Elden Ring Nightreign is getting most of the attention right now, but it’s always a good time to dive into the intricate lore that makes FromSoftware’s games so enchanting. Of course, the lore of Elden Ring, like the rest of FromSoftware’s games, is hidden in small details and tends to serve up a feast of tragedy. With the number of NPCs in Elden Ring, it becomes difficult to decide which ones are the most tragic, because basically every character has a tragic life. For some characters, they simply had an unlucky fate. Others, however, face tragedy as a consequence of their own actions. This combination makes the fictional world of the Lands Between feel heartbreakingly real.
The Lands Between forces people to be ruthless in order to survive, and the illusion that the Golden Order is perfect has crumbled with the shattering of the Elden Ring. Now, the power struggle to be the new Elden Lord doesn’t lead to happiness, just a different form of despair.
1. Rennala
The saddest part of Rennala’s story is that she wasn’t even seeking power. She simply fell in love with Radagon. Then, he left her for Marika. After that, Ranni shed herself of her flesh, making Rennala believe she’s dead. Rykard fed himself to a snake for immortality, which probably isn’t great news for a mother to hear. As for Radahn, well, he’s holding the stars still even after being infected with Malenia’s Scarlet Rot. It’s not a surprise that Rennala is found cradling the amber egg; she’s become somebody who feels like she has nothing left.
2. Millicent
Part of the tragedy of Millicent’s story is how short-lived it is. She was born as a byproduct of Malenia’s Scarlet Rot bloom, which technically makes Millicent her daughter. Naturally, this means that she’s heavily afflicted with Scarlet Rot, but you can give her the Unalloyed Gold Needle to keep it at bay to help her with her goal of meeting Malenia. Unfortunately, it’s not enough. While you can help Millicent’s sisters kill her early, even if you save Millicent, she succumbs to Scarlet Rot a short distance from Malenia, ending her short life with her wish unfulfilled.
3. Messmer
One of the main bosses in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, Messmer is a son of Marika whose name has been removed from the Golden Lineage. He was born with a cursed serpent in his body, and it was somewhat contained with Marika’s Seal of Grace. Even though it seems like Marika holds some amount of affection for Messmer, he was still a blemish on the Golden Lineage she was creating. In the end, he ends up sealed away from the Lands Between until he’s finally killed by the Tarnished. Only then does his hidden resentment for Marika show, and he curses her with his final words.
4. Godwyn the Golden
Godwyn went from being the Prince of Gold to the Prince of Death as a result of Ranni’s schemes to remove herself from the influence of the Two Fingers, who made her an Empyrean. To kill her flesh and preserve her spirit, Ranni needed another demigod to die in spirit while living in flesh at the same time. Her choice ended up being Godwyn, and on the Night of Black Knives, Godwyn’s soul was killed. His body, however, continued living. After he was buried, the Rune of Death spread through Deathroot, creating Those Who Live in Death. Godwyn’s fate is particularly tragic because he simply ended up being used to further someone else’s goals, and it wasn’t a result of his own choices.
5. Blaidd
Blaidd is the Shadowbound Beast that the Two Fingers gave Ranni when they made her an Empyrean, meaning that he was unable to betray her and held blind devotion towards her. However, he didn’t know that the Two Fingers plotted to use him against Ranni in the event that she turned against them. So, when Ranni made the decision to free her spirit from her Empyrean body, she unintentionally sealed Blaidd’s fate to slowly go mad and eventually turn against her.
6. Maliketh
Maliketh, as a Shadowbound Beast, is devoted to Marika and can’t betray her, even when she basically uses him and then forces him to stay distant from her with the Rune of Death in his possession. Doing his questline as Gurranq adds more tragedy to him, as you learn that he knows that his position with Marika will never be what it once was, and he feels like loneliness is the only thing he deserves. That’s after he puts the Rune of Death within himself as punishment for failing to stop Ranni from stealing a piece of it and as a way to make sure it never happens again.
7. Morgott
Born with horns, Morgott and his twin, Mohg, were seen as cursed Omen, and they were not recorded as part of the Golden Lineage. Mohg lost his faith in the Golden Order, but Morgott—cast out of the Order for a reason he couldn’t control—remained devoted to it up to the moment of his death. He guarded something he was never part of, and he didn’t ask for anything in return. After the Shattering, he even blocks the entrance to the Erdtree and guards it from his own siblings. Morgott didn’t let his tragic fate define him, and in a way, that seems to only add to his misfortune. He remained steadfast in his love for a world that hated him.
8. Godfrey/Hoarah Loux
Godfrey was the first Elden Lord and the father of at least Morgott, Mohg, and Godfrey. However, after he killed the last of her enemies in the Lands Between, Marika stripped him and his soldiers of their Grace, banishing them from the Lands Between and creating the first Tarnished as a result. While her intention was allegedly to have Godfrey and his men learn and grow stronger outside the Lands Between, her actions in the meantime seem cruel. She replaces Godfrey with another Elden Lord and continues to rule as he suffers as a result of following her will. In the end, Godfrey was just another tool to Marika.
9. Malenia
Malenia was born with Scarlet Rot in her veins, which meant that her body was decaying from the beginning. As a result, she relied on prosthetics and, later, the Unalloyed Gold Needle from Miquella to keep her affliction in check. Malenia learned to be strong and fight for the sake of Miquella, who was cursed to remain a child for eternity. So, she became his blade and fought for him. This led to her unleashing her Scarlet Rot in a fight against Radahn, leaving her unable to stop Mohg from taking Miquella from the Haligtree. Although she was cursed from the start, she became one of the strongest demigods. It was never even for herself, but for the sake of her twin brother, Miquella. Like Morgott, she showed unwavering love and dedication.
10. Melina
Melina’s identity is questionable, but you can piece together that she’s one of Marika’s children. However, she’s not recorded among the Golden Lineage, much like Messmer. She doesn’t even have a physical form anymore, and her final task is to help the Tarnished enter the Erdtree and face Marika by setting herself on fire to act as kindling so you can access the Erdtree. She seems forgotten and rather pitiful, plus her left eye is sealed without any reason given for it, but she has a strong sense of duty and wishes to help you become the next Elden Lord, knowing that Marika is no longer suited for the role and the Golden Order is not as perfect as it seems.
RELATED – Elden Ring Nightreign Trailer Shows Off More Bosses & Final Class
Elden Ring, like all of FromSoftware’s games, leaves you questioning your choices. You might feel like a hero, but as you learn more about the world around you, it starts to feel impossible to be a hero in the middle of so much tragedy. By helping one person, you hurt another. At the same time, these rich, tragic worlds are what keep players flocking to any game released by FromSoftware, just like Elden Ring Nightreign, the most recent title to be released.
The post 10 Most Tragic Elden Ring Characters appeared first on ComicBook.com.
