Just wanted to quickly say here that the response to the last Prepare to Cry video was insane guys, thank you. Over 5k comments and almost all of them are exceedingly positive. We're very glad that you liked it, and your feedback inspires us to continue!
The detail of the trolls having empty stomachs after losing the blessing of the Giants God is one of those incredible moments in Fromsoft games where things just click in the lore and you get a eureka rush. so cool
You know whats pretty ironic in the setting? The rise of rot once the fire giants are gone. The redmanes in caelid found out fire is useful in stopping the spread. Perhaps by defeating the giants they unknowingly invited the sealed rot back into the world, unchecked.
True.biologically Rot rises on warm conditions, maybe on the lands between the Fire was a natural element of the lands and sealing it was a mistake led to the scarlet rot scattering across the lands
A cool detail about the Night's Cavalry. The one in the weeping peninsula drops AOW: Barricade shield which references someone named Sir Neidhardt. We never meet them, but we do find a shield that naturally has barricade shield on a dead body at the top of the tower next to where you fight the Cavalry. Kind of like how the one in Liurnia drops ice spear, "skill of the warriors who served Lunar Princess Ranni", the one in Altus drops shared order "of the Golden Order fundamentalist knights". It's almost as if your reward for killing them are the skills of champions they have defeated.
That part about the 16 crucible knights who served Godfrey wandering the lands between is just such a cool detail. I remember coming across my first crucible knight in the underground area. There is one standing on the edge of a broken bridge, and my first thought was how he seemed to be a knight without purpose, who is simply watching time go. Its so cool to know that my initial feelings seem to be correct. And how there is one who chose to betray the erdtree, storytelling like this really layers the lore of the world.
11:40 I think Morgott may actually protect Stormveil because Godrick is at the end of the day one of Morgott's last remaining family members from Golden Lineage. And the way he called each of the Demigods in his intro is filled with different emotions and the only one he seems to truly hate is Rykard while when he says the names of other Demigods he seems more caring. With Radahn there is clear respect, with Ranni there is a mournful tone to his voice and there is a slight nostalgic and tragic feel to when he names Miquella and Malenia. He even uses Godrick's actual title unlike everyone else. It seems to me that he truly loved them, but calls them traitors out of being hurt over their betrayal. Even the Night Cavalry that we meet in Snowfield are PROTECTING the carriage containing sword of Malenia's master that rides towards the Haligtree.
@@Lepoetism I make usually one VERY long comment about Morgott about his lore. In summary his lore is EXTREMELY tragic and sad and he is probably the saddest character in Elden Ring. And he is also my absolute favorite.
@@AzraelSoulHunter tbh he was way way way cooler in the beta version than the final one i mean he was the third elden lord and in a high chance he married his mom and he was known as "the fake lord" not because he is not a real elden lord (he is an elden lord in that version) but because he was an omen he was so much loved (that's a grrm work right here)
@@kaiserdetectivegolden2735 Wait wha? Beta version? I don't know about that. But yeah, I can tell GRRM had A LOT to do with Morgott (his name also implies that since George is a big Tolkien fan). Morgott is basically like combination of Tyrion and Stannis. Someone deformed, hated by many, loved by few, but someone who will do his duty no matter what, no matter how thankless people of Lands Between may be.
@@nekotrashwillnyanforcash I see that name as hubris. Many empires like to depict themselves as eternal. The eternal cities do have a bit of a thing around seeing themselves as gods, as they seek to create new life in their image.
“History is written by the victors” could be an apt phrase to describe why Giants are spoken of so negatively in item descriptions and in the storyline of the game.
Weeeell..as a history major, i do have to say thats a very inaccurate and largely misleading term. Does it happen? Of course, the US towards the natives, the Romans about the Carthaginians. But in modern day we know what's true and what was narrative. It's usually only horribly biased when it's religious or racially motivated, or to excuse expansion, which gives incentive to lie or twist things. But history is written by historians haha..real history uses primary and secondary sources, and are peer reviewed. Usually when people tout an alternate take on things it's nonsense, like the "states rights" crap for the civil war to censor slavery being the main factor. Sometimes the opposite is true, like after operation paper clip for decades a lot of our information about ww2 and the soviets was actually curated by Nazi officers, the clean Wehrmacht myth, officers talking about imaginary close victories, or all the famous exagerrations about Dresden not being a military target, and it wasn't until the fall of the USSR and seeing their records we found out a lot of the info was BS. There isn't a cabal of powerful people who draw up history after winning, outside of authoritarian states, but that's not real history. But yes, in this context, with all powerful deities in control it's totally reasonable they'd demonize the giants and rewrite history. That's just a really frustrating famous statement that annoys history buffs haha. Potential History made a video about it a while ago, making similar points in a more cohesive way than me, can check it out.
@@KaladinVegapunk spoken like a individual who is maybe a year into their history program lol that’s pretty wild to dismiss that a majority of history even to this day is inherently shaped by those in power
Just another fact I'd like to bring attention to: the "Troll Hammer" weapons head is shaped and designed after the Fell God's eye. The concentric line of circles and the centre iris design are identical to the Fell God represented on the Giants chest.
It could play into that "slavery" role he mentioned. Ripped the eye from their chest and forced them to use its power to craft immensely powerful weapons.
Doing my first Playthru just in the last two weeks and hearing Ranalla say “oath sworn giant” in her 2nd phase and relating that to this into on the trolls it’s pretty cool to hear.
@@AndroidNoir-L06k Yeah most people took around 2 weeks to finish the game normally. Though I intentionally spent longer on my first playthrough. Started playing the same day the game came out and finished a month after. I explored LITERALLY every corner of the entire game, even if there's nothing there to be seen lol.
6:25 it's suddenly clear to me with this angle that the Trolls' hammer is modeled after the Fell God's eye we see in the chest of the Fire Giant with the large center pupil surrounded by smaller pupils on 8 sides.
I used a staff in my left hand, sent rocks from a distance (from the overlook at the Dragon Temple, where the Godskin Duo is fought) and pelted that one with rocks, while dodging the lightning.
The Stonedigger Trolls chapter is a truly fascinating example of analysis of architectural and environmental storytelling in both character design, text, and world design. Bravo!
I love how the automatic subtitles convert "Queen Marika" to "Queen America", leading to sentences like "when Queen America waged war against the fire giants"
Another point that seems to suggest the trolls are enslaved, is that the nox mirror helm (which Igi wears) is supposed to be, "Worn by those committed to high treason, it wards off the intervention of the Greater Will and its vassal Fingers." So like Blaidd, Iji was also a slave to the fingers, except he was able to break free.
That explains why Iji locked Blaidd in the Forlorn Hound Evergaol. Perhaps the Evergaol could cut off the influence of the Greater Will and the Fingers.
Oh man, I remember my first play through, I managed to go through blind fortunately, and I will never forget my experience with the secret path to Leyndell. I had learned that the black and orange drawing in the map indicated a mine was there, and I was looking for smithing stones and found the one at the base of the waterfall, I ventured up it, savouring the views as I ascended the mountain. After killing the magma wyrm with Tragoth, and going up the elevator, my jaw dropped when I saw the radiant erdtree, and the golden grass so close by, and the feeling of success and advancement I got when the Altus plateau name popped up on the screen. Probably my greatest gaming moment in my entire life.
I didnt know there was a lift you open with medallions... I stumbled upon that mine randomly and fought the wyrm who infuriated me because of area denial.
I think its very cool that the city of Leyndell eventually tolerated and even welcomed dragon worship. In previous souls games, due to their role as representations of an ancient chaotic age of stone and brutality, the dragons were all destroyed on sight, and worship of them was seen as twisted and corrupt. Now, in Elden Ring, a world whose central religion encircles a giant tree, literally a monument to the power of nature, the primordial worship of the ancient dragons is understood, and even encouraged by some. Even the great tree sentinels join the valor and defensive power of the Erdtree with the magical and chaotic fury of the old dragons.
I wouldn't say that trend in the Souls games is "due to their role as representations of an ancient chaotic age of stone and brutality." We know little about the dominion of the dragons in the Age of Ancients, and none of what we do know associates them with chaos or with brutal leadership. Rather, I'd say that trend is due to the dragons' role as emblems of an unattainable natural immortality in the Souls universe.
Not always. It seems to be the ancient dragons of Farum Azula in particular who are worshipped. The lesser dragons on the other hand… while some do practice dragon communion with them, it seems to be a “betrayal of self”, leading to the eventual transformation into a magma wyrm. It’s curious that such a distinction is made between worshipping each echelon of dragons.
I don’t think the dragons of ds1 represented chaos. I think they were more of a representation of stillness and eternity. They were called everlasting after all
I think it is really interesting that almost all of the Golden Order's enemies use some kind of fire, like Bloodflame, Giantsflame, Frenzied Flame, and even Black Flame. The symbolism of fire as the eternal enemy of a giant tree is pretty awesome world building if you ask me
My hope for the DLC is that we go back in time to the war with the giants and we see Hoarah Loux use his suplexes and powerbombs against those guys. That's absolutely canon.
Depend on if Miyazaki wants to do time travel DLC considering the dark souls series did that a lot with its DLC but done amazingly well, IDK maybe another area to explore that will give us more knowledge of the world
One possible explanation with the Erdtree vs Greattree situation (which I'm sure has been pointed out before) is that the Erdtree predates the Golden Order and the influence of the Greater Will, and was once a divinity in its own right. At that time, it was known as the Greattree, home to the Crucible of Life and served by the Crucible Knights. At some point, the Golden Order assimilated it (as it would later assimilate the Dragons, the Trolls, and the Stars). The Greattree became the Erdtree, the Crucible of Life was suppressed and declared unclean, and the Crucible Knights were assimilated into the Golden Order's service alongside their tree. Thus there was only ever one *physical* tree, but it went by two names and two different spiritual identities at different points in history
This is the best reasoning I have seen and this is also what I believe! The original tree was assimilated or transformed into the Erdtree by the Greater Will/Elden Beast/Marika.
I loved every single one of his Elden Ring videos, and they got longer and more detailed as time went on! Perfect for putting it in the background and exploring the corresponding areas as you listen along
@@Beeyo176 Ziostorm is underrated. but the funny thing about him is he cannot stop talking about mushroom, but I started to buy his claim after watching many of his videos.
In a DLC I would really love a small cinematic moment where you can't attack but get to walk through a portion of Leyndell before the war. I've always wanted to see in any of the games what the major cities would have looked like before ruin.
Interesting how the Crucible Knights' armour has the eye ornamentation on the chest - just coincidence that the torso-eye is native to the fire giants and trolls? As the Crucible Knights under Godfrey predated Marika and the Golden Order, could it be that they once served the Fell God too - which would be a Horah Loux thing to do - and would explain in part Marika's desire to marry and tame him (how audacious and insulting to the giants). Almost as if the Greater Will is *trolling* the other outer gods.
I dont know if its been mentioned yet, but a detail I think is just amazing are the rocks on the mountain tops. Some of them are a reddish brown because of the iron ore they contain. Of course smithing and forging was first practiced there.
19:25 I don't know if all ulcerated tree spirits have these red worm-like things attached to them but it has a striking resemblance to Mononoke Hime's corrupted Boar God. Their corruption coming from their uncontrollable rage also fits !
Torrent was directly inspired from Princess Mononoke, so I’d say it’s more than likely that other references permeate the game as well, great connection u made here btw
Elden Ring references Princess Mononoke a LOT. As old mate in the other reply said, Torrent is very reminiscent of the deer horse thing from Mononoke. The Ancestor Spirit and Elden Beast are also obvious references to the Deer God from that movie. I would not be at all surprised if Caelid was based on the Sea of Decay from Nausicaa
If you think about it The Ancient Heroes of Zamor's reason for fighting against the Fire Giants was because they chased off the Ice dragons, and considering the look of the Hero's scale like waist armor and their use of Ice tmagic, it looked like they once served or worshipped the Ice Dragons and their war with the Giant is just them Avenging them.
I love these videos. I am a busy Mom with 6 kids in our home and I don't get enough time to jump into my Elden Ring gameplay as often as I'd like and these videos are a great little way to fully still enjoy the game and learn a lot about the story it tells. Thanks for all the work you put into these 😁
@@tool46296 2 are from me and 4 from my husband's first wife. Nice big blended family and honestly, they are awesome kiddos so my job is mostly easy lol
Vaati! Something you should know that might be illuminating: pure gold (i.e., unalloyed gold) is reddish in color, not your stereotypical yellow-gold or white-gold. This seriously connects the Crucible Knights and their _notably_ reddish gold armor (described as related to the crucible of life) to Miquella's later concept of Unalloyed Gold! Miquella's Haligtree might be Miquella's attempt at recreating the Primordial Crucible, or the primordial and uncorrupted version of the Erdtree!
I don't believe that the Fell God's cruelty is something to lament since in many mythologies, divine cruelty is a form of imposing of authority. Maybe the Giants of the Flame have a drastically different system of beliefs in their culture, one that favors strength above kindness, one where the mighty rule, and imperfections most be hammered and tempered in flame like forging metal. This philosophy can be glanced through the so called descendants of the Giants, the Storm rulers of the Badlands. As Hoarah Loux states with his dying breath, a Crown is earned by Strength. Giants only respect that which is feared. The Fell God is not Fell and cruel without Reason, it is its way to be. Fire is cruel, but it can be mastered in metallurgy. It burns, but it enlightens and warms. The Fell God is fire, and Fire is Fell.
The fell god may seem uncaring, but if there was no death or competition in the lands between we would end up with a situation like DS3 with rampant stagnation. Just like forests near a volcano, the reason they are so vibrant is because the violent eruptions actually serve to replenish the forest after the destruction.
So overall; the Fire Giants went to war against the New World Order of gold-loving asshats - Got driven to near extinct over the differences between outer beings and the now sole survivor is forced to tend to the last lingering remains of their deity that reside in the realm alone until the end of his days. - Man... I thought we, Tarnished had it rough consider we got our asses banished but that is just slap on the wrist in comparison.
It seems that the Giants didn't like the Fell God judging by how the Fire Giant only resorts to using the Fell God's power when at his literal last leg and desperate. The Giants being the progenitors of smithing and having a friendly history with the ancient Astrologers points to them being a race of people who value crafting and studying, which is entirely contradictory to the wanton fiery destruction that their god seems to have a murderboner for. They worshipped it for the power it granted, but did not revel nor enjoy this power in any way, deciding to use this destructive power to create instead. Almost like spitting in the face (er, eye) of the Fell God by rejecting the ability to destroy and using this ability to instead pioneer crafting works of beauty and protection. It's quite interesting how the Golden Order consumed itself from its own fetishization of their gods, while the Giants being more sensible by not kowtowing to their god were a stable enough society to not fall apart from its own people. By not worshipping their god as perfect, they were sensible enough to be a society that pioneered progress kind of like how the ancient Greeks viewed their gods as flawed and not rolemodels, just representations of natural aspects that should be respected but not emulated.
Something interesting to consider is if in every case the Japanese translation is the most close to canon. In other From titles this is undisputable but for Elden Ring, because of George R. R. Martin's heavy involvement in shaping the world building and lore, I wonder if on occasion the English item descriptions or dialogue are closer to the truth.
@@simple120builds6 Is there any source that states GRRM wrote ALL the lore? as far as I know, he wrote the "base" lore, and Miyazaki and his team did the implementation into the game as a whole and expanded on it, and the item desc is written by Fromsoft, and translated into other languages. So saying the English translations are the original kinda off the mark imo.
I find it fascinating that like all the other outer rival gods of the Golden Order that you mentioned possess flame-like affinities (Frenzied flame, Bloodflame and Ghostflame), I also recall Black flame being another which makes me wonder why Marika went after the Gloam Eyed Queen first before waging war on the Giants. Was it because of her empyrean status or was the black flame also capable to burning down the tree (hence it’s godslaying title), which makes me also wonder if the black flame was a derivative of both the Giant’s Fire and the Rune of Death. In which case Melina could serve as kindle for the former and also has a connection to the latter
I think Marika went after the Gloam-Eyed Queen first because she wanted to remove the Rune of Death from the Elden Ring and substitute the Golden Order's version of rebirth. That way, her armies and heroes are eventually reborn and can fight again, while her enemies stay dead permanently.
I'm pretty sure there's an item description that closely ties the Godslaying Blackflame with Destined Death. They even have similar effects in-game, as they both linger and burn HP after the initial impact with an entity. From what I can remember, the Godskin Apostles could've probably been the original guardians of Destined Death, before Marika defeated them and stole the Rune of Death to store it within Maliketh. So basically, the Blackflame would be what the Godskin Apostles were left with after they were demoted as guardians of Destined Death, hence why you find them in places related to it: the Divine Tower of Liurnia, where a half of the Rune of Death is found carved in Ranni's old corpse; the Temple of Eiglay in Volcano Manor, where Rykard plotted with Ranni to steal the Rune of Death and slay Godwyn; and Farum Azula, where Maliketh lies. It's almost as if they're searching for a way to get back what they lost, or trying to prevent anyone from approaching Destined Death in order to keep it for themselves.
I was always under the impression that "The Great Tree" being referred to is just what the Erd Tree was prior the Greater Will's influence as opposed to the Great Tree and the Erd Tree being two physically separate entities. With the Elden Beast being housed within what was the Great Tree it likely had an immediate influence on it, turning it into what's currently known as the Erd Tree. Btw correct me if I have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about.
these kinda lore videos are one of those things that make my next playtrough a hundred times better. Also listening your voice is so relaxing, love it.
Here's hoping you do a lore video about the Ancient Dragons, Maliketh, and the Beastmen of Faram Azula. Definitely one of the most mysterious aspects of Elden Ring's lore since it delves into the history of the Lands Between before the Golden Order, and possibly even preceding the arrival of the Elden Beast to the world. There's just so much mystery concerning the Ancient Dragons, what kind of god Placidusax served, and how ancient the Beastmen, Serosh, and Maliketh are. Even more crazy since it was originally planned for Maliketh to be the beast that would be grafted onto Godfrey's back and tame his lust for battle. Here's hoping DLC will focus on the Dragons or ancient astrologers. We still have no idea what happened to Ranni's and MIquella's Great Runes.
I think its very possible that we will see more great runes in the DLC! After all, there should be tons of them if the depiction of the Elden Ring in Maliketh's boss room is to be believed. Also, Enia tells us that someone before us had already collected 2 great runes - Vaati suggested that it was Vyke in his last video. Be it Vyke, Vargram or Bernahl (personally I think it could have been any of them, although Vyke is the most likely), what happened to those 2 great runes? Where are Miquella and Ranni's great runes? Where are the other great runes from the giant Elden Ring in Maliketh's boss room? I suppose only DLC can answer these questions...
The video for Farum Azula faction should be titled the part 2 of this lore video; so we can understand the background reason for the Dragons and the Beastmen to coexist while getting along with Maliketh, a servant/slave to the Golden Order.
I really like how similar Gwyn and Godfrey are. Both kings had incredible knights that served under them that were able to take out foes that were far greater than most have ever counter but The knights that served under Godfrey became masterless while gwyn’s either remain nearby him in his hollow state or wander the lands slaying great beast. One was exiled the other hollowed trying to keep a dying age going for a little longer. Just thought that was pretty interesting.😺
Personally, I see even more of a link between Godfrey and Vendrick. Both sent out to kill Giants by their respective queens before falling from grace in some sense.
Personally, I see more of a link between Marika and Gwyn. Both are the god rulers of their respective worlds, both use extreme force against those who might oppose them (The Lords declared war on the Everlasting Dragons and The Golden Order declared war on both The Fire Giants and Carian Royal Family), and both their respective empires look down on certain people (Gwyn's Empire looking down on undead, dragons, and basically anything relating to the Abyss. While The Golden Order looks down on Omen, Trolls, and many other species). I think the main difference between them is Gwyn is driven by fear and Marika (from my interpretation) is driven by sheer defiance.
@@warriorwatch2406 the difference between Marika and Gwyn is that while Gwyn sacrificed himself to keep his own selfish age, Marika dies so that there could be a slimmer of hope against the real villain. (The greater will) Gwyn will always be more of a tragic villain to me while Marika is more of a defiant antihero. I definetly like her more since once she got her shit togethor and realized who the real problem was, she gave away her own life to stop it.
i finally beat the game for the first time two days ago after playing it for almost three years and almost beat it again in one day but couldn't beat horah loux just yet and these videos are awesome ive been watching his channel for years
It did, however, gave blessings to those, taht followed it. It was good for the obedient and ruthless for the others (unless you've managed to befriend Marika or other demigod).
Well the Golden Order is based on the rejection of Destined Death by Marika. And Marika actively hunted down and destroyed anything that could challenge her new corrupted Order, defined by wrath and pride.
To explore Dreams and see the past of The Lands Between with help from Miquella, to learn things like how they were able to create the Haligtree, and the history of the Greattree and the Crucible, and maybe even a Marika fight along with some more of the things that his sister considers him the most powerful of them.. where it culminates into a battle (or an an ally though unlikely, maybe in a battle with a full power Marika) with Miquella would make such a good DLC. Whatever they decide to do for the DLC I'm excited for.
I really don't know how you manage to keep making such high quality videos. This one and the one about the Lord of the Frenzied Flame were like huge steps up in terms of cinematographic design. Well done! Always a pleasure to hear your voice talking about FromSoft's lore
I’d like to think that the Erdtree and the Greattree are connected in the same way the Two Fingers and the Three Fingers are. They must have been divided in some way, and while the chaotic halves (The Greattree and Three Fingers) were denounced and divested from grace, the other halves (The Erdtree and Two Fingers) became symbols of worship.
@@trippymlgjunkrat5749 I think they might all be "the" two fingers, obviously not physically the same but I think they're all envoys representing the same origin. No source for that, but I just feel like they're all manifestations of the same outer will, perhaps appearing to guide (control?) Each fragment of the elden ring and its bearer. But the 3 fingers didn't undergo the same shattering, so it appears only once
The ulcerated tree spirits were actually one of my favourite boss fights in the game. They were the only bosses that had an intuitive move set, meaning they were pretty easy to dodge without having to learn their moves first. There were definitely a bit too many of them though.
The draconic tree sentinel and the ancient dragons are why I believe that we as players need lightning breath dragon incantations as well. Just feels to me like a missed opportunity.
17:30 the "Greattree" could've been the Erdtree pre-Golden Order. It could've even been a different tree in a physical sense as well, which I believe to mostly be the case, which is how the great tree roots and that hollow tree in the Deeproots area exist. There could've been an old age, before the Golden Order won out against all of the other gods, where the Golden Order existed in a prototypical form. The Greattree is the Erdtree, before the Golden Order came to be. At some point before or during the transformation of the lands via the Elden Ring, the Erdtree could've sprouted out of the Greattree, eventually taking its physical place for the most part, leaving only some of the roots and a few other vestiges around as evidence of its existence. I think that this theory helps to explain some of the contradictions that otherwise exist in the various text descriptions and other lore pieces. Edit: Regarding the large hollowed-out tree in the Deeproots. That could be a version of the Greattree that has shrunk down due to a lack of nutrients/power, then eventually became the smaller tree that we see in-game. trees within trees happen in nature, and this is an extreme version of it, but this game has extreme versions of a lot of various concepts at play, so I think that the tree being so small (and detached from the majority of the old roots, which now entertwine with the Erdtree's presumably) still works with this theory.
Small detail to the Heros of Zamor, they wear Zamor bracelets with broken shackles. Maybe after they won the war against the Giants, Queen Marika disposed them.
I think my favorite among the reoccurring bosses and enemies are the Crucible Knights, they're so fucking cool and I always liked how many of them if you sneak near them are either looking out into the distance or staring at something that represents the Erdtree(Leyndell and the Great Tree Roots) or Godfrey(I think one or two in Leyndell stare at a statue of Godfrey but I'm not sure) there's so much that can be told just by looking at where they are.
Then there's the one in the bridge in Nokron, just staring out at the stars. I would 100% sit down and share a joint with him, cause i can stare at that scenery for hours.
Happy to see you pumping out videos on the regular now. I always play your videos in the background while I play the games, it's like having a From Software David Attenborough walking me through the world.
19:15 I know its a small thing, but I really like that you take the time to add asides like this. Its the light touch that personalizes these videos, taking it from some guy reading off a research paper to a professor sharing knowledge. Absolutely love all the work you do!
you do not miss my dude. every video is shot so well, paced so perfectly, the thematic elements are tied together so nicely... ugh just so well done!!!!
The smithing troll who is part of rannis questline has some kind of gravestone in his chest only noticed it when he is dead surrounded by the dead black knife assassins
he has edited, voiced over and has researched lore enough for two videos in just a week but I have still not beaten maliketh in the same amount of time
I don't believe the Fell God is truly evil or malicious. I believe what it is..is destruction. A god of destruction, of ruin...of endings. And for Marika and the Golden Order of that time who deeply held onto the desire for eternity who seemed to loath anything that could possibly bring their age to an end.....that kind of god was the epitome of evil, of cursed, of a fell being.
This is a good take, destruction is just part of a natural cycle that is only hated by those who seek eternity. I think the fire giants sacrifice is really significant towards us understanding their religion. They appear to respect entropy, he must give up and lose something permanently in order to gain power, unlike Marika's unwillingness to lose anything in her desperation to maintain power.
He might not event be a god of pure destruction, his followers, the fire giants, were blacksmiths, they used his flame to shape their environment and create new tools and structures. He might just be a god of progress and change, a Prometheus-like figure who opposed the Golden Order's stagnation
@@niveauabulle5205 After all, the Giants did claim the mountaintops for their own, weeding out the “outdated” Frost Dragons. Perhaps the reason why they were peaceful towards or even allied with the Astrologers is because they knew that with the power of sorcery, they could become even stronger than they were. Sorcerers punch well above their weight in ER as they are able to contend with Leyndell itself and are also usually a very progressive bunch, always pushing new frontiers in study… maybe the Fire Giants intended to nurture this progress? It’s a real longshot but it makes sense in my head. The progression of who controlled the Mountaintops would have gone from the bestial Ice Dragons, to the artisanal Giants, then perhaps passing towards the enlightened Astrologers.
@@helwrecht1637 only use human morality on humans or other species that are close to the human mind. Evil can't be applied to anything else that doesn't have the same mind, morality and world view as humans. You can't apply evil to the Outer Gods as they live in a entirely different world that we can't even comprehend at all due to the limitations of the human brain.
It's outstanding how much depth there is to FromSoft's worlds. It feels like they've been around ever since ours has but we're only getting to traverse them now.
"Think about the Crucible Knights and who they're fighting for and each character they represent" All I think of when I fight Crucible Knights is how much I want them dead it doesn't go beyond that
Whenever a new lore video is up I make sure to watch it. I learned more about all these games from here then anywhere else. Just wish you would do a boss play through of Elden Ring..
This video just made me realize that the pattern of the troll’s hammer it’s exactly the same as the one on the big eye of the fire giant. Awesome video as always, I appreciate the time you put into the research and visuals to have always high quality content.
17:40 Vaati, dude, you can see the remnants of the old tree in game. You see where the Erd Tree stops being yellow and looks like a normal tree? Thats the old part. The Erd Tree was grafted onto the Great Tree. Thats probably the origin of Grafting in the lands between to begin with and why it isn't seen as abominable. The Erd Tree was planted directly on top of the Great one and took over.
In my reading of the lore, a little headcanon moment I have is Radahn finding out about Ranni's plot & acting in some part to stop it. The son of Radagon and Rennala, idolozing his father's Golden Order and the position of the Elden Lord before him, Godfrey, learning that his siblings want to tear down something that he attached his own life & legacy to. Perhaps overhearing a hushed meeting in Volcano Manor between Ranni and Rykard, possibly even being asked to take part in the plot himself (though I would imagine Ranni could see his devotion to the Order being more of a hinderance than his strength would provide a boon, as we see things play out similarly in the game's events)
It doesn't really add up. Radahn stopped the stars to protect Selia as stated in game. Furthermore, Radahn held the stars at a young age, significantly before Ranni had any plot for the shattering. There is a lot of credible evidence that Rykard and Radahn were close allies like how there are abductor virgins in Redmane castle which are creations of Rykard, or how there is a massive portrait of Radahn in Volcano Manor. Radahn may have respected his father but so did Rykard as evidenced by the Gelmir Knight set, yet, Rykard is completely against the golden order. Lastly, Radahn directly invades Leyndell and fights Morgott but never gets into conflict with either of his siblings.
Radahn continued to wear Godfrey's image - the lion - even after his expulsion from the Lands Between and likely was very bitter over Radagon leaving his mother. His portrait in Rykard's manor shows that the siblings were not in complete opposition.
@@trice286 Radahn stopped the stars after a battle to protect Selia, the town descended from the Eternal City of Nokron which Ranni recieved the ability to forge godslaying knives & the garb of the assassins from. Part of his protection of Selia could've been born from a discovery of these capabilities, possibly from Ranni trying to loop him into the plan. Lore from the telescopes also states that the Golden Order stopped the stars specifically to halt the fate of Carians, info that one can suppose came from within the family, either through Ranni, Radagon, or discovered by Radahn. As for his age, it's important to remember that the Night of Black Knives and the Shattering are two separate events, with an indefinite time period between. Rykard's abductors could be in Redmane as a result of Radahn siding with his father's Golden Order and halting the stars; Rykard wants to assist Ranni in furthering her plot past the night of Black Knives, and Radahn is in their way. There very well could have been a time where Ranni, Rykard and Radahn all saw each other as siblings on friendly terms during Rennala and Radagon's time together and Volcano Manor was more of a hangout spot before becoming a pit of blasphemy, with Radahn's early love of Godfrey causing him to go to Radagon's side after he left Rennala. On the point of invading Leyndell, it could be Radahn simply seeing himself as a rightful successor to the throne. With his warrior strength, claim as the son of King Consort Radagon, a devout member of the Order and his idolization of the first Elden Lord, leading assaults on the Capital to claim it for himself makes perfect sense. As Godfrey himself says, a crown is warranted by strength.
@@blacktigerpaw1 I think Radahn is the only person who wasn't bitter about Radagon leaving. He married Rennala as a Champion, then left to become King Consort and found a Golden Order which Radahn would become a mighty warrior of. Radahn carries the imagery of Godfrey, but he makes note of the pride in his red hair that symbolized him as the son of Radagon. With strength and sorcery and a penchant for battle, he carries himself as an ideal fusion of Godfrey and Radagon, and probably had aims to become the next Elden Lord.
Thanks for feeding my appetite and kindling my passion for the souls franchise ^^ Thanks to you i got back on Elden ring today to enbark on a foolish journey m, once again ^^
14:19 not sure if it has been pointed out by now, but the chest piece of the crucible knight here resembles an eye. You have the black gem as iris in the center, the tree roots resemble blood vessels, and it even has eyelids
I would love to know more about the large ruined pillars and archways you can find everywhere. Seems like an empire, maybe the one that the golems belong to as well. I think that civilisation built the divine towers too
"-That there was a great tree that must have existed before the Erdtree and that the Erdtree might have even replaced this great tree. This was based" truly inspiring words as always from Vaati
Another amazing videos. Some of these shots you guys are getting are absolutely incredible. Leyndell is such an amazing place, loved hearing about it's defensive methodology.
Just as From leveled-up with Elden Ring, Vaati has leveled-up in all aspects of his videos. Truly outstanding work (writing, cinematography, editing, etc)
@@Lepoetism 100%. Just because it's open world doesn't make it a great game. It also doesn't help that becaue so many games nowadays release in a unfinished state that when a game does release without issues it's seen as a masterpiece.
@@howshegoingeh7708 I agree, I personally think Bloodborne is a better game overall than Elden Ring. I still love Elden Ring quite a lot, but that's like a 9.5/10 vs Elden Ring's 8/10. IMO Bloodborne is still their best work. (Then again I do have a predisposition for Lovecraftian themes and designs)
I would love if you were to do a comprehensive story of the goldmask and Brother Corhyn's story like you did with the lord of frenzy story line. The ending of the questline and final interactions were fascinating to unravel.
2:50. So what you're saying is George R. R. Martin created a group of supernatural beings associated with ice and a group of supernatural beings associated with fire who were bitter enemies of each other. Interesting. Seems worthy of a song.
@@utisti4976 ah. Yeah that moves a pain, but he'll do a really easy to dodge slam if you're close, so it's not really an issue. On replay I died to Margit once (was used to Morgott timings) and none to Godrick.
that was the best audible ad ive ever been served, tbh. well done, on the marketing side. Also as always, thanks for these videos, they help me enjoy the game so much more
You're certainly getting your wish with the DLC. Shadow of the Erdtree's first trailer has dropped and we'll be exploring ancient history and lost cultures of the Lands Between.
One thing I find interesting, if possibly irrelevant, is that the two named crucible knights are named for old geological periods (Ordovis - Ordovician and Siluria - Silurian, additionally both of those periods are named after a Celtic tribe). This may reinforce the concept that they (or their order) is from a before time. It could also just be coincidence of course...
Absolutely not a coincidence lol. I scrolled down specifically to see if anyone else had already mentioned this, because it's something that really amused me. When I first heard of Ordovis, I just thought the name resembled Ordovician a bit, then didn't think any further. But as soon as I encountered Siluria, it clicked. Waaay too specific to be coincidence; these *primordial* knights named after such a prehistoric age (didn't know about the Celtic link though). Plus, we know they like to play with names like this. Ornstein is named for Miyazaki's favourite composer, *Leo* Ornstein, and his armour is modelled after a lion. Just little details, but I love them.
@@Panthera9 It's what makes their world building so amazing, the attention to all these little details. The Celtic roots may be a bit more obscure, both periods are named after those tribes as the studied rocks were from their homelands (both in Wales). Not sure how to interpret that connection, they to are people from a before time (these tribal identities disappeared during the time of Roman Britain), it could also be that they work well as names and are obscure enough (Jurassis and Triassia just don't work as well and would be too obvious). I didn't even know that Ornstein bit, the more you know!
@@xLacryman I'm commenting how this and his other vids are great. i dont think i need to finish watching before i can comment/decide its a good video right?
For the Trolls part, Sword of Milos said : Milos was undersized for a giant, and was viewed as sullied and terribly grotesque. If he was treated like this, what about the trolls and their "betrayal"? Just the revenge against humiliations for their undersized form, I think,and the fact is the Dung Eater's weapon , a paria in soul, is significant.
I stopped playing this game a while ago and I’ve barely played any other souls game. But I’ve seen all of your videos and will continue to watch them immediately when they come out. You’re the lore video GOAT.
Just looking closely at things one after another can connect so many ideas together. Like the stomachs of the "lesser giants" and dead giants being gone because the fell god was no longer 'within' them and also seeing the troll's hammer upfront you realize it was made to look like the Fel God's eye...it's incredible. And I'm stipple near the start of the video. I felt burnt out on Elden Ring so I took a break but I may have to give my 2nd run strength build a go just so I can study the world through the alchemy of perspective and experience. I'm sure to find a lot more than I believed possible on a second run
As far as the dragons/serpents adorning the Forge of the Giant's are concerned that you mentioned at the very beginning... In the description of the Gravekeeper's Cloak armor set it's mentioned that serpents are viewed as being enemies / traitors to the Erdtree. So it would make sense that sculptures of serpents specifically are used here since the cauldron they're adorning does, in fact, contain a flame capable of destroying the Erdtree. Why are serpents viewed as being enemies of the tree? No clue. Did their use on the cauldron lead to serpents being associated with being traitors to the tree? Or was there an already longstanding rivalry between serpents and the tree, hence why they were chosen to adorn the Forge of the Giants? Little bit of a chicken/egg conundrum that I certainly don't have the certifications to answer haha Heck, it could even be a 'Garden of Eden' allegory with the forbidden tree being defiled by the machinations of a serpent (traitor) and all that. No clue. Just something I put together from two different videos autoplayer back-to-back that each contained 1 piece of the puzzle. Could be something! Or it could also be nothing.... ah, thus is the life of a Souls fan. Praise The Dog!
Just wanted to quickly say here that the response to the last Prepare to Cry video was insane guys, thank you. Over 5k comments and almost all of them are exceedingly positive. We're very glad that you liked it, and your feedback inspires us to continue!
All your Elden ring videos have been so incredible! Keep up the great work Vaati
You could say the response to the video was… frenzied.
Always remember, may chaos take the world!!
That was just one of this UA-cam stuff I could watch over and over again tho.
All of your videos are great!
The detail of the trolls having empty stomachs after losing the blessing of the Giants God is one of those incredible moments in Fromsoft games where things just click in the lore and you get a eureka rush. so cool
I'm pretty sure those are Miquella's lunchboxes. He gets bullied a lot...
You know whats pretty ironic in the setting? The rise of rot once the fire giants are gone. The redmanes in caelid found out fire is useful in stopping the spread. Perhaps by defeating the giants they unknowingly invited the sealed rot back into the world, unchecked.
I do love trophic cascades
maybe the presence of the fire god scared off the rot but without the fire gods major presence it sore an invitation to inhibit a new host
Fire represents change and death. Gold (and ice, like Zamora Knights) represent status quo preservation… which leads to rot. Like certain ice zombies…
True.biologically Rot rises on warm conditions, maybe on the lands between the Fire was a natural element of the lands and sealing it was a mistake led to the scarlet rot scattering across the lands
You could also see it as another way that the lands between are caught in a war between outer gods. The god of war staved off the god of rot.
A cool detail about the Night's Cavalry. The one in the weeping peninsula drops AOW: Barricade shield which references someone named Sir Neidhardt. We never meet them, but we do find a shield that naturally has barricade shield on a dead body at the top of the tower next to where you fight the Cavalry. Kind of like how the one in Liurnia drops ice spear, "skill of the warriors who served Lunar Princess Ranni", the one in Altus drops shared order "of the Golden Order fundamentalist knights". It's almost as if your reward for killing them are the skills of champions they have defeated.
Honey Nn ovik b/c
thats so fucking cool
HTF did the one in Dragonbarrow defeat the champion using BHS?
@@NikLoserkid Most likely another Bloodhound Knight, like Darriwil, who possibly betrayed Morgott
The title Sir would indicate that the person is a man, no idea why you are referring to him as them.
That part about the 16 crucible knights who served Godfrey wandering the lands between is just such a cool detail. I remember coming across my first crucible knight in the underground area. There is one standing on the edge of a broken bridge, and my first thought was how he seemed to be a knight without purpose, who is simply watching time go. Its so cool to know that my initial feelings seem to be correct. And how there is one who chose to betray the erdtree, storytelling like this really layers the lore of the world.
It's also not canon. The "16 knights" was in the network test and no where else.
@@pebrockk Ummm, no. I think it was in their item descriptions.
@@pebrockk you high? it legit states that there was 16 knights in their item descriptions
I personally like to think that knight knew about Miquella because he's looking right at Mohg's palace
@@Aesyaan Which one?
11:40 I think Morgott may actually protect Stormveil because Godrick is at the end of the day one of Morgott's last remaining family members from Golden Lineage. And the way he called each of the Demigods in his intro is filled with different emotions and the only one he seems to truly hate is Rykard while when he says the names of other Demigods he seems more caring. With Radahn there is clear respect, with Ranni there is a mournful tone to his voice and there is a slight nostalgic and tragic feel to when he names Miquella and Malenia. He even uses Godrick's actual title unlike everyone else. It seems to me that he truly loved them, but calls them traitors out of being hurt over their betrayal. Even the Night Cavalry that we meet in Snowfield are PROTECTING the carriage containing sword of Malenia's master that rides towards the Haligtree.
You just made me love Morgott even more, damn!
@@Lepoetism I make usually one VERY long comment about Morgott about his lore. In summary his lore is EXTREMELY tragic and sad and he is probably the saddest character in Elden Ring. And he is also my absolute favorite.
@@AzraelSoulHunter tbh he was way way way cooler in the beta version than the final one
i mean he was the third elden lord and in a high chance he married his mom and he was known as "the fake lord"
not because he is not a real elden lord (he is an elden lord in that version) but because he was an omen
he was so much loved
(that's a grrm work right here)
@@kaiserdetectivegolden2735 Wait wha? Beta version? I don't know about that.
But yeah, I can tell GRRM had A LOT to do with Morgott (his name also implies that since George is a big Tolkien fan). Morgott is basically like combination of Tyrion and Stannis. Someone deformed, hated by many, loved by few, but someone who will do his duty no matter what, no matter how thankless people of Lands Between may be.
@@kaiserdetectivegolden2735 Married his mom!!! Ok, now this is worse than the Omen curse XD
I'm really interested in the "ancient" civilizations of the underground regions, the eternal cities
Specifically why are they called eternal? What we've seen so far doesn't suggest they are really all that old.
i think quelaag goes into this a bit in her latest video
You don't even know how much I wish there was a CK3 mod based on Elden Ring
@@nekotrashwillnyanforcash I see that name as hubris. Many empires like to depict themselves as eternal.
The eternal cities do have a bit of a thing around seeing themselves as gods, as they seek to create new life in their image.
Yeah and the Uld Dynasty. What exactly was it? Did it collapse before or after the Erdtree’s creation?
“History is written by the victors” could be an apt phrase to describe why Giants are spoken of so negatively in item descriptions and in the storyline of the game.
Weeeell..as a history major, i do have to say thats a very inaccurate and largely misleading term.
Does it happen? Of course, the US towards the natives, the Romans about the Carthaginians. But in modern day we know what's true and what was narrative. It's usually only horribly biased when it's religious or racially motivated, or to excuse expansion, which gives incentive to lie or twist things.
But history is written by historians haha..real history uses primary and secondary sources, and are peer reviewed.
Usually when people tout an alternate take on things it's nonsense, like the "states rights" crap for the civil war to censor slavery being the main factor.
Sometimes the opposite is true, like after operation paper clip for decades a lot of our information about ww2 and the soviets was actually curated by Nazi officers, the clean Wehrmacht myth, officers talking about imaginary close victories, or all the famous exagerrations about Dresden not being a military target, and it wasn't until the fall of the USSR and seeing their records we found out a lot of the info was BS.
There isn't a cabal of powerful people who draw up history after winning, outside of authoritarian states, but that's not real history.
But yes, in this context, with all powerful deities in control it's totally reasonable they'd demonize the giants and rewrite history. That's just a really frustrating famous statement that annoys history buffs haha.
Potential History made a video about it a while ago, making similar points in a more cohesive way than me, can check it out.
@@KaladinVegapunk nerd
@@KaladinVegapunk Had no idea about this, thanks for educating me! :)
Reminds me for modern warfare
@@KaladinVegapunk spoken like a individual who is maybe a year into their history program lol that’s pretty wild to dismiss that a majority of history even to this day is inherently shaped by those in power
Just another fact I'd like to bring attention to: the "Troll Hammer" weapons head is shaped and designed after the Fell God's eye. The concentric line of circles and the centre iris design are identical to the Fell God represented on the Giants chest.
Perhaps this is whats been removed from the troll chests
@@thomasboeve9528 I can't imagine being this braindead
It could play into that "slavery" role he mentioned. Ripped the eye from their chest and forced them to use its power to craft immensely powerful weapons.
@@thomasboeve9528 he literally said that in the video
Doing my first Playthru just in the last two weeks and hearing Ranalla say “oath sworn giant” in her 2nd phase and relating that to this into on the trolls it’s pretty cool to hear.
how’s your playthrough? you done?
@@AndroidNoir-L06k Yeah most people took around 2 weeks to finish the game normally. Though I intentionally spent longer on my first playthrough. Started playing the same day the game came out and finished a month after. I explored LITERALLY every corner of the entire game, even if there's nothing there to be seen lol.
@@AndroidNoir-L06k it took me couple months with breaks. lol
I still haven’t finished it xdd
6:25 it's suddenly clear to me with this angle that the Trolls' hammer is modeled after the Fell God's eye we see in the chest of the Fire Giant with the large center pupil surrounded by smaller pupils on 8 sides.
Oh my God, "eye" "see" it. But yeah you're definitely right.
Good eye
Also explains the fire damage
@@Lakefront_Khan heh, E-Y-E? I think you mean E-W-E
@@linkholder Didn't expect a Game Grumps reference here...
Beating that draconic tree sentinel at the entrance of Leyndell took me hours. They really had the defense of that place in the right hands.
Except if you go via deeproot depths
What's funny is that this DTS guards the *side entrance* to the city. Imagine what they had guarding the main gates back in the day.
I cheesed him with the magic reflect ash of war. Its really easy to bait him into using a fireball and then reflecting it for big damage.
@@rwberger6 I was pure barbarian at this stage of my game. Just smack and run
I used a staff in my left hand, sent rocks from a distance (from the overlook at the Dragon Temple, where the Godskin Duo is fought) and pelted that one with rocks, while dodging the lightning.
The Stonedigger Trolls chapter is a truly fascinating example of analysis of architectural and environmental storytelling in both character design, text, and world design. Bravo!
The whole thing about the tablets actually blew my mind.
Ok okay o😊oooono😊I’m 😊😊😅no one else wants a 😊😊😅😊no😊 o😊no😊n😊now it’s not that none oomo o
I love how the automatic subtitles convert "Queen Marika" to "Queen America", leading to sentences like "when Queen America waged war against the fire giants"
Sounds about right
The Giants had oil.
@@Spoopy_man export Erdtree democracy to Raya Lucaria and get all the glintstone.
Bringing erdtree democracy and peace through all of the lands between. (Don’t check the sewers btw)
07:30 "The trolls are also being shackled or surpressed by America in some way" lol
Another point that seems to suggest the trolls are enslaved, is that the nox mirror helm (which Igi wears) is supposed to be, "Worn by those committed to high treason, it wards off the intervention of the Greater Will and its vassal Fingers." So like Blaidd, Iji was also a slave to the fingers, except he was able to break free.
That explains why Iji locked Blaidd in the Forlorn Hound Evergaol. Perhaps the Evergaol could cut off the influence of the Greater Will and the Fingers.
Oh man, I remember my first play through, I managed to go through blind fortunately, and I will never forget my experience with the secret path to Leyndell. I had learned that the black and orange drawing in the map indicated a mine was there, and I was looking for smithing stones and found the one at the base of the waterfall, I ventured up it, savouring the views as I ascended the mountain. After killing the magma wyrm with Tragoth, and going up the elevator, my jaw dropped when I saw the radiant erdtree, and the golden grass so close by, and the feeling of success and advancement I got when the Altus plateau name popped up on the screen. Probably my greatest gaming moment in my entire life.
This game and rdr2 are unfurgettable experience!!!
I was robbed of that because my bitch ass brother kept spoiling the game for me with his fat mouth. I can't wait to move out
I didnt know there was a lift you open with medallions... I stumbled upon that mine randomly and fought the wyrm who infuriated me because of area denial.
I think its very cool that the city of Leyndell eventually tolerated and even welcomed dragon worship. In previous souls games, due to their role as representations of an ancient chaotic age of stone and brutality, the dragons were all destroyed on sight, and worship of them was seen as twisted and corrupt. Now, in Elden Ring, a world whose central religion encircles a giant tree, literally a monument to the power of nature, the primordial worship of the ancient dragons is understood, and even encouraged by some. Even the great tree sentinels join the valor and defensive power of the Erdtree with the magical and chaotic fury of the old dragons.
I wouldn't say that trend in the Souls games is "due to their role as representations of an ancient chaotic age of stone and brutality." We know little about the dominion of the dragons in the Age of Ancients, and none of what we do know associates them with chaos or with brutal leadership. Rather, I'd say that trend is due to the dragons' role as emblems of an unattainable natural immortality in the Souls universe.
Not always. It seems to be the ancient dragons of Farum Azula in particular who are worshipped. The lesser dragons on the other hand… while some do practice dragon communion with them, it seems to be a “betrayal of self”, leading to the eventual transformation into a magma wyrm. It’s curious that such a distinction is made between worshipping each echelon of dragons.
Not always. I mean, Shulva in Dark Souls 2 first DLC was a city created specially to protect and worship Sinh, the Slumbering Dragon.
I don’t think the dragons of ds1 represented chaos. I think they were more of a representation of stillness and eternity. They were called everlasting after all
Vaati, you have a wonderful way of turning hard thoughts/concepts into enjoyable story times.
I think it is really interesting that almost all of the Golden Order's enemies use some kind of fire, like Bloodflame, Giantsflame, Frenzied Flame, and even Black Flame. The symbolism of fire as the eternal enemy of a giant tree is pretty awesome world building if you ask me
Ghostflame too.
My hope for the DLC is that we go back in time to the war with the giants and we see Hoarah Loux use his suplexes and powerbombs against those guys. That's absolutely canon.
Wasn't HL already tamed by Serosh and acting as Godfrey by the time the war with the giants happened?
Depend on if Miyazaki wants to do time travel DLC considering the dark souls series did that a lot with its DLC but done amazingly well, IDK maybe another area to explore that will give us more knowledge of the world
@@calcumalatorsthat means he didnt use his full power😳
No you'll take dysfunctional family drama and you will get used to characters names starting with M and you will like it.
More Vaati in a week?! You spoil us!
One possible explanation with the Erdtree vs Greattree situation (which I'm sure has been pointed out before) is that the Erdtree predates the Golden Order and the influence of the Greater Will, and was once a divinity in its own right. At that time, it was known as the Greattree, home to the Crucible of Life and served by the Crucible Knights. At some point, the Golden Order assimilated it (as it would later assimilate the Dragons, the Trolls, and the Stars). The Greattree became the Erdtree, the Crucible of Life was suppressed and declared unclean, and the Crucible Knights were assimilated into the Golden Order's service alongside their tree. Thus there was only ever one *physical* tree, but it went by two names and two different spiritual identities at different points in history
This is the best reasoning I have seen and this is also what I believe! The original tree was assimilated or transformed into the Erdtree by the Greater Will/Elden Beast/Marika.
if anything this makes the golden order seem like a fucking virus or parasite
good thing i made the right choice and burned everything the fuck away
So sick you mentioned Smoughtown, he’s such an amazing creator
Agreed! Was hype to see him get a name drop. :)
I loved every single one of his Elden Ring videos, and they got longer and more detailed as time went on! Perfect for putting it in the background and exploring the corresponding areas as you listen along
Smoughtown, Ziostorm, Agt Jake...I've discovered so many content creators thanks to Elden Ring
@@Beeyo176 Ziostorm is underrated. but the funny thing about him is he cannot stop talking about mushroom, but I started to buy his claim after watching many of his videos.
@@eetfuk3571 mushroom mushroom 🍄
In a DLC I would really love a small cinematic moment where you can't attack but get to walk through a portion of Leyndell before the war. I've always wanted to see in any of the games what the major cities would have looked like before ruin.
@uNnHkP8mza yeah idk why theyd do it now meanwhile people were asking to see places like yarhnam and lordran
Interesting how the Crucible Knights' armour has the eye ornamentation on the chest - just coincidence that the torso-eye is native to the fire giants and trolls? As the Crucible Knights under Godfrey predated Marika and the Golden Order, could it be that they once served the Fell God too - which would be a Horah Loux thing to do - and would explain in part Marika's desire to marry and tame him (how audacious and insulting to the giants). Almost as if the Greater Will is *trolling* the other outer gods.
perhaps godrfey's signature stomp could have been a technique taught to him by the giants
@@spicy6072 I doubt it. The stomp they use is far different, and the stomp bring up rocks is something only Crucible Knights and Godfrey could do
Just cause you claim to be greater, doesn’t mean you’re good!
I dont know if its been mentioned yet, but a detail I think is just amazing are the rocks on the mountain tops. Some of them are a reddish brown because of the iron ore they contain. Of course smithing and forging was first practiced there.
that's funny, when the giant sacrificed his leg I literally said "that's pretty metal."
Fuck, I said this back in DS2
Heeeeyy what are doing here? Love your stuff.
19:25
I don't know if all ulcerated tree spirits have these red worm-like things attached to them but it has a striking resemblance to Mononoke Hime's corrupted Boar God.
Their corruption coming from their uncontrollable rage also fits !
Torrent was directly inspired from Princess Mononoke, so I’d say it’s more than likely that other references permeate the game as well, great connection u made here btw
Elden Ring references Princess Mononoke a LOT. As old mate in the other reply said, Torrent is very reminiscent of the deer horse thing from Mononoke. The Ancestor Spirit and Elden Beast are also obvious references to the Deer God from that movie. I would not be at all surprised if Caelid was based on the Sea of Decay from Nausicaa
If you think about it The Ancient Heroes of Zamor's reason for fighting against the Fire Giants was because they chased off the Ice dragons, and considering the look of the Hero's scale like waist armor and their use of Ice tmagic, it looked like they once served or worshipped the Ice Dragons and their war with the Giant is just them Avenging them.
I love these videos. I am a busy Mom with 6 kids in our home and I don't get enough time to jump into my Elden Ring gameplay as often as I'd like and these videos are a great little way to fully still enjoy the game and learn a lot about the story it tells. Thanks for all the work you put into these 😁
@Shanna 6 kids?! God help you lol. I only have one, and he drives me batshit crazy sometimes.
BASED TRADWIFE
Incredibly based
@@williamcobbett4943 I beat Malenia tonight 😁 Thanks to everyone who left kind comments
@@tool46296 2 are from me and 4 from my husband's first wife. Nice big blended family and honestly, they are awesome kiddos so my job is mostly easy lol
Vaati! Something you should know that might be illuminating: pure gold (i.e., unalloyed gold) is reddish in color, not your stereotypical yellow-gold or white-gold. This seriously connects the Crucible Knights and their _notably_ reddish gold armor (described as related to the crucible of life) to Miquella's later concept of Unalloyed Gold! Miquella's Haligtree might be Miquella's attempt at recreating the Primordial Crucible, or the primordial and uncorrupted version of the Erdtree!
That's very interesting, considering he has many misbegotten warrior and such monsters. As if he tries to make connections to this ancient art
I don't believe that the Fell God's cruelty is something to lament since in many mythologies, divine cruelty is a form of imposing of authority. Maybe the Giants of the Flame have a drastically different system of beliefs in their culture, one that favors strength above kindness, one where the mighty rule, and imperfections most be hammered and tempered in flame like forging metal. This philosophy can be glanced through the so called descendants of the Giants, the Storm rulers of the Badlands. As Hoarah Loux states with his dying breath, a Crown is earned by Strength. Giants only respect that which is feared. The Fell God is not Fell and cruel without Reason, it is its way to be. Fire is cruel, but it can be mastered in metallurgy. It burns, but it enlightens and warms. The Fell God is fire, and Fire is Fell.
The fell god may seem uncaring, but if there was no death or competition in the lands between we would end up with a situation like DS3 with rampant stagnation. Just like forests near a volcano, the reason they are so vibrant is because the violent eruptions actually serve to replenish the forest after the destruction.
Very good! Makes sense
So overall; the Fire Giants went to war against the New World Order of gold-loving asshats
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Got driven to near extinct over the differences between outer beings and the now sole survivor is forced to tend to the last lingering remains of their deity that reside in the realm alone until the end of his days.
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Man... I thought we, Tarnished had it rough consider we got our asses banished but that is just slap on the wrist in comparison.
It seems that the Giants didn't like the Fell God judging by how the Fire Giant only resorts to using the Fell God's power when at his literal last leg and desperate. The Giants being the progenitors of smithing and having a friendly history with the ancient Astrologers points to them being a race of people who value crafting and studying, which is entirely contradictory to the wanton fiery destruction that their god seems to have a murderboner for.
They worshipped it for the power it granted, but did not revel nor enjoy this power in any way, deciding to use this destructive power to create instead. Almost like spitting in the face (er, eye) of the Fell God by rejecting the ability to destroy and using this ability to instead pioneer crafting works of beauty and protection. It's quite interesting how the Golden Order consumed itself from its own fetishization of their gods, while the Giants being more sensible by not kowtowing to their god were a stable enough society to not fall apart from its own people. By not worshipping their god as perfect, they were sensible enough to be a society that pioneered progress kind of like how the ancient Greeks viewed their gods as flawed and not rolemodels, just representations of natural aspects that should be respected but not emulated.
@@cw.k1532 I mean, not like they themselves weren't asses. They drove the frost dragons away from their original home so live by strength, die by it
Something interesting to consider is if in every case the Japanese translation is the most close to canon. In other From titles this is undisputable but for Elden Ring, because of George R. R. Martin's heavy involvement in shaping the world building and lore, I wonder if on occasion the English item descriptions or dialogue are closer to the truth.
Since miyazaki did visuals and george did the written lore, yes the English translations are the original.
@@simple120builds6 Is there any source that states GRRM wrote ALL the lore? as far as I know, he wrote the "base" lore, and Miyazaki and his team did the implementation into the game as a whole and expanded on it, and the item desc is written by Fromsoft, and translated into other languages. So saying the English translations are the original kinda off the mark imo.
@@plipplop728 This.
Martin did not have a heavy involvement at all, he's reportedly lazy and didn't write nearly as much as you think for the game lol
@@lasttrueviking3687 Someone's salty the new book isn't out yet xD
I find it fascinating that like all the other outer rival gods of the Golden Order that you mentioned possess flame-like affinities (Frenzied flame, Bloodflame and Ghostflame), I also recall Black flame being another which makes me wonder why Marika went after the Gloam Eyed Queen first before waging war on the Giants. Was it because of her empyrean status or was the black flame also capable to burning down the tree (hence it’s godslaying title), which makes me also wonder if the black flame was a derivative of both the Giant’s Fire and the Rune of Death. In which case Melina could serve as kindle for the former and also has a connection to the latter
I think Marika went after the Gloam-Eyed Queen first because she wanted to remove the Rune of Death from the Elden Ring and substitute the Golden Order's version of rebirth. That way, her armies and heroes are eventually reborn and can fight again, while her enemies stay dead permanently.
It's odd that Vaati forgot to mention the GODSLAYING Black Flame when talking about the other dangerous flames.
I'm pretty sure there's an item description that closely ties the Godslaying Blackflame with Destined Death. They even have similar effects in-game, as they both linger and burn HP after the initial impact with an entity. From what I can remember, the Godskin Apostles could've probably been the original guardians of Destined Death, before Marika defeated them and stole the Rune of Death to store it within Maliketh.
So basically, the Blackflame would be what the Godskin Apostles were left with after they were demoted as guardians of Destined Death, hence why you find them in places related to it: the Divine Tower of Liurnia, where a half of the Rune of Death is found carved in Ranni's old corpse; the Temple of Eiglay in Volcano Manor, where Rykard plotted with Ranni to steal the Rune of Death and slay Godwyn; and Farum Azula, where Maliketh lies.
It's almost as if they're searching for a way to get back what they lost, or trying to prevent anyone from approaching Destined Death in order to keep it for themselves.
I was always under the impression that "The Great Tree" being referred to is just what the Erd Tree was prior the Greater Will's influence as opposed to the Great Tree and the Erd Tree being two physically separate entities. With the Elden Beast being housed within what was the Great Tree it likely had an immediate influence on it, turning it into what's currently known as the Erd Tree. Btw correct me if I have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about.
these kinda lore videos are one of those things that make my next playtrough a hundred times better. Also listening your voice is so relaxing, love it.
Here's hoping you do a lore video about the Ancient Dragons, Maliketh, and the Beastmen of Faram Azula. Definitely one of the most mysterious aspects of Elden Ring's lore since it delves into the history of the Lands Between before the Golden Order, and possibly even preceding the arrival of the Elden Beast to the world.
There's just so much mystery concerning the Ancient Dragons, what kind of god Placidusax served, and how ancient the Beastmen, Serosh, and Maliketh are. Even more crazy since it was originally planned for Maliketh to be the beast that would be grafted onto Godfrey's back and tame his lust for battle.
Here's hoping DLC will focus on the Dragons or ancient astrologers. We still have no idea what happened to Ranni's and MIquella's Great Runes.
I think its very possible that we will see more great runes in the DLC! After all, there should be tons of them if the depiction of the Elden Ring in Maliketh's boss room is to be believed.
Also, Enia tells us that someone before us had already collected 2 great runes - Vaati suggested that it was Vyke in his last video. Be it Vyke, Vargram or Bernahl (personally I think it could have been any of them, although Vyke is the most likely), what happened to those 2 great runes? Where are Miquella and Ranni's great runes? Where are the other great runes from the giant Elden Ring in Maliketh's boss room?
I suppose only DLC can answer these questions...
@@ThreeWallabies Well, Byke got the Leyndell and Bernahl got to Farum Azula somehow after his maiden killed herself, so who knows.
Didn't they fight for the great runes? Or were they born with them? But if so why does it say they claimed their great runes 🤔
The video for Farum Azula faction should be titled the part 2 of this lore video; so we can understand the background reason for the Dragons and the Beastmen to coexist while getting along with Maliketh, a servant/slave to the Golden Order.
The Crucible Knights give off a Celtic/Druid vibe to me. The animal aspects to their armor, the horns especially.
Hey dude, great video as always and really appreciate the shout out 🙌
*_" Quick, throw that abominable, unholy Lore into the fire, Vaatisildur!!! "_*
*_" No. The Lore is mine. "_*
*_THE LORE, IS MINE, AND MINE ALONE._*
MY PRECIOUS!
* Jumps on @@ninjahattori7576 and proceeds to bite their finger off for the Lore *
Loregasm
Lame
Imagine the discomfort of the fire giants trying to sleep with the big ass torso nose. They'd never be able to sleep on their stomach.
Imagine waking up because you
tried to turn over in your sleep, only
for you to put your entire TORSO on
top of your chest-nose and
*CRUNCH*
I'm a human and even I can't sleep on my stomach.
@@asturias0267 i cant sleep on my back
@@asturias0267 i can only sleep on my stomach :(
I can't
I really like how similar Gwyn and Godfrey are. Both kings had incredible knights that served under them that were able to take out foes that were far greater than most have ever counter but The knights that served under Godfrey became masterless while gwyn’s either remain nearby him in his hollow state or wander the lands slaying great beast. One was exiled the other hollowed trying to keep a dying age going for a little longer. Just thought that was pretty interesting.😺
Personally, I see even more of a link between Godfrey and Vendrick. Both sent out to kill Giants by their respective queens before falling from grace in some sense.
Personally, I see more of a link between Marika and Gwyn. Both are the god rulers of their respective worlds, both use extreme force against those who might oppose them (The Lords declared war on the Everlasting Dragons and The Golden Order declared war on both The Fire Giants and Carian Royal Family), and both their respective empires look down on certain people (Gwyn's Empire looking down on undead, dragons, and basically anything relating to the Abyss. While The Golden Order looks down on Omen, Trolls, and many other species). I think the main difference between them is Gwyn is driven by fear and Marika (from my interpretation) is driven by sheer defiance.
These comments make more sense than the OP
@@warriorwatch2406 the difference between Marika and Gwyn is that while Gwyn sacrificed himself to keep his own selfish age, Marika dies so that there could be a slimmer of hope against the real villain. (The greater will)
Gwyn will always be more of a tragic villain to me while Marika is more of a defiant antihero. I definetly like her more since once she got her shit togethor and realized who the real problem was, she gave away her own life to stop it.
@@wilburforce8046 Eh, I disagree. Marika's intentions beyond simply defying the Greater Will are completely up to interpretation.
Man the detail of the hole in the trolls chest, and the tablet embedded within. How can you not love that extra effort, commendable
i finally beat the game for the first time two days ago after playing it for almost three years and almost beat it again in one day but couldn't beat horah loux just yet and these videos are awesome ive been watching his channel for years
The further we unravel Elden Ring, the more I'm realizing how terrifying the Golden Order actually is.
It did, however, gave blessings to those, taht followed it. It was good for the obedient and ruthless for the others (unless you've managed to befriend Marika or other demigod).
Well the Golden Order is based on the rejection of Destined Death by Marika. And Marika actively hunted down and destroyed anything that could challenge her new corrupted Order, defined by wrath and pride.
Witless Tarnished... your kind has no place in the Grace of the Golden Order.
@Rafael Martins
"Would you like to join the forces of Satan? We have coupons :D!"
_--Ironmouse Tanith_
@@davidhong1934 right lol
6:24 the hammer has the same pattern as the fire giants eye on its torso. So they are probably ‘lesser giants’ with the same god
To explore Dreams and see the past of The Lands Between with help from Miquella, to learn things like how they were able to create the Haligtree, and the history of the Greattree and the Crucible, and maybe even a Marika fight along with some more of the things that his sister considers him the most powerful of them.. where it culminates into a battle (or an an ally though unlikely, maybe in a battle with a full power Marika) with Miquella would make such a good DLC. Whatever they decide to do for the DLC I'm excited for.
I really don't know how you manage to keep making such high quality videos. This one and the one about the Lord of the Frenzied Flame were like huge steps up in terms of cinematographic design. Well done! Always a pleasure to hear your voice talking about FromSoft's lore
I’d like to think that the Erdtree and the Greattree are connected in the same way the Two Fingers and the Three Fingers are. They must have been divided in some way, and while the chaotic halves (The Greattree and Three Fingers) were denounced and divested from grace, the other halves (The Erdtree and Two Fingers) became symbols of worship.
Two + Three = Five...
Five fingers makes a hand...
The Great Tree and the Erd Tree are one whole.
@@11Survivor cool thoughts, we flying here
I definitely consider that they were once combined and called "The Hand"
@@joshholmes1372 what about all the demigods 2 fingers?
@@trippymlgjunkrat5749 I think they might all be "the" two fingers, obviously not physically the same but I think they're all envoys representing the same origin. No source for that, but I just feel like they're all manifestations of the same outer will, perhaps appearing to guide (control?) Each fragment of the elden ring and its bearer.
But the 3 fingers didn't undergo the same shattering, so it appears only once
Crucible Knights and Tree Spirits are one of my favourite recurring enemies, such slander i will not stand for!
knights are fun but ulcerated tree spirits to me are agonizing
The ulcerated tree spirits were actually one of my favourite boss fights in the game. They were the only bosses that had an intuitive move set, meaning they were pretty easy to dodge without having to learn their moves first. There were definitely a bit too many of them though.
they are modeled from the assylum demon, as per zulie
3:58 I actually learned the other day that in Old Norse, "fell" means mountain. So it could just be descriptive of where the god calls home.
The draconic tree sentinel and the ancient dragons are why I believe that we as players need lightning breath dragon incantations as well. Just feels to me like a missed opportunity.
I also believe that the flame art infusion should cause blackflame style dot, to help differentiate it more from the regular fire infusion.
17:30 the "Greattree" could've been the Erdtree pre-Golden Order. It could've even been a different tree in a physical sense as well, which I believe to mostly be the case, which is how the great tree roots and that hollow tree in the Deeproots area exist. There could've been an old age, before the Golden Order won out against all of the other gods, where the Golden Order existed in a prototypical form. The Greattree is the Erdtree, before the Golden Order came to be. At some point before or during the transformation of the lands via the Elden Ring, the Erdtree could've sprouted out of the Greattree, eventually taking its physical place for the most part, leaving only some of the roots and a few other vestiges around as evidence of its existence.
I think that this theory helps to explain some of the contradictions that otherwise exist in the various text descriptions and other lore pieces.
Edit: Regarding the large hollowed-out tree in the Deeproots. That could be a version of the Greattree that has shrunk down due to a lack of nutrients/power, then eventually became the smaller tree that we see in-game. trees within trees happen in nature, and this is an extreme version of it, but this game has extreme versions of a lot of various concepts at play, so I think that the tree being so small (and detached from the majority of the old roots, which now entertwine with the Erdtree's presumably) still works with this theory.
Small detail to the Heros of Zamor, they wear Zamor bracelets with broken shackles. Maybe after they won the war against the Giants, Queen Marika disposed them.
I think my favorite among the reoccurring bosses and enemies are the Crucible Knights, they're so fucking cool and I always liked how many of them if you sneak near them are either looking out into the distance or staring at something that represents the Erdtree(Leyndell and the Great Tree Roots) or Godfrey(I think one or two in Leyndell stare at a statue of Godfrey but I'm not sure) there's so much that can be told just by looking at where they are.
Their armour should’ve been the best set with the highest poise, given how nothing can stagger them.
@@blizzardgaming7070 true true, but the fat boi armor though👀
@@beeman5436 Dung eater’s, Godskin noble’s, Fire prelate’s, Lionel’s or Bull-Goats?
Then there's the one in the bridge in Nokron, just staring out at the stars. I would 100% sit down and share a joint with him, cause i can stare at that scenery for hours.
"For the love of Marika, please let someone invent cable television. I'm need entertainment other than staring at trees."
_--Crucible Knight_
Happy to see you pumping out videos on the regular now. I always play your videos in the background while I play the games, it's like having a From Software David Attenborough walking me through the world.
19:15
I know its a small thing, but I really like that you take the time to add asides like this. Its the light touch that personalizes these videos, taking it from some guy reading off a research paper to a professor sharing knowledge. Absolutely love all the work you do!
you do not miss my dude. every video is shot so well, paced so perfectly, the thematic elements are tied together so nicely... ugh just so well done!!!!
The smithing troll who is part of rannis questline has some kind of gravestone in his chest only noticed it when he is dead surrounded by the dead black knife assassins
Oh, that's a small cooler Ranni uses to store her snacks and throwing spoons
I haven't seen him die :'(
he has edited, voiced over and has researched lore enough for two videos in just a week but I have still not beaten maliketh in the same amount of time
Best boss in ER!
Keep on trying! You'll get it eventually!
Try and notice patterns, if that helps!
Summon me bro
Don't surrender skeleton!
Level vigor then and it becomes easy
I don't believe the Fell God is truly evil or malicious. I believe what it is..is destruction. A god of destruction, of ruin...of endings. And for Marika and the Golden Order of that time who deeply held onto the desire for eternity who seemed to loath anything that could possibly bring their age to an end.....that kind of god was the epitome of evil, of cursed, of a fell being.
This is a good take, destruction is just part of a natural cycle that is only hated by those who seek eternity.
I think the fire giants sacrifice is really significant towards us understanding their religion. They appear to respect entropy, he must give up and lose something permanently in order to gain power, unlike Marika's unwillingness to lose anything in her desperation to maintain power.
Very much like Destruction, one of the Endless in the Sandman series.
He might not event be a god of pure destruction, his followers, the fire giants, were blacksmiths, they used his flame to shape their environment and create new tools and structures. He might just be a god of progress and change, a Prometheus-like figure who opposed the Golden Order's stagnation
@@niveauabulle5205 After all, the Giants did claim the mountaintops for their own, weeding out the “outdated” Frost Dragons. Perhaps the reason why they were peaceful towards or even allied with the Astrologers is because they knew that with the power of sorcery, they could become even stronger than they were.
Sorcerers punch well above their weight in ER as they are able to contend with Leyndell itself and are also usually a very progressive bunch, always pushing new frontiers in study… maybe the Fire Giants intended to nurture this progress?
It’s a real longshot but it makes sense in my head. The progression of who controlled the Mountaintops would have gone from the bestial Ice Dragons, to the artisanal Giants, then perhaps passing towards the enlightened Astrologers.
@@helwrecht1637 only use human morality on humans or other species that are close to the human mind.
Evil can't be applied to anything else that doesn't have the same mind, morality and world view as humans.
You can't apply evil to the Outer Gods as they live in a entirely different world that we can't even comprehend at all due to the limitations of the human brain.
It's outstanding how much depth there is to FromSoft's worlds. It feels like they've been around ever since ours has but we're only getting to traverse them now.
"Think about the Crucible Knights and who they're fighting for and each character they represent"
All I think of when I fight Crucible Knights is how much I want them dead it doesn't go beyond that
Whenever a new lore video is up I make sure to watch it. I learned more about all these games from here then anywhere else. Just wish you would do a boss play through of Elden Ring..
Damn, he really told us the lore of this game in 4K
I’m always so happy when I see you’ve uploaded something new. Thank you!
Every time I want to watch a video on this channel, I end up sleeping in the first few minutes. This guy's voice is too peaceful.
This video just made me realize that the pattern of the troll’s hammer it’s exactly the same as the one on the big eye of the fire giant. Awesome video as always, I appreciate the time you put into the research and visuals to have always high quality content.
17:40 Vaati, dude, you can see the remnants of the old tree in game. You see where the Erd Tree stops being yellow and looks like a normal tree? Thats the old part. The Erd Tree was grafted onto the Great Tree. Thats probably the origin of Grafting in the lands between to begin with and why it isn't seen as abominable. The Erd Tree was planted directly on top of the Great one and took over.
In my reading of the lore, a little headcanon moment I have is Radahn finding out about Ranni's plot & acting in some part to stop it. The son of Radagon and Rennala, idolozing his father's Golden Order and the position of the Elden Lord before him, Godfrey, learning that his siblings want to tear down something that he attached his own life & legacy to. Perhaps overhearing a hushed meeting in Volcano Manor between Ranni and Rykard, possibly even being asked to take part in the plot himself (though I would imagine Ranni could see his devotion to the Order being more of a hinderance than his strength would provide a boon, as we see things play out similarly in the game's events)
It doesn't really add up. Radahn stopped the stars to protect Selia as stated in game. Furthermore, Radahn held the stars at a young age, significantly before Ranni had any plot for the shattering. There is a lot of credible evidence that Rykard and Radahn were close allies like how there are abductor virgins in Redmane castle which are creations of Rykard, or how there is a massive portrait of Radahn in Volcano Manor. Radahn may have respected his father but so did Rykard as evidenced by the Gelmir Knight set, yet, Rykard is completely against the golden order. Lastly, Radahn directly invades Leyndell and fights Morgott but never gets into conflict with either of his siblings.
@@trice286 Also held the stars back so that things like Astel don't show up anymore.
Yes, grammar bad.
Radahn continued to wear Godfrey's image - the lion - even after his expulsion from the Lands Between and likely was very bitter over Radagon leaving his mother.
His portrait in Rykard's manor shows that the siblings were not in complete opposition.
@@trice286 Radahn stopped the stars after a battle to protect Selia, the town descended from the Eternal City of Nokron which Ranni recieved the ability to forge godslaying knives & the garb of the assassins from. Part of his protection of Selia could've been born from a discovery of these capabilities, possibly from Ranni trying to loop him into the plan. Lore from the telescopes also states that the Golden Order stopped the stars specifically to halt the fate of Carians, info that one can suppose came from within the family, either through Ranni, Radagon, or discovered by Radahn. As for his age, it's important to remember that the Night of Black Knives and the Shattering are two separate events, with an indefinite time period between.
Rykard's abductors could be in Redmane as a result of Radahn siding with his father's Golden Order and halting the stars; Rykard wants to assist Ranni in furthering her plot past the night of Black Knives, and Radahn is in their way. There very well could have been a time where Ranni, Rykard and Radahn all saw each other as siblings on friendly terms during Rennala and Radagon's time together and Volcano Manor was more of a hangout spot before becoming a pit of blasphemy, with Radahn's early love of Godfrey causing him to go to Radagon's side after he left Rennala.
On the point of invading Leyndell, it could be Radahn simply seeing himself as a rightful successor to the throne. With his warrior strength, claim as the son of King Consort Radagon, a devout member of the Order and his idolization of the first Elden Lord, leading assaults on the Capital to claim it for himself makes perfect sense. As Godfrey himself says, a crown is warranted by strength.
@@blacktigerpaw1 I think Radahn is the only person who wasn't bitter about Radagon leaving. He married Rennala as a Champion, then left to become King Consort and found a Golden Order which Radahn would become a mighty warrior of. Radahn carries the imagery of Godfrey, but he makes note of the pride in his red hair that symbolized him as the son of Radagon. With strength and sorcery and a penchant for battle, he carries himself as an ideal fusion of Godfrey and Radagon, and probably had aims to become the next Elden Lord.
Thanks for feeding my appetite and kindling my passion for the souls franchise ^^
Thanks to you i got back on Elden ring today to enbark on a foolish journey m, once again ^^
14:19 not sure if it has been pointed out by now, but the chest piece of the crucible knight here resembles an eye. You have the black gem as iris in the center, the tree roots resemble blood vessels, and it even has eyelids
This one felt like it took a lot of work, deserves a lil more than a like provides. Always look forward to your art, Vaati💜
I'm really curious about the trolls wearing cloaks and using madness spells. I hope you cover that next time. Good job as always.
I would love to know more about the large ruined pillars and archways you can find everywhere. Seems like an empire, maybe the one that the golems belong to as well. I think that civilisation built the divine towers too
"-That there was a great tree that must have existed before the Erdtree and that the Erdtree might have even replaced this great tree. This was based" truly inspiring words as always from Vaati
You make the best deep-dive lore and theory videos. Don’t ever stop.
Another amazing videos. Some of these shots you guys are getting are absolutely incredible. Leyndell is such an amazing place, loved hearing about it's defensive methodology.
Just as From leveled-up with Elden Ring, Vaati has leveled-up in all aspects of his videos. Truly outstanding work (writing, cinematography, editing, etc)
Elden ring doesn't feel like a level up at all, If anything it's a slight downgrade. Vaati on the otherhand has definitely leveled up.
@@howshegoingeh7708 That take is hotter than Volcano Manor
@@howshegoingeh7708 Are you serious?
@@Lepoetism 100%. Just because it's open world doesn't make it a great game. It also doesn't help that becaue so many games nowadays release in a unfinished state that when a game does release without issues it's seen as a masterpiece.
@@howshegoingeh7708 I agree, I personally think Bloodborne is a better game overall than Elden Ring. I still love Elden Ring quite a lot, but that's like a 9.5/10 vs Elden Ring's 8/10. IMO Bloodborne is still their best work. (Then again I do have a predisposition for Lovecraftian themes and designs)
I would love if you were to do a comprehensive story of the goldmask and Brother Corhyn's story like you did with the lord of frenzy story line. The ending of the questline and final interactions were fascinating to unravel.
2:50. So what you're saying is George R. R. Martin created a group of supernatural beings associated with ice and a group of supernatural beings associated with fire who were bitter enemies of each other. Interesting. Seems worthy of a song.
Best soft soft tutorial for beginners on UA-cam! I'm an absolute beginner and all the other tutorials I've found on UA-cam have been so
Recent Elden Lord here. Its nice to know the details that I missed out on. Also plus points for including sources of all the lore! Thanks!
The design on the tree avatar staff kinda reminds me of the roots on the “primordial Elden ring” in Maliketh’s boss room.
Reminds me of the big booty asylum demon from DS1.
Margit being in front of Godrick makes even more sense when you consider that Margit is far harder than Godrick
I actually had a tougher time with Godrick than I did with Margit.
@@utisti4976 how
@@jstar3382 Way too many limbs to keep track of. I also couldn't get the hang of his airwave projectile attacks for a while.
@@utisti4976 ah. Yeah that moves a pain, but he'll do a really easy to dodge slam if you're close, so it's not really an issue. On replay I died to Margit once (was used to Morgott timings) and none to Godrick.
Late to the party on your last video but your content is becoming so cinematic, truly Hollywood level
that was the best audible ad ive ever been served, tbh. well done, on the marketing side.
Also as always, thanks for these videos, they help me enjoy the game so much more
You're certainly getting your wish with the DLC. Shadow of the Erdtree's first trailer has dropped and we'll be exploring ancient history and lost cultures of the Lands Between.
One thing I find interesting, if possibly irrelevant, is that the two named crucible knights are named for old geological periods (Ordovis - Ordovician and Siluria - Silurian, additionally both of those periods are named after a Celtic tribe). This may reinforce the concept that they (or their order) is from a before time. It could also just be coincidence of course...
Absolutely not a coincidence lol. I scrolled down specifically to see if anyone else had already mentioned this, because it's something that really amused me.
When I first heard of Ordovis, I just thought the name resembled Ordovician a bit, then didn't think any further. But as soon as I encountered Siluria, it clicked. Waaay too specific to be coincidence; these *primordial* knights named after such a prehistoric age (didn't know about the Celtic link though).
Plus, we know they like to play with names like this. Ornstein is named for Miyazaki's favourite composer, *Leo* Ornstein, and his armour is modelled after a lion.
Just little details, but I love them.
@@Panthera9 It's what makes their world building so amazing, the attention to all these little details.
The Celtic roots may be a bit more obscure, both periods are named after those tribes as the studied rocks were from their homelands (both in Wales). Not sure how to interpret that connection, they to are people from a before time (these tribal identities disappeared during the time of Roman Britain), it could also be that they work well as names and are obscure enough (Jurassis and Triassia just don't work as well and would be too obvious).
I didn't even know that Ornstein bit, the more you know!
Awesome video as always, always interesting how the stories are deeper than what we think.
You posted this 2 mins after the video was out and the video is 20 mins.
@@xLacryman I'm commenting how this and his other vids are great. i dont think i need to finish watching before i can comment/decide its a good video right?
For the Trolls part, Sword of Milos said : Milos was undersized for a giant, and was viewed as sullied and terribly grotesque.
If he was treated like this, what about the trolls and their "betrayal"? Just the revenge against humiliations for their undersized form, I think,and the fact is the Dung Eater's weapon , a paria in soul, is significant.
The Fire Troll(s) section is mind blowing! So insanely in-depth!
I stopped playing this game a while ago and I’ve barely played any other souls game. But I’ve seen all of your videos and will continue to watch them immediately when they come out. You’re the lore video GOAT.
'Ate foul tarnished
'Ate thu dung eater
Luv Marika
Luv me golden order
11:13
16:26 Ah yes, the arch criminal VaatiVidya finally acknowledges his crime that puts him in the company of such figures as Shabiri himself.
So happy to see you acknowledge SmoughTown, he has been making some of the best Elden Ring content on the platform.
Just looking closely at things one after another can connect so many ideas together. Like the stomachs of the "lesser giants" and dead giants being gone because the fell god was no longer 'within' them and also seeing the troll's hammer upfront you realize it was made to look like the Fel God's eye...it's incredible. And I'm stipple near the start of the video. I felt burnt out on Elden Ring so I took a break but I may have to give my 2nd run strength build a go just so I can study the world through the alchemy of perspective and experience. I'm sure to find a lot more than I believed possible on a second run
I like this format of video much better than the last one (hearing you explain things rather than in-game dialogue and fancy editing)
As far as the dragons/serpents adorning the Forge of the Giant's are concerned that you mentioned at the very beginning...
In the description of the Gravekeeper's Cloak armor set it's mentioned that serpents are viewed as being enemies / traitors to the Erdtree. So it would make sense that sculptures of serpents specifically are used here since the cauldron they're adorning does, in fact, contain a flame capable of destroying the Erdtree.
Why are serpents viewed as being enemies of the tree? No clue. Did their use on the cauldron lead to serpents being associated with being traitors to the tree? Or was there an already longstanding rivalry between serpents and the tree, hence why they were chosen to adorn the Forge of the Giants? Little bit of a chicken/egg conundrum that I certainly don't have the certifications to answer haha
Heck, it could even be a 'Garden of Eden' allegory with the forbidden tree being defiled by the machinations of a serpent (traitor) and all that. No clue. Just something I put together from two different videos autoplayer back-to-back that each contained 1 piece of the puzzle.
Could be something! Or it could also be nothing.... ah, thus is the life of a Souls fan.
Praise The Dog!
With Giants being involved, I would think of Nidhogg, the dragon/serpent that gnaws at the roots of Yggdrasil