To understand what is going on in Elden Ring, players must know what the lore is behind the Greater Will. The being is mentioned many times in the game by NPCs, item descriptions, and locations. It is one of seven Outer Gods mentioned, and the most active because of its enormous influence on the Lands Between. Knowing its history is also vital to understanding the various ways Elden Ring can end.
The Greater Will is what basically ruled the Lands Between before the Shattering, as it created the Erdtree, made Marika a god, created the Elden Ring, and uses the Two Fingers as corporeal agents. It is a god of order and like any god, it desires power and influence. It has many enemies as well, such as the other Outer Gods and whatever was in the Lands Between before it arrived and took over.
The Backstory Of The Greater Will
Fans have priced together that the Greater Will is more sinister than some NPCs would have them believe. There is evidence of societies and power structures that were around before the Greater Will came to claim the land. Such societies belonged to dragons, giants, omens, Crucible Knights, the Carians, and misbegotton. There was also a tree before the Erdtree called the Great Tree with primordial magic and laws that would later be looked down upon along with the old societies. There is a theory that the Great Tree is why the Greater Will chose the Lands Between in the first place to overtake and rule.
The Greater Will, the Outer God of order, does not actually live in the Lands Between, but in the cosmos. Wanting power, it sent a gold star to the Lands Between, and it landed as the Elden Beast. The Elden Beast held the lands on behalf of the Greater Will and would later become the Elden Ring and live in the Erdtree. This Elden Ring was made of runes and set two very important logic the land would live under. The first logic was the Law of Causality, which is basically just cause and effect. The other logic was the Law of Regression, which basically is about all things striving to return to their roots.
After the Erdtree was secured, the Greater Will either created or connected with the Two Fingers. These two-fingered hands would become the Outer God's envoys. However, the only people who can read the Two Fingers are immortal Finger Readers. These Two Fingers also have power, but it is limited. For example, it may take thousands of years to contact the Greater Will for guidance. Last but not least, the Greater Will made a Numen woman named Marika a god and bestowed her with a shadow named Maliketh. With the Elden Ring, Erdtree, Two Fingers, and Marika - with her shadow also in line to do its bidding and spread its influence - the Greater Will was then settled into the Lands Between.
The Greater Will After The Shattering
The Greater Will made a lot of enemies and doubters during its hold over the Lands Between. Fans have theorized that one of its biggest doubters may have been Marika herself, and that the Night of the Black Knives, the Tarnished, and the ring shattering were all part of a big plan she had for the Greater Will's influence over the Lands Between to be undone. After she shattered the Elden Ring, the Greater Will punished her and put her in chains in the Erdtree where she could not leave.
Marika's other half, Radagon, was also punished with her, but there is evidence that he remained loyal to the Greater Will to the end. He tried to repair the Elden Ring after Marika shattered it. Many NPCs believed that the Greater Will abandoned the Lands Between after the Shattering, but the truth was that it simply lost a huge source of power and thus could not guide the people in the Lands Between like it once did. By the end of the game, some endings restore the Elden Ring and have Greater Will rule over the Lands Between again, while others give the lands to another Outer God.
Elden Ring is available for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.