The upcoming Shadow of the Erdtree DLC for Elden Ring offers a great opportunity for developer FromSoftware to answer a key question about the world of The Lands Between. Whether this is a prequel that shows the introduction of Elden Ring's Erdtree or the story of a new great tree, looking at the origins of these tools of the Greater Will can shed some light on the sky that they supposedly descend from.
Considering that the major focus of the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC will be on the mysteries of the Erdtree itself, this could give fans a chance to see what is through the clouds above the Lands Between. Though it might be a minor detail in Elden Ring, it could go a long way to show exactly how the elevated worlds throughout the game actually relate to each other.
Elden Ring's Skybox is Not What it Seems
Every inch of the Lands Between is dripping with consequences and hints at the lore, from the solitary Miranda Plant in Ainsel River to the lack of a Stake of Marika outside of Elden Ring's Rennala encounter. However, one part that might be overlooked by most players is the skybox, which is always covered with clouds that completely hides what is actually above the player. Climbing up to the highest locations in Elden Ring never even brings the player fully above the clouds, even when in the flying fortress of Crumbling Farum Azula.
The only time that players seemingly see beyond the clouds is when the time transitions to night and the sky is instead filled with stars and a giant blue moon. That being said, the night doesn't always work on a specific schedule in every area, such as the Moonlight Altar or the presence of Ranni's Moon during the Radahn fight. Similarly, the stars in Elden Ring themselves aren't exactly as they appear, considering that they appear in the lower levels like Siofra River, and some are implied to actually be gravity-distorting beings like Astel and the Fallingstar Beast.
This means that the few moments where the sky is seen without clouds could easily be an illusion cast by Ranni and her moon in the same way that the eternal night over Nokron is falsified. So, the area above the clouds might not actually be the eldritch void of space that Elden Ring's strangest bosses like Astel, Naturalborn of the Void might imply. Instead, it could just be another level, stacked on top of the Lands Between that the player explores, similar to the extra worlds sprawling below. The result could then ideally be a series of worlds that extend forever in both directions.
Shadow of the Erdtree's Explains the Crossing of These Worlds
It has become an accepted conclusion in the lore among Elden Ring fans that the Erdtree itself isn't native to the Lands Between that it currently reigns over. If Shadow of the Erdtree does actually depict an Erdtree descending on the world, whether it's a new one or players are taken back in time, this could be a perfect opportunity to see what is above the clouds it will fall through. An open sky wouldn't be too much of a surprise, but given the strangeness around these clouds right now, the Erdtree could fall through a crack in a giant ceiling.
Directly showing evidence of a world above the clouds of Elden Ring could completely rework the perspective of how players currently see the Lands Between. To show that Elden Ring's open world isn't quite as open as originally expected would make the Lands Between feel even more oppressive than the combat already can be at times. For the group of fans excited to dig through the lore being presented by FromSoftware, Shadow of the Erdtree offers tons of exciting opportunities.
Elden Ring is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
