Summary
MoreElden Ringcontent is on its way in the form of Shadow of the Erdtree. This expansion to the award-winning open world action-RPG is expected to deliver another helping of what made the game so special. NPC storylines, battles, and exploration across new lands will all unfold before players, extendingElden Ring’s already massive hour count even further. Despite no release date being in sight, excitement for Shadow of the Erdtree remains high, and will only get higher when it has more to show.
In the meantime,Elden Ringis still seeing play and analysis from its community, even after its developer FromSoftware releasedArmored Core 6. There are tons of small details to pick up on inElden Ring’s dialogue, item descriptions, and environments, leaving fans in a constant state of discovery. Many hope that morelore is found in Shadow of the Erdtree, and that the DLC will fill in several gaps left by the base game. One of these is further details on the mysterious Godskin cult that dogs the Tarnished throughout their journey, and it would be to the expansion’s benefit if these antagonists are explored further.
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Godskins Are A Subtle But Important Part Of Elden Ring
AcrossElden Ring, players are likely to run into the Godskin Noble and the Godskin Apostle. With four appearances each, these representatives of the mysterious Godskin cult challenge players again and again. Separately, they aretwo ofElden Ring’s tougher bosses, and together they form both a surprise gauntlet in the Spiritcaller Cave on the Mountaintops of the Giants, and Faram Azula’s terrifying Godskin Duo. As the Duo is the only mandatory instance of both bosses, even players who took a direct route throughElden Ringwill be well acquainted with the threat the Godskins represent.
For their considerable power, reach across the Lands Between, and apparent relevance toElden Ring’s backstory, not much is said about the Godskins. Their cult is said to have followed the Gloam-Eyed Queen and used Destined Death to slay gods for their skin, but little else is known of them. Maliketh robbed them of much of their power once he sealed away Destined Death, and theGloam-Eyed Queen may beElden Ring’s most elusive figure. Shadow of the Erdtree presents an opportunity for more light to be shared on this villainous troupe, and potentially meet some memorable new foes in the process.
Shadow of the Erdtree Can Give The Godskins An Explicit Role
With how big of an impact the Godskin Duo has had, it seems like a no-brainer for Shadow of the Erdtree to play off of it with another variant. This one could take on a more specialized senior role in the cult than the Nobles, potentially even a leadership position. Stretching and inflating their skin cloaks were thetrademarks of Godskin Apostles and Nobles respectively, so this one could either find another theme like folding or stitching, or double down on using the Black Flame all members use.
This new Godskin would be an avenue into examining the wider cult. There’s still much to learn about the group’s former prominence, relationship with the Rune of Death, and their elusive Gloam-Eyed Queen. IfShadow of the Erdtree involves Godwyn, the Prince of Death, then it would only make sense for the cult to try harnessing his abundant Death-touched flesh. Players could even meet Godskin Initiates as regular enemies in a base of sorts, culminating in the new Godskin boss. Whatever direction FromSoftware takes the Godskins in Shadow of the Erdtree, players will no doubt be both delighted and terrified to see more of these cultists in action.
Elden Ringis available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
