Highlights
- Gold-limned eyes in Elden Ring enemies indicate the influence of the Golden Order and its unclear goals, with characters beholden to its power.
- The Erdtree, a massive golden tree, stands at the heart of The Lands Between, while the Golden Order combines philosophy, religion, and government.
- Characters with gold eyes can have their favor taken away by the Erdtree; however, many characters with different affiliations also possess gold eyes, adding to the mystery of the Golden Order's intentions.
Gold-limned eyes in a surprising amount of Elden Ring enemies could offer an idea of the Golden Order's reach and goals, according to a new theory. A video takes a closer look at the models of all of Elden Ring's enemies and NPCs, specifically looking to see if they have gold in their eyes. Those that do may be under the influence of the Erdree. But as with most lore in Elden Ring, little is clear, and much has to be assumed.
Exactly what the Erdtree, the Golden Order, and the Grace of Gold are is a subject of much discussion. The basic idea is that the Erdtree is a massive, golden tree that stands at the heart of The Lands Between, and the Golden Order is a philosophy, a religion, and a government combined. It wields the power of the Erdtree, with its godlike leader Queen Marika at the Golden Order's head. Yet there's an insidious and nebulous element to the Golden Order, which exists as a force that can claim and abandon individuals like being touched by the wind.
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The latest video made by FromSoftware game dataminer and YouTuber Zullie the Witch looks at Elden Ring's eyes. The video, titled "It's hidden in plain sight," reveals which enemies and NPCs have gold coloring in their eyes. Zullie's claim is that the more gold in their eyes, the more a character is beholden to the Golden Order and its unclear goals. Further, the revelation that so many characters have gold in their eyes could mean the Golden Order's goals are much broader than is implied by Elden Ring's story and lore.
A key aspect of the theory is that golden eyes, which indicate the Golden Order's favor, can be taken away. The Tarnished are individuals who have lost the grace of the Erdtree and so were banished from The Lands Between. The player in Elden Ring is Tarnished, but regains the grace of the Erdtree and is brought back to The Lands Between for unclear reasons. Some of Elden Ring's endings could be clearly interpreted as continuing the era of the Golden Order. However, it is worth considering if they all did.
Knowing that the Erdree can abandon its favor from those it finds unnecessary at any time, that means those with gold eyes still likely serve it to some degree. Enemies with golden eyes in Elden Ring include common soldiers and mercenaries. That makes sense. It's missing from Albinaurics, Ancestral Followers, and most beasts. That also makes sense. Where it gets muddy is that so many others have gold in their eyes, including Omens, Rennala's scholars, Demi-Humans, the Misbegotten, Perfumers, the Fire Giant, the Fire Monks, and more.
There are also certain characters with ambiguous ties to the Golden Order, as their eyes are near-entirely gold, pale gold, or feature an almost infected style of golden iris. The Merchants have golden eyes despite following the Frenzied Flame, and the Godskins oppose Marika but have pale golden eyes. Demi-Gods Radahn and Rykard have very golden eyes, though they're infused with Scarlet Rot and blood, respectively. Ranni's eyes aren't her own. What it means that the Golden Order hasn't abandoned these characters isn't clear. Perhaps the Erdtree wants all of them to live, thrive, and war with each other.
Elden Ring is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
