Shadows of the Erdtree will prove if Miquella really is the innocent Empyrean the current lore claims he is.
Technically introduced in the starting area of Elden Ring, Miquella is the least-explored major character in FromSoftware’s sprawling open-world masterpiece. However, the finally-announced DLC Shadow of the Erdtree will likely change that. Here’s why Miquella will be the central character and what established lore the update could disrupt.
On February 28, 2023, FromSoftware announced the DLC with a single teaser image and a name for the expansion. The image shows a young blonde figure riding Torrent, the Tarnished’s own trusty steed. Based on item descriptions and his limited in-game appearances, many fans believe this figure to be Miquella. The tree in the background likely represents the Haligtree before he intentionally joined with it.
The image also hints that the new DLC may play with the timeline of Elden Ring. By the time the Tarnished returns to the Lands Between, Miquella is already trapped in an egg deep under the earth. In fact, the hyped image may be the first canonical image of Miquella before his transformation. If so, that would mean that the player would travel back in time for the DLC. The lack of any crazy monsters in the field also points to a pre-Shattering setting.
Current Elden Ring lore paints Miquella as an innocent victim of his parents and Mohg, but Shadows of the Erdtree will likely explore his story deeper.
First, a quick refresher on confirmed Miquella lore. Elden Ring clarifies in-game that Miquella is the son of Queen Marika and Radagon, which makes him the younger brother of Malenia. He is cursed to remain eternally young, which, combined with Malenia’s own Scarlet Rot affliction, spurred Miquella to create his own version of the Erdtree called the Haligtree to solve both problems. The second-largest tree in the Lands Between is also where players fight against Elden Ring’s bonus boss Malenia, Blade of Miquella.
However, Mohg kidnapped him before he was able to finish the Haligtree. He only appears in-game as some sort of egg in Mohgwyn Palace, with a sickly, inhuman arm reaching out from the broken shell.
Miquella’s near-absence from Elden Ring raises quite a few questions. The most apparent are Miquella’s personality and motivations. He created the Haligtree to cure himself and his sister of their curses, but is that really the only reason he rebelled against the Erdtree, and, therefore his own parents? Is he a kind and benevolent ruler or a more sinister figure hiding behind good intentions? Shadows of the Edtree may paint Miquella in an entirely different light from the established lore.
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