Why Is Elden Ring Lore So Confusing Explaining The Storytelling Style

Elden Ring’s world captivates players from the first step into the Lands Between—a vast, haunting realm brimming with towering ruins, cryptic deities, and mythic beasts. Yet for all its beauty and depth, one question echoes across forums, podcasts, and late-night Discord debates: why is Elden Ring lore so confusing? The answer isn’t that the story lacks coherence, but rather that it was never meant to be handed out in a straightforward narrative. Instead, FromSoftware has crafted a storytelling experience that demands exploration, interpretation, and patience—rewarding those who dig deep with a richer understanding of a world built on mystery.

This approach is not accidental. It’s a deliberate evolution of the studio’s signature narrative design—one that prioritizes implication over exposition, symbolism over summary. To understand why Elden Ring feels so opaque at first glance, we need to look beyond plot holes or missing dialogue and examine the very architecture of its storytelling.

The Philosophy of Fragmented Narrative

FromSoftware games have long rejected traditional storytelling structures. Unlike most RPGs, where cutscenes and quest-givers guide you through a linear arc, titles like Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Sekiro present their narratives through fragments: item descriptions, environmental cues, enemy placement, and subtle visual motifs. Elden Ring continues this tradition but expands it across a much larger canvas.

In this world, major characters such as Radagon, Marika, and Melina are rarely seen having direct conversations. Their histories, motivations, and betrayals are scattered across dozens of items, NPC monologues, and architectural details. For example, the full scope of the Shattering—the civil war that shattered the Erdtree and fractured the realm—is never narrated outright. Instead, players piece it together by reading about Godrick’s cowardice, Morgott’s secret lineage, and Ranni’s exile.

“Players don’t just consume the story—they reconstruct it. That act of discovery becomes part of the emotional journey.” — Hidetaka Miyazaki, Game Director, FromSoftware

This method forces engagement. You can complete Elden Ring without understanding half its lore, but doing so means missing the emotional weight behind figures like Radahn, who holds back the stars not out of ambition, but love for his brother. These revelations aren’t delivered; they’re earned.

Environmental Storytelling: The Land Remembers

One of Elden Ring’s most powerful tools is its environment. Every cliffside ruin, flooded cathedral, and scorched battlefield tells a story—not through words, but through design. Consider the Haligtree, hidden beneath an illusionary lake. Its inverted structure and ethereal glow signal secrecy and defiance—a sanctuary for those rejected by the Golden Order. No NPC needs to say, “This is Ranni’s refuge,” because the location speaks for itself.

Likewise, the Crumbling Farum Azula reveals the downfall of the ancient dragons through crumbling coliseums and lightning-scarred towers. The presence of Maliketh, the shardbearer of the Black Knife, standing atop a broken altar, silently confirms the site’s significance in the shattering of the Elden Ring.

Tip: Always observe level design closely. Ruins oriented toward the Erdtree suggest loyalty to the Golden Order; underground or obscured locations often indicate heresy or exile.

This form of storytelling rewards attentive play. A player rushing from boss to boss will miss the deeper narrative embedded in the world’s decay, weather patterns, and even music shifts. But someone who pauses to explore a half-buried chapel or reads the prayer etched on a tombstone gains access to layers of meaning invisible to others.

Multiple Perspectives and Unreliable Narrators

Another reason Elden Ring’s lore feels contradictory is that there is no single truth. Different factions offer competing interpretations of history. The Two Fingers preach the sanctity of the Golden Order, while followers of Miquella see them as oppressors. Goldmask venerates self-abnegation, whereas Fia embraces death as a path to rebirth.

Even major NPCs lie or withhold information. Renna warns you against Rogier, framing him as corrupted—but Rogier presents himself as a seeker of forbidden truth. Who is right? The game doesn’t tell you. It expects you to weigh the evidence and decide.

Faction	View of Marika	Belief About the Elden Ring
Golden Order	Divine incarnate, chosen ruler	Sacred covenant requiring obedience
Age of the Stars (Ranni)	Tyrant who usurped destiny	To be replaced by a new cosmic order
Unborn (Fia)	Destroyer of natural cycles	Must be ended to restore death
Scarlet Rot (Malenia)	Irrelevant; only Miquella matters	A failed system; strength defines worth

This multiplicity creates confusion, yes—but also depth. In real-world mythology, gods have conflicting legends. Was Zeus a protector or a tyrant? Depends on who’s telling the story. Elden Ring mimics this ambiguity, making its world feel lived-in and philosophically rich.

Case Study: Decoding Melina’s True Purpose

Melina offers herself as a guide, promising to help you become Elden Lord if you reach the Forge of Aeonia. But her backstory is nearly invisible unless you pay attention. Her connection to Queen Marika? Implied through shared voice actors and thematic parallels. Her willingness to burn herself to give you Torrent? A sacrifice echoing the Flameless Maiden myth.

One player, Sarah K., spent 40 hours analyzing every line Melina speaks, cross-referencing them with Fire Keeper lore and Marika’s history. She discovered that Melina may be Marika’s repressed desire for freedom—an avatar of the queen’s abandoned identity. This theory, while unconfirmed, gained traction online because it fits so well with environmental clues: Melina appears only in shadowed areas, avoids the Erdtree, and seeks the *flame of ruin*, not restoration.

This kind of deep dive is not required to beat the game, but it exemplifies how Elden Ring turns lore into an interactive puzzle. The confusion isn’t a flaw—it’s an invitation.

How to Navigate the Chaos: A Practical Guide

If you’re overwhelmed by the sheer volume of lore, here’s a structured way to make sense of it without drowning in wikis or fan theories.

1. Start with Item Descriptions: Equip every talisman, read every weapon’s lore. These texts are primary sources written in-character.
2. Follow Questlines to Completion: Many stories (e.g., Hyetta, Alexander) reveal critical context only at their end.
3. Note Recurring Symbols: Eyes, snakes, fingers, flames—these motifs link characters and themes across the world.
4. Compare Dialogue Across Factions: Ask how different NPCs describe the same event. Contradictions reveal bias.
5. Use the Map Strategically: Locations grouped geographically often share narrative themes (e.g., Mountaintops of the Giants = fallen heroes).

Tip: Keep a personal lore journal. Even brief notes like “Ranni wants to leave the Lands Between” compound into clarity over time.

Lore Research Checklist

• ✔ Read all NPC dialogue on first meeting
• ✔ Revisit key NPCs after major story milestones
• ✔ Collect and catalog every scroll and incantation
• ✔ Visit the Museum of Margit for early timeline context
• ✔ Watch cutscenes multiple times for visual details
• ✔ Join a community discussion after finishing a major area

Why Confusion Can Be a Feature, Not a Bug

Traditional storytelling aims for clarity. Elden Ring aims for resonance. The confusion many players feel mirrors the disorientation of the Tarnished themselves—amnesiacs thrust into a broken world with no map, no mission statement, and no clear allies. That uncertainty is part of the emotional design.

Consider how much more impactful Radahn’s character becomes once you learn he stopped the very stars to honor his brother’s unfulfilled dream. That revelation doesn’t come in a cutscene. It emerges slowly—from his meteor-themed attacks, from Sellen’s grief, from the astrological instruments scattered in his fortress. The delay between encounter and understanding creates a sense of awe.

As game designer Naoki Yoshida noted in a 2022 panel, “Mystery isn’t something to be solved instantly. It’s something to live with, to grow alongside.” Elden Ring understands this. It doesn’t want you to ‘get’ the lore on your first playthrough. It wants you to carry questions into the next, to revisit old areas with new insight, and to feel the thrill of finally connecting two distant dots.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a correct ending in Elden Ring?

The game does not designate one ending as “canonical.” Each ending reflects a different philosophical vision for the future of the Lands Between. The Age of the Stars, the Recarved Kingdom, and the Lord of Frenzied Flame all represent plausible futures. The choice is left to the player, reinforcing the theme of agency in a world defined by fate.

Do I need to read every item description to understand the story?

No, but you’ll miss significant depth. Core progression can be completed with minimal lore engagement. However, the richest emotional and thematic payoffs come from piecing together the broader narrative through item texts, environmental details, and NPC arcs.

Who created the Elden Ring?

The Elden Ring was forged by the Greater Will, an outer-dimensional force that governs the Lands Between through divine emissaries. The golden light seen throughout the world is its influence. Whether the Greater Will is benevolent, indifferent, or manipulative is a central debate in the lore.

Conclusion: Embrace the Mystery

The confusion surrounding Elden Ring’s lore isn’t a sign of poor writing—it’s evidence of ambitious, player-driven storytelling. By refusing to handhold, FromSoftware invites you into a rare kind of narrative partnership. You’re not just witnessing a myth; you’re helping to interpret and complete it.

Next time you stand before the Erdtree, unsure of Marika’s motives or Melina’s origins, remember: that uncertainty is part of the design. Let curiosity guide you. Re-examine forgotten corners. Question what NPCs tell you. Compare theories, then form your own.

💬 What’s the most surprising lore revelation you’ve uncovered in Elden Ring? Share your discoveries and theories with others—because in the Lands Between, understanding is never final, only evolving.