Leading up to the release ofElden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, theories about potential new bosses were mostly centered around likely candidates pointed to by the base game’s lore. With the deep connection that the unseen life of Godwyn the Golden has to the entire scenario in The Lands Between, many players made the incorrect assumption that he would play a pivotal role in the expansion. Now that the conclusion to any new content followingElden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtreehas become certain, it seems clear that FromSoftware may have missed the opportunity to truly live up to the hype around the Prince of Death’s role in the overarching narrative.
It could be argued that the quest involving Fia which sees the player receiving theMending Rune of the Death Prince from Godwyn’s corpse inElden Ring’s Deeproot Depths provides a sort of conclusion to the character’s arc, but this would also make it a story that is entirely devoid of interaction with him. Between several hints that pointed towards ties to Miquella and a greater role that Godwyn could be playing, as implied by the DLC’s name, it was reasonable to assume that this demigod would have made for a compelling boss encounter to punctuate Shadow of the Erdtree’s finale.
The Significance of Godwyn’s Lore and the Underwhelming Nature of Promised Consort Radahn’s Reveal
Speculation Regarding Godwyn’s Future Importance Was Driven By His Enigmatic Role in Elden Ring’s Base Game
While he is a figure who is crucial to the lore through his actions in the past, Godwyn the Golden is primarily associated with his tragic transformation into the grotesque Prince of Death and the Deathroot that the player can be affected by due to this. Compared to Marika’s other children, only a fragmented understanding of his role can be understood in a way that was evocative of pastFromSoftware DLC bosseswho followed enigmatic hints of their own.
Radahn, Consort of Miquella Subverted Expectations as an Anti-Climax
Though it’s a fight that provides an undeniable sense of spectacle, Promised Consort Radahn ultimately serves as an anti-climax in what was likely an intentional maneuver.Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree’s Radahn was nerfeddue to being incredibly challenging on release, but it’s also fair to say that the emotional resonance of the encounter is stifled by the previous battle with Starscourge Radahn that’s already in the base game.
The Definitive End of Elden Ring Content Leaves a Godwyn Boss Fight a Missed Opportunity
Godwyn Could Have Brought the Best Traits of Prior FromSoftware DLC Bosses Together
Not only would Godwyn being featured in Shadow of the Erdtree have been satisfying from a lore perspective with the closure it might have brought, but it was also an exciting idea due to its gameplay potential. With bosses like Artorias and theNameless King in theDark Soulsseriesacting as epic culminations of cryptic hints in their own ways, and the likes of Ludwig and Maria fromBloodbornebeing key to the base game’s premise, it’s only natural that fans came to expect this sort of pay off beforeElden Ring’s own DLC.
The repetition of Radahn as a boss is essentially as ifBloodborne’s Laurence, the First Vicar acted as the final boss of that game’s expansion, but the Consort of Miquella at least has the benefit of technically being part of a duo. Even in that case, however, a team of Godwyn and Miquella would have been a much more novel prospect. Instead of facing more gravity magic and the strength of Radahn once more, seeing the lightning of the Ancient Dragons harnessed alongside Deathblight by the Prince of Death likely would have garnered a more widely positivereception to Shadow of the Erdtree’s ending.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
WHERE TO PLAY
Shadow of the Erdtree is the first and only DLC expansion for FromSoftware’s groundbreaking Elden Ring. It takes players to a whole new region, the Land of Shadow, where a new story awaits the Tarnished.
