It feels like an understatement to say Elden Ring has taken the gaming world by storm, with many already considering it Game of the Year. It meshes the known challenges and rewards of FromSoftware’s Souls games with unparalleled freedom in an open-world setting, but of course, that’s not to say it’s perfect. No game is.
WARNING: POTENTIAL SPOILERS FOR ELDEN RING AHEADElden Ring has its flaws, and many would argue that it loses a lot of its momentum in the second half (or so) of the game. While its highlights and its flaws are a matter of opinion, it’s also worth noting one character who doesn’t seem to get any real resolution—Rennala, High Queen of the Full Moon. Players will have to fight and defeat her to proceed with the story, but given her role in Elden Ring’s background as well as her relationship with Ranni, it just feels somewhat incomplete.
Elden Ring: Rennala’s Role in the Lands Between
Rennala would become a powerful lunar mage, eventually leading the Academy of Raya Lucaria and establishing the Carian family as royalty. Her sheer power cannot be understated, and this shows in how she was able to fight Radagon’s golden army of Leyndell capital to a standstill. Radagon, incomplete, is no joke to players in the final Elden Ring boss fight, so his power then must have been tremendous. Consider that he is one-half of Marika too, it’s clear through context how powerful she was. Rennala and Radagon would marry, leading to three all-might and powerful children: Radahn, Rykard, and Ranni the Snow Witch.
Interestingly enough, Radagon and Rennala were married at the Church of Vows, likely by Miriel, Pastor of Vows (otherwise known as the Turtle Pope). The implications here are of two powerful people in love, and it would seem Radagon would truly love Rennala. Thus, when Marika summons him back, Rennala’s heart breaks. And the later loss of Ranni would be too much for her to bear.
Adding to the whole intrigue of the situation is how Radagon (who is, it’s important to remember, also Marika) gives Rennala a Great Rune…before the Shattering…and how Rennala becomes obsessed with resurrection, particular for her daughter Ranni. Now, the story of the Academy moves forward with Sellen’s questline in Elden Ring, but Rennala’s doesn’t.
Elden Ring: From Powerful Witch to Gameplay Mechanic
That’s not to say players won’t see Rennala much, as depending on how someone goes about the game, they can return to her several times to respec their Elden Ring builds. Yet, it’s an incredibly odd scenario for one of the most powerful witches in Elden Ring, who has a powerful witch daughter doing untold things around the Lands Between, to simply be reduced to a gameplay mechanic like this.
It’s absolutely needed, but it could have still worked while giving Rennala a more satisfying conclusion. Perhaps it’s better than most Elden Ring NPCs who meet their death instead, but at the same time, it feels oddly like there was a story direction here that was ultimately cut.
Elden Ring: Rennala’s Story Untold
There are a few things that make her story ending like this seem incomplete. First, entirely in-game is the fact that Ranni summons the image of her mother in all her glory during Rennala’s boss fight. After players beat her first stage, the sea-like world with the moon and the all-powerful Lunar Witch are all Ranni’s conjuring. Rennala believes she can bring Ranni back, seemingly unaware that only part of Ranni died. To not offer this mother-daughter story, where one is completely broken and where Ranni still appears to love and cherish her mother, is odd.
Then, there’s this whole other story of Ranni’s ending seemingly being breaking any Outer Gods' Order over the world, leading to some form of free will, and taking her Tarnished Champion to the Stars with her. The aesthetics and associations with the moon and stars is a direct connection to Rennala’s entire motif—why not have Rennala play a major role in Ranni’s questline and, perhaps, somehow play a role in this ending. It feels like an odd omission, but what really makes it stand out is Blaidd.
Recently, it was discovered that Rennala was able to summon Blaidd at one point prior to release, Blaidd being Ranni’s Shadow. This would likely be explained in-game and could perhaps shine some light on Ranni’s plans to Rennala, as she would know that Blaidd serves Ranni. Blaidd’s story ends tragically because of this, but at least his comes to an end. It’s clear Ranni loved Blaidd as a brother, despite the rules that bind him and his inception by the Greater Will and Two Fingers, and it would have painted a more family-like picture to bring all these elements together. All it does now is leave a grieving divorcee without her children, alone, clutching to the past.
Elden Ring is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.