As it nears Elden Ring’s two-month release anniversary, players have begun to put together a lot of little details regarding the game. It stands to reason that some mysteries will likely remain in Elden Ring, to be discovered over the next few months or even years, but a lot of its various elements have begun to line up.

One fan theory about Gideon Ofnir the All-Knowing recently sprung up in the Elden Ring community, with many debating whether it makes sense or not. This Elden Ring theory, courtesy of Redditor VaneBorne and their friends, suggests that Ofnir uses the Teardrop Scarabs around the Lands Between to spy on players, and it adds up.

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Elden Ring: Gideon is Spying on the Tarnished, Fan Theory Explained

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First things first, it should be noted that his title is a little misleading. Gideon isn’t omnipotent or all-knowing, with the character even commenting that he seeks to learn as much as he can. Yet, in terms of a name for something like a spymaster, it makes perfect sense to trump up one’s knowledge. His pursuit of knowledge is commendable, and it wouldn’t make sense to restrain it to Roundtable Hold in Elden Ring.

There are two major out-of-game attributions to this theory: the first is that Gideon’s name could come from a classification of beetle known as the Xylotrupes Gideon. This, on the assumption this theory is true, establishes a connection between Gideon and the in-universe bugs. The second is that Ofnir is one of Odin’s many names (like Havi as seen in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla). This draws an instant connection with the All-Knowing title, but just as Odin spied with his ravens, Gideon Ofnir here spies with his scarabs.

Gideon’s Eye Surcoat says that this insignia marks certain folk as the “eyes and ears of Sir Gideon the All-Knowing,” and various scarab items brandish a very similar, if not exact, eye insignia. The theory goes on to explain that only certain scarabs likely spy on the player, and this would make sense. A spymaster, in general fantasy, could use children to spy for them, but they wouldn’t use every child. Thus, the theory posits that the flask-regenerating scarabs are the only ones that do any actual spying.

Many have pointed out, unconvinced by this theory, that Gideon doesn’t know everything, so these Scarabs are either bad spies or the theory doesn’t hold water. Others point out that a lot of what Gideon learns is actually discussed directly with the player, and this seems to have some impact on his boss fight. It hasn’t been proven how accurate this is, but Gideon will use attacks from optional Elden Ring bosses in his fight—only those optional ones that the players have beaten. Some think that they need to talk to him about these boss fights, but there are instances where this doesn’t seem to be true.

But, while these counterarguments are valid as nothing really comes out and says this is true, they hinge on something important but inaccurate. Namely, that Gideon is supposed to be All-Knowing or that, in another way, he approaches this position omnipotently. He does not. Gideon’s use of knowledge seemingly tracks alongside the player, and the players have little reason not to trust him. He shares knowledge with them; the players share it back. His knowledge is entirely from one Point of View and his relationship with the Tarnished, not the greater Lands Between only. After all, he doesn't know of some areas despite these being there. It's not omnipotently through these scarabs, but through the player's discovery (killing) of them. He’s a Tarnished seeking to become Elden Lord, and so he uses his spies to spy on the other Tarnished. Except the Tarnished don’t do much, and he hasn’t learned much from anyone—except the player that is.

Personalizing this may seem trivial, but it speaks the world of Gideon’s perspective. He isn’t All-Knowing; he wants to become All-Knowing. Through spying on the player, Gideon Ofnir learns a lot about the world, and there’s no need to talk to him about the bosses for him to use their abilities. He has seen it through their eyes. He doesn’t set out to betray the player, just to learn from them, but a discovery through his own eyes leads to him opposing the Tarnished.

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Why Does Gideon Spy on Elden Ring’s Tarnished, Motive Explained

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Thus, if his motive from the onset wasn’t to spy for power, the big question is why he opposes the player near the end of the game. Gideon is the third from the final boss fight of the game, and prior to this, he had only been seen in Roundtable Hold. Elden Ring's scarabs collect information for him, while he pours over a lot of other elements—seeing this knowledge as a way to Power. One discovery makes him not wish he had that power.

Early on, it is stated that he wants to acquire the Elden Ring and become Elden Lord. His tune changes in this fight, having become convinced that a Tarnished could not become Elden Lord. Gideon is impressed with the player, not just through conversations but through his spying, but says no man can kill a god, not even the player. This line is bitter-sweet, showing that Gideon saw how powerful the player was but was doubtful of their journey and the purpose of it. Thus, Gideon’s betrayal of the player rests on the motive of why he has come to doubt the journey. The answer is simple: Queen Marika The Eternal.

He learns something about Queen Marika that causes him to give up becoming Elden Lord and seek to stop any Tarnished from doing so. It’s not personal, but it is in direct confrontation with the player. It’s only subtly hinted at, but it’s possible that Marika created the Tarnished to oppose the Greater Will and kill it—despite being its vassal and queen. Marika is an Empyrean, one whose entire destiny is in control of the Greater Will. She opposes it by removing the Rune of Death from the Elden Ring, to save her family from Destined Death, and by creating the Tarnished—even though the grace later bestowed upon them is to restore the Elden Ring.

Gideon seems to discover that Marika wanted the Tarnished to kill a god, to kill The Greater Will. Her shattering of the Elden Ring may not have just been an emotional response to the death of Godwyn; many factions see her as the upholder of the Golden Order but perhaps she was just under its control. Other evidence is that she is punished by The Greater Will for this (perhaps this is how she becomes one with Radagon) and that she requests Hewg to make a weapon that can kill a God. Either way, he learns that she has subverted The Greater Will, seeking to destroy it and the Golden Order—factions simply quarrel what follows.

If a Tarnished, her creation, becomes Elden Lord, it’s not to serve The Greater Will, but to oppose it. How they do so is reflected in the various endings of Elden Ring, with it being possible to uphold it Golden Order in one way (though they always kill it), but Gideon wants to maintain the Golden Order/doesn’t believe The Greater Will can be killed. And so, from his point of view, trying could lead to something worse replacing it. There are certainly worse endings than The Lands Between’s current state, such as The Lord of the Frenzied Flame.

In the end, Gideon is a tragic hero. He was a flawed spymaster, who sought to turn knowledge into power, but instead of this gift, he received this curse of understanding the state of the world, the Golden Order, Marika, The Greater Will, and more.

Elden Ring is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.

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Source: Vaneborne (via Reddit)