Elden Ring Director Details Story Behind the Tarnished and Erdtree

Details continue to emerge for FromSoftware’s Elden Ring, whether it’s the world design and presence of multiple endings to the use of Spirits, fast travel and crafting. But what is the Elden Ring? Who are the Tarnished, which the player starts out as when the game begins? Speaking to IGN, director Hidetaka Miyazaki offered some more details.

“In the world of Elden Ring, The Lands Between are blessed by the presence of the Elden Ring and by the Erdtree, which symbolizes its presence, and this has given grace or blessing to the people throughout the land, great and small.” The golden light of the Erdtree could be seen in people’s eyes and symbolized “the blessing or the grace of the Erdtree.” The Tarnished are those who have lost that blessing and light before the game begins.

“The ancestors of the characters that are present in the world were banished and exiled from The Lands Between, these Tarnished. Then a long time after that, the Elden Ring was shattered in a historical event. This triggers the return of this lost grace and it calls out to the Tarnished, who were once exiled from The Lands Between, and it guides them back.”

That’s when the story begins and you arrive to The Lands Between to try and become an Elden Lord. Of course, along with the player, there are various other characters who have been called back to the lands with their own goals and motives. “We want the player to discover for themselves what that means and how they want to begin their adventure,” says Miyazaki.

Elden Ring is out on January 21st 2022 for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS4, PS5 and PC. For even more details from the gameplay reveal, head here.