding the torrent like creature; Miquella is not alive, its just the realm of the dead and spirits we are seeing in the screenshot. Its probably more likely that this is set in the future after the flames of ruin upon the Erdtree have passed and what we see in the image is what remains of the Erdtree. Perhaps the golden liquid is its sap, presenting the idea that new crystal tears may be forming. Or maybe it is the Great Tree, and it takes place in the past, and its Marika riding torrent (or a member of torrent's species) Edit: another theory about Miquella; do you think that Saint Trina is just a alias Miquella has gone under in the past, or do you think that Saint Trina and Miquella share a similar relationship to Radagon and Marika? If for some reason you see this comment, I'll put up a post I made on reddit about this theory. It basically is the same thing but I added some extra detail if you're interested. Am hoping to get some discussion there, but will see if the reddit gods treat me nicely lol. www.reddit.com/r/Eldenring/comments/11e69de/elden_ring_dlc_set_in_the_spirit_realm/
I would love it to be the Helphen tree. I just said in a coment that this reminds me to the dream Maximus has in Gladiator movie, which is the Eliseum, literally a place of plenty were the honorable warriors go after death.
I really thought and wanted this to be the Helphen tree until I realized the tree present isn’t a lampwood/lamplight tree and there’s no red grace 🫠… bummer man. It’s probably a point in the past/the future/ or some dream/death dimension.
Miquella sounds like the most compelling theory with all the cut content, but Marika witnessing the elder shard land in the erdtree sounds absolutely badass. I’m here for it
Appreciate the dedication Quelaag. At first I thought the scene pictured was the future, and the tree burned or death blighted, but it seems more likely the past. The theory about the tree being freshly struck by the Elden Star really resonates with me. It would also thematically make sense that the scene still looks so death blighted, as Marika is I assume at this point still wanting to do away with death? God I hope we get another banger lore cinematic.
Maybe the ghost stones are a reference to how previous to Erdtree burial there was the Deathbird cult and the stones are how the burials used to look? And Miquella is my HOPE, where I want to see as much about them as possible, and/or Trina and their sleep cult. It would be nice if they reinstated the cut content about dreams as part of it too!
Everyone and their dog says it’s Miquella, but I’d love to see young Marika, too. It suits FromSoft’s habit of using DLC to shed light on the past - Astoria’s of the Abyss, The Old Hunters, etc. Seeing the Lands Between before the Golden Order would be fascinating, and it could give us a chance to fight the Gloam-Eyed Queen. It would be funny if it’s another case of our character beating up the big bad (Manus, the Queen) and some other wolf-themed warrior gets the credit (Artorias, Maliketh).
That would explain why Torrent chooses us at the beginning, maybe we met him in the past or a dream. Like the different cutscene of Sif recognizing us in Dark Souls 1.
Not sure if this was mentioned but regarding the “harvesting of dreams” and the link mausoleums have to the sleep / dreams theme…. If you wait to nightfall and then stand around a mausoleum for about about 20 minutes to the “late night” (3:30AM) game time, they fall asleep. They plop down and make a different sound and won’t move. Exception to this is the frozen tundra one, that never sleeps because it’s an asshole and doesn’t want to miss raining blue hell on your head. I wonder if walking mausoleums dream ….
i thought about godwyn too because of the statue of (probably) him hugging the twins where he looks exactly like this. and also shadow of the erdtree is very much his current state ig
The issue with that being Godwyn is the fact that Godwyn's very soul was killed. Godwyn wouldn't even have a spirit that would go to the land of the Helphen.
sounds good. But the female riding style seems like a Women in the picture. But i think you might be right if you say that Godwyn played a big part of Miquellas past.
And the erdtree seems to be taken over by black, and there are black roots above Godwyns body that is effecting animal and plants in Liurnia. You can see corpustles of death on the crabs there, only place that they have those on them because it is right above Godwyn's body.
Theory A: it looks like we’re in miquella dream and he’s trying to get back to the hailing tree which I think is that dark tree in the distance. Theory B: And also, I think that dark tree is actually the crucible I thought those ghostly things were like wilted lilies but they’re actually ghost tombstones.
Honestly, my immediate thought on seeing the tree was that it was the death-blight corrupted roots of the Erdtree growing up into a new tree that crushes the original tree - an infection overtaking and killing the host. The shape also reminds me of the Haligtree and makes me lean towards the figure being Miquella. With how unbalanced the tree/trees are, I imagine the plot will relate to us trying to stop the tree from falling or felling it. To this end, I’m also reminded of the Haligtree having a brace and how much effort Miquella put into the Haligtree, which seemed like it was meant to be a cure to all the ails of the disinherited and spurned. I wouldn’t be surprised if we either graft or plant the sapling of a perfected Haligtree or other form of tree to act as a brace for this collapsing one in one version of the ending, possibly with Miquella inside to nourish it. My own theory is also reminding me of the cut dualblade with Miquella and Malenia’s runes and some of Miquella’s cut dialogue relating to a potential ending. If the bracing tree we introduce is meant to harmonize with whatever rotting tree might currently be overbalancing the Erdtree, it could be sort of like life and birth harmonizing with death and decay - a pseudo-One-Great or Crucible-restored, maybe. (If this is the case, I’d theorize the Haligtree might’ve also failed, aside from Mohg’s intervention, because it was unbalanced. It needed something to put the abundance of Miquella in check and balance it, and with Malenia’s rot subdued it had no natural balance.) I’d imagine a fully supported tree would be a double helix of sorts for balance (kinda like the tree from Berserk lmao). Also not really buying that the character is Marika. Its definitely not impossible, but to step out of the lore for a minute, the announcement was very impromptu. It seems more like this was done to quell nerves over the potential for no DLC, especially after the anniversary had nothing to show. A red herring, I feel would be a bit more meticulously planned. If this art was intended as concept art or maybe something we would see in-game then I feel it would be rather straight to the point with little ambiguity. Its also way too deliberately misleading as the character depicted a virtually one-to-one perfect match of Miquella’s hairstyle with every braid in the correct spot and even the arm bracelet. The Old Hunter’s DLC had an ambiguous as the cover that you could speculate about, this figure has very distinguishing characteristics that are not seen elsewhere. You’d also have to set a time frame and rough area for it to be a young Marika; establishing a setting based of a single painted character in a scene is one hoop too many to jump through in order for this to work. But honestly, I’ll laugh if I’m proven wrong. Maybe Fromsoftware is willing to go to the extra lengths to mess with us
My interpretation from the image alone, there are 2 separate things in the far-way trees figure: - The tilted Erdtree dripping out golden amber - The bigger and possibly darker tree/root entangles the Erdtree, sucking the amber You can tell its different from other tree by the way the trunk go straight-up independently, unlike the other one with its twisting trunks and branches, like it is trying to attach itself to the Erdtree. And around them, you can also see black particle fallen from both of them. It can be either the ash from the burning or the similar particle from Godwyn's deathroot. I hope this help narrowing down the possibilities a bit!
Another case for this character being Marika: when Ranni gives you gifts at the behest of Torrent's former master, she gives you the Lone Wolf ashes, which summons three wolves. In Maliketh's boss room, there is a statue of what I assume to be a young Marika surrounded by three wolves.
This seems to resemble the Greek fields of Elysium which is a form of peaceful afterlife, my best guess for the DLC is that after the death of Goldwyn the afterlife in the lands between was corrupted, what we're seeing isn't the Erdtree or haligtree it's the Helphen being choked out by the influence of Goldwyn and our goal may be to free it
i really hope it's miquella but if it is marika pre queendom then maybe this dlc will explain her relationship with death as she is surrounded in graves/spirits looking at something nightmarish here
The tree has the little black flakes falling from it, a visual detail I've noticed throughout game most notably in the divine towers. I noticed this effect almost immediately after release and then promptly forgot cause it's such a small thing. Wonder if it's something significant hidden in plain view.
That black energy falling in the Divine Towers is also reminiscent of Ranni's spell to create the false Rennala and the moon lake dimension, which deepens the mystery.
What if the big reveal of this DLC is that Melina is actually St. Trina? I know St. Trina is an aspect of Miquella but hear me out. We know bodies and souls can be split, as seen with Ranni (body dies but soul lives on) and Godwyn (soul dies but body lives on) and to an extent Marika/Radagon. Melina is associated with sleep. She puts us to sleep when we reach the Forge of the Giants. Our time in Crumbling Farum Azula is just a dream (this is why time travel is possible there). She also puts us to sleep when we first visit the Roundtable Hold, so every time we travel to that place it's because we are falling asleep at a Site of Grace. Meaning that particular version of Roundtable Hold is different from the one physically located in Leyndell because it's also a dream. Melina appears to us as a spirit or ghost, she says so herself. Miquella's body in the silken cocoon is large, eyeless, and cragged, almost as if it is a husk of what he used to be. Melina (St. Trina) could be the soul aspect, while Miquella could be the body aspect. Additionally, in the Lord of Frenzy ending, Melina is seen as having an orange colored eye and a purplish-blue colored eye. Miquella's Lily has an orange aura, while St. Trina's Lily (and by extension pretty much anything associated with her) has a purple aura. Also, we see Miquella riding Torrent (or at least a similar kind of Ancestor Spirit) in the DLC artwork, and Melina literally gifts us Torrent. ¯\ (ツ) /¯ Weren't Ranni and Miquella close to each other, too? Melina (Miquella's soul) gifting us the same Ancestor Spirit would explain why Ranni is so quick to meet us in the beginning of the game. I've also had this other theory that involved Astel being Miquella. This is solely based on the visual design of the game and nothing else. Miquella and Malenia are so intertwined with insects and the stars. Zullie the Witch posted that video of Astel having an unused animation where it descends from the sky, like Radahn's meteor. Astel's got a big spiky bit at the end of it's tail like a scorpion, and we fight Radahn in the desert (a place where scorpions are normally rampant). Fighting Astel immediately after Radahn is just like fighting the Elden Beast after Radagon. Miquella's cocooned body being a physical vessel for possession, just like Godwyn's. It all fits really well together.
Lots of people think that there’s gonna be time travel and the only place I can think of that might looked like the wide open plains we see in the art is Radahn’s arena, possibly we’ll before it was blighted by Scarlet rot.
Looks like the tree is being strangled by another tree, kind of like an olive tree does. Which makes sense because the finger reader in Deeproot depths says Godwyn is a corrupted scion of the Erdtree and a scion is literally an offshoot of a plant or tree. Clearly it’s trying to strangle out the Golden Glow of the Erdtree and the golden order itself. Miquella and Godwyn are clearly connected. Also the ash or dust falling from the tree is exactly what falls when you do the age of the duskborn ending which is Fias ending who is synonymous with Godwyn
If it is Marika, maybe this is her dream/memory, and she is seeing what the Lands Between were like before, but overlayed are the ghostly images of the graveyard that the land will eventually become because of her own actions
I saw someone mention a potential corruption of the Erdtree by deathroot, and upon closer inspection I noticed something: could the black particles around the tree be deathroot flies ? I'm starting to like this theory
I thought that too, and perhaps the entire "tree" is Death Blight with some torn off branches of the Erdtree mixed in. Also, the black tree design for the Erdtree reminds me of the Dung Eater's ending, so it's like both Fia and the Dung Eater's endings are trying to curse the world at once while Miquella's ghost looks on.
the landscape with the endless fields, the mist, the sky, gives such a dreamy feel and everytime i look at it i immediately think of the fields of asphodel from greek mythology; it reminds me of a world between worlds (hah, lands between, midgard) or a dreamscape where things dont really feel real if that makes sense - it would maybe be interesting if the artwork depicts miquella traversing his dream? where he might see the past or future or some doom or something symbolic for the real world but in the dream in the form of some sort of corruption? idk these are some quick thoughts that popped up, very interested to see where its going
Funny that you mentioned dreams, cause the first thing I thought when I saw the image was Maximus dreams in Gladiator XD whith al the weath fields and those grey/desaturated colours. Amazing the braids detail pointing to Miquella :)
I think that might be the astral plane and its equivalent of the Erdtree so essentially the Qliphoth making it the shadow of the Erdtree in terms of it being the polar opposite. Also I think the blonde haired individual is Miquella probably seeking a way to cause the eclipse which if I had to guess will allow him to be reborn as a god, or he may just be trying to bring back Godwyn. But the Spectral tombstones make me think that this plane overlaps another. Miyazaki could also just be throwing us a curve ball and the blonde haired individual is actually Trina and she is just the astral counterpart of Miquella instead of them being one in the same.
I love your Elden Ring lore and art history videos and I couldn't help but think of Andrew Wyeth's painting 'Christina's World' when looking at the teaser still of Shadow of the Erdtree. The teaser still seems like an inverse of Christina's World, in a lot of ways. Miquella being a boy, the location of main foregrounded characters (reversed). But there are so many thematic similarities as well. The ruins, abandoned farmhouses and leaking Erdtree echo each other, emanating a sense of foreboding, or unreachable distance. Neither Miquella or Christina appear to be able to walk or carry themselves forward, caught in some kind of listlessness presumably from being captivated or haunted by the Erdtree or farmhouse, respectively. Just something that came to mind.
To me the field the figure is seen in looks like it’s filled with wheat potentially, or some other type of grain, which I feel like symbolically that imagery works well with miquella, because of their association with abundance
The statue of Marika in intro in during segment "Dead who yet live" has the same bracelet on the shoulders without second set of bracelet on wrist like in her segment in intro.
I thought Marika was the obvious choice and that the more sneaky possibility would be Godwyn, possibly in the dream of Miquela. That’s one of the speculations, right, that the statue holding the two children is him and not Marika?
I feel dizzy at the idea of meeting Trina in Miquella's dream! At least that's what I take from this picture. By the way, that black and gold in the background really reminds me of the Prince of Death's flames produced by the Eclipse Shotel.
I like the big differences between this channel and Vaati’s channel. Both are lore speculation but Vaati is usually a bit careful and takes a long time to get to conclusions. Here we get ALL the theories and it’s really fun to hear the thought process, since I can’t comprehend shit by myself. Great video will be keeping a look on this channel from now on!
So at the top of the big nightmare tree, the primary sprout seems to look like our modern day Erdtree visually. And then around the base of that Erdtree segment of this enormous tree (dare I say Greattree) there's a sort of mess of sprouts that look a lot like the base of the Crucible statues that can be found in Roundtable Hold and down the middle of the Highways (the ones that depict the figure cultivating a central flower-sprout). The Erdtree portion also looks to be in exactly the central position where the flower is sprouting in those particular statues. I didn't see the golden liquid as being a wound in the tree, but as sap being produced by the Erdtree scion of the Greattree and drizzling down the trunk. So right now my crystal ball is telling me that the Erdtree scion of this Greattree is the only part of the tree producing sap, and that it is maybe pruned and replanted at Leyndell? I would prefer the character to be Marika, because this image holds a lot of weight if it depicts the first time she saw the Erdtree producing its amber. But I'm not hopeful. I think it's Miquella, and we're going on an epic dreamy dream adventure.
I think the tree in the image is the halig tree since it is bent and parted as the halig tree is, the erd tree is fairly straight trunked and the helphen lampwood is probably a piine if theres a tree involved at all. The tree in the image doesn't seem to have a brace but maybe this is an image from their dream or a memory or something.
A very interesting thing i have seen few people mentioned , the graves has the hole in them like the cutcontent area "gods' grave" in ds3, and that asset got reused by the leonite begotten that has the grafted sword by castle morne
Could it be that the Erdtree is similar to the Halig tree and that and Empiryam fed itself to the tree? With the tilte of Shadow of the Erdtree i think that the tree wrapped around the Erdtree is its shadow therefore the tree itself is an empiryam like Miquella tree like form in the Haligtree. If that is the case my guess is that the old man statues from the Eternal cities are that Empiryam turning himself into the Erdtree like Miquella was in the Haligtree and that because the tree is dying its Shadow appeared.
I think this tree in the background could be the Haligtree. “Shadow of the Erdtree” could refer to the haligtree as it is an imitation or shadow of the erdtree and we are seeing Miquella returning to it.
I've seen theories pop up douring my workday today ( at my time announcement dropped at 9 am ). Although i thought it is Miquella right away, after watching Wraff's video and hearing Marika theory i have to admit that it sounds really plausable and its even more logical for Marika having some sort of connection with Torrent than Miquella riding him. So i think it could be Marika, we will go into the past, find out what happened all that time ago and possibly even find out what happened to Melina and why she is "burned and bodiless" when we meet her.
@@vincentzhaiven4017 I am sory, i guessed i missed something. Where is it explained ? You dont have to be so combatative / accusory ( unless i am reading this wrong ), i played the game... I am on my second playthrough and on the first one i tried to discover everything so it lasted a long long time. She says that she must "ascertain for herself the reason for which she lives burned and bodiless"...she never tells us what she ascertaines, she just sacrafices herself for burning the Erdtree and thats it. It is not clearly explained why is she the way she is, who is she exactly and who is "her mother" ( presumably Marika, but it is not explained ).
sounds too easy for a fromsoftware game. And for the first big DLC clearing all lost information of the most turbulent age - never. Then what kind of place is that? Dreamland or Land of the Dead - Hel. If most possible the dreamland, why should Marika play there the mainrole? More realistic it would be Miquella as his last days as St. Trina traveling inkognito and thus riding like a girl.
So to me the tree resembles more the Haligtree, i just googled both and I might be blind but it looks like the Haligtree. This would add credence to Torent's master (rider) being Miquella. Also when Ranni gives us the Spirit Calling Bell in all of that sleep mist, she says that it she was tasked with giving it to you by Torent's former master, which to me seems like it would make sense that it would be St. Trina. Edit: i just read the comments and someone pointed out that it looks like the erdtree is being enveloped by the haligtree. Dont know what to make of that now. It's super interesting that you referenced the wraiths and how they're similar to Ranni's doll. One thing (that is probably a heavy reach) but those wraiths use death magic with the black and gold coloring. The reach would be that the blending colors used for the Haligtree and sky art match the death magic. You could probably make something out of that better than I, if of course I'm not just full of shit =D
The figure is surrounded by abundance and rides what seems to be Torrent? Funnily enough, both Marika and Miquella could fit this. I lean towards them being Miquella, whatever the case, there seem to be two trees, one presumably the Erdtree and the other one perhaps created by Godwyn's corpse.
In my opinion, it looks like Miquella who was travelling and returns to see the Erdree burst into flames in his absence. Presumably as St. Trina, which is why he is depicted in a female riding style. That the Erdree must have burnt once and covered Leyendell with ash, before the shattering, was clear. When this catastrophe took place was not yet clear. But it seems to have changed Miquella's actions, a trigger why the incognito travelling hero became the creator and bearer of hope through the Haligtree and seeker of a way to Hel. -And why we end up in this era in a dream flashback. It shows the end of the dreaming St. Trina, the moment when he had to wake up and his world changed.
The ash in Leyndell is likely from Bernahl's Finger Maiden sacrificing herself at the Forge of the Fire Giants, an event that would have taken place after the Shattering. That would also explain why Leyndell is so exhausted and lacking in resources that it still hasn't fully removed all of the ash.
@@nightscout9979 sounds good. But many are seeing the tree as phantom, and the incantations even before the fundamentalism are devoting themselves to the phantom Erdtree which shows signs that it should have happened before the shattering. The YT Tarnished Acheologist shows this good in his vid "Creeds of the Erdtree: Abundance, Faith, and Order" ps: at 13;30 it is more the topic, but his timeline is not so acurat
i forgot that there are acutally two trees in the picture, one using the other like a vine, and embraces the other as if he were squeezing him. I don't know, but it really only fits the crucible age or a hypothetical future for the haligtree to the erdtree.
@@antijoscha1690 I've already watched TA's Creeds episode and posted my thoughts on it there. I ended up having to divide my response across two posts, though I later replied to the first post with the second post so it'd be easier for a reader to find. The gist is that lots of things, from the Age of Fracture Ending to views of branches from Altus Plateau, suggest that there is no "phantom" main erdtree, that's just glowing bark. The round Elden Ring sigil does not represent a formless Erdtree, it represents a post-Age of Plenty era for Leyndell. "Formless" is also only in reference to the Erdtree Seal item itself, as the same term is used for the Frenzied Flame and Dragon Communion seals, along with the Cipher Pata.
@@antijoscha1690 It seems more like the winding tree is trying to squeeze the life out of the straight tree. The winding tree is also shrounded in dark particles, which might be Death Blight flies.
I think ziostorm had a good idea of what it is, saying it could be like in miquelas dream and that that’s the erd tree being strangled by something else
Atlus Bloom - "Said to be a funereal flower in an era long past, before the Erdtree grew." I believe this could be a bloom field. I'm currently looking into the crucible for the significance of the Tree but I feel like everything is already in game
I say that tree over there is the Haligtree before being turned into the Haligtree (The Helphen where spirits travel to rest.) The Candle Stick that appear as ghosts around the map appear physically around the Haligtree and that symbol (Canddle-tree design) has been said in game to be a cardinal sin. Now knowing that Miquella is Torrents former master explains their gift to us to summon spirits. Also something that is curious to me is Miquella's connection to castle sol and the eclipse, a lot of their spells are Rings of light similar to how an eclipse creates a ring of light and the sun holds the spirits of the dead (just how the dung eaters armor is decorated with a sun and he holds souls) idk all of this might be nonsense but I wanted to share. Can't wait for more videos have a good one!
Thank you for continuing to create and pioneer a corner of the lore community that feels like a safe space for the queer and non-cismale. No one can touch your level of expertise. I haven’t been in college for three years now and your videos are the closest thing i can find that recreates the feeling of being in a lecture done by someone who exudes passion for the subject. I had no idea who you were until you “returned” to UA-cam and I am so thankful to have found you.
It looks like a twin tree constricting the Erdtree, squeezing the golden sap (life) out of it. Serpentine imagery, but it's a tree. Can't be coincidence.
The most exciting thing about this image to me is that it's of a wide open field. Part of me was still worried they'd go back to Dark Souls style DLC and just give us a new legacy dungeon, but after showing us torrent in a big open field as the promotional image, that would be kind of an insane thing to do.
The "O" In "Shadow of the erdtree" resembles the Mending Rune of the Death-Prince. So there's probably going to be some cool Godwyn and deathroot stuff :)
Isnt there something about an eclipse of which miquella would obtain enough gold from the sun to cleanse milenias rot and outgod interferance. Perhaps the darkness is related to the eclipse. Maybe the gold on the tree is the gold he collected from the sun? Just some guessing
Just a thought, what if they cut the references that directly confirm Miquella to be St. Trina because they wanted them to be two separate but singular entities, ala Radagon and Markia. Miquella may be the lifeless form in the cocoon, and St. Trina may be character oft depicted in game as small and fair haired, or vice versa.
I'm not trying to over share, but I was watching another video about this while pooping and was thinking to myself "MAN I hope Quelaag does a video cause it is gonna be 'bossome'" and well yeah here we are :D
I definitely agree about all you've said. One thing I find strange is the Ranni and Miquella implied connection. Lots of people are saying that Miquella must be the former master of Torrent that Ranni mentions when she gives you the whistle ring. She says she was tasked by that master to find you and therefore presumably Ranni and that master are on amicable if not friendly terms. However, the eclipse and epitaph sword all point to Miquella trying to either kill Godwyn's body, so he dies a proper death, or perhaps even resurrect him. But it was Ranni that orchestrated Godwyn's killing in the first place, she deliberately targeted him. So why would Miquella and Ranni be on good terms? Why would he have given Ranni Torrent's whistle ring? Ranni has a completely separate agenda with her Age of Stars plan, which must be at odds with Miquella's Haligtree and Unalloyed Gold plans. If it is true that Miquella is Torrent's former master and gave the whistle ring to Ranni, I can only think that either Ranni was like 'sorry for killing our brother, I owe you a favour you can call in any time' and passing on Torrent was that favour, or Miquella was in the disguise of St Trina and perhaps bargained with Ranni that she pass on the whistle ring in exchange for some sleep magic knowledge (hence how she puts Kale and his donkey to sleep). Whether Ranni would be fooled by the St Trina disguise or not, I'm not sure. But it will be fascinating to find out if Ranni and Miquella did make a deal about Torrent.
To me, it looks like the elden beast (in meteor/big ass space rock form) just hit the world and marika is travelling there to find out what it is or just to become the godess we know, the braids could be something that Miquella wanted to have aswell to "mimic" or honor Marika, even if I at the same time want to think that its Miquella depicted in the photo. The hype is real either way!
I wonder if Miquella's Haligtree wasn't actually a failure and the location in game is the husk of its victim and the Haligtee is actually a strangler fig. So the Spiral World tree looking thing in the picture could actually be the Erdtree infected with Miquella's Haligtree.
My speculation is that this is the spirit world of the dead or some variation of it. It fits with some Greek mythologies about the afterlife being a field of wheat, and Miquella’s association with death makes sense. I also can’t get past the idea that the shadow being referred to is the tree in true artwork itself, being a sort of “erdtree” for the dead. Not a literal shadow but a symbolic one. I’m probably wrong, in fact we’re all probably wrong but it’s fun to spitball lmao
if we do end up going to the past at some point I hope we get to explore that area between Mountaintops and the Dragonbarrow before it was destroyed, cuz there’s sufficent evidence that there used to be land there long ago. It’d make sense for the DLC to take place there, considering the fact that it woukd be in the “Shadow of the Erdtree.”
That landscape looks like it could be the forbidden lands before it was snowy. Which makes me think we are indeed looking at Miquella and the Haligtree, imo!
“I was entrusted this, for thee.
By Torrent's former master.
'Tis a bell for calling forth spirits.
Summon them with it, from ash unreturned to the Erdtree.”
FEVOR'S COOKBOOK [3]
"A record of crafting techniques left by a man who was utterly captivated by St. Trina. He continued the search for her in his slumber."
I also say placidusaxxs dream I meant fortisaxx apologies it was 3 am 😭
🧐🧐🧐🧐
My immediate thoughts were "that Erdtree is leaking with madness" then I was drawn to all the ghostly gravestones everywhere and it felt like; yeah this has to be the aftermath of plunging the world into chaos. I do think you're on point with the figure riding a spectral steed being Miquella but think that she would be the new Melina of the DLC guiding the player towards a goal rather than focusing on the cut sleep quests and things.
@@Spellfork The Erdtree looks very different to how it does in the Flame of Frenzy ending though. In the Flame of Frenzy ending, the golden illusory parts of the Erdtree that we can normally see have all disappeared, and the physical broken trunk part that we enter to fight the final boss is all that's left, with a great fire reaching from it and into the sky. Compare that to this image, where the tree still has its branches, and a golden fluid or perhaps light is leaking downwards towards the Earth, with the tree's blackened wood surrounded by some kind of particles - maybe dust, or ash, or swarms of insects. To me the colour palette of this tree does not suggest Flame of Frenzy but instead Deathblight, which spreads through the roots of the Great Tree and could be the titular "Shadow of the Erdtree." A Deathblight themed DLC would also make sense with the figure on Torrent being Miquella, as Miquella had unfinished business with Godwyn and was working to end the Deathblight once and for all. Plus, maybe Miyazaki can fit in some Deathblight swamps for us to enjoy :')
I believe it might be The Land of reeds.
@Yuki thank you for this!! I recorded this at 3 am so I got the names mixed up
Kind of interesting that the candle in Limgrave leads you to Mistwood Ruins which contains a sleeping rune bear. Makes sense considering the cut content. Might have been leading to a sleeping NPC to harvest dreams from
The queen's here early with the insight
baldborn reference
Queenlaag?
GRANT US EYES 😤
Grant us E Y E S
I just can't get over the artwork, I love this landscape. To me the tree sort of looks like the Haligtree with molten gold pouring out of it. It might be a dreamscape of Miquella's and their old ambitions of what their plans were to be. Torrent might show connection again with the snow witch and Ranni since the witch was Torrent's former master.
Torrent being unburdened with all the gear might also suggest this occurring in the past
Where have we seen those arches/doors before? I could swear those are somewhere in the game
@@fooguwu to me they look like the massive black stone arches and columns everywhere in limgrave and cailed, altho it could definitely be something else
The tweet said “a new path”. Imagine if they reinstated all of the cut content stuff for the dlc and it’s like a Back to the Future thing that leads to a different ending.
I realllllly think it would be great if the dlc doesn't just add a new area, but inserts more content into the base game. Assuming a lot of the cut content was cut for time, it would definitely make sense to put I back in, I feel like the only reason not to would be if they worried about not being able to play through that content on saves that are already in the endgame
@@Shmethan I mean Fromsoft always has tons of cut content, and a lot of the time it kinda seems like it's a change in direction rather than time constraints. Then the DLCs usually add a ton of new elements that are very unpredictable, I don't see Fromsoft as the type to rehash on cut content but maybe they took the chance to revise it?
@@Shmethan I mean, they always kinda do. the access to souls dlc are always midway through the game somewhere and not just tacked on the end. they always add something to the base game in some way through new weapons, spells or consumables available, which you can get early if you want to.
@@Shmethan it’s vaguely implied that Rico, or whoever was holding Miquella’s cookbook, is still alive in his dreams, looking for St Trina. So there is a possibility that From has plans for cut content.
@@ahbooza I hope so! I definitely think the dream angle is really strong, it worked so well for the Bloodborne dlc
I'm hoping it's Miquella's disembodied spirit heading towards the overgrown body of Godwyn to combine with him (Soul + Body). It would be a great solution to Miquella's dilemma of not being able to grow, and seeing how sleep is very much the cousin of death in the Lands Between, I think Miquella always had this ability to separate from his body (hence no response for Mogh from his body as he is not there). The body of Godwyn, with the Rune of Death freed, is probably taking over or growing as the new Erdtree. This allows Miquella, who has failed to grow his version of Edrtree with his flesh (his attempt to use his blood for the Haligtree) and from the interruption caused by Mogh, to take over a perfect host in the form of Godwyn, who is literally the new Erdtree, who Miquella seemed close to (hinted at from the prayer from a little brother asking for a true death) and even philosophically aligned with (Miquella loves all beings, with or without grace; death is all-encompassing, Fia' statement indicates that Godwyn in his current form is sort of the prince of the damned, when he was alive he could befriend dragons). A combination of Abundance and Death would bring a truly Balanced World.
Another hint to this is I think the way the image is divided diagonally. The top left triangle seems very void, like that of Godwyn's dream that we can enter (except Fortissax). The bottom right triangle where Miquella is seems full thanks to the reeds (? or wheat) and the spirits he seems to be heralding. Who knows? Maybe we are there to assist Miquella to stop the spread of Death uncontrollably from Godwyn's Deathroots by helping him combine with the Erdtree to add Abundance for balance.
And maybe Melina (Gloamed Eye Queen) will be there to stop us. I've always found it weird/fascinating that the Godskins, the followers of the Queen, kept the flesh of the Gods they killed. Isn't death the total annihilation of both Soul and Body? Shouldn't they destroy the flesh of the Gods as well? The way Ranni used the stolen piece of the Rune of Death seems to indicate this. Maybe the Gloamed Eye Queen is an annihilator of Souls. After all, she seemed opposed to the complete destruction of the world (Frenzied Flame). Maybe in the Queen's vision, all of us are soulless bodies roaming about, like an inversion of the Greek version of Hell. This would make Melina an enemy of Miquella. Or, Melina needs to combine with Godwyn as well to become the complete version of the Rune of Death, as the Melina we meet is bodiless as well. Maybe Melina and Miquella's competition to take over Godwyn's body will be about what aspect of the Elden Ring takes the driver's seat so to speak. Like in Diablo 3 or the movie Inside Out. And we get at least two new endings.
I wonder if that tree in the background isn't the Erdtree, but the Helphen. The Helphen is mentioned only once or twice in item descriptions, and is stated to be a Erdtree like tree that can only be seen by the dead who died honorably. In fact, the Helphen even grants those who died in battle its own version of grace. Perhaps the Helphen is the shadow of the Erdtree in someway. It would also somewhat explain who seems to be Miquella riding the torrent like creature; Miquella is not alive, its just the realm of the dead and spirits we are seeing in the screenshot.
Its probably more likely that this is set in the future after the flames of ruin upon the Erdtree have passed and what we see in the image is what remains of the Erdtree. Perhaps the golden liquid is its sap, presenting the idea that new crystal tears may be forming.
Or maybe it is the Great Tree, and it takes place in the past, and its Marika riding torrent (or a member of torrent's species)
Edit: another theory about Miquella; do you think that Saint Trina is just a alias Miquella has gone under in the past, or do you think that Saint Trina and Miquella share a similar relationship to Radagon and Marika? If for some reason you see this comment, I'll put up a post I made on reddit about this theory. It basically is the same thing but I added some extra detail if you're interested. Am hoping to get some discussion there, but will see if the reddit gods treat me nicely lol. www.reddit.com/r/Eldenring/comments/11e69de/elden_ring_dlc_set_in_the_spirit_realm/
It says Erdtree on the screen, though...
@@HamsterPants522 on the screen? You mean the name of the DLC? That doesnt mean the Helphen cant be the “Shadow of the Erdtree”
I would love it to be the Helphen tree. I just said in a coment that this reminds me to the dream Maximus has in Gladiator movie, which is the Eliseum, literally a place of plenty were the honorable warriors go after death.
I really thought and wanted this to be the Helphen tree until I realized the tree present isn’t a lampwood/lamplight tree and there’s no red grace 🫠… bummer man. It’s probably a point in the past/the future/ or some dream/death dimension.
That is the Halligtree
Miquella sounds like the most compelling theory with all the cut content, but Marika witnessing the elder shard land in the erdtree sounds absolutely badass. I’m here for it
Appreciate the dedication Quelaag. At first I thought the scene pictured was the future, and the tree burned or death blighted, but it seems more likely the past. The theory about the tree being freshly struck by the Elden Star really resonates with me. It would also thematically make sense that the scene still looks so death blighted, as Marika is I assume at this point still wanting to do away with death? God I hope we get another banger lore cinematic.
Maybe the ghost stones are a reference to how previous to Erdtree burial there was the Deathbird cult and the stones are how the burials used to look?
And Miquella is my HOPE, where I want to see as much about them as possible, and/or Trina and their sleep cult. It would be nice if they reinstated the cut content about dreams as part of it too!
i like that. Only the question: where did this ghost stone disappear? Is this region the altus Plateau or not existing anymore?
Everyone and their dog says it’s Miquella, but I’d love to see young Marika, too. It suits FromSoft’s habit of using DLC to shed light on the past - Astoria’s of the Abyss, The Old Hunters, etc. Seeing the Lands Between before the Golden Order would be fascinating, and it could give us a chance to fight the Gloam-Eyed Queen. It would be funny if it’s another case of our character beating up the big bad (Manus, the Queen) and some other wolf-themed warrior gets the credit (Artorias, Maliketh).
That would explain why Torrent chooses us at the beginning, maybe we met him in the past or a dream. Like the different cutscene of Sif recognizing us in Dark Souls 1.
it could also make sense for Miquella to have her hair braided the same as Marika did when she was young, so this could certainly be a young Marika
Not sure if this was mentioned but regarding the “harvesting of dreams” and the link mausoleums have to the sleep / dreams theme…. If you wait to nightfall and then stand around a mausoleum for about about 20 minutes to the “late night” (3:30AM) game time, they fall asleep. They plop down and make a different sound and won’t move.
Exception to this is the frozen tundra one, that never sleeps because it’s an asshole and doesn’t want to miss raining blue hell on your head.
I wonder if walking mausoleums dream ….
😂 thx for the "asshole mausoleum" comment. But yes there are too much sleep symbols in the important parts that are promising content
love the 3AM commitment
Everyone's all "It's Miquella!" "No it's Marika!" and I'm over here thinking it's Godwyn and From are pulling a shifty on us again.
i thought about godwyn too because of the statue of (probably) him hugging the twins where he looks exactly like this.
and also shadow of the erdtree is very much his current state ig
The issue with that being Godwyn is the fact that Godwyn's very soul was killed. Godwyn wouldn't even have a spirit that would go to the land of the Helphen.
sounds good. But the female riding style seems like a Women in the picture. But i think you might be right if you say that Godwyn played a big part of Miquellas past.
And the erdtree seems to be taken over by black, and there are black roots above Godwyns body that is effecting animal and plants in Liurnia. You can see corpustles of death on the crabs there, only place that they have those on them because it is right above Godwyn's body.
@@eleven9286 looks burned not rotten here like the roots🤔
Theory A: it looks like we’re in miquella dream and he’s trying to get back to the hailing tree which I think is that dark tree in the distance.
Theory B: And also, I think that dark tree is actually the crucible
I thought those ghostly things were like wilted lilies but they’re actually ghost tombstones.
Honestly, my immediate thought on seeing the tree was that it was the death-blight corrupted roots of the Erdtree growing up into a new tree that crushes the original tree - an infection overtaking and killing the host. The shape also reminds me of the Haligtree and makes me lean towards the figure being Miquella.
With how unbalanced the tree/trees are, I imagine the plot will relate to us trying to stop the tree from falling or felling it. To this end, I’m also reminded of the Haligtree having a brace and how much effort Miquella put into the Haligtree, which seemed like it was meant to be a cure to all the ails of the disinherited and spurned.
I wouldn’t be surprised if we either graft or plant the sapling of a perfected Haligtree or other form of tree to act as a brace for this collapsing one in one version of the ending, possibly with Miquella inside to nourish it. My own theory is also reminding me of the cut dualblade with Miquella and Malenia’s runes and some of Miquella’s cut dialogue relating to a potential ending. If the bracing tree we introduce is meant to harmonize with whatever rotting tree might currently be overbalancing the Erdtree, it could be sort of like life and birth harmonizing with death and decay - a pseudo-One-Great or Crucible-restored, maybe. (If this is the case, I’d theorize the Haligtree might’ve also failed, aside from Mohg’s intervention, because it was unbalanced. It needed something to put the abundance of Miquella in check and balance it, and with Malenia’s rot subdued it had no natural balance.)
I’d imagine a fully supported tree would be a double helix of sorts for balance (kinda like the tree from Berserk lmao).
Also not really buying that the character is Marika. Its definitely not impossible, but to step out of the lore for a minute, the announcement was very impromptu. It seems more like this was done to quell nerves over the potential for no DLC, especially after the anniversary had nothing to show. A red herring, I feel would be a bit more meticulously planned. If this art was intended as concept art or maybe something we would see in-game then I feel it would be rather straight to the point with little ambiguity. Its also way too deliberately misleading as the character depicted a virtually one-to-one perfect match of Miquella’s hairstyle with every braid in the correct spot and even the arm bracelet. The Old Hunter’s DLC had an ambiguous as the cover that you could speculate about, this figure has very distinguishing characteristics that are not seen elsewhere. You’d also have to set a time frame and rough area for it to be a young Marika; establishing a setting based of a single painted character in a scene is one hoop too many to jump through in order for this to work. But honestly, I’ll laugh if I’m proven wrong. Maybe Fromsoftware is willing to go to the extra lengths to mess with us
My interpretation from the image alone, there are 2 separate things in the far-way trees figure:
- The tilted Erdtree dripping out golden amber
- The bigger and possibly darker tree/root entangles the Erdtree, sucking the amber
You can tell its different from other tree by the way the trunk go straight-up independently, unlike the other one with its twisting trunks and branches, like it is trying to attach itself to the Erdtree. And around them, you can also see black particle fallen from both of them. It can be either the ash from the burning or the similar particle from Godwyn's deathroot. I hope this help narrowing down the possibilities a bit!
Another case for this character being Marika: when Ranni gives you gifts at the behest of Torrent's former master, she gives you the Lone Wolf ashes, which summons three wolves. In Maliketh's boss room, there is a statue of what I assume to be a young Marika surrounded by three wolves.
I'm here for even the most tenuous theories about why this is Marika because I'm fully on the Marika train.
I second the comment - anything to tie in Marika is music to my ears, no matter how stretched the link might be
Mmmh idk, the figure riding torrent is 100% identical to Miquella in the opening cinematic
@@alexboninsegna8050 ik, I think its Miquella too, I’m just providing counterpoints.
7:48 that would also explain why miquella is seen riding torrent
According to some item discriptions, Marika was Torrents former master.
So I think it's possible this is a younger version of Queen Marika
This seems to resemble the Greek fields of Elysium which is a form of peaceful afterlife, my best guess for the DLC is that after the death of Goldwyn the afterlife in the lands between was corrupted, what we're seeing isn't the Erdtree or haligtree it's the Helphen being choked out by the influence of Goldwyn and our goal may be to free it
This is just a wild guess theory but if Miquella was Torrent's former master, I wonder if the lone wolves that Ranni gives you were Miquella's shadows
i really hope it's miquella but if it is marika pre queendom then maybe this dlc will explain her relationship with death as she is surrounded in graves/spirits looking at something nightmarish here
The tree has the little black flakes falling from it, a visual detail I've noticed throughout game most notably in the divine towers. I noticed this effect almost immediately after release and then promptly forgot cause it's such a small thing. Wonder if it's something significant hidden in plain view.
Yeah it looks crispy! Like burned, or death root, or meteorite impact for sure
That black energy falling in the Divine Towers is also reminiscent of Ranni's spell to create the false Rennala and the moon lake dimension, which deepens the mystery.
What if the big reveal of this DLC is that Melina is actually St. Trina? I know St. Trina is an aspect of Miquella but hear me out.
We know bodies and souls can be split, as seen with Ranni (body dies but soul lives on) and Godwyn (soul dies but body lives on) and to an extent Marika/Radagon. Melina is associated with sleep. She puts us to sleep when we reach the Forge of the Giants. Our time in Crumbling Farum Azula is just a dream (this is why time travel is possible there). She also puts us to sleep when we first visit the Roundtable Hold, so every time we travel to that place it's because we are falling asleep at a Site of Grace. Meaning that particular version of Roundtable Hold is different from the one physically located in Leyndell because it's also a dream. Melina appears to us as a spirit or ghost, she says so herself. Miquella's body in the silken cocoon is large, eyeless, and cragged, almost as if it is a husk of what he used to be. Melina (St. Trina) could be the soul aspect, while Miquella could be the body aspect. Additionally, in the Lord of Frenzy ending, Melina is seen as having an orange colored eye and a purplish-blue colored eye. Miquella's Lily has an orange aura, while St. Trina's Lily (and by extension pretty much anything associated with her) has a purple aura. Also, we see Miquella riding Torrent (or at least a similar kind of Ancestor Spirit) in the DLC artwork, and Melina literally gifts us Torrent. ¯\ (ツ) /¯ Weren't Ranni and Miquella close to each other, too? Melina (Miquella's soul) gifting us the same Ancestor Spirit would explain why Ranni is so quick to meet us in the beginning of the game.
I've also had this other theory that involved Astel being Miquella. This is solely based on the visual design of the game and nothing else. Miquella and Malenia are so intertwined with insects and the stars. Zullie the Witch posted that video of Astel having an unused animation where it descends from the sky, like Radahn's meteor. Astel's got a big spiky bit at the end of it's tail like a scorpion, and we fight Radahn in the desert (a place where scorpions are normally rampant). Fighting Astel immediately after Radahn is just like fighting the Elden Beast after Radagon. Miquella's cocooned body being a physical vessel for possession, just like Godwyn's. It all fits really well together.
Lots of people think that there’s gonna be time travel and the only place I can think of that might looked like the wide open plains we see in the art is Radahn’s arena, possibly we’ll before it was blighted by Scarlet rot.
Maybe the Erdtree is the red herring, that tree looks like the Haligtree.
Looks like the tree is being strangled by another tree, kind of like an olive tree does. Which makes sense because the finger reader in Deeproot depths says Godwyn is a corrupted scion of the Erdtree and a scion is literally an offshoot of a plant or tree. Clearly it’s trying to strangle out the Golden Glow of the Erdtree and the golden order itself. Miquella and Godwyn are clearly connected. Also the ash or dust falling from the tree is exactly what falls when you do the age of the duskborn ending which is Fias ending who is synonymous with Godwyn
If it is Marika, maybe this is her dream/memory, and she is seeing what the Lands Between were like before, but overlayed are the ghostly images of the graveyard that the land will eventually become because of her own actions
I saw someone mention a potential corruption of the Erdtree by deathroot, and upon closer inspection I noticed something: could the black particles around the tree be deathroot flies ? I'm starting to like this theory
I thought that too, and perhaps the entire "tree" is Death Blight with some torn off branches of the Erdtree mixed in. Also, the black tree design for the Erdtree reminds me of the Dung Eater's ending, so it's like both Fia and the Dung Eater's endings are trying to curse the world at once while Miquella's ghost looks on.
the landscape with the endless fields, the mist, the sky, gives such a dreamy feel and everytime i look at it i immediately think of the fields of asphodel from greek mythology; it reminds me of a world between worlds (hah, lands between, midgard) or a dreamscape where things dont really feel real if that makes sense - it would maybe be interesting if the artwork depicts miquella traversing his dream? where he might see the past or future or some doom or something symbolic for the real world but in the dream in the form of some sort of corruption? idk these are some quick thoughts that popped up, very interested to see where its going
Funny that you mentioned dreams, cause the first thing I thought when I saw the image was Maximus dreams in Gladiator XD whith al the weath fields and those grey/desaturated colours. Amazing the braids detail pointing to Miquella :)
I think that might be the astral plane and its equivalent of the Erdtree so essentially the Qliphoth making it the shadow of the Erdtree in terms of it being the polar opposite. Also I think the blonde haired individual is Miquella probably seeking a way to cause the eclipse which if I had to guess will allow him to be reborn as a god, or he may just be trying to bring back Godwyn. But the Spectral tombstones make me think that this plane overlaps another. Miyazaki could also just be throwing us a curve ball and the blonde haired individual is actually Trina and she is just the astral counterpart of Miquella instead of them being one in the same.
Some of the ghost look like the giants fingerprint tombstones you can find in leyndell and castle morne
I love your Elden Ring lore and art history videos and I couldn't help but think of Andrew Wyeth's painting 'Christina's World' when looking at the teaser still of Shadow of the Erdtree. The teaser still seems like an inverse of Christina's World, in a lot of ways. Miquella being a boy, the location of main foregrounded characters (reversed). But there are so many thematic similarities as well. The ruins, abandoned farmhouses and leaking Erdtree echo each other, emanating a sense of foreboding, or unreachable distance. Neither Miquella or Christina appear to be able to walk or carry themselves forward, caught in some kind of listlessness presumably from being captivated or haunted by the Erdtree or farmhouse, respectively. Just something that came to mind.
This may be a reach, but that tree kinda looks like the shape of Marika during the age of fracture ending.
To me the field the figure is seen in looks like it’s filled with wheat potentially, or some other type of grain, which I feel like symbolically that imagery works well with miquella, because of their association with abundance
The statue of Marika in intro in during segment "Dead who yet live" has the same bracelet on the shoulders without second set of bracelet on wrist like in her segment in intro.
is def Miquella who is about to wake up after of the events of the Elden Ring Ending or we may be going into the past and explore that era
I thought Marika was the obvious choice and that the more sneaky possibility would be Godwyn, possibly in the dream of Miquela.
That’s one of the speculations, right, that the statue holding the two children is him and not Marika?
thank you for making this so quickly!
Patches comment about the dream brew makes me laugh. "Nah, I'll pass. There's no such thing as a free meal"
Omg!!!! Miquella!
That was my first thought.
This screen shot is so beautiful.
Cannot wait to sink my teeth into this...
This is a pretty incredible way to learn the DLC is coming. Hell yeah!
I feel dizzy at the idea of meeting Trina in Miquella's dream! At least that's what I take from this picture. By the way, that black and gold in the background really reminds me of the Prince of Death's flames produced by the Eclipse Shotel.
I like the big differences between this channel and Vaati’s channel. Both are lore speculation but Vaati is usually a bit careful and takes a long time to get to conclusions. Here we get ALL the theories and it’s really fun to hear the thought process, since I can’t comprehend shit by myself.
Great video will be keeping a look on this channel from now on!
So at the top of the big nightmare tree, the primary sprout seems to look like our modern day Erdtree visually. And then around the base of that Erdtree segment of this enormous tree (dare I say Greattree) there's a sort of mess of sprouts that look a lot like the base of the Crucible statues that can be found in Roundtable Hold and down the middle of the Highways (the ones that depict the figure cultivating a central flower-sprout). The Erdtree portion also looks to be in exactly the central position where the flower is sprouting in those particular statues.
I didn't see the golden liquid as being a wound in the tree, but as sap being produced by the Erdtree scion of the Greattree and drizzling down the trunk. So right now my crystal ball is telling me that the Erdtree scion of this Greattree is the only part of the tree producing sap, and that it is maybe pruned and replanted at Leyndell?
I would prefer the character to be Marika, because this image holds a lot of weight if it depicts the first time she saw the Erdtree producing its amber. But I'm not hopeful. I think it's Miquella, and we're going on an epic dreamy dream adventure.
Those candle trees show up on a certain shield and have a very brief insightful description about them
It seems to me that it is not a tree ... but two trees : one straight holding the second which spirals around the first.
I think the tree in the image is the halig tree since it is bent and parted as the halig tree is, the erd tree is fairly straight trunked and the helphen lampwood is probably a piine if theres a tree involved at all. The tree in the image doesn't seem to have a brace but maybe this is an image from their dream or a memory or something.
A very interesting thing i have seen few people mentioned , the graves has the hole in them like the cutcontent area "gods' grave" in ds3, and that asset got reused by the leonite begotten that has the grafted sword by castle morne
so much hype. i hope hair that long can be an option for the player character.
Could it be that the Erdtree is similar to the Halig tree and that and Empiryam fed itself to the tree? With the tilte of Shadow of the Erdtree i think that the tree wrapped around the Erdtree is its shadow therefore the tree itself is an empiryam like Miquella tree like form in the Haligtree.
If that is the case my guess is that the old man statues from the Eternal cities are that Empiryam turning himself into the Erdtree like Miquella was in the Haligtree and that because the tree is dying its Shadow appeared.
I think this tree in the background could be the Haligtree. “Shadow of the Erdtree” could refer to the haligtree as it is an imitation or shadow of the erdtree and we are seeing Miquella returning to it.
i have a feeling a lot of cut content is about to come back, and it all ties in really well with the cut content
Ty for taking the effort to prepare this video so early.
It's Miquella's dream as he sleeps in the cocoon
I've seen theories pop up douring my workday today ( at my time announcement dropped at 9 am ). Although i thought it is Miquella right away, after watching Wraff's video and hearing Marika theory i have to admit that it sounds really plausable and its even more logical for Marika having some sort of connection with Torrent than Miquella riding him.
So i think it could be Marika, we will go into the past, find out what happened all that time ago and possibly even find out what happened to Melina and why she is "burned and bodiless" when we meet her.
It's explained why Melina was burned already? Unless you don't play the game which would explain why you wouldn't know that.
@@vincentzhaiven4017 I am sory, i guessed i missed something. Where is it explained ?
You dont have to be so combatative / accusory ( unless i am reading this wrong ), i played the game...
I am on my second playthrough and on the first one i tried to discover everything so it lasted a long long time.
She says that she must "ascertain for herself the reason for which she lives burned and bodiless"...she never tells us what she ascertaines, she just sacrafices herself for burning the Erdtree and thats it.
It is not clearly explained why is she the way she is, who is she exactly and who is "her mother" ( presumably Marika, but it is not explained ).
@@vincentzhaiven4017 No it wasn't. There's just theories, theories with lots of merit, but they're still just theories without confirmation.
sounds too easy for a fromsoftware game. And for the first big DLC clearing all lost information of the most turbulent age - never.
Then what kind of place is that? Dreamland or Land of the Dead - Hel. If most possible the dreamland, why should Marika play there the mainrole?
More realistic it would be Miquella as his last days as St. Trina traveling inkognito and thus riding like a girl.
Whoa coming through with announcement! 🎉
The only video I needed when I saw this news! Queen Quelaag!
If this is Miquella, how would you explain him riding Torrent?
It's easier to explain if it is a young Marika.
But who knows :D
So to me the tree resembles more the Haligtree, i just googled both and I might be blind but it looks like the Haligtree. This would add credence to Torent's master (rider) being Miquella. Also when Ranni gives us the Spirit Calling Bell in all of that sleep mist, she says that it she was tasked with giving it to you by Torent's former master, which to me seems like it would make sense that it would be St. Trina.
Edit: i just read the comments and someone pointed out that it looks like the erdtree is being enveloped by the haligtree. Dont know what to make of that now.
It's super interesting that you referenced the wraiths and how they're similar to Ranni's doll. One thing (that is probably a heavy reach) but those wraiths use death magic with the black and gold coloring. The reach would be that the blending colors used for the Haligtree and sky art match the death magic. You could probably make something out of that better than I, if of course I'm not just full of shit =D
The part of the tree that is straight upright reminds me of the only real part of the Erd tree in game
I think the Earthtree isn't hurt, but grafted
There's definitely 2 trees in there. One just jutting straight up like the Erdtree and the other coiling around it.
Thank you!!!!!
Oh sweet Jesus you made a video about this. I’m surprised it isn’t an hour long video dedicated to this image and still somehow captivating me.
The figure is surrounded by abundance and rides what seems to be Torrent? Funnily enough, both Marika and Miquella could fit this. I lean towards them being Miquella, whatever the case, there seem to be two trees, one presumably the Erdtree and the other one perhaps created by Godwyn's corpse.
In my opinion, it looks like Miquella who was travelling and returns to see the Erdree burst into flames in his absence. Presumably as St. Trina, which is why he is depicted in a female riding style.
That the Erdree must have burnt once and covered Leyendell with ash, before the shattering, was clear. When this catastrophe took place was not yet clear. But it seems to have changed Miquella's actions, a trigger why the incognito travelling hero became the creator and bearer of hope through the Haligtree and seeker of a way to Hel.
-And why we end up in this era in a dream flashback. It shows the end of the dreaming St. Trina, the moment when he had to wake up and his world changed.
The ash in Leyndell is likely from Bernahl's Finger Maiden sacrificing herself at the Forge of the Fire Giants, an event that would have taken place after the Shattering. That would also explain why Leyndell is so exhausted and lacking in resources that it still hasn't fully removed all of the ash.
@@nightscout9979 sounds good. But many are seeing the tree as phantom, and the incantations even before the fundamentalism are devoting themselves to the phantom Erdtree which shows signs that it should have happened before the shattering. The YT Tarnished Acheologist shows this good in his vid "Creeds of the Erdtree: Abundance, Faith, and Order"
ps: at 13;30 it is more the topic, but his timeline is not so acurat
i forgot that there are acutally two trees in the picture, one using the other like a vine, and embraces the other as if he were squeezing him. I don't know, but it really only fits the crucible age or a hypothetical future for the haligtree to the erdtree.
@@antijoscha1690 I've already watched TA's Creeds episode and posted my thoughts on it there. I ended up having to divide my response across two posts, though I later replied to the first post with the second post so it'd be easier for a reader to find. The gist is that lots of things, from the Age of Fracture Ending to views of branches from Altus Plateau, suggest that there is no "phantom" main erdtree, that's just glowing bark. The round Elden Ring sigil does not represent a formless Erdtree, it represents a post-Age of Plenty era for Leyndell. "Formless" is also only in reference to the Erdtree Seal item itself, as the same term is used for the Frenzied Flame and Dragon Communion seals, along with the Cipher Pata.
@@antijoscha1690 It seems more like the winding tree is trying to squeeze the life out of the straight tree. The winding tree is also shrounded in dark particles, which might be Death Blight flies.
I think ziostorm had a good idea of what it is, saying it could be like in miquelas dream and that that’s the erd tree being strangled by something else
Atlus Bloom - "Said to be a funereal flower in an era long past, before the Erdtree grew."
I believe this could be a bloom field. I'm currently looking into the crucible for the significance of the Tree but I feel like everything is already in game
Can't wait to learn more about lil homie. Miquela is for sure one of the most interesting and enigmatic characters in ER.
Bless you for actually getting up and doing this in the middle of the night lol
Yes! Theory #1 is amazing and would prefer that one so much more.
I can’t believe this is a year old I hope they release some info around the anniversary
I thought it obvious that it kinda shows there is two tree，the main one with gold stuff on it ，and one other tree that is climbing the main tree。
I say that tree over there is the Haligtree before being turned into the Haligtree (The Helphen where spirits travel to rest.) The Candle Stick that appear as ghosts around the map appear physically around the Haligtree and that symbol (Canddle-tree design) has been said in game to be a cardinal sin. Now knowing that Miquella is Torrents former master explains their gift to us to summon spirits. Also something that is curious to me is Miquella's connection to castle sol and the eclipse, a lot of their spells are Rings of light similar to how an eclipse creates a ring of light and the sun holds the spirits of the dead (just how the dung eaters armor is decorated with a sun and he holds souls) idk all of this might be nonsense but I wanted to share. Can't wait for more videos have a good one!
Thank you for continuing to create and pioneer a corner of the lore community that feels like a safe space for the queer and non-cismale. No one can touch your level of expertise. I haven’t been in college for three years now and your videos are the closest thing i can find that recreates the feeling of being in a lecture done by someone who exudes passion for the subject. I had no idea who you were until you “returned” to UA-cam and I am so thankful to have found you.
It looks to me that the tree has been burned, you can kinda see the ashes falling from it
It looks like a twin tree constricting the Erdtree, squeezing the golden sap (life) out of it. Serpentine imagery, but it's a tree. Can't be coincidence.
The most exciting thing about this image to me is that it's of a wide open field. Part of me was still worried they'd go back to Dark Souls style DLC and just give us a new legacy dungeon, but after showing us torrent in a big open field as the promotional image, that would be kind of an insane thing to do.
Its either Marika riding towards a dragon infected erdtree before the erdtree
Or its Miquella and idk maybe we aint getting him in a prequel lol
The "O" In "Shadow of the erdtree" resembles the Mending Rune of the Death-Prince. So there's probably going to be some cool Godwyn and deathroot stuff :)
Isnt there something about an eclipse of which miquella would obtain enough gold from the sun to cleanse milenias rot and outgod interferance. Perhaps the darkness is related to the eclipse. Maybe the gold on the tree is the gold he collected from the sun? Just some guessing
Spill the lore tea for us icon 💃🏻
The graves and the lack of stake of Marika makes me think this is before the erdtree was a thing
SmoughTown speculated it’s the Haligtree in the background watered by his blood but since he’s in the dreamscape it appears as gold liquid to him.
The tree itself has a humanoid figure, in a rather uncomfortable/painful position.
Just a thought, what if they cut the references that directly confirm Miquella to be St. Trina because they wanted them to be two separate but singular entities, ala Radagon and Markia. Miquella may be the lifeless form in the cocoon, and St. Trina may be character oft depicted in game as small and fair haired, or vice versa.
I'm not trying to over share, but I was watching another video about this while pooping and was thinking to myself "MAN I hope Quelaag does a video cause it is gonna be 'bossome'" and well yeah here we are :D
LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOOO
I definitely agree about all you've said. One thing I find strange is the Ranni and Miquella implied connection. Lots of people are saying that Miquella must be the former master of Torrent that Ranni mentions when she gives you the whistle ring. She says she was tasked by that master to find you and therefore presumably Ranni and that master are on amicable if not friendly terms. However, the eclipse and epitaph sword all point to Miquella trying to either kill Godwyn's body, so he dies a proper death, or perhaps even resurrect him. But it was Ranni that orchestrated Godwyn's killing in the first place, she deliberately targeted him. So why would Miquella and Ranni be on good terms? Why would he have given Ranni Torrent's whistle ring? Ranni has a completely separate agenda with her Age of Stars plan, which must be at odds with Miquella's Haligtree and Unalloyed Gold plans. If it is true that Miquella is Torrent's former master and gave the whistle ring to Ranni, I can only think that either Ranni was like 'sorry for killing our brother, I owe you a favour you can call in any time' and passing on Torrent was that favour, or Miquella was in the disguise of St Trina and perhaps bargained with Ranni that she pass on the whistle ring in exchange for some sleep magic knowledge (hence how she puts Kale and his donkey to sleep). Whether Ranni would be fooled by the St Trina disguise or not, I'm not sure. But it will be fascinating to find out if Ranni and Miquella did make a deal about Torrent.
To me, it looks like the elden beast (in meteor/big ass space rock form) just hit the world and marika is travelling there to find out what it is or just to become the godess we know, the braids could be something that Miquella wanted to have aswell to "mimic" or honor Marika, even if I at the same time want to think that its Miquella depicted in the photo. The hype is real either way!
I wonder if Miquella's Haligtree wasn't actually a failure and the location in game is the husk of its victim and the Haligtee is actually a strangler fig. So the Spiral World tree looking thing in the picture could actually be the Erdtree infected with Miquella's Haligtree.
My speculation is that this is the spirit world of the dead or some variation of it. It fits with some Greek mythologies about the afterlife being a field of wheat, and Miquella’s association with death makes sense. I also can’t get past the idea that the shadow being referred to is the tree in true artwork itself, being a sort of “erdtree” for the dead. Not a literal shadow but a symbolic one. I’m probably wrong, in fact we’re all probably wrong but it’s fun to spitball lmao
Theres a candle tree like shield that is at the church you get the fundamentalists stance at
if we do end up going to the past at some point I hope we get to explore that area between Mountaintops and the Dragonbarrow before it was destroyed, cuz there’s sufficent evidence that there used to be land there long ago. It’d make sense for the DLC to take place there, considering the fact that it woukd be in the “Shadow of the Erdtree.”
Godwyn in his dream could be seeing his physical body, the tree, and is using his “soul” body in the sleep world
It's happening!!!
That landscape looks like it could be the forbidden lands before it was snowy. Which makes me think we are indeed looking at Miquella and the Haligtree, imo!
We still have to battle the last two Demigods aka Godwyn and Miquella going to save Godwyn Deathblight corrupt from decaying the Erdtree.