Summary
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtreebrings a massive amount of new content to the Lands Between in the form of the Land of Shadow. That means that there’s new lore, and with new lore comes new theories about the Lands Between, the Land of Shadow, and the characters inhabiting both locations. One particular theory that’s started floating around with the arrival of the DLC actually paints the actions of a character in a new light that makes him more of a hero. Since fate holds a lot of importance inElden Ring, holding fate still can either save somebody or ruin their plans entirely.
The base game forElden Ringgives the Tarnished afew options for differentElden Ringendingsdepending on the quests they’ve completed leading up to the final battle. One option, which is the fan-favorite choice, is the Age of Stars ending that comes from completingRanni the Witch’squests. In it, Ranni sends the Golden Order far away to free the residents of the Lands Between from its influence and ushers in an Age of Stars, whose cold, distant nature lets people choose for themselves the kind of life they want.
Shadow Of The Erdtree Changes Everything We Know About Two Elden Ring Bosses
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is chiefly concerned with Miquella, but two of Marika’s other children receive expanded lore: Morgott and Mohg.
A New Theory Suggests A Different Reason As To Why Radahn Stopped The Stars
It Was A Selfless Act
Starscourge Radahnwas already described as a hero, as seen in the Starscourge Talisman, which reads"The mightiest hero of the demigods confronted the falling stars alone, and thus did he crush them, his conquest sealing the very fate of the stars.“As answer for why Radahn decided to halt the stars — and fate itself —is left to theory and speculation without a definite explanationgiven in eitherElden Ringor itsShadow of the ErdtreeDLC. Some motivation is given by the Starscourge Conflict monument, which states that Radahn alone holds Sellia secure, implying that stopping the stars keeps an event from destroying it.
However, there are a few new theories that started circulating with the release of the DLC. All of these giveStarscourge Radahna more active role as the conqueror he’s described to be, rather than playing a defensive role in trying to keep cosmic entities from arriving in the Lands Between. Since there are hints that Radahn, Ranni, and Rykard are on decent terms, shown by Ranni trusting Rykard with part of the Rune of Death and Radahn’s portrait being hung in Rykard’s manor,it’s possible that Radahn held the stars to keep Ranni from being used by the Two Fingers.
How Many Bosses Are In Elden Ring?
As befitting the sheer size of the Lands Between, there are an immense number of Bosses available for the Tarnished to fight in Elden Ring.
Ranni’s Fate As An Empyrean & An Opportunity For Radahn
Both Benefit From Fate Being Stopped
By stopping the stars, Radahn stops Ranni’s fate of being an Empyrean who’s destined to ascend to godhood. If he was aware of her plan to use the Rune of Death and get rid of her flesh, this action could’vebought her enough time to execute that plan. With the new information fromShadow of the Erdtree, this would also benefit Radahn by delaying when his vow with Malenia and Miquella would come to fruition. If he wasn’t entirely willing to be Miquella’s consort but was charmed into agreeing, it would make even more sense that he’s delaying both Ranni’s fate and his own.
Depending on Radahn’s views of the Golden Order, he could’ve been in league withRanni the Witchfor the Age of Stars ending. Ranni would have enough time to shed her Empyrean flesh and find a Tarnished willing to work with her, and she could send that Tarnished to give Radahn a final battle sincehe would want to die honorably in a fight. At the same time, if the Tarnished couldn’t win against Radahn, they could be seen as unfit to be Ranni’s consort. In which case, Radahn would continue holding fate still until a suitable Tarnished faced him.
What Happens To Miquella In Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree
The Shadow of the Erdtree DLC for Elden Ring explains many details about Miquella the Kind, some of which even predate the events of the base game.
In the end, there’s no conclusive answer aboutwhy Radahn decided to hold the stars in stasis, and another theory even suggests that he did it to draw cosmic creatures to the Lands Between in order to defeat them. Whether it was for himself, Ranni, or another reason entirely, it makes Radahn an interesting character to have ambiguous motivation about his defining characteristic. Unfortunately for Radahn, fate needs to be put into motion, so he needs to be killed for the Age of Stars ending and to enter the Land of Shadow inElden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree.
