The MAJOR Plot Point Of Elden Ring DLC | Lore Theory
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- Опубліковано 3 чер 2024
- #eldenring #darksouls #gaming
Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree Gameplay Trailer just dropped and its packed FULL of information. We breakdown hidden details from in the DLC gameplay trailer. Elden Ring is a 2022 action role-playing game developed by FromSoftware. It was directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki with worldbuilding provided by fantasy writer George R. R. Martin.
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0:00 Intro
1:10 Erdtree Monk
2:25 Statues
3:27 The Crucible
5:10 Marika Theory
7:11 Further Details
8:27 Conclusion
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Music:
Metroid Prime OST - Ігри
Elden ring hitting 100k+ peak player counter on steam alone is INSANE
Shows how popular & beloved the game is because the DLC is not even out yet, its just dedicated fans prepping for the DLC. It's not a live service either & the DLC trailer has the highest number of likes any Bandai namco or From soft video has ever got
When DLC arrives it'll probably be over 500k
I am one of the many tarnished. Picked up on a previous run and finished the Madness ending finally to 100% the game. Bout to start my Second Journey...
Almost platinumed the game myself lmao. Never done that before. Just gotta finish the frenzy ending and then find the last legendary talisman and that's it.
Hell yea it will! If anyone reading this wants coop/pvp and whatnot lemme know (ps5) none of my homies play lol 🤙
@@thecrypticstenchI second this tarnished, anyone feel free to call on me for co-op or pvp (got the game platinumed and just finished a brand new character for the dlc) so I’m spending my time helping other tarnished warriors get through challenges or get through the game faster to make their dlc build. Also have every weapon/talisman/armour like 3 times over lol
@@wrathofthegods4739 same I’ve had the plat for over a year, already finished my prep for Shadow but can’t stop playing lol
I think the homie is Rosus. His broach resembles the swirling stone heads of the Erdtree burial watchdog staves. They guard catacombs, Rosus points to those. Him being an old man, like the hunched back Rosus, makes me think this is the same guy. One could also point to him as a sort of Hades figure (the death ritual spear branch, the association with catacombs and death), the watchdogs evoking Cerberus, the tibia mariners Charon the Ferryman. The woman behind him in the painting perhaps being a Persephone figure? Marika as a Christian metaphor would make sense in coming after these potentially Greek inspired figures
I caught the watchdog thing also.
That’s an interesting idea
I like this. There is a lot of push back on the female figure not being Marika because she has strands of dark hair. I don’t think that alone is to say it’s not Marika.
There's about zero chance of that, these two have nothing in common, the old man isn't hunched or elongated And Rosus is clearly an avatar of death of sorts, nothing about the old man suggests any of this, not his tattered clothes or anything in the painting either and if he is the botanist figure, well then i guess that would settle that.
@@john-paul3271marika's hair turns red when she becomes radogan so no idea why people wouldn't believe her hair colour could change when theres already a precedent set
The “wicked golden spike” sure looks a lot like the golden structure inside of the Elden Beast when it stands up tall.
The Erdtree Monk is in my walls
The Erdtree Monk is in my balls.
The fact that the erdtree has a "primordial form" means more than i think we give the line credit for.
thats Marikas dad and she used him to grow the Elden Ring
Elden Fertilizer
Tbh I think it really may be Marika’s parents. I’m not sure about the tree theory but I think her or the Greater Will smote him.
Okay
same theory, she is trying to birth a god baby kinda like fia, i swear this woman had her lands between explored too much
The object seemingly growing from him does slightly resemble the elden ring
I want to point out, the monk has been "impaled" by the yellow spike(I also think it's an amber from the shadow tree, either that or peanut brittle). Maybe the spikes is a punishment from Messmer, he is called the Impaler.
Yeah, I was about to write that, but stopped cause I guessed it was pretty obvious. Damn, not only impaled, but also blood eagled.
But is he punishing those who threaten to interfere with whatever power gives Marika her Godhood? Is the impaling just a means to prevent them from returning to threaten the status quo again? Could Mesmer be a brother of Marika tasked with defending the source of her power in a land that's hidden away. How has the shattering affected things?
I think we are the knight of Miquella ...Torrent was gifted to us and one the sword of Miquella has no owner. We either serve him willingly or we are controlled by him since the beginning.
Wrong tho the ranni ending you choose to be her champion and she ushers in a age of stars
@anarche4900 There's a theory Miquella manipulated and/or conspired with Ranni the entire time or atleast helped her achieve the night of black knives which fits into his eclipse plot.
@@anarche4900 Ranni proababaly worked together with Miquella
@@MrVictor1227however Miquella was known to have loved his brother and there is no way he would have agreed to destroying him like that.
@@liamwright2510 Yeah, Ranni and Miquella are connected via Torrent and the Bell that Summons spirits in my opinion. But He definetly didn't knew about Ranni plan to kill Godwym
I have a theory:
On the painting at 1:42 I had to think of the Mona Lisa. The reason she has her arms crossed and is a litte bit chubby is because she is pregnant. She is also wearing a veil and that particular type of veil was worn by pregnant women at that time. The woman on the painting in the trailer is wearing a veil too and reminds me of the Mona Lisa. With this reference in mind and Mogh saying 'welcome to the birth of our new dynasty' I think he means the birth of a new god. Because Marikas dynasty eventually started with her becoming a goddess we maybe witness the birth of a new god. The last pictures of the trailer could show this moment because we see this radiant figure (it is 99% Miquella) lifting it's arm to the tree and there is no veil. This could mean that the pregnancy is over and the new god is born.
Probs to the youtuber Incognito Mode for his video 'Even Fancier: Paintings' who spoke about Mona Lisa, her pregnancy and the veil.
I actually thought that the Land of Shadow was linked to the Lands Between in an "as above, so below" sense, and that the Lion Dancer was supposed to be an embodiment of the Golden Lineage. The lion itself would embody Godfrey, of course. The lightning it wields would represent Godwyn the Golden at his peak, and the smokey breath it spews would represent Godwyn at his nadir. It also has horns on the forehead, symbolizing Morgott.
I pre ordered a day after the trailer and now I’m re playing on a fresh save in preparation. we are all hungry for the largest dlc for the best game series
The spike the monk is impaled with also looks like the candlesticks those guys are carrying in the trailer in the scene with the reverse grip curved swords
Correct. Both the candlesticks being held by the enemies AND the stake that is impaling the monk are made of the exact same material. If you zoom in, they both are made up of crystals - signifying a relation between these items
Seeing it here in slow motion, it actually looks like this monk character is pulling a great rune out of his body. Like a piece of the elden ring that had become separate.
It looks a lot like the candlestick we see another enemy holding in another part of the trailer, which itself seems to be a reference to the candletrees in the base game. The Candletree Wooden Shield says the design is forbidden because it represents the cardinal sin (burning the Erdtree). Curious that the design would show up in the Land of Shadows. It does look a little different, but that's easily explained by cultural drift.
If it is a piece of the Elden Ring, then it may have been necessary to remove it in order to establish the Erdtree. Restoring it might to the Ring might require burning the tree.
@@Greywander87I would guess that Messmer was responsible for the first burning of the Erdtree.
That Actually Makes A Lot Of Sense. I Was Of The Mind When I First Saw The Trailer That It Is A Sacred Blade. But I Like This Idea Much Better. Imagine Havin' To Fight A Boss Brandishing Another Piece Of The Elden Ring!? Not A Shardbearer With A Shard, But A Huge Chunk Of The Elden Ring Like We Have Seen In Farum Azula! And How Cool Would It Be If This Boss Fight Had Variations Based On Whether We Have Already Beaten The Game!? For Instance, Many People Have Started New Tarnished Journeys, So That They May Go Through The Land Of Shadows Prior To Attaining The Elden Ring. While Others May Be On Several NG+ Journeys & Have Already Attained (Mended) The Elden Ring & Will Then Travel To The Land Of Shadows.
Very Very Exciting!
I really think the few seconds we see of the impaled monk is from the intro to the final boss of the DLC. It seems like such an intentional parallel to Marika's crucifixion before the final battle of the base game.
I agree that the monk is probably tied to the birth of the Erdtree and think he's probably a sacrificial figure. Sacrificial kings are a huge topic in George Frazer's The Golden Bough, a work on mythology and religion that has a lot of influence on ER (the Finger Reader in Deeproot Depths even uses the phrase "golden bough" verbatim).
It’s also just so gnarly I don’t see it being anything other than some kind of boss intro
The fact that Godfrey and his crucible knights knew about and used the power of the crucible could also explain why Queen Marika exiled them, while also planning to bring them back as a contingency plan should she need them in the future.
I think the monk seems a lot like the father of the erdtree possibly marikas father I think the way it portrays the "monk" almost looks as if the impalement was self inflicted showing sacrifice rather than punishment marikas father sacrificed himself as the vessel for the erdtree to bloom
has anyone talked about how Eleanora is dressed pretty much exactly like messmer? Just faced her again for the first time in years since im setting up my 2nd playthrough for SotET and was realized how much they look alike
It's because Eleonora wears the Drake Knight Set, and Messmer's armor looks very similar to that set. Which makes sense because of his seeming association with dragons.
There seems to be an apparent link between dragon communion and volcano/snakes. The result of too much dragon communion is become a MAGMA wyrm.
@@blegoin2662or a dragonkin
More like an exiled soldier with draconic accents and a helmet.
Pretty sure the exiled are actually his soldiers and the helmet reflecting his winged serpents.
Here within a minute stop playin
I see you bwah
@@omari6301I see thee tarnished
NO! Im still playing, Im addicted to starting as a Hero, it lets u use the Guts GS and Dragon Breath incantaitions while only levelling up Vigor ❤
Ok? Idc? Ok? Idc?
@@itsm9818 stop playin
Countin tha days bro countin tha days!!❤
Didn’t notice the blood bursts out of his neck. It’s so disgusting, I love it.
There are spikes embedded in his head. That tree-thing isn't coming out without taking his head with it.
@@Greywander87Probably a leave it in till you see a doctor situation imo
Gruesome as fuck in the best way possible
@@Greywander87 Def looks like he is in the process of self decapitation, neck's lookin mighty stretched
I be watching these videos and playing the game at the same time. I'm trying to do all I can before the DLC drops. Thank you for this video.
Imma guess, the people in the painting are Marika's parents, if the land of shadow was were she first set foot, could interpret it as the place she was born.
It's a good argument, I would go so far as to say that in the DLC's promotional image it's not Miquella in it but rather Marika since the veil doesn't exist in the sky and the architecture of the city just below the tree doesn't seem to exist, at least not the big structure that the tree sap fell
Looking at the spiked ‘rib cage’ that the monk has looks awfully similar to the rib cage of the Elden Beast
I just wanna say, outside of the content. You are very consistent and the way you run your Channel is admirable, offering lifestyle change and better health over simply reselling your content or offering videos earlier very cool. Good stuff keep it up
what if marika took a branch from the shadow tree and brought it to the lands between, planted it, and it grew into the erdtree? this is a thing that trees can do in real life and that would explain the leaking sap from the shadow tree, as well as why miyazaki said the shadow land is the birthplace of the golden tree. not only that, but it would explain why miquella’s haligtree failed, because he grew it from a seed, rather than taking a branch from the shadow tree back to the lands between. thus in the dlc he would try again, this time he would go to the shadow land and take a branch, so that he could try and make a new erdtree??
Not to mention the black crevice of the erdtree near Morgott and the throne!
I believe that the DLC will be very heavily focused on the idea of the Fire's Deadly Sin and its relation to Destined Death. Enia already offers us a peak about it: "The Rune of Death goes by two names; the other is Destined Death. The forbidden shadow, plucked from the Golden Order upon its creation..."
The statues with the flowers in roundtable hold, the tree the buds are on looks a lot like the death rite bird spear.
Dude, the cloth physics and lighting on the monk's garb, it might be the most impressive shot in the trailer.
Also, if you see the Monk in the DLC, kind of has that symbol of the small closing circles and big ones outside, if you can picture it. I am talking about the symbol in the TAKER's CAMEO.
Man… the Metroid prime music alone got me to sub. First time watching one of your videos and can already tell this is a good channel.
The dark golden glow of the spike is very reminiscent of the underdeveloped tree that is growing in the Minor Erdtree Church in the capital outskirts. So i could totally see it being wood from a tree.
Loving these new ideas 😍
I'm using pto on the 21st-25th for some dlc grinding
Great stuff, really enjoying these speculation vids leading up to the DLC. One minor thing I noticed which probably has little to do with anything but I though was cool anyway, in the scene showcasing the new throwing dagger weapon, there's a large cloth with a dark colour and gold trim dangling from a building on the left side of the screen. I thought it looked familiar and upon returning to the game I realized it's very similar to the dark cloth with gold trim that's draped above Gurranq in the Bestial Sanctum, not quite a perfect match but very similar.
Just a thought: The image of this monk pulling these golden thorns from his body is kind of evocative of when the Elden Ring is shown in Merika's body at the end of the game.
those branches the monks are holding remind me a lot if the death ritual spear
A lot of mausoleum knights and lilies in elden ring point to the ocean behind the shaded castle and shade is a synonym for shadow
Fantastic video! Was wondering if you have thought about the Candletree Shield you get in the Sage's Cave? It seems like the enemy in the trailer attacked by the Tarnished using reverse grip daggers is holding a candle shaped exactly like it. Considering that shield describes a cardinal sin it makes that enemy extremely interesting.
alright, whusgowinawhn guys?
The sword of milos is a kings field and shadow tower reference. It was there as well. Its an hp drain sword that looks like a fishs spine.
Grants FP after kills and has native bleed buildup. The Ash of war is a roar that destroy enemy defensive stats, boost attack damage and changes heavy attacks to chain attacks with high poise.
@@SecretMarsupial so thats what it does now. Havent played ER. But its similar.
The man from the DLC you keep calling a monk, I don't think is a monk. I think it's more likely he was a noble, and is wearing a cloak. That is what the broach is holding closed. Plus, monks usually didn't get portraits painted, especially ones with a woman beside him. Again, that's something nobles did. Whether the lady is his wife or daughter, we don't have enough information to say.
1:04 nothing like seeing a good old gym ad
i taught the Golden spikes running through that monk looks like the spiked fragments from the elden ring like the ones seen inside of marika`s hammer
I feel like there's a good chance you get one of the martial arts from the monk/around their legacy dungeon
Fuck I can’t waiiiiiit
Just started a play through again with the intention of a thorough completion to have a very well equipped character for the DLC
I have a theory. You talked about how it could be possible that marika achieved godhood in the land of shadows. Maybe when you go to the land of shadows you become an empyrean and if you do something specific there you become a god
Or you're there to help miquella achieve godhood. He does look pretty god like at the end of the trailer and he is an empyrean
Empyreans in ER are being born solely of a God. Basically a God mating with themselves. You have the be born an empyrean as far as we know.
The reason the trees in the tree-tender statues look like the spikes on the death ritual spear is because the death ritual spear is based on real life weapons such as the seven-branched sword and branched spears like the langxian 狼筅, which are described as branched precisely due to the resemblance to a branching tree. Langxian were sometimes even made to directly resemble branching vegetation with blades as the leaves.
The spikes coming out the sides reminds me of the Helphen Steeple
When you first get to Marika, the red "spear" in her. Is that from Mesmer? Same color and all, plus Mesmer the "Impaler".
the things in that deathblight swamp that are on the floor look more like the tips of fingers, it's most likely one of those big hand enemies
To me it looks like the same gold that Marika is crucified on. Like he’s been smote by the Greater Will or even Marika
This makes me think that maybe the erdtree burials are a facade for sacrifices needed in order for the erdtree to stay alive. Maybe the erdtree needs bodies to grow and these “monks” are kind of vessels for minor erdtrees just like Miquella gives his body to feed his tree. If so, the rune of death being cast out is actually the plot against the erdtree/golden order. The golden order needing the tree to “survive” (as faith/gods dies by being forgotten) the tree would had to die first. If there were a cult of believers who would give themselves as vessels, would make sense for the monks to have a deathbed companion or even a lineage carrier (since we don’t know what role the woman in the painting represents. Could be both, could be Merika, could be how the first demigod was born, by the grace given as a gift to the first vessel). I really like this theory. It makes a lot of sense.
Seems like his golden robes once resembled what Corhyn’s robe would’ve looked like, he even has what looks like a blindfold over his left eye.
Those bound Bodies in the swamp kind of remind me of those one eyed stones gathered by the evergaols
This theory is doing doing leaps and jumps with the flimsiest of "evidence"
It’s called speculation. It’s fun. You boring lookin ass silly goose lookin ass goofy goober lookin ass welcome to the salty spittoon how tough are ya lookin ass
1:49 huge point that Vaati made. The seal the old man wears in the picture is of Gideon the all knowing. It’s his eye seal
Hi Ziostorm great video as always. But I don't know why not one lore analysis creators get the launch date hint of June 21
It looks like head head is being severed as he pulls the thorn blade out. Voluntary decapitation or obscuring the head is usually used as a symbol of devotion/obedience in From soft games. Literally sacrificing himself to draw out the sapling
I think you have cracked it my lad.
I noticed thst there is a 4th kind of butterfly, although it cannot be looted. They are pink, bright pink, very distinct from the rest. As far as I know, they can only be found in inside the Haligtree, just as you enter inside the tree.
That decorative broch might be the eye of St.Trina on the torch
A crucible is a vessel to contain extreme heat in metal working. The giants forge connects both to volcano Manor, and the frenzied flame.
Regarding the version of the bald man with sapling on the Altus Plateau, the buds on the surrounding plants are what un-opened sunflower buds look like.
So we finally will meet " may chaos take the world " guy
I never noticed those statues in Roundtable Hold. I actually really like the comparison of the growing tree to the Death Ritual Spear. If you read its description, it mentions that there were priests that could walk amongst and protect the Deathrite birds, and that they would eventually be resurrected. Well, if the Land of Shadow is where Marika became a god, then it would make sense that these priests were still around since there was no Erdtree. As we know, the Erdtree originally was where souls went after death to be reborn, before Marika removed Destined Death from the Elden Ring.
This could make the growing tree with the alternating branches a symbol of rebirth from the founding of the Golden Order, based on the Death priest ritual spears. Now, I don’t know who this person was, but let’s say that Marika wanted to punish him, then trapping him in immortality and preventing him from resurrecting would be a great way to do that. The thorn branch is also golden, maybe alluding to the fact that it was Marika who put it there.
Ziostorm is reaching HARD today. Love to see it.
At about 8 20, i think those are hand spiders waiting for you to walk on the
I'd love to be a strength build ambassador (when I get back to making content and my personal training certificate 😅). Really great idea, huge fan
The golden stake looks a lot the Elden Ring Rune stuff (Specifically the roots parts in the old Farum Azula one maybe). The the material looks a lot like amber, maybe Erdtree or Crucible sap?
The priest broach kinda looks like the fire giants eye when he opens it
I don't know if you noticed this, but the fire monk camps and the giants in the mountaintops have spears that look like Messmer's weapon. Maybe messmer has influenced the events that took place in the lands between?
The monks face seems covered by branches in front of dectus. Just a small detail that seems to make sense if it's the same dude.
that erdtree monks broch looks a bit similar like the one which holds the feathers on the Raptor armor
Shadow work is big in psychology . The Centered Tarnished has the best lore videos i lve seen . And hes super lowkey
The guy with the sword in his body if u pay close attention it fit perfectly with the elden ring symbol.
Miquela's Haligtree is quite literally an attempt to replace the Erd Tree. And the Haligtree is clearly missing one of its two trunks. I wonder if that missing trunk has been taken to the land of shadows and might even be related to the second tree encircling the Erd Tree.
the spikes going through him looks like it fits the bottom of the start screen
The golden branch inside the monk looks to me to be part of the old elden ring seen in Maliketh's boss arena. Maybe the monk houses it like Radagon/Marika does.
Also, really cant believe nobody else has pointrd this out in 2 years, but the sapling from the statue of baldy has its branches growing in sn srrangement almost identical to the death ritual spear. Meaning its likely tied to, or in fact is, the Helphen
You know he said that already in this video right?
@@XTheJenovaProjectX yeah I basically hit send the moment he mentioned it lol, didn't feel like editing it. It's still something that took entirely too long tho, the evidence of snakes and the Helphen/deathbirds being 2 elements of the same pre-erdtree culture has been suggested by so many lore theories from people way smarter snd better and videogame detective than me, yet nobody has really managed to connect those dots. Until now, anyways, with the dlc confirming the direction the story and lore are going. But the evidence was there already, although (for me at least) it required nearly 2 years of sporadic deep dives into literature exploring the esoteric and arcane, particularly the history, practices, imagery and philosophies pertaining to ancient Israelite, early Christian/gnostic, Roman (both "pagan" and what would become catholic) and to a lesser extent medieval and rennaisssnce European cultures. This would include things like hermeticism, alchemy, astrology, and kabbalah. I'm sure there was an easier way of arriving at these conclusions (like, just giving the most mysterious enemies/characters/areas a thorough examination), but then I wouldn't have had the fun of discovering entire branches of history and knowledge I otherwise would probably never have learned about
@@Coast2CoastFlyin yeah man i mean all the info you need is in item descriptions, dialogue and environmental story telling.
The “erdtree monk” looks quite alot like how morgot does after we defeat him and his omen features are expelled. Dont know if this may have any connections but they looked similar
OK, check it out: Radagon is a mimic. But he's the mimic of a god, so he's got more powers than our mimic and the way it works is slightly different too. Marika was a Numen, with ties to the Nox, who tried using mimic tears to create an Elden Lord. Marika actually succeeded in this, but she had to keep it a secret, so her mimic doesn't look like her, but it's how they're the same person. Marika created the mimic to be in multiple places at the same time (like fighting the Carians in one place, while holding down the Order in another place). Her mimic, Radagon, was semi permanent (unlike ours) and he developed his sense of self over time, which lead to things like marrying Rennala. It may have also lead to creating the albinaurics (ties to the Nox) and the misbegotten (in ages past), like the red haired warrior type, one of which wields Radagon's sword. This also may have led to Radagon mating with a dragon (long ago) and producing offspring. Offspring that has dragon eyes (like when we partake in the dragon communion) and has winged serpents surrounding him. Offspring who Marika would not necessarily approve of, yet keep around, since it's basically her offspring. If not that, then Messmer is the child of the Gloam Eyed Queen and Placidusax, with the GEQ being the god to whom Placidusax acted as consort and Elden Lord. This also explains the dragon eyes, as well as the statue in Maliketh's arena of the little girl and three wolves, as well as the biggest godskin fight happening in Farum Azula. Could also explain why Messmer's fire looks like the fire of Destined Death.
This is good!
We're finally going to get answers about the gloam eyed queen. The land of shadow looks dusky....like the gloam of twilight during the finsl light of the setting sun. The GEQ was an empyrean, and the god before marika, not a would-be usurper. Hence why the GEQ and the godskins (who are heavily tied to snakes) had access to the rune of death, which was still part of the elden ring until AFTER her defeat by Malekith, whereupon it was removed by Marika
I still hope we are gonna interact with Godwyn somehow,I really love him as a character.Maybe his soul is drifting in the land of shadows...
On another note, if someone knows the chanting music in the background of the video at 2:25 please let me know. I know it's the Metroid Prime Ost but I can't find that specific track.
Why is nobody talking about the sunface of the giant cauldron monster, and how the dung eater has the same exact thing on his armor... they're connected in some way I bet
If you look at 1:59 the veil kinda cast a shadow over the lands like a skull
I would like to hear your thoughts on the intertwined trees and their nature
You definitely need check out Tarnished Archeologist's video on IRL tree grafting and the Erdtree if you haven't already as I think there's a lot there that'll be relevant to this video. I think your idea of Marika cutting off the Land of Shadow to stop others from getting their own Erdtree sapling to challenge hers is right on the money though. Miquella seems to have two motivations from what we know: grow his own Erdtree, and save his brother from living in death. Maybe both are linked and the only answer is for Miquella to go there and create his own Erdtree in the Land of Shadow? Then he becomes god of life and death and can save Godwyn?
maybe the erdtree monk was the friends we made along the way
Current recipe:
Erdree has subduing presence- as long as it exists, there can be only one?
Strangling tree in land of shadow is a second attempt by miquella to grow an Erdtree, but instead of completely separate, it’s parasitizing the Erdtree as its shadow.
Similarity to death ritual spear with the sap idea (along with the design of other things tied to various implementations of “death”) could imply the rune of death’s power is shared with objects of similar shape, essentially The Shape of Death. The forking design of the shadow tree could then mean its purpose is to essentially kill and subsume the Erdtree, directly stealing whatever was missing from the haligtree attempt.
Everyone is assuming the coiled tree is harming the Erdtree in some way, but how do we know it's not actually supporting the Erdtree or holding it up, possibly even keeping it alive? For all we know they could have a symbiotic relationship.
This theory actually makes a lot of sense. Miquella is following his mothers footsteps as we are following his. He needs whatever she used to become a God. It's a nice tie in.
It also fits into my own theory that the land of shadow represents things best left forgotten. Marika has skeletons in her closet and this is where she keeps them. Whether it be the crucible, sources of blasphemy, a child born of wedlock, and now the source of godhood.
its not just some golden spike its a huge golden(sword?) knife like the black knife
And the Sacred Ritual Blade made of Radagon's body, which is the same shade of gold
The Crucible was never a soup to begin with. It was the primordial form of the Erdtree, before that Marika removed the rune of death from the Elden ring. At his birth, the erdtree was orange like the crucible spells and became gold after the removal of the red death.
Have not kept up with the comments and speculation so I'm sure loads of people have pointed this out - but the spikes in the old boy look very similar to sections of the Elden Beast's skeleton. Dunno what that means - but I wonder if what we're seeing with the old guy there is the birth of an Erd Tree. We already know Miquella tried to grow the Haligtree from his own body - what if the way Erd trees are grown is with some of this crucible sap / light impaled through a sacrificial victim - and their body becomes almost a host for the tree to grow off?
The statues (monks) in roundtable hold that are holding those spiked trees with the buds - the trees resemble the death ritual spear! Connection?
The branches on the statues look like the 7 branch sword
Makes me wonder if The land of Shadows is where Melina comes from? She appears to us burned and bodiless as if she did the same thing Ranni and Mequella did: divesting themselves of their flesh and free up their spirit to move about unimpeded by the Greater Will.
The Golden spike in the monk to me looks like the elden ring itself or at least the bottom portion of each circle.
I might be crazy but every time I see the new "lion" boss with the breath attack I could swear I see 3 guys standing on each other. When he does the breath attack and spins I swear there is a guy hunched over with someone else standing on him and another on top of that guy.