Summary
- Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree DLC may explore the mysterious connection between St. Trina and Miquella, with potential tie-ins with cut content.
- Cut content hints at dream-related gameplay mechanics that could make a reappearance in Shadow of the Erdtree, enhancing the gameplay experience.
- The DLC expansion for Elden Ring has the potential to delve deeper into the lore and characters of the game, building upon the world created by Miyazaki and Martin.
There are a lot of questions surrounding Elden Ring's long-awaited Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, many of which have been amplified following last month's gameplay trailer. While there has been no shortage of speculation regarding Shadow of the Erdtree's lore and gameplay additions, much is open to interpretation, with players extrapolating based on information from the base game.
While the base game offers fertile soil for theorizing, some additional hints about the DLC may be found in the cut content discovered by Elden Ring dataminers and hackers. Specifically, cut content surrounding St. Trina may directly tie into Shadow of the Erdtree. St. Trina is a mysterious healer and revered saint in The Lands Between, associated with sleep magic and dreams. There is reason to believe that the connection between St. Trina and Miquella will be explored in the DLC, and it is by way of this connection that certain bits of cut content could be reincorporated into the game.
Elden Ring Cut Content: Miquella, St. Trina, and Dream Gameplay Mechanics
Elden Ring Cut Content Further Establishes the Miquella and St. Trina Connection
There are several clues suggesting that Miquella and St. Trina are the same person. Based on the little information available about them in the base game, St. Trina seems to have a childlike appearance, though their presence and behavior are presumably more mature. Additionally, the item description for the Sword of St. Trina states that "Some say [St. Trina] is a comely young girl, others are sure he is a boy." St. Trina's childlike, androgynous appearance is a major tie to Miquella, who is cursed with eternal youth, making it reasonable for his gender presentation to be ambiguous and flexible. Additionally, St. Trina is known for inspiring rapid and committed affection, as is Miquella. They also both have lilies named after them that are almost indistinguishable from one another.
These connections are compelling, but mostly tangential and not definitively confirmed by any canonical Elden Ring lore related to Miquella. Cut content tells a different story, however, as dataminers have discovered an NPC named Rhico who has dialog directly linking the two characters: "Finally, I have found it..... St. Trina's, no, Lord Miquella's cadaver." This is the only time that the characters are directly mentioned in relation to each other, and while cut content should not be considered canonical, it's not unreasonable to guess that Rhico and their associated quest lines will play a role in Shadow of the Erdtree, further defining and fleshing out the connection between St. Trina and Miquella.
Elden Ring's Canceled Dream Gameplay Mechanics Could Return in Shadow of the Erdtree
Elden Ring's sleep status effect may have been meant to play a larger role in the game, as Rhico's cut quest includes an item that would allow players to harvest something called "dream mist" from sleeping NPCs. The item, which is called St. Trina's Crystal Ball, could appear in Shadow of the Erdtree, especially if the expansion entails dream realms or an alternate reality formed by Miquella/Trina, which many have theorized it will. This would mean that whatever dream-related gameplay mechanics that were cut from the base game could be realized in the DLC, along with any linked quest lines, which would open the door to a number of unique gameplay and narrative inclusions.
There are other pieces of cut Elden Ring content that may appear in Shadow of the Erdtree, but the content related to St. Trina and dreams seem like the most likely candidates for reprisal, given what has been revealed about the expansion. Considering St. Trina's apparent connection to Miquella and the fact that Miquella is "asleep" in the base game, the aforementioned Elden Ring cut content has the potential to be extremely relevant to Shadow of the Erdtree.
Elden Ring
- Released
- February 25, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
ELDEN RING, developed by FromSoftware, Inc. And BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Inc., is a fantasy action-RPG adventure set within a world created by Hidetaka Miyazaki and George R.R. Martin. Danger and discovery lurk around every corner in FromSoftware’s largest game to date. Hidetaka Miyazaki - President and Game Director of FromSoftware Inc. Known for directing critically-acclaimed games in beloved franchises including Armored Core and Dark Souls.
George R.R. Martin is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of many novels, including the acclaimed series A Song of Ice and Fire - A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords, A Feast For Crows, and A Dance with Dragons. As a writer-producer, he has worked on The Twilight Zone, Beauty and the Beast, and various feature films and pilots that were never made. He lives with the lovely Parris in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- From Software
- Publisher(s)
- Bandai Namco Entertainment, From Software
- Engine
- Proprietary
- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op, Online Multiplayer
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X
- How Long To Beat
- 58 Hours
- Metascore
- 96
- Platforms That Support Crossplay
- PS4 & PS5 and Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S
- PS Plus Availability
- N/A
