The Summer Game Fest Kickoff Live presentation delivered as promised, fully revealing Elden Ring with an extended three-minute trailer. A mix of in-game cinematic footage and gameplay for Elden Ring make up the bulk of the trailer, confirming what could be the true successor to From Software's iconic Dark Souls trilogy. The Elden Ring trailer wasn't all that From Software shared, however. The official website for Elden Ring has also been updated, detailing key details regarding its story and world.
What the official Elden Ring website first confirms in its short story description is a perhaps unsurprising parallel to previous From Software games. Players will take on the role of the Tarnished in an effort to become an Elden Lord, much like how Dark Souls' Hollows battled to kindle the first flame or Bloodborne's Hunters sought to escape the dream. To do this, Elden Ring players will, "by grace," brandish the power of the Elden Ring.
As Tarnished, players will travel to a world named the Lands Between. This land is ruled by Queen Marika the Eternal, though it's a land in deep turmoil. The Elden Ring has been shattered and Marika's offspring have claimed its shards. While these shards grant power, they also drive their holders mad with power. A war dubbed The Shattering followed, leading to the state of the Lands Between as Elden Ring players enter the picture.
A notable lore detail that can be seen in the new Elden Ring trailer is the golden tree seen in one sequence. This tree is said to be named the Erdtree, found within the Lands Between, and the Elden Ring is the tree's source. Even in the midst of The Shattering, this golden tree shines down on the destruction found within the Lands Between. Not all is as it seems in From Software games, however. Perhaps there's more to the Erdtree's lasting brightness than meets the eye.
The trailer and the official Elden Ring website description offer but a glimpse of the world within the Lands Between. Some other hints regarding what players can expect have also been shared. For example, grassy plains, suffocating swamps, spiraling mountains, foreboding castles, complex dungeons, and more litter the Lands Between's landscape. It's an interconnected, seamless world so large that a mount is required to fully explore it.
Obviously, there's a lot more to share about Elden Ring's world and its story. What Bandai Namco has shared is a drop in the pond that will be Elden Ring's deep ocean of story and lore. To find out more, however, may require waiting for the game's release in early 2022.
Elden Ring releases January 22, 2022, on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.