: Defeat corrupted legends like the grafted Godrick and the star-scourge Radahn to reclaim their Great Runes.

: Ultimately decide the fate of the world—whether to restore the Golden Order, usher in an Age of Stars, or burn it all away in a frenzy. Community Perspectives

“The point is you're not spoon fed a narrative or ideology to model yourself after. There's no good endings. It's just using a well crafted lore and making you explore this cool world.” Reddit · r/EldenRingLoreTalk · 1 year ago Elden Ring's Lore: Explained! : r/Games

The era of peace shattered when stole a fragment of the Rune of Death. On the "Night of the Black Knives," assassins used this power to slay Godwyn the Golden , Marika’s firstborn. His soul died, but his body lived on as a rotting husk beneath the capital, birthing "Those Who Live in Death". Driven to grief or madness, Queen Marika shattered the Elden Ring with her hammer, scattering its powerful fragments, known as Great Runes , among her demigod children. The Shattering and the Tarnished

Long ago, a cosmic entity known as the sent a golden star to the Lands Between, bearing the Elden Beast , which became the Elden Ring . This Ring defined the very laws of reality and was housed within the gargantuan Erdtree . Queen Marika the Eternal was chosen as its vessel and god-queen. To establish her "Golden Order," Marika removed the Rune of Death from the Ring, ensuring her subjects would never truly die, but instead return to the Erdtree to be reborn. The Night of the Black Knives