Spread out across the open world of Elden Ring, plenty of historical background and character stories can be found. Elden Ring has a surprisingly large named cast, and many of them have stories interwoven with the game's larger narrative. The player Tarnished may be coming in late, but that means that they get the benefit of hindsight, and can see the climaxes of many plotlines. A not-insignificant part of the game is experiencing these narratives play out, or digging them up from the darkest corners of the world.

It goes without saying that boss fights are included in this pack of interesting people. The best examples of this are the Demigods holding shards of the shattered Elden Ring, having fought each other in an apocalyptic war to determine ownership of Queen Marika's empire. These children and descendants of the divine Marika, raised as Demigods by proxy, have a lot of physical and influential power to throw around. Seeing how they use it is the most fascinating part, as it informs their character and shapes of the world around them.

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Godrick

Elden Ring Beat Godrick Boss Guide Second Phase Dragon Head Grafted

Not every shard-bearer is a child of Marika, however. The somewhat pathetic Godrick the Golden claims divinity due to his bloodline, but he is several generations removed. Being reviled by all and generally incompetent, much of Godrick's strength comes from his advantageous position in Stormveil Castle and the countless Tarnished limbs he has grafted onto himself. As desperately convincing Malenia to spare him is hardly admirable, his most impressive act comes in the player's battle with him. Godrick manages to graft the head of a dead dragon to his arm, something that would make followers of dragon communion green with envy.

Godwyn

godwyn after being murdered

The first impressive Demigod and the Balder-like figure whose death kicked off the Shattering was Godwyn the Golden, a beloved paragon of compassion and martial prowess. While he now rots beneath the Lands Between as the Prince of Death, Godwyn was once one of the greatest warriors in the Lands Between. His greatest triumph had to be his handling of the Ancient Dragons. In a civilization built on xenophobia, Godwyn managed to both best the champion dragon Fortissax and the racial tensions dividing them, bringing the dragons into Marika's empire and earning himself a friend for life in Fortissax.

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Morgott

morgott boss elden ring

Morgott the Omen King rules over the royal capital city of Leyndell, and stands as what seems to be the final trial between the Tarnished and the Erdtree. Being born as an accursed Omen, Morgott was heavily abused throughout his childhood. However, he still loved his family and his nation, and guided Leyndell from the shadows during the Shattering war. While the Golden Order dogma he maintains is oppressive, even towards himself, his sheer will marks him as a hero for the few sane civilians of the Lands Between.

Mohg

MOHG ELDEN RING

Morgott's Omen brother Mohg is considerably less noble. Mohg shared in Morgott's punishment but came away from it as a much more ambitious person. He carved out a cult based in an underground region and seeks to become Elden Lord by placing his kidnapped half-brother Miquella on the throne. What might be Mohg's greatest accomplishment is becoming the champion of the outer god known as the Formless Mother, allowing him to create the Blood Oath school of Incantations. Thanks to his careful planning and relentless acquisition of strength, the Lord of Blood will be a tough foe to defeat.

Radahn

radahn

Out of all the Demigods in Elden Ring, General Radahn is considered to be the most admirable. Radahn was one of the nicest people in Marika's family and earned the name Starscourge Radahn for literally fighting off falling stars with his powerful gravity magic. This is arguably his greatest feat and one he maintains even while fighting Malenia to a draw and losing his sanity. Radahn has the love of both the fan base and his army, who both hold him up as one of the most celebrated individuals in Elden Ring.

Rykard

elden ring rykard

In comparison, Radahn's brother Rykard didn't accomplish much. He was the head Praetor of the Inquisition, but confidently adopted the title Lord of Blasphemy and left to found the insidious Volcano Manor. His most impressive moment was successfully merging with the primordial being known as the God-Devouring Serpent, even though he lost much of his sanity in the process. Incidental lore implies that he could keep eating souls and one day devour the world, but with few followers remaining and limited mobility, Rykard won't be causing much more trouble.

Ranni

ranni doll after killing the two fingers

Ranni the Witch, also known as the Carian Lunar Princess, is comparatively very impressive. Being the instigator of the largest side quest to ever grace a FromSoftware title, Ranni has many deeds to her name. It's hard to say whether partially orchestrating the horrific Night of Black Knives and the resulting Shattering or killing her assigned Fingers were more impressive. Arguably, Ranni's greatest feat is driving the outer gods away from the world in her ending, though this can only be done with the player's help.

Malenia

elden ring malenia

Needing no introduction, Malenia, Blade of Miquella, has never known defeat. Radahn nearly bested her, but only the player can make this legendary warrior pull out her last resort. As it turns out, Malenia's Scarlet Rot curse is tied to a sealed-off God of Rot, and as an Empyrean she has the right to embody it as divinity herself. While the implications of such a change becoming permanent are horrifying, there's still something awe-inspiring about the otherworldly grace and power Malenia shows when embracing the title of Goddess of Rot.

Miquella

Miquella.

Perhaps things would have been different with Malenia's eternally young older brother by her side. Miquella was a charismatic genius who cared for all living in the Lands Between, even those taught by the Golden Order to be feared. Through a combination of this love and his deep care for his sister's affliction, Miquella created the Haligtree as a universal safe haven and an Unalloyed Gold Needle that could suppress outer god influence. While his plans lie in shambles for now, Gideon the All-Knowing suspects that Miquella is still alive, and the expected Elden Ring DLC may one day give him the chance to shine again.

Elden Ring is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

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