While Hidetaka Miyazaki says Elden Ring‘s Shadow of the Erdtree expansion is designed to provide at least one character with a “conclusive endpoint”, it sounds like there should still be plenty of room for the development of fun fan theories.
As you’re probably aware if you’re reading this, FromSoftware is known for telling its tales in a fashion that often leaves players to put the pieces together, with Elden Ring and the nine million fan theories it’s spawned over the years being a prime example of why subtle storytelling can be incredibly effective. Which other game, after all, could leave fans speculating about the metaphysical implications of some curtains?
In response to being asked how FromSoft has approached crafting Shadow of the Erdtree’s ending and whether it’s aimed to leave things a little bit open with a view to doing more in the future during an interview with Gamespot, Miyazaki didn’t say too much, but did confirm that at least one character will get a proper payoff in the DLC.
“Concerning Shadow of Erdtree, that’s something where I very strongly wanted to make sure audiences feel Miquella’s ending,” the developer said, “And there of course might be room for interpretation in there, but the overall feel is a definitive closure to his arc. So if Shadow of Erdtree is Miquella’s story, he has his conclusive endpoint.”
If that has you concerned that there might not be much detective work to be done in the DLC, don’t worry. While egg boy’s tale might get a definitive resolution, Miyazaki’s still very much committed to letting you unravel the rest of DLC’s themes yourself.
“Of course, there are certainly themes that I have and themes that I hope audiences will experience,” he said in response to being asked what the main theme he wanted to pursue in the DLC was. “That can be said for Shadow of Erdtree as well as past games I’ve made, or even the base Elden Ring game. That being said, I don’t think it would be fair for me to explain that to players or tell that to players.”
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“Myself coming in and saying, ‘Well, actually this was the theme’ would really take away or distract from the experience and that interpretation each individual player has built around their own adventure,” he added, “On a more personal level, I think me trying to take these ideas and themes that I have and put them into words and say them out loud is, on a very simple level, embarrassing.”
Moving back to FromSoft things that are definitely coming, if you’re looking for guides to getting anything in the Lands Between done as you get back into Elden Ring and finish doing any stuff you need to before Shadow of the Erdtree drops, make sure to check out our array of recently updated ones for everything from reaching Mohgwyn Palace to getting Adula’s Moonblade.