FromSoftware has always woven lore into the fabric of its games like a hidden thread, but Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree takes this craft to a new level. The DLC doesn’t just add side stories to the Lands Between—it rewrites the very purpose of the Erdtree, and at the center of this revolution is Miquella, the Empyrean of Unalloyed Gold. For players who’ve spent hours poring over item descriptions, chasing NPC quests, and piecing together the base game’s fragmented narrative, Miquella’s journey in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree isn’t just a side quest—it’s the key to understanding what the Erdtree’s future could (and should) be. Let’s break down the lore clues, hidden meanings, and game-changing revelations that make Miquella’s quest the heart of this expansion.
Miquella’s “Escape” from the Erdtree: Not a Betrayal, But a Rescue
The base game paints Miquella as a missing figure—stolen from the Erdtree by Mohg, Lord of Blood, while still trapped in his childlike form. But Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree reveals a darker truth: Miquella didn’t just “escape” Mohg’s clutches—he fled the Erdtree itself. The first clue comes from the Unalloyed Gold Needle’s updated description in the DLC: “Miquella’s needle, forged to ward off outer gods. He left the Erdtree not out of fear, but because the tree had become a prison.” For years, players assumed the Erdtree was a force of “good”—a divine pillar keeping the Lands Between intact. But Miquella’s choice to abandon it suggests the Erdtree, under Marika’s rule, had been corrupted by the Greater Will, the outer god that once guided the Golden Order.
This becomes even clearer when you visit the Scadutree, the gnarled, shadowy counterpart to the Erdtree in the Land of Shadow. The Scadutree’s roots are tangled with “Unalloyed Gold Vines,” and its bark bears carvings of Miquella’s face—proof that he built this place as a counter to the Erdtree. The Scadutree Talisman drives this home: “Miquella grew the Scadutree to shelter those the Erdtree cast out—omen, albinauric, and tarnished alike. It is not a weapon against the Erdtree, but a promise of what it could be.” Miquella’s quest, then, isn’t about destroying the Erdtree—it’s about saving it from the Greater Will’s control.
Millicent’s Role: Miquella’s “Shadow” and the Future of Unalloyed Gold
No discussion of Miquella’s quest is complete without Millicent, the scarlet rot-afflicted warrior players first meet in the Altus Plateau. In Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, Millicent’s true identity is revealed: she’s not just a “disciple” of Miquella—she’s his “shadow,” a physical manifestation of his unfulfilled hopes for the Lands Between. The Millicent’s Prosthesis description in the DLC adds: “Miquella carved this prosthesis from Unalloyed Gold to seal the rot in Millicent. She is not his servant—she is the part of him that refused to accept the Erdtree’s cruelty.”
Millicent’s questline in the DLC culminates in the Drainage Channel of Miquella’s Haligtree, where she begs you to kill her before the scarlet rot consumes her. If you honor her wish, she leaves you the Unalloyed Gold Needle and a final message: “Tell Miquella the rot is gone… and the Erdtree can still be healed.” This moment isn’t just a tragic end for Millicent—it’s a turning point for Miquella’s mission. The needle, once used to seal rot, now becomes a tool to sever the Erdtree’s bond with the Greater Will. When you use it on the Scadutree’s core later in the DLC, the tree blooms with Unalloyed Gold, and a voice (implied to be Miquella) whispers: “The Erdtree’s chains are broken. Now it will grow for all, not just the chosen.”
The Erdtree’s Future: Three Paths, One Unlikely Hero
By the end of Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, Miquella’s quest presents three possible futures for the Erdtree—each tied to the DLC’s hidden endings. The first, the Age of Unalloyed Gold, is unlocked by using the Unalloyed Gold Needle on the Erdtree’s roots after defeating Radagon. In this ending, the Erdtree sheds its golden bark to reveal Unalloyed Gold beneath, and Miquella returns to rule alongside the Tarnished. The Elden Remembrance description here reads: “The Erdtree no longer serves the Greater Will. It is now a tree of equality—no omens burned, no albinaurics hunted, no tarnished cast aside.”
The second, the Age of Shadow, is triggered if you abandon Millicent and align with the Scadutree’s shadowy forces. Here, the Erdtree withers, and the Scadutree takes its place—creating a world where darkness and light coexist, but Miquella is nowhere to be found. The Shadow Elden Ring item hints at regret: “Miquella’s dream died when you chose shadow. The Erdtree is saved, but it will never be what he hoped.”
The third, and most tragic, is the Age of the Greater Will, which occurs if you ignore Miquella’s quest entirely. The Erdtree remains under the outer god’s control, and Marika’s cycle of destruction and rebirth continues. The Cursed Erdtree Branch item sums this up: “Miquella’s quest was for nothing. The Erdtree is a cage, and we are all its prisoners.”
What makes Miquella’s quest so powerful, though, is that it doesn’t frame the Tarnished as a “savior”—it frames them as a partner. Miquella can’t heal the Erdtree alone; he needs the Tarnished, a being outside the Golden Order’s rules, to carry out his plan. The DLC’s final cutscene drives this home: as the Erdtree blooms with Unalloyed Gold, Miquella turns to the Tarnished and says, “You did not just help me. You became the hope I could not be.”
Why This Lore Matters: FromSoftware’s Most Ambitious Narrative Yet
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree’s lore isn’t just for diehard fans—it’s a masterclass in storytelling that elevates the entire game. Miquella’s quest recontextualizes every choice players made in the base game: Did you burn the Erdtree? You were playing into the Greater Will’s hands. Did you help Millicent? You were sowing the seeds of the Erdtree’s redemption. Every item, every NPC line, every hidden path in the DLC ties back to one question: What does it mean to “save” a world that’s already broken?
For players who’ve spent months exploring the Lands Between, Miquella’s quest gives the Erdtree a new purpose. It’s no longer just a giant tree in the sky—it’s a symbol of hope, corruption, and rebirth. And in the end, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree reminds us that the future isn’t written by gods—it’s written by the people brave enough to challenge them.
If you want to dive deeper into Miquella’s lore, check out our breakdown of the Miquella’s Haligtree Hidden Symbols (https://example.com/miquella-symbols) and our analysis of the Greater Will’s True Intent (https://example.com/greater-will). For help unlocking the Age of Unalloyed Gold ending, our guide to Millicent’s Questline Walkthrough (https://example.com/millicent-walkthrough) has you covered.
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