Crucible’s End

Preface Up until this point, my analysis of Marika and Godfrey has been rather bullish. Even when fate wasn’t necessarily on their side, the pair still came out on top in the end, with relatively meager impediments. Whatever their personal drama, history had looked kindly on their efforts to build and maintain a kingdom. Not […]

Age of Plenty

Preface Rarely are “the good times” the most interesting part of a story, and Elden Ring is no different. Much of this period in the setting’s backstory is simply stacking the building blocks to be knocked down by subsequent events. What little conflict can be mined is narratively flaccid, with hardly many tantalizing secrets to […]

Erdtree’s Beginning

Preface When first compiling my, very lengthy, analysis for Godfrey, I was amazed to discover just how much I kept coming back to characters and events largely unrelated to him. Despite him and Marika defining the world order, the Elden Lord’s rise and subsequent reign were very much informed by what came before. If not […]