Summary
This article contains spoilers forElden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree.It has been a little while sinceElden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtreewas released, and everyone not put off by its difficulty is steadily approaching its conclusion. Many dedicated tarnished have already cleared out its new roster of regions, dungeons, and bosses, and are potentially experiencing the base game again with the DLC’s new equipment. While it has had some ups and downs,Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtreehas been a fairly positive experience for the massiveElden Ringcommunity, and has sold exceedingly well for a FromSoftware game in its own right.
But like all things,Shadow of the Erdtreedoes need to end, and its ending has proven to be a stumbling block for any players. Discourse about the identity and difficulty ofShadow of the Erdtree’s final bosshas made its rounds, but some players will also note that the ending feels somewhat abrupt. It is true that it lacks the side-quest-like tail of some other FromSoftware DLCs, and the developer made it clear thatSotE’s story would not fold back intoElden Ring’s base campaign. Still, something more would have been nice, and another unlikely FromSoftware game demonstrates how that could have played out.
Sekiro’s Special Shura Ending Explained
Of FromSoftware’s Soulslike lineup, onlyDemon’s Soulsand the pseudo-SoulslikeSekiro: Shadows Die Twicelack DLC expansions.Demon’s Soulspreceded FromSoftware’s current DLC practices, butSekirolaunched right in the thick of them, and all it got was a few bonus features in a post-launch patch. Those were appreciated, buta fullSekiroDLC, possibly stretching into the Interior Ministry’s land or the Divine Dragon’s home, would have been even better. Still,Sekirofeatured some of the most varied alternate endings in FromSoftware’s library, and it would have been nice to seeShadow of the Erdtreework in something like its Shura Ending.
How A Shura Ending Fits Into Shadow of the Erdtree
The Shura Ending branches off fromSekiro’s main quest based on a critical dialogue choice and acts as an unambiguous bad end. Not only is this already unique compared to FromSoftware’s usual endings, but it also provides two unique boss fights. Transposing this style of ending intoElden Ringwould take a lot of work, butShadow of the Erdtreebeing tight, and slightly more linear likeSekiro, makes it easier. Just going by the chronological exampleSekirohas set, a corresponding Shura divergence point inSotEwould be the Messmer fight, though a more organic opportunity happens later.
Adapting Shura’s Twist Ending To Elden Ring’s DLC
InElden Ring’s DLC, the player Tarnished deals with Miquella’s various followers. Many of theseElden RingNPCs have their own side quests and goals, and how the player handles them defines how many allies and enemies they will have during the penultimate boss fight, as well as whether certain summons are available to fight Radahn afterward. However, there could be a Shura twist to these encounters. Completing Leda’s quest and successfully weeding out all dissidents from her group could place players on her side in the invasion encounter, or even cement them as a Miquella follower and skip that fight altogether.
A Shura Path Could Drastically Change SotE’s Finale
What happens next is when things could get nuts, as allowing Miquella or the player to gain any sort of permanent power in the Land of Shadow impliesbig changes to the conclusion ofElden Ring. The Tarnished could be forced into a boss fight against St. Trina that decides whether Miquella truly ascends, or there could be an option to step into the Gate of Divinity and challenge Miquella for the right to godhood. At that point,Shadow of the Erdtreecould have become an alternate ending toElden Ringitself, making for a fittingly epic ending to FromSoftware’s largest game yet.
