With the first teaser dropping nearly a year after Elden Ring’s release back in 2022, the buildup to FromSoft’s largest expansion yet has been nothing but amazing. This was followed up by total silence, until one evening in February 2023 the studio abruptly decided to drop the gameplay trailer for the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC on YouTube.
Fast-tracking to today, it has been a month since players finally got to explore the Realm of Shadow, but fans have begun to ask one important question that the creators forgot to answer, and it all has to do with the very first Key Art.
Miquella on Torrent – Did FromSoft Assume Players Would Forget?
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The spectral steed is one of the very first companions our tarnished character comes across in his journey to becoming the Elden Lord. This is why it is easy to say everyone was left astonished when the very first cover art for the Shadow of the Erdtree featured the empyrean twin riding Torrent.
Elden Ring Players are Only Now Realizing Shadow of the Erdtree Forgot to Include a Hugely Important Mechanic
The rabbit hole goes deeper. As brought up by a user on Elden Ring’s Reddit Forum, there was a major plot dedicated to a connection between Miquella, Ranni, and Spirit Summons such as Torrent himself. Unfortunately, the real answers were never given when the DLC finally came out.
It is not fair to players that such major plots were abandoned by FromSoft despite teasing about it for more than a year and a half. Luckily, players still get a little insight into the character of Miquella and other mysteries about the empyrean twin.
St. Trina and Radahn – Parts of Miquella’s Journey That the Studio Did Explain Well
The Elden Ring DLC puts forward interesting pieces of lore | Image Credit: FromSoft
Despite there being many complaints of Hidetaka Miyazaki skipping over many different aspects of lore from the main game, the renowned director does an excellent job of outlining the story he decided to include in the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC.
Players find St. Trina abandoned in the Stone Coffin Fissure, guarded by the Putrescent Knight. Associated with sleep, St. Trina is a figure that was speculated to be Miquella’s other identity, a theory that was confirmed with the release of the expansion.
Furthermore, while every single fan expected Godwyn the Golden, players got to fight against a face they had seen before in the main game. It was Radahn who surprisingly assumed the role of the Empyrean’s consort, together becoming what many are calling the hardest boss fight ever.
Did you notice the studio subtly skipping over Miquella’s connection with Ranni and Torrent as well? Make sure to let us know about it in the comments below!
