Elden Ring Deleted Scene Is The Perfect Sequel Setup

FromSoftware's dark fantasy RPGs, Elden Ring included, tend to feature civilizations deep in decline. Demon's Souls' Boletaria has succumbed to the fog that envelopes it and an infestation of demons, Dark Souls' Lordran, Drangleic, and Lothric are each approaching the end of the Age of Fire, and Elden Ring's Lands Between are well past the prosperity that once defined the Golden Order. A newly uncovered deleted cutscene from Elden Ring shows how a sequel could shirk this setting trope to leverage some of its more interesting lore.

Found in a pre-release version of Elden Ring, the incomplete scene shows Miquella planting his Haligtree well before the events of the game. Miquella's Haligtree is an optional location, but is nonetheless a major landmark both physically and within Elden Ring's lore. It was grown to rival the Erdtree and harbor a more inclusive societal order, and this narrative frame works well for a potential sequel that needs to differentiate itself from Elden Ring and the collapsing kingdoms of its predecessors.

Elden Ring’s Cut Miquella Scene Highlights One Of Its Best Storylines

The Erdtree is the defining icon of Elden Ring, even more so than the eponymous golden runes. The blessing from the Erdtree's golden light shapes the Lands Between and the society that lives under the Golden Order, but it's also a near-inescapable sight while we play the game. Since the Scadutree seen in the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion is a twisted reflection of the Erdtree and sequestered in the Land of Shadow, the only other distinct holy tree of significance still standing is Miquella's Haligtree.

Despite the failure of the Haligtree, owing to Miquella's abandonment of it and Malenia's infesting Scarlet Rot, it's the single greatest indication that a rival to the Golden Order is possible. Elden Ring's various endings show that a tree isn't strictly necessary for the Lands Between to enter a new age, but the Haligtree and the Greattree's roots seen throughout Elden Ring's underground areas are proof that such plants have influence long after their prime.

Miquella's incomplete story was one of the base game's most fascinating, and while his attempted ascension to godhood in Shadow of the Erdtree has the gravitas the expansion needed, it leaves the Haligtree with a lot of unrealized narrative potential. The deleted scene (embedded above, recreated by Lance McDonald) is perhaps an indication that, earlier in development, Miquella and the Haligtree were going to feature heavily in the main story, perhaps even resulting in a major ending like Ranni's or the Frenzied Flame's.

Elden Ring 2 Can Focus On Competing Holy Trees

All empires topple eventually, and if Dark Souls is any indication, a new one will have to rise in the Lands Between, regardless of which Elden Ring ending was chosen. Remnants of the Erdtree and the Haligtree are bound to be present in some future version of the continent. Trying to rebuild the Golden Order once again could potentially be the thrust of an Elden Ring 2, but it risks rehashing Dark Souls' trajectory, and the Haligtree subplot offers a much more interesting alternative.

Rather than a sequel taking place during a civilization's collapse, it could more concertedly focus on attempts to rebuild it. Elden Ring 2 could adopt much of its predecessor's iconography and its central themes by presenting rivaling factions each working to ensure their tree is the one to dominate the Lands Between's sky. This could potentially increase roleplaying opportunities by letting players side with an order of their choosing, but it would more likely follow FromSoftware's violent modus operandi: kill rival Empyreans so the protagonist can ascend.

Elden Ring's many Minor Erdtrees show that new ones can be grown. What would these look like twisted to accomplish various ends? How does a Golden Order successor attempt a resurgence eons later with Marika viewed as a dead god? Will Miquella be remembered for his original, noble ambitions, and a new Haligtree cultivated, or will the descendants of Elphael's devoted embrace the Scarlet Rot that has taken root? Elden Ring's setting so far hasn't proven to be cyclical, and there's plenty to still explore with the Lands Between's existing foundations.

An Elden Ring Sequel Feels Inevitable

Discussing potential Elden Ring sequels always feels a bit presumptuous. FromSoftware has taken a recent detour into multiplayer games, first with Elden Ring Nightreign, and soon again with The Duskbloods, but Elden Ring remains its biggest hit by far. For the studio's most dedicated fans, FromSoftware games have essentially received carte blanche without jeopardizing a day-one purchase for years, but Elden Ring has the widest appeal because of its sales and cultural cachet. It would be almost foolish on FromSoftware's part to not make another Elden Ring single-player game.

In many ways, Elden Ring's lore feels the most complete of FromSoftware's universes, perhaps owing to George R.R. Martin's extensive contributions to its history. There are a lot of characters and deities with significant impacts on the Lands Between, even while the game is brimming with mysteries. While new ideas are certainly attractive, especially given FromSoftware's track record, Elden Ring's setting still has a lot of potentially interesting avenues to explore.

But it wouldn't be an Elden Ring game without towering trees dominating the skybox. The Erdtree is inescapable in Elden Ring, and is the perfect jumping-off point for developing a changed Lands Between in a sequel. Miquella's deleted scene suggests the Haligtree may have originally been a larger part of Elden Ring's main story, and the idea of a competing tree still has a lot of merit.

Systems

Released February 25, 2022

ESRB M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence

Developer(s) From Software

Publisher(s) Bandai Namco Entertainment, From Software

Engine Proprietary