Outside of absurdly difficult games, FromSoftware’s biggest trademark is its cryptic storytelling, crafting worlds filled to the brim with fascinating lore and characters begging to be uncovered by players. That’s never been more true than with Elden Ring, a game that FromSoftware worked on in collaboration with Game of Thrones author, George R.R. Martin. That’s created a rich tapestry of lore for the story of Elden Ring to work with. Whether you’re a newcomer or a long-time player, here’s everything you need to know about Elden Ring’s setting.
Where Does Elden Ring Take Place?
Elden Ring takes place in a realm called The Lands Between, an insular landmass made up of various different regions and climates. These regions are Limgrave, Liurnia of the Lakes, Weeping Peninsula, Caelid, Altus Plateau, Consecrated Snowfield, Mt. Gelmir, and Moutaintops of the Giants. There’s also a realm that exists underneath The Lands Between, consisting of Siofra River, Ainsel River, and the Deeproot Depths.
Talking about Elden Ring lore is a good way to self-induce a headache, but we’ll try and keep things as clear and simple as possible. Here’s the general setup for The Lands Between and Elden Ring.
When you first venture into The Lands Between is a shadow of its former glory, a realm wracked by decay and bloodshed. The realm was once ruled over by Queen Marika and her consort Godfrey, The Elden Lord. They ruled from the grand and opulent city of Leyndell.
In the game’s lore, a myth says that a Godlike being called the Greater Will sent a golden star bearing a beast to The Lands Between, and this was eventually forged into the Elden Ring by Marika. The Elden Ring also created the glowing golden Erdtree that resides over The Lands Between, granting a blessing to the realm’s people.
The Elden Ring itself isn’t actually a ring, per se, but a mysterious concept that represents the law of the world. Unfortunately, that’s the best way to describe the Elden Ring, as the game itself is extremely cryptic about what it actually is. This is FromSofware meets George R.R. Martin, so what’d you expect?
After a series of wars and conflicts, Marika eventually shatters the Elden Ring with the hammer she used to forge it. This entered the realm into a period called The Shattering, where Marika’s demigod offspring battle over the fractured runes that were created from the Elden Ring being broken.
After none of the children succeeded, grace was offered to the Tarnished — individuals who lost the blessing of the Erdtree and were banished from The Lands Between. You the player are one such Tarnished, returning to the realm in an effort to become the next Elden Lord and restore order, or bring more ruin.
Are There Other Continents in Elden Ring’s World?
While Elden Ring takes place entirely in The Lands Between, the realm does technically seem to be part of a larger world. It makes sense as the Tarnished being banished from The Lands Between, would need somewhere to go. We never see any other continents or realms, but Elden Ring does mention a couple. Two of these that we hear about are the Badlands and Land of Reeds.
The Badlands were where Lord Godfrey led his kin after being banished, and one interesting detail is that Exalted Flesh is known as a delicacy there. The name Badlands would imply it’s a harsh place. The Land of Reeds is where the Samurai hail from, and it’s said to be a place locked in a long and miserable conflict. Because of this, it’s been alienated from the neighboring realms. These details would suggest The Land of Reeds is heavily inspired by Japan and is likely some kind of fantasy twist on the Sengoku period, when the country was locked in a brutal skirmish.
Those are the two major other realms that we know about, but Elden Ring never shows us where they are in relation to The Lands Between. Unfortunately, you shouldn’t expect these other areas or pieces of lore to be explored substantially, as Elden Ring director Hidetaka Miyazaki has said FomSoftware has no plans for a sequel or any more DLC after The Shadow of the Erdtree expansion.
Is Elden Ring in the Same Universe as Dark Souls?
While Elden Ring shares a lot of commonalities with Dark Souls, even in its story, the two games are completely unconnected. There’s been a bit of confusion on this front as George R.R. Martin once called Elden Ring a “sequel to Dark Souls” in an interview. However, the author was likely speaking more generally, due to his limited involvement in the project.
It’s better to think of Elden Ring as a spiritual successor to the Souls games, in the same way that Dark Souls was a spiritual successor to Demon’s Souls. It’s essentially a continuation of FromSoftware carrying on its ideas and storytelling, just adapting those into a new setting.
