Summary
Regardless of director Hidetaka Miyazaki’s known dislike of sequels, a follow-up toElden Ringseems like a must at this point. Along with the base game’s 25 million units sold,Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC has moved 5 million units (which is all the more impressive considering how few players have beaten Mohg to even access the Shadow Realm). While future DLC forElden Ringhas already been ruled out, there’s still room for a potential sequel, and the title’s sales success certainly encourages FromSoftware to follow through. If anElden Ringsequel ever comes to light, it stands to benefit by transforming its iconic setting like FromSoftware did with theDark Soulstrilogy.
The originalDark Soulsintroduced millions of players to the world of Lordran. After a brief detour to Drangleic inDark Souls 2, players got to revisit Lordran from a whole new perspective inDark Souls 3, seeing how the passage of time had affected many memorable areas from the first game in the series.The Lands Betweenis arguably one of the best open worlds ever crafted for a game, and to use it once and never return would feel like a disservice to the talented developers who designed it. By following inDark Souls 3’s lead, anElden Ringsequel could reintroduce players to The Lands Between in a bold way.
Dark Souls Cleverly Reuses Levels as a Means of Environmental Storytelling
Lordran Wears Many Faces in the Dark Souls Trilogy
DespiteDark Souls 3ostensibly taking place in the new kingdom of Lothric, several areas link the game’s setting to the world ofthe originalDark Souls, Lordran. It’s somewhat tricky to pin down exactly how much time has passed between the two games, but the existence of common NPCs and locations in both titles inextricably links them beyond both being part of theDark Soulstrilogy. While there are several locations inDark Souls 3that are familiar to locales from the originalDark Souls, the two that seem to tell the most about how the world has changed in the interim between them are the original Firelink Shrine and Anor Londo.
Players will come across what is obviously the original Firelink Shrine within the depths of the Ringed City before facing off against the Demon Prince, indicating that what used to be Lordran now lies deep beneath the surface.Anor Londo’s place as a “city on a hill” separate from the main landmass saves it from the fate of being buried underneath new settlements like otherDark Soulslocations. But the formerly gleaming spires having fallen to ruin tells a compelling story about how the passage of time has affected this world, as well as what may have transpired since the Chosen Undead rekindled the First Flame.
How an Elden Ring Sequel Could Play With the Flow of Time in its World Design
Sure, anElden Ringsequel could liberally borrow from FromSoftware’s previous experience withtheDark Soulstrilogy, but nothing is restricting the developer from working solely in one direction of the flow of time. While the gap betweenDark SoulsandDark Souls 3suggests that hundreds (if not thousands) of years have passed between the two games, anElden Ringfollow-up could work in the opposite direction. Rather than show how the passage of time has continued to weather away at the once gleaming cities of The Lands Between, FromSoft could head back into the past to show the world in its prime.
If an Elden Ring sequel ever comes to light, it stands to benefit by transforming its iconic setting like FromSoftware did with the Dark Souls trilogy.
Getting to visit areas like the undergroundcities of Nokstella and Nokronwhen they were still home to the Nox, Elphael before the corruption of the demigod twins and the area getting choked with scarlet rot, or Leyndell during the height of the Golden Order would be a great way to make use of some of The Lands Between’s greatest locations. PositioningElden Ring’s follow-up as a prequel, and not a sequel, could be a great way to not only cleverly reimagine iconic locales from The Lands Between but also divulge more about their rich lore.
