The wackiest, most out-there Elden Ring lore theory has just dropped, and it’s awesome

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I’m a sucker for what you’d call “deep lore” in modern media. The stuff that’s hidden, merely implied, and deliberately obtuse is often the best part of backstories in gaming, and FromSoftware’s Elden Ring absolutely falls into this category. Some people get really weird and creative with it, though.

Elden Ring's True Story is Hidden as a Kind of ARG.
byu/Charlemagneffxiv inEldenRingLoreTalk


Elden Ring itself is an ARG, one lore theory claims

Whether Charlemagneffxiv is truly on to something or not is irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. What matters is that this is the kind of stuff that keeps people hooked on franchises and properties over a long, long time. A straightforward story is all well and good, for sure, but true longevity lies in obscure stuff that may or may not be true, especially when it offers a chance to entirely re-contextualize everything you know about the piece of media itself.

“There is a secret story hidden in the game that explains what is actually going on in the world,” says the author of this particular lore theory. “There are multiple distinct civilizations all descending from one original culture who have, much like the real world, branched off into different cultures and then inter-mixed again. There seems to be a story of repeated conquests, and re-purposing of ruins by adding additional details from the conquering culture. This makes it very difficult, but not impossible, to trace the history of the game’s world.”

Undoubtedly, I strongly suggest taking a look at Charlemagne’s statements in this post. To put it succinctly, his main points can be summed up as follows:

  • Elden Ring is just a continuation of Dark Souls
  • Much of Elden Ring‘s outward, obvious lore is a red herring and the in-universe misunderstanding of the world’s history (i.e. folklore, mythology, etc.).
  • The game itself is an ARG for its lore, as you cannot figure out some of the things the author has figured out without editing game files.

Do I agree with it? Not necessarily, no, but I’ll admit that it’s extremely tantalizing to imagine a connection between Dark Souls proper and Elden Ring‘s universes.

The community is also conflicted when it comes to Charlemagneffxiv’s claims, predictably enough. Some feel precisely the same way, while others suggest this whole thing is just video game schizophrenia at play. It’s a toss-up, really. Is it worth the time to go through it and maybe give it some thought? I genuinely believe so. It’s great fun if nothing else, and it speaks to the sheer brilliance of design on show in Elden Ring.

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2025-03-18 15:28