Where does Elden Ring take place?
What exactly are these lands between?
FromSoftware was taking a gamble when designing their first open-world title, but it goes without saying that Elden Ring was masterfully crafted. Everything about it, from the seemingly random encounters to the placement of dungeons, was placed with thought and care, and it shows.
However, as with any FromSoft game, there’s a great deal of mystery within the game’s setting, with the foremost question being: just where even are we? Here’s everything you need to know about where Elden Ring takes place.
“The Lands Between”
Quite a title, “The Lands Between.” It was coined by Miyazaki’s project partner, George R.R. Martin, who was tasked with establishing the foundations of the game’s lore and settings. Martin came up with the world’s title, intending for it to convey Elden Ring’s sense of mystery and ambiguity. And it certainly accomplishes this, because the name only begs more questions.
What are the lands between? Why are they between? What the hell is going on? Well, it wouldn’t be much of a FromSoft game if those answers could be solved easily, although Martin did help to make the narrative a bit more streamlined than previous titles.
Essentially, there are many ways to interpret this title. It can be considered a land between life and death, sort of a dreamscape for those who are Tarnished. Or, it can be the land between mortals and gods, and the Erd Tree is the channel between these worlds. There’s certainly something to be said about the ambiguity of it all adding to the beauty and wonder of Elden Ring’s world.
Inspirations Behind the World
Various sources have been cited claiming that The Lands Between were designed with inspiration taken from the work of Team Ico’s Fumito Ueda—in particular Shadow of the Colossus. While we weren’t able to find any definitive source that traced back to Miyazaki himself, there’s no doubt that the two games have a lot in common, and that there may be some truth to these claims.
Shadow of the Colossus takes place in a setting called “The Forgotten Lands,” so-called for their harboring a sealed and reviled god, Dormin. These lands are filled to the brim with ruins, long overgrown by lush foliage; they’re expansive and lonesome, only made traversable with the help of the protagonist’s horse, Agro. This means that there aren’t any active threats following the player as they seek colossi, yet there is always the looming reminder that dark magic has plagued these lands, and seeking out their holders will only result in the protagonist’s downfall.
Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? In any case, this certainly isn’t the worst game to take inspiration from, and if anything, more games would be wise to follow its lead. Both Shadow and Elden Ring are games that would rather show than tell, and the things they have to show are absolutely haunting in their beauty and strangeness. If Elden Ring truly does take inspiration from Shadow of the Colossus, then it does its predecessor proud, and then some.
Did we miss anything? Have any thoughts or theories about The Lands Between? Be sure to leave a comment—provided you can afford to take a break in your current playthrough, of course.
(Featured Image: Bandai Namco)
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