The Lands Between is home to many religious movements, and The Golden Order is possibly the most influential in Elden Ring. Elden Ring's lore provides some information about The Golden Order and other competing schools of thought, but there's a lot of ambiguity. As players progress in the game's story, essential information about the origins of The Golden Order and how it came to dominate The Lands Between is revealed.
The Golden Order makes its presence known to players in many ways, primarily through bosses. Elden Ring has numerous bosses, many of whom have pledged allegiance to The Golden Order and strive to enforce the rule of Greater Will. Crucible Knights, Erdtree Avatars, and Ancient Heroes of Zamor are just some Elden Ring bosses associated with the Golden Order.
What Is The Golden Order?
The Golden Order is a theological movement, arguably the most prevalent religious order in The Lands Between. It is a set of beliefs surrounding the Greater Will, an outer god who enforces their decisions through a vassal known as the Two Fingers. Queen Marika the Eternal, is the reigning sovereign of The Lands Between and was given their status by this powerful outer god.
Queen Marika, the Elden Ring, and the Erdtree could be considered different representations of the Golden Order. The Golden Order is governed by two principles, The Law of Regression and The Law of Causality. The former says "Regression is the pull of meaning; that all things yearn eternally to converge," while the latter says "Causality is the pull between meanings; it is the connections that form the relationships of all things."
This order or religious movement was brought upon when the Greater Will gave Marika their godhood status. Other outer gods like Formless Mother, Frenzied Flame, and God of the Deathbirds seek to dominate the Lands Between, but it was the Greater Will that prevailed. Initially, everything opposed The Golden Order, but soon Queen Marika and the Erdtree became the masters of the world.
Stonedigger Trolls
Stonedigger Trolls are descendants of the giants, and have a visible hole in their abdomen. Their roots can be confirmed by looking closely at the trolls in the Mountaintops of The Giants area. These trolls have the abdominal cavity but cast Fire Giant incantations, suggesting a link between the two.
Long ago, a battle was fought between The Golden Order and the giants, where the trolls sided with the former, breaking faith with their brethren. The cause of this betrayal is unknown, but the trolls played a vital role in establishing the rule of The Golden Order in the Mountaintops of The Giants region. Their signature weapon, Troll's Hammer, was once used for smithing, and can be seen with Master Iji.
Erdtree Avatars
Erdtree Avatars are the physical manifestation of the Erdtree, seen guarding minor Erdtrees across the map, and appear to be headless walking trees with a staff. The Putrid Avatar is a variant in Caelid, Consecrated Snowfield, Dragonbarrow, and Miquella's Haligtree that is almost exactly the same except for its use of the Scarlet Rot affliction. The relation between these two Avatars is not clear, but it seems at some point in history, some Erdtree Avatars became infected with Scarlet Rot and turned into Putrid Avatars.
Ulcerated Tree Spirits
The Erdtree has many purposes, one of which is to accept spirits so that they can live forever. However, the Ulcerated Tree Spirits seem to be a failure of that process. They look like deformed, corrupted trees and appear to have no real purpose. Unlike the Erdtree Avatars found near Minor Erdtrees, Ulcerated Tree Spirits are usually seen in catacombs and graveyards.
These bosses are found all over the Elden Ring's map and don't seem to be protecting the Erdtree; instead, they represent an age of decline. Some in-game experts believe Ulcerated Tree Spirits are the physical manifestation of stagnation, indicating that the age of the Erdtree or The Golden Order is coming to an end.
Night's Cavalry
Night's Cavalry are mounted knights found around bridges and similar locations. They only appear at night, mounting dark horses and wielding weapons like flails and halberds. Margit The Fell Omen leads the Night's Cavalry during their encounters with mighty champions of The Lands Between.
It is interesting that Elden Ring's lore mentions Margit as the leader of the Night's Cavalry rather than Morgott, his true identity. Some fans have pointed out similarities between the functions of the Night's Cavalry and Margit. Night's Cavalry are tasked to protect the dim roads from oncoming threats that endanger The Golden Order, while Margit protects the road to the Erdtree from the invading Tarnished.
Tree Sentinels
Tree Sentinels are arguably the staunchest defenders of The Golden Order, as seen by their battle strategies and attire. They are heavily armored knights wielding giant halberds atop large steeds. Their armor bears the Erdtree crest, and they have many attacks that deal holy damage, including Golden Retaliation.
A more powerful variant called the Draconic Tree Sentinel guards a secret entrance to Leyndell. According to some sources, the Draconic Tree Sentinels came around after the Ancient Dragons attacked The Golden Order by invading Leyndell. Eventually, peace was brokered, and worship of both the ancient dragons and the Erdree was allowed.
Ancient Heroes Of Zamor
These mysterious Elden Ring bosses have been around for millennia, and they reside in the snowy areas of the Mountaintops of The Giants. According to descriptions on their armor and weaponry, they are believed to be mortal enemies of the Fire Giants who sided with Queen Marika during the war. Knights of Zamor who fought valiantly for Marika's order were branded heroes, hence the name Ancient Heroes of Zamor.
The rivalry between the Fire Giants and the Knights of Zamor is intriguing as both appear to be polar opposites. The giants have mastered the techniques related to pyromancy, whereas the Knights of Zamor have embraced the cold elements.
Crucible Knights
The Crucible Knights are among the oldest bosses in Elden Ring, and information about their lore can be found in descriptions of the Aspects of The Crucible incantations. The narratives suggest that before the Erdtree, there was a primordial Crucible that blended all life together. It seems when The Golden Order took over, the Crucible Knights pledged their loyalty to new masters.
More information can be found in the Crucible Axe Set item descriptions, which mention that 16 Crucible Knights served Godfrey, the First Elden Lord. It is said that Godfrey led these knights into different corners of The Lands Between and captured each one after the other. These 16 Crucible Knights can be found today, guarding many vital locations in Elden Ring.
Morgott The Omen King
Morgott is the twin brother of Mohg, Lord of Blood, born to Queen Marika and Godfrey. Found in Leyndell Royal Capital, Morgott is the self-proclaimed "Last of All Kings." As he and his brother are Omens, they were imprisoned in the depths of Subterranean Shunning-Grounds. Despite his poor treatment, Morgott remains highly loyal to The Golden Order and has sworn to defend it from any threats, including the Tarnished.
When his fellow demigods invaded Leyndell during the war of the shattering, he stood tall and defended the Erdtree. He founded the Night's Cavalry and led them as Margit to protect the Erdtree from oncoming threats and dangers. During the cutscene before his boss fight, he recalls other demigods as traitors who betrayed The Golden Order for personal gains, but he remained loyal without any reward.
Godfrey, The First Elden Lord
Godfrey was once called Hourah Loux, chieftain of the Badlands, who was chosen to be Queen Marika's consort. By accepting Queen Marika's offer, Godfrey became the First Elden Lord and amassed an army to enforce the will of The Golden Order. He gathered 16 Crucible Knights and marched across The Lands Between to establish The Golden Order all around.
When he became the First Elden Lord, he took the Beast Regent Serosh upon his back to suppress his violent and bloodthirsty urges. However, he and his followers were robbed of their grace and exiled from The Lands Between, becoming the first Tarnished.
Radagon of The Golden Order
Radagon is a God who wields the hammer that shattered the Elden Ring. He was initially married to Rennala, with whom he had three children: Ranni The Witch, Praetor Rykard, and Starscourge Radahn. When Queen Marika exiled Godfrey, Radagon left Rennala and became Marika's consort to become the Second Elden Lord. He had the twins Malenia and Miquella with Queen Marika, who were chosen as Empyreans.
Brother Corhyn's and Goldmask's quests reveal that Radagon and Marika are the same being, with Radagon being the male half while Marika is the female. They share a body but don't have the same will, which is evident by the fact that Marika wanted to destroy the Elden Ring, whereas Radagon tried to repair it. Radagon takes control of Marika's shackled body when the Tarnished burns the Erdtree and attempts to overthrow The Golden Order.
Elden Beast
The Elden Beast is a vassal of the Greater Will and the physical embodiment of the Elden Ring. The Greater Will sent the Elden Beast to The Lands Between as a golden star who became one with Queen Marika, making her a God. This means that Marika, Radagon, and the Elden Beast are three forms of the same being who serve The Golden Order. When Marika shattered the Elden Ring, the Greater Will imprisoned her inside the Erdtree.
When the Tarnished warrior makes their way into the Erdtree, they come across Radagon and the reigning Elden Lord. After his defeat, the Elden Beast emerges from the body of Radagon to challenge the Tarnished for a final battle to protect the Erdtree from destruction.
Elden Ring is out now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.