Elden Ring

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Elden Ring
Elden Ring Box art.jpg
Developer(s) FromSoftware
Publisher(s) Bandai Namco Entertainment
  • JP: FromSoftware
Director(s)
Producer(s) Yuzo Kojima
Designer(s)
  • Yosuke Kayugawa
  • Ryu Matsumoto
Programmer(s)
  • Takeshi Suzuki
  • Yuki Kido
Artist(s)
  • Hidenori Sato
  • Ryo Fujimaki
Writer(s)
Composer(s)
  • Tsukasa Saitoh
  • Shoi Miyazawa
  • Tai Tomisawa
  • Yuka Kitamura
  • Yoshimi Kudo
  • Soma Tanizaki [lower-alpha 1]
Platform(s)
ReleaseFebruary 25, 2022
Genre(s) Action role-playing
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Elden Ring [lower-alpha 2] is a 2022 action role-playing game developed by FromSoftware. It was directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki with worldbuilding provided by American fantasy writer George R. R. Martin. It was published for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on February 25 in Japan by FromSoftware and internationally by Bandai Namco Entertainment. Set in the Lands Between, players control a customizable player character on a quest to repair the Elden Ring and become the new Elden Lord.

Contents

Elden Ring is presented through a third-person perspective with players freely roaming its open world. The six main areas can be traversed using the player character's steed Torrent. Linear, hidden dungeons can be explored to find useful items. Players can use several types of weapons and magic spells, including non-direct engagement enabled by stealth mechanics. Throughout the game's world, checkpoints enable fast travel and allow players to improve their attributes using an in-game currency called runes. Elden Ring features an online multiplayer mode in which players join through cooperative play to fight bosses or engage in player versus player combat.

FromSoftware wanted to create an open-world game based on Dark Souls . Miyazaki admired Martin's previous work and hoped that his contributions would produce a more accessible narrative than those of the company's earlier games. Martin was given unrestricted freedom to design the backstory, while Miyazaki was lead writer for the in-game narrative. However, the game's narrative is still presented through flavor text, dialogue, visual narrative, and players' interpretations. The developers concentrated on environmental scale, stat management, and the story; the scale required the construction of several structures around its world.

Elden Ring won several Game of the Year awards and has been cited as one of the greatest games of all time, with praise directed towards its open world, gameplay systems, and setting despite criticism for its technical performance. It sold 25 million copies, also making it one of the best-selling games of all time. The downloadable content (DLC) Shadow of the Erdtree follows the player character in the Land of Shadow. It was released in June 2024 to similar acclaim and sold over five million copies.

Gameplay

The player fighting a dragon while riding their steed Torrent Elden Ring gameplay.png
The player fighting a dragon while riding their steed Torrent

Elden Ring is an action role-playing game set in third-person perspective. It includes elements that are similar to those in other FromSoftware-developed games, such as the Dark Souls series, Bloodborne , and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice . The game is set in an open world; players can freely explore the Lands Between and its six main areas, which include Limgrave—an area of grassy plains and ancient ruins—and Caelid, a reddish wasteland home to undead monsters. [1] The open world is explored using the character's mount Torrent as the main mode of transportation, though players may use fast travel outside combat. Throughout the game, players encounter non-player characters (NPCs) and enemies, including demigods who rule each main area and serve as the game's main bosses. [2] [3] Aside from the main areas, Elden Ring has hidden dungeons, catacombs, tunnels, and caves where players can fight bosses and gather helpful items. [4]

At the game's start, the player chooses a character class, which determines their starting spells, equipment, and attributes. [5] Combat with enemies can be within melee, or from a distance using ranged weapons. Enemy attacks can be dodged or blocked using shields. Spells allow players to enhance their weapons, fight enemies from afar, and restore lost hit points. The player can memorize a limited amount of these spells, which can be cast using a staff or sacred seal item. [6] [7] Weapons can be improved using ashes of war, which are obtainable enchantments that grant weapons new capabilities. Ashes of war can be applied to or removed from weapons, and each Ash adds a weapon art, a special ability that can be used during combat. [8] Aside from direct combat, stealth mechanics can be used to avoid enemies or allow the targeting of foes with critical hits while hidden. [9] [10] Staggering enemies and parrying their attacks can also create opportunities for critical hits. [11] [12]

Checkpoints called sites of grace are located throughout the game; in these places, characters can increase the power of their attributes, change memorized spells, swap ashes of war, or walk to using fast travel. Upon death, players respawn at the last site of grace they interacted with. Alternatively, they may choose to respawn at certain locations highlighted by "stakes of Marika" provided they died nearby. [8] [13] [14] To increase their attributes at sites of grace, the player must spend runes, an in-game currency that is acquired by defeating enemies. [15] Runes can be used to buy items, and improve weapons and armor. Dying in Elden Ring causes the player to lose all collected runes at the location of death; if the player dies again before retrieving the runes, they will be lost forever. [16]

Elden Ring contains crafting mechanics; the creation of items requires materials. Recipes, which are required for the crafting of items, can be found inside collectibles called cookbooks, which are scattered throughout the world. Materials can be collected by defeating enemies, exploring the game's world, or by trading with merchant NPCs. Crafted items include poison darts, exploding pots, and consumables that temporarily increase the player's combat strength. [17] [18] Similar to the Dark Souls games, the player can summon friendly NPCs called spirits to fight enemies. [19] Summoning each type of spirit requires its equivalent Spirit Ash; different types of Spirit Ashes can be discovered as the player explores the game world. Spirits can only be summoned near structures called Rebirth Monuments, which are primarily found in large areas and inside boss fight arenas. [20]

Elden Ring has a multiplayer system that allows players to be summoned for both cooperative and player-versus-player (PvP) play over the Internet. [21] Cooperative play involves the placing of a summon sign on the ground, which causes the sign to become visible to online players who have used a corresponding item. If another player interacts with the sign, the player who placed the sign is summoned into their world. Cooperative players remain in the same world until the boss of the area is defeated or until a summoned player dies and is returned to their home world. In PvP combat, a summon sign is used to challenge another player to a duel, or the player can use additional items to invade the worlds of others. World hosts may use a "taunter's tongue" to increase the likelihood their world will be invaded by others and to decrease the time between invasions. [22] [23] [24]

Synopsis

Setting and characters

Elden Ring takes place in the Lands Between, a realm blessed by entities called outer gods. Most prominent is the Greater Will, who created the Elden Ring – a collection of runes that govern physics. The Greater Will's emissary, the Two Fingers, made a woman named Marika the Elden Ring's vessel, ascending her to godhood. She then formed a dynasty called the Golden Order alongside a consort, the Elden Lord; two held this title: Godfrey, a barbarian who was later banished; and Radagon, Marika's male alter-ego. She also planted a massive, golden tree called the Erdtree that empowers the realm's inhabitants. Finally, Marika removed the Rune of Death from the Elden Ring and entrusted it to her bodyguard, Maliketh, causing the deceased to not pass on and instead be reborn through the Erdtree. However, the Golden Order also persecuted certain people, such as the horned Omens and exiled humans called Tarnished.

After her firstborn, Godwyn, was permanently killed using a stolen piece of the Rune of Death, Marika seemingly went mad and shattered the Elden Ring, prompting its true form, the Elden Beast, to imprison her inside the Erdtree. Afterward, Marika's offspring inherited shards of the Ring, sparking a war of succession. These demigods are: Morgott, an Omen loyal to the Golden Order despite facing discrimination; Mohg, Morgott's twin who wishes to form his own dynasty; Radahn, a warrior general who went feral after being afflicted by the Scarlet Rot disease; Rykard, a former praetor who merged with a giant serpent; Ranni, a witch seeking to overthrow the Greater Will who orchestrated Godwyn's death; Miquella, a charming mystic cursed with eternal youth; Malenia, Miquella's twin and the realm's greatest swordswoman as well as the progenitor of Scarlet Rot; Godrick, a distant relative who grafts his subjects' body parts onto himself; and Rennala, Radagon's ex-wife and queen of the royal Carian family.

The exiled Tarnished were gifted power by an unknown source, resurrecting and granting them immortality, and were called back to the Lands Between to repair the Elden Ring and become the new Elden Lord. Those summoned include: Goldmask, a fundamentalist seeking to revitalize the Golden Order; Fia, a deathbed companion who is attempting to revive Godwyn; Dung Eater, a criminal who wants to strip everyone in the Lands Between of the Erdtree's grace; Sir Gideon Ofnir, a spymaster researching current events; and the player character, a Tarnished of no renown.

Shadow of the Erdtree introduces the Land of Shadow, where Marika originated. Her people were wiped out by the Hornsent, beings similar to Omens who ruled the Lands Between at the time. Spurred on by the Two Fingers, this prompted her to become a god using an artifact called the Gate of Divinity. Afterward, she magically concealed the Land of Shadow from the rest of the Lands Between before having another of her offspring, Messmer, massacre the Hornsent to avenge her people; later ostracizing him there, both to keep her origins hidden and to prevent him from becoming a future threat.

Plot

Elden Ring

During their quest, the Tarnished meets a mysterious maiden named Melina, who offers her assistance in return for being brought to the Erdtree. After proving themselves by driving away an Omen named Margit, Melina brings them to the Roundtable Hold – a gathering place for Tarnished – where they meet the Two Fingers, who reveals that at least two of Elden Ring's shards must be collected and brought to the Erdtree to repair it.

Eventually, the Tarnished makes their way to the foot of the Erdtree, where they once again duel Margit – revealed to really be Morgott – and kills him this time. However, even when having the necessary shards, they find the path inside blocked by thorns. In response, Melina advises the Tarnished to seek out the Fell God's power, the Flame of Ruin, and ignite the Erdtree. Alternatively, they can also form a pact with another outer god, the corruptive Frenzied Flame. Should the Tarnished use the Flame of Ruin, Melina immolates herself as the kindling to set the Erdtree alight. No sacrifice is needed if the Frenzied Flame is used, but Melina abandons the Tarnished.

As the Erdtree burns, the Tarnished tracks down and kills Maliketh to obtain the Rune of Death, infusing it into the flames to burn away the thorns. On their way back to the Erdtree, however, they are confronted by Gideon, who has gone mad after learning the truth about the Greater Will, and Godfrey, who seeks to reclaim the Elden Lord title. After vanquishing them both, the Tarnished enters the Erdtree, where they fight and slay both Radagon and the Elden Beast. Afterward, the Tarnished gains access to Marika's corpse, containing the remnants of the Elden Ring, from which six endings are available depending on their choice of allies:

  • The first four endings all have the Tarnished become Elden Lord and usher in a new age.
    • The default ending; if the Tarnished allied with no one, the Lands Between are left as is, resulting in the Age of Fracture.
    • If the Tarnished allied with Goldmask, they usher in the Age of Order by enforcing laws into the Elden Ring.
    • If the Tarnished allied with Fia, they usher in the Age of Duskborn by altering how death works in the Lands Between.
    • If the Tarnished allied with Dung Eater, they unleash a Blessing of Despair, turning everyone in the Lands Between into Omens.
  • If the Tarnished conspired with Ranni, she destroys the Elden Ring and ushers in the Age of Stars.
  • If the Tarnished made a pact with the Frenzied Flame, they set the Lands Between ablaze and become a Lord of Frenzied Flame. Afterward, Melina vows vengeance against the Tarnished.

Shadow of the Erdtree

The Tarnished follows the trail of Miquella, whom Mohg seemingly abducted. After slaying Mohg and Radahn, they discover that Miquella abandoned his body to pass into the Land of Shadow. Entering the realm through Miquella's corpse, the Tarnished continues tracking him by locating aspects of him throughout the land, which he abandoned to sever his ties to the Erdtree. Optionally, the Tarnished can also interact with Miquella's followers: Leda, one of Miquella's knights; Dane, a monk disillusioned with the Golden Order; Freyja, a soldier of Radahn's army; Hornsent, a Land of Shadow native; Thiollier, a worshipper of Miquella's female alter-ego, St. Trina; Sir Ansbach, a former follower of Mohg; and Moore, a creature born from Scarlet Rot.

Miquella's trail leads the Tarnished to the Gate of Divinity, but they find it locked behind magical thorns, forcing them to confront and kill Messmer to burn them away using his power. However, upon nearing the Gate, they are confronted by Miquella's followers, who had turned on each other after his affection-compelling charm came undone, with the survivors dependent on the Tarnished's choices. Confronting Miquella, it is revealed that he had orchestrated his own abduction and used Mohg's corpse to revive Radahn as his consort in a divine ascension ritual. The Tarnished proceeds to kill both Miquella and Radahn, thwarting the mystic's ascendency to godhood and preventing his 'Age of Compassion' from coming to pass.

Development and release

Hidetaka Miyazaki, The Game Awards 2022 (cropped).png
Portrait photoshoot at Worldcon 75, Helsinki, before the Hugo Awards - George R. R. Martin (cropped).jpg
Elden Ring was directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki (top) with worldbuilding provided by fantasy writer George R. R. Martin (bottom).

FromSoftware's Dark Souls series of games is noted for its high level of difficulty. [25] [26] Director Hidetaka Miyazaki wanted to create an open world game, intending Elden Ring as a mechanical evolution of Dark Souls . Elden Ring was designed to have a more-expansive environment than the narrow dungeons of FromSoftware's previous games; Miyazaki hoped the grander scale would add freedom and depth to exploration. FromSoftware approached American author George R. R. Martin, creator of the fantasy-novel series A Song of Ice and Fire , to provide worldbuilding for Elden Ring. Miyazaki, a fan of Martin's work, hoped his contributions would produce a more accessible narrative than those of the studio's earlier games. [27] [28] [29]

Miyazaki remained lead writer for the game's main storyline but gave Martin creative freedom to write about events that occurred before the main narrative. Miyazaki compared the process to using a "dungeon master's handbook in a tabletop [role-playing game]". [30] [29] As with many of FromSoftware's previous games, the story was designed to be scantly explained; the developers wanted players to interpret the story for themselves via flavor text and optional discussions with non-player characters (NPCs). Miyazaki said he enjoyed writing NPCs with more detail, believing they are more compelling than those in his earlier works. [29] [31] In an interview with IGN , Miyazaki said he chose to give Martin control over the backstory because of the restrictions FromSoftware's method of storytelling placed on writers. He noted FromSoftware did not want a linear or story-focused game, and by giving Martin oversight of a backstory with which the player is not directly involved, he could allow Martin to freely design his contributions. [28] Some staff from Game of Thrones , a television series adaptation of A Song of Ice and Fire, assisted with the game's development. [32]

Production of the game began in early 2017 following the release of The Ringed City , a piece of downloadable content (DLC) for Dark Souls III . Elden Ring was developed alongside Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice , which Miyazaki also directed. He said although the combat in Elden Ring has similarities to that in Sekiro, neither game directly inspired the mechanics of the other. [33] [34] FromSoftware simultaneously developed both games using a "co-director" structure in which each of the games had a staff member acting as director through its first stages of development. Miyazaki would then provide direction on the game's mechanics, art, and music. [28] Yui Tanimura, who previously directed Dark Souls II and co-directed Dark Souls III , served as co-director for the game. [35] The design team of Elden Ring concentrated on environmental scale, roleplaying, and storytelling as the main elements. Developers credited the scale with responsibility for creating a sense of diversity, and intended the roleplaying elements to allow for a variety of player-environment interactions. Increasing the game's scale required the creation of several explorable structures, which the team conjoined in the open world. [36] Miyazaki named Shadow of the Colossus , The Elder Scrolls , The Witcher 3 , and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild as design influences for Elden Ring. He credited the tabletop role-playing game RuneQuest , and the novels The Lord of the Rings and The Eternal Champion as inspirations for the game's story. [37] [38] Tsukasa Saitoh, Shoi Miyazawa, Tai Tomisawa, Yuka Kitamura, and Yoshimi Kudo composed Elden Ring's original score. [39]

Elden Ring was revealed at E3 2019 in June. [40] [41] Some information about the game had previously been leaked online due to a vulnerability of the servers at Bandai Namco Entertainment. [42] Elden Ring was widely anticipated on announcement but no further material was released until a trailer was shown in June 2021. [43] Playtesting was facilitated by Bandai Namco, which in November 2021 initially released the game as a closed beta that players could sign up to test. [44] The game's full release was scheduled for January 21, 2022, but was postponed to February 25 the same year. [45] [46] Elden Ring had performance issues at launch; players complained of an insufficient frame rate. [47] [48] Bandai Namco addressed some of these problems through software patches and updates. [49] [50] In February 2023, the downloadable content (DLC) expansion Shadow of the Erdtree was announced. [51] It was released on June 20, 2024. [52]

Reception

Elden Ring received "universal acclaim" according to review aggregator website Metacritic. [53] [54] [55] It has been cited as among the greatest video games of all time. [71] [72] [73] [74] [75]

The game's open world setting received acclaim; reviewers praised the exploration mechanics. Tamoor Hussain of GameSpot praised the Lands Between as the most-expansive of FromSoftware's settings, calling exploration and discovery the game's main appeal. [76] Mitchell Saltzman of IGN lauded Elden Ring for rewarding exploration in every part of the map. [77] Simon Parkin of The Guardian called the game's environments "intriguing and inventive". [78] Some reviewers liked the open landscape's provision of opportunities to discover and try multiple challenges. [79] [80] The game's exploration drew many favorable comparisons with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. [76] [77] [81] The game's environments were also praised for their artistic designs; reviewers positively rated their execution in an open setting and appreciated the designs of linear dungeons. [76] [82] [83]

Similarly to many of FromSoftware's earlier games, Elden Ring's difficulty provoked much commentary; reviewers both praised and criticized its lack of easy modes. [84] [85] [86] Other reviewers considered Elden Ring the most-accessible Souls game, saying the player can choose to avoid difficult threats and return with more experience. [79] [80] [81] The combat of Elden Ring was praised for offering options for fighting enemies while keeping the game challenging. [80] [82] [87] Torrent and fast travel were well-received features, with reviewers citing them as large improvements towards making the game easier to explore. [79] [80] [88] The placing of checkpoints was praised as helpful to the game's approachability. [89] [87] [90]

Some reviewers criticized a number of the game's menu and accessibility systems. [91] [92] Reviewers complained about the poor performance of the Windows version; framerate issues were commonly mentioned. [88] [93] Reviewers noted the story of Elden Ring lacks Martin's writing style. Kyle Orland of Ars Technica said the game's storytelling is "characteristically sparse and cryptic", and differs from the expectations of Martin's fans. [83] Chris Carter of Destructoid called the story "low key" but said it is better-told than those of previous FromSoftware games. [87] Aoife Wilson of Eurogamer said George R. R. Martin's heavy inclusion in the marketing was "baffling" when his contributions to the overall narrative were unclear. [79] Mitchell Saltzman did not mind the lack of Martin's style, saying the side-stories rather than any grand, overarching plot kept him "enthralled". [77]

Journalists have covered the game's speedrunning community. [94] [95] Shortly after release, players discovered a glitch called the "zip glitch" which allows players to warp across the map. [95] The glitch was removed by the developers, leading speedrunners to use older version of the game for speedruns. [95] The game has been beaten in under five minutes using the glitch. [96]

The expansion, Shadow of the Erdtree, received a score of 95/100 on Metacritic. [97] The DLC was generally praised for offering a similar sense of rewarding exploration, and atmosphere. Its higher difficulty, however, attracted controversy.

Sales

Elden Ring sold 13.4 million copies worldwide by the end of March 2022 and 25 million by June 2024, making it one of the best-selling video games of all time. [98] [99] It was the best-selling game in several regions between February and March 2022, [100] [101] and is the fastest-selling Bandai Namco game of all time. [102] [103] It was the second-bestselling game of 2022 in the US after Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II , [104] the third-bestselling in Europe, [105] and the tenth-bestselling in Japan at retail. [106]

Shadow of the Erdtree sold five million copies within three days of its release. [107]

Awards

Elden Ring winning Game of the Year at the 23rd Game Developers Choice Awards Elden Ring wins Game of the Year, GDCA 2023.jpg
Elden Ring winning Game of the Year at the 23rd Game Developers Choice Awards

Elden Ring received over 300 Game of the Year awards, [108] including by the publications Ars Technica , [109] Destructoid , [110] EGM , [111] Eurogamer , [112] Game Informer , [113] GamesRadar+ , [114] GameSpot , [115] IGN , [116] PC Gamer , [117] and Polygon . [118]

Accolades received by Elden Ring
AwardDateCategoryResultRef.
British Academy Games Awards March 30, 2023 Best Game Nominated [119]
[120]
Artistic Achievement Nominated
Game Design Nominated
Multiplayer Won
Music Nominated
Original Property Won
Technical Achievement Nominated
EE Game of the Year Nominated
D.I.C.E. Awards February 24, 2023 Game of the Year Won [121]
[122]
Role-Playing Game of the Year Won
Outstanding Achievement in Animation Nominated
Outstanding Achievement in Game Design Won
Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction Won
Outstanding Achievement in Story Nominated
Outstanding Technical Achievement Won
Dragon Awards September 5, 2022Best Science Fiction or Fantasy PC / Console GameWon [123]
Famitsu Dengeki Game AwardsMarch 18, 2023Game of the YearWon [124]
Best GraphicsWon
Best RPGNominated
Best Rookie GameNominated
Game Audio Network Guild Awards March 23, 2023Best Main ThemeNominated [125] [126]
The Game Awards December 10, 2020 Most Anticipated GameWon [127]
December 9, 2021 Most Anticipated GameWon [128]
December 8, 2022 Game of the Year Won [129]
[130]
Best Game DirectionWon
Best NarrativeNominated
Best Art DirectionWon
Best Score and MusicNominated
Best Audio DesignNominated
Best Role Playing GameWon
Players' VoiceNominated
Game Developers Choice Awards March 22, 2023 Game of the Year Won [131]

[132]

Best AudioNominated
Best DesignWon
Innovation AwardNominated
Best TechnologyNominated
Best Visual ArtWon
Gamescom August 27, 2021Best of GamescomWon [133]
Most WantedWon
Best Microsoft Xbox GameNominated
Best PC GameNominated
Best Sony PlayStation GameWon
Best Action Adventure GameWon
Best Role Playing GameWon
Golden Joystick Awards November 24, 2020Most Wanted GameNominated [134]
November 23, 2021Most Wanted GameWon [135]
November 22, 2022 Ultimate Game of the Year Won [136]
PlayStation Game of the YearNominated
Best Visual DesignWon
Best Multiplayer GameWon
Critics' Choice AwardWon
Golden Trailer Awards October 6, 2022Best Video Game Trailer ("Ming Na Wen")Nominated [137]
[138]
Japan Game Awards September 15, 2022Grand AwardWon [139]
Award for ExcellenceWon
MTV Millennial Awards July 10, 2022 Gamer ObsessionNominated [140]
Nebula Awards May 15, 2023 Best Game Writing Won [141]
New York Game Awards January 17, 2023Big Apple Award for Best Game of the YearWon [142]
Herman Melville Award for Best Writing in a GameNominated
Statue of Liberty Award for Best WorldWon
Tin Pan Alley Award for Best Music in a GameNominated
The Steam Awards January 3, 2023Game of the YearWon [143]
Best Game You Suck AtWon
The Streamer Awards March 11, 2023Stream Game of the YearWon [144]

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A Soulslike is a subgenre of action role-playing games known for high difficulty level and emphasis on environmental storytelling, typically in a dark fantasy setting. It had its origin in Demon's Souls and the Dark Souls trilogy by FromSoftware, the themes and mechanics of which directly inspired several other games. The "Soulslike" name has been adopted by a number of critics and developers. However, there have also been questions whether it is a true genre or a collection of shared mechanics. A subset of these games, named Soulsborne, refer to most of the Soulslike games developed by FromSoftware.

<i>Pentiment</i> (video game) 2022 video game

Pentiment is a 2022 adventure role-playing video game developed by Obsidian Entertainment and published by Xbox Game Studios. The game was released for Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on November 15, 2022. The Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5 versions were released on February 22, 2024. It received positive reviews from critics and won a Peabody Award in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Game Awards 2022</span> American video game awards

The Game Awards 2022 was an award show that honored the best video games of 2022. The event was hosted by Geoff Keighley, creator and producer of The Game Awards, and was held to an invited audience at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on December 8, 2022. The preshow ceremony was hosted by Sydnee Goodman. The event was live streamed across more than 40 digital platforms, alongside an additional IMAX experience. It featured musical performances from Halsey, Hozier, and Bear McCreary, and presentations from celebrity guests, including Reggie Fils-Aimé, Al Pacino, Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey, and Ken and Roberta Williams. The show introduced a new Best Adaptation award for media adapted from video games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ranni the Witch</span> Fictional character from the video game Elden Ring

Ranni the Witch is a character from the 2022 video game Elden Ring, and is voiced by Aimee-Ffion Edwards. A powerful witch, Empyrean, and supporting character inhabiting the body of a human-sized doll, and a major figure in the game's lore, she desires to overthrow the Two Fingers and replace the Golden Order with the power of the Dark Moon. She is most notable for being the primary catalyst to the events of Elden Ring, and the instigator of one of the game's main quest lines, culminating in the hidden "Age of Stars" ending in which the player character becomes her royal consort. Specializing in frost-based sorcery, she is also able to create powerful magical projections, one of which the player fights after wounding her mother, Queen Rennala.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Starscourge Radahn</span> Fictional character

Starscourge Radahn is a fictional character from the 2022 action role-playing video game Elden Ring developed by FromSoftware. A demigod, he functions as both a prominent figure in the history of the game's fictional universe, the Lands Between, and one of its main bosses. Radahn is first encountered in Caelid, a once-verdant area that has been reduced to a red, highly-toxic wasteland by a fellow demigod, Malenia the Severed, in a last-ditch effort to defeat him. In the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, Radahn reappears under the name Promised Consort Radahn as the final boss.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malenia</span> Elden Ring boss

Malenia, Blade of Miquella is a character in the 2022 video game Elden Ring. Malenia appears as a tall, red-haired woman, wearing a golden valkyrie-like armour and a prosthetic replacing her right arm. In the lore of the game, she is a demigod princess and one of the land's most potent warriors and military commanders, having never been bested in battle. Despite featuring as an optional boss fight for the game, Malenia is prominent in related media, such as trailers, television spots, and promotional items. She is regarded as one of the game's main mascots.

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Notes

  1. Shadow of the Erdtree only
  2. Japanese: エルデンリング, Hepburn: Eruden Ringu