Summary
FromSoftware’s upcomingElden Ringspinoff,Elden Ring Nightreign, has undoubtedly turned heads for its co-op design, roguelike gameplay loop, predefined character classes, and more, but one of its most notable and potentially lore-altering characteristics is its setting. Elden Ring Nightreigntakes place in a procedurally generated version of Limgrave, the initial open-world area fromElden Ring, but it is now referred to as “Limveld,” makingElden Ring Nightreign’s world a parallel universe toElden Ring. That alone is a drastic change from the original game, but there’s much more to it than that.
InElden Ring, the Erdtree is treated as the central axis of divinity, order, and legitimacy, making it one of (if not the) most important elements of the world’s lore. However, despite its significant role inElden Ringlore, the Erdtree is absent inElden Ring Nightreign, which creates space for players to question what it truly was and what it wasn’t. In turn,Elden Ring Nightreign’s story could fundamentally reshape the Erdtree’s mythology, demoting it from its godlike status to something much less, perhaps even something opposite to what it has been up to this point.
Elden Ring Nightreign’s Story Could Change Everything About the Erdtree
The Erdtree’s Absence in Elden Ring Nightreign Leaves Questions About Its Purpose
According toElden Ringlore, the Erdtree is seen as absolute, and the centerpiece and physical manifestation of theGolden Order— the fundamental set of laws and principles established by Queen Marika to maintain order and grace in the Lands Between. It appears to define the metaphysical laws of life, death, and rebirth, making it a god among mortals, a governing force, and the foundation of all things inElden Ring’s Lands Between. This is what makes its absence inElden Ring Nightreignso intriguing, as it puts the Erdtree’s perceived purpose into question.
Elden Ring Nightreign’s story could fundamentally reshape the Erdtree’s mythology, demoting it from its godlike status to something much less, perhaps even something opposite to what it has been up to this point.
If the Erdtree is seen as a universal power inElden Ring, why is it not also present in Limveld,Elden Ring Nightreign’s parallel universe? If the Erdtree is portrayed inElden Ringas the source of life and immortality, how is anyone alive in Limveld? If the Erdtree is a symbol of divine order in the Lands Between, does that meanElden Ring Nightreign’s Limveld is out of order? Could that be whyElden Ring Nightreign’s gameplay loop is far more chaotic and fast-paced thanElden Ring’s ever was? These are the questions that the Erdtree’s absence inElden Ring Nightreignpresents players.
It could be that the Erdtree is only present inElden Ring’s Lands Betweenand its power still reaches the rest of the universe, including parallel dimensions. But it seems more likely that the Erdtree is something entirely different from what has been believed about it thus far. Perhaps the Erdtree is only a regional construct rather than a universal power, which would allowElden Ring Nightreignto undermine the Erdtree’s authority and present players with different takes on creation, life, immortality, and death.
Elden Ring Nightreigncould also inadvertently reveal that the Erdtree isn’t a symbol of life at all, but instead one of stasis, control, and corruption. The idea of the Erdtree being the source of life andimmortality inElden Ringis already problematic anyway, since the Erdtree denies true death and much of the world is undead, decaying, or cursed.Elden Ring Nightreigncould boldly lean into this idea by showing a world without the Erdtree to be even more alive, or at least more balanced.
Ultimately,Elden Ring Nightreign’s decision to remove the Erdtree from its world is a direct challenge to one of the most foundational pillars ofElden Ringlore. By creating a version of Limgrave where the Erdtree never existed,Elden Ring Nightreigninvites players to reconsider everything they thought they knew about life, death, and divine order in the Lands Between. IfNightreignfollows through on this premise, it could turn theErdtree’s mythologyon its head, potentially even portraying it as an agent of chaos and control rather than the symbol of grace it has been.
