I've been wondering about "the seduction and betrayal" line and it took me down some confusing paths. Rambling ahead.
We've seen what Marika's seduction and betrayal can look like. Both seduction in regard to lust for power but also seduction as a path to it. Radagon seduced (conjecture, but I would bet that Rennala didn't initiate the courtship) Rennala and then betrayed her. This had a clear and potent effect that benefitted Marika and her Golden Order.
Marika and Radagon had to be the same person on some level at this point because Ranni is an Empyrean, and would not be if Radagon were just a champion. So seduction and betrayal.
There is something very strange about Ranni being an Empyrean that has always bugged me. She is the only one we know of aside from maybe the GEQ that has parentage not of a god (partially.) Rennala is not a god, but then again we don't actually know what parentage really means in a world where death has changed to recycling.
So I feel like there is some connection to how Ranni became an Empyrean, the seduction and betrayal of Rennala by Marika/Radagon, and whatever seduction and betrayal happened to birth the Golden Order. Perhaps something to do with Ranni's, Melina's, and St. Trina's connection to sleep/dusk/gloam (also Miquella via St. Trina who might also BE Melina.) There is a void of context here that I hope is addressed in the DLC (and I think it will be.)
No idea how Messmer fits into it all. Although... wait a sec. Radagon came from nowhere, seemingly. What if he is Messmer's shadow, but because Messmer is IN the land of Shadow, his own Shadow exists in the Lands Between and Marika just incorporated him somehow during that split? She just took "this is mine now" to a "this is me now" level. That would explain why Radagon is a goodie-two-shoes and Messmer has been just going all stabby-fire-daddy. Shadows are supposed to keep their Empyreans in line for the Greater Will, and Radagon has always been that guy. I know that it's more likely that he is just a split of Marika's psyche or whatever, but Ima leave this here just in case.
We've seen what Marika's seduction and betrayal can look like. Both seduction in regard to lust for power but also seduction as a path to it. Radagon seduced (conjecture, but I would bet that Rennala didn't initiate the courtship) Rennala and then betrayed her. This had a clear and potent effect that benefitted Marika and her Golden Order.
Marika and Radagon had to be the same person on some level at this point because Ranni is an Empyrean, and would not be if Radagon were just a champion. So seduction and betrayal.
There is something very strange about Ranni being an Empyrean that has always bugged me. She is the only one we know of aside from maybe the GEQ that has parentage not of a god (partially.) Rennala is not a god, but then again we don't actually know what parentage really means in a world where death has changed to recycling.
So I feel like there is some connection to how Ranni became an Empyrean, the seduction and betrayal of Rennala by Marika/Radagon, and whatever seduction and betrayal happened to birth the Golden Order. Perhaps something to do with Ranni's, Melina's, and St. Trina's connection to sleep/dusk/gloam (also Miquella via St. Trina who might also BE Melina.) There is a void of context here that I hope is addressed in the DLC (and I think it will be.)
No idea how Messmer fits into it all. Although... wait a sec. Radagon came from nowhere, seemingly. What if he is Messmer's shadow, but because Messmer is IN the land of Shadow, his own Shadow exists in the Lands Between and Marika just incorporated him somehow during that split? She just took "this is mine now" to a "this is me now" level. That would explain why Radagon is a goodie-two-shoes and Messmer has been just going all stabby-fire-daddy. Shadows are supposed to keep their Empyreans in line for the Greater Will, and Radagon has always been that guy. I know that it's more likely that he is just a split of Marika's psyche or whatever, but Ima leave this here just in case.
Oh dear.
So starting playing again to get in position for the DLC. My save is right at the start of NG+ and I haven't really played since then.
Because I really just want to beeline to Mohgs Palace the shortest way possible with minimum distractions I killed Varre. Also because he's a dick. No NPC quest lines, no distractions!
Then I googled the quickest way to Mohg and it requires Varre's quest line 😐
Gutted, but then I remembered the church of vows, I can repent! All is not lost! I really don't want to have to play through to endgame again.
So I make my way to the church and..."You require no absolution" 🤨
Googled it. Varre can't be revived 😐
I have to get all the way to the consecrated snow fields 💀
So starting playing again to get in position for the DLC. My save is right at the start of NG+ and I haven't really played since then.
Because I really just want to beeline to Mohgs Palace the shortest way possible with minimum distractions I killed Varre. Also because he's a dick. No NPC quest lines, no distractions!
Then I googled the quickest way to Mohg and it requires Varre's quest line 😐
Gutted, but then I remembered the church of vows, I can repent! All is not lost! I really don't want to have to play through to endgame again.
So I make my way to the church and..."You require no absolution" 🤨
Googled it. Varre can't be revived 😐
I have to get all the way to the consecrated snow fields 💀
Sorry but I find it hard to sympathize, as this makes absolutely no sense. Deliberately killing NPCs, unless it's part of an actual quest line, will only ever harm your game, why on Earth would you think this is a good idea, let alone something to cause "no distractions"? lol
I'm terrible for wanting to complete quests once I've started them so killing him just avoids it completely lol.
It's worked out ok, me and my brother have been playing today and we've steamrolled our way through the Plataue and Capitol so I can get to the fields, by far the hardest part was beating Niall. Fortunately we only have to do it on my save as his Varre still lives 😅
I'm playing this for the first time and have a couple of questions if anyone can answer
1. I've been playing for 20 hours and haven't been invaded by a human player once, nor have I seen any summon signs other than a couple of NPC ones outside boss fights. How does the multiplayer work in this game? What do those small statues I've been activating that say something about summoning pools being active do?
2. Is there an order I should do the different world map areas in in order to not be overlevelled? I've completed Stormveil Castle and done quite a few caves and dungeons in that part of the map, as well as explored a small amount of the area to the east with the red sky after a chest teleported me there. Now I'm exploring the Weeping Peninsula and so far it feels like I'm overlevelled for it (I'm level 34).
3. Without any massive spoilers if possible, are there any dialogue choices or necessary items I should be aware of in order to not lock myself out of a large part of the game or a "good" ending? (I've been burned before by Souls games)
1. I've been playing for 20 hours and haven't been invaded by a human player once, nor have I seen any summon signs other than a couple of NPC ones outside boss fights. How does the multiplayer work in this game? What do those small statues I've been activating that say something about summoning pools being active do?
2. Is there an order I should do the different world map areas in in order to not be overlevelled? I've completed Stormveil Castle and done quite a few caves and dungeons in that part of the map, as well as explored a small amount of the area to the east with the red sky after a chest teleported me there. Now I'm exploring the Weeping Peninsula and so far it feels like I'm overlevelled for it (I'm level 34).
3. Without any massive spoilers if possible, are there any dialogue choices or necessary items I should be aware of in order to not lock myself out of a large part of the game or a "good" ending? (I've been burned before by Souls games)
New waifu just dropped
Got around to the Albinauric Village, that place never fails to evoke strong feelings. Same with the Subterranean Shunning-Grounds which was equally as intense if not more so.
Expect the DLC won't shy away and have a ton of upsetting stuff in regards to the genocide of the Crucible people.
Expect the DLC won't shy away and have a ton of upsetting stuff in regards to the genocide of the Crucible people.
Be vigilant
There are some leaks out there regarding other areas of the DLC and while it was pretty I also feel like I spoiled myself.
The time for vigilance against internet spoilers is upon us
There are some leaks out there regarding other areas of the DLC and while it was pretty I also feel like I spoiled myself.
The time for vigilance against internet spoilers is upon us
Farmed my new character up to level 100 before carrying on with DLC eligibility and Radahn was still a massive pain in the ass - always disliked his fight.
Managed to defeat him after about 20 attempts but I was going in with severely underlevelled weapons as I have been beelining the DLC prep. Now he is out of the way I am just going to play the game as normal, improving my gear and when I hit level 120 that will be where I stop levelling.
I missed this game.
Managed to defeat him after about 20 attempts but I was going in with severely underlevelled weapons as I have been beelining the DLC prep. Now he is out of the way I am just going to play the game as normal, improving my gear and when I hit level 120 that will be where I stop levelling.
I missed this game.
Oof. Underleveled weapons can really make character level seem almost irrelevant, can't it? Not hitting those damage checks hurts, especially against a boss like Radahn who can just cheese you down given enough time. I always make it a priority to have at least a +6/+12 weapon before this fight. At least the rest of your run will be smoother with upgraded gear.
Indeed! I picked up the Meteoric Ore Blade and got it to +7 and the difference between this and my old bleed sword is palpable.
OK, so the first physical appearance of Radagon was during the Liurnian Wars, and we know how that panned out.
But his red hair is supposedly a result of a fire giant curse. That means he was around before the Liurnian Wars, because Marika conquered the fire giants before going to war with Liurnia, or at least during the same period of establishing her Order.
The event that gave birth to the Marika/Radagon was that curse, right? It's such a Marika-ass-Marika thing to do. Splinter oneself to avoid a curse and then use the result to break the spirit of a whole people.
It mirrors Miquella and Malenia as well. One blonde, one ginger, twins, one with a goal to change everything, the other to just protect that order. I'd posit that the complications these kids suffered were the direct result of Marika avoiding the fire giant's curse by splintering and then procreating with herself (with the help of Outer God intrusions, ofc)
It's even more insidious when you consider that astrologers and fire giants were once allied (because the Rennala/Radagon union complicates that a lot.) Maybe that is what the folly of the Carian Royal Family was. Ignoring the past while letting Marika manipulate it.
Most importantly of all: I just got back from a party and I was just thinking about this game and now I am drunk-posting.
But his red hair is supposedly a result of a fire giant curse. That means he was around before the Liurnian Wars, because Marika conquered the fire giants before going to war with Liurnia, or at least during the same period of establishing her Order.
The event that gave birth to the Marika/Radagon was that curse, right? It's such a Marika-ass-Marika thing to do. Splinter oneself to avoid a curse and then use the result to break the spirit of a whole people.
It mirrors Miquella and Malenia as well. One blonde, one ginger, twins, one with a goal to change everything, the other to just protect that order. I'd posit that the complications these kids suffered were the direct result of Marika avoiding the fire giant's curse by splintering and then procreating with herself (with the help of Outer God intrusions, ofc)
It's even more insidious when you consider that astrologers and fire giants were once allied (because the Rennala/Radagon union complicates that a lot.) Maybe that is what the folly of the Carian Royal Family was. Ignoring the past while letting Marika manipulate it.
Most importantly of all: I just got back from a party and I was just thinking about this game and now I am drunk-posting.
On point 2, yeah the Weeping Peninsula is an area you do before Stormveil in order to prepare. After Limgrave (including the peninsula and Stormveil) it's best to tackle the major area immediately to the North, and then follow NPC and item directions after that. The game doesn't always make it clear what you should do first, but by seeing how many runes you are getting from regular enemies, what kind of upgrade materials you're getting, and the cookbook numbers you can get some pretty strong hints.
In Elden Ring, you can only be invaded while co-oping, if you haven't summoned another player you can't be invaded. There's an item called Taunter's tongue that bypasses this and allows your world to be invaded while solo.
There's also no "Humanity" like mechanic this time around, to be able to see other player's signs you need to use a Furlcalling Finger. that'll make the signs appear.
The summoning pools are where other players' signs will appear if they send them there, once activated, if you use a furlcalling finger you'll likely see a bunch of them around the effigies. They're basically a place where a bunch of summoning signs will show up so you don't have to look for them out in the open.
It's not a huge deal breaker but the Steam version doesn't have full PS5 controller support right? I know you could still use the dualsense but the only issue is the button icons are stuck as Xbox buttons by default. I was thinking of getting it on PC and replaying it to get to the DLC section instead of continuing from my first playthrough save on PS5.
Yes, they never added ps glyphs, and generally don't in past games either. This wasn't an issue in past games since people modded them in for everything but because of Easy Anti Cheat being part of this one you have to choose normal online play or proper glyphs.
It's kinda shit since they have them available. All the games come out on Sony systems. But yeah no response or reply to people asking about it for the pc ports.
It's kinda shit since they have them available. All the games come out on Sony systems. But yeah no response or reply to people asking about it for the pc ports.
I play offline for ultra wide and PS glyphs mods. It's annoying as these are basically staples in most PC ports.
Playing offline with mods won't affect me continuing to the DLC when it launches as long as I stay offline right?
I know the messages won't be there in offline mode but it seems the only way to play if I want the different icons.
Are you talking about the leaked screenshots? If not, then please point me in the direction to these spoilers! I don't mind them at all.
I am talking about those leaked screenshots. I'll DM you the link
Stormhawk Axe with a flexible offhand? Maybe a Stormcaller Ash axe with Cold infusion? Similar movesets with cold and lightning. Very epic.
I am going with a Fai/Int melee build with a Golden Order seal for backup incantations, but mostly used for buffs. Dual straight swords.
Yes! I've always interpreted the sequence of events as Marika being cursed with red hair by the Fire Giants, and subsequently divesting it into Radagon. Then using him as a new 'champion' to conquer Liurnia via Trojan Horse marriage when pure might couldn't win out.
I'm guessing Marika being cursed and creating Radagon was also the impetus for her to revoke Godfrey's Grace of Gold and banish him, hence her having to use Radagon at all to conquer Liurnia. Actually, considering the other original Tarnished were Godfrey's kinfolk and presumably his personal warband, I wonder if they were made Tarnished for the sin of seeing Marika so-cursed -- getting rid of the evidence, as it were.
Radagon's creation being a consequence of the Fire Giants cursing Marika is also fitting insofar as Marika divesting him was basically the ultimate cause of her and her Order's downfall. In him, she divested not just the cursed hair color, but also her conviction in the Greater Will and Golden Order Fundamentalism; that's why loyal Radagon is the one perpetually trying to mend the Elden Ring, while Marika is the one who shatters it and guides the Tarnished with the express purpose to kill Radagon, herself, and the Elden Beast (per Hewg's comments).
Coincidentally, I've just typed a comment on reddit related to this subject. People are theorizing that Messmer is descended from Radagon, but that's almost impossible from the known timeline. Rather, I think his red hair is a consequence of that same curse that Marika was inflicted with, because he was seemingly the chief enforcer of her bloodiest purges. A key detail in the trailer is that Messmer's Wicker Man-style creations have Fire Giant heads hanging from their waists, so he necessarily took part in their genocide prior to the Land of Shadows being divested from the Lands Between, seeing as the Fire Giant boss we fight is the last survivor of their race.
I'm going to use my very first character so I can keep that one character that has everything for testing purposes. That character had Godslayer GS at the end so I will start with that and replace it when I find something new that I want to try.
Started a new character and have been having a great time gallivanting around Limgrave, leveling and progressing quests. Not sure how long this fling will last (will probably use my main guy for the DLC), but it's nice that the early game experience is just as fun in ER as it is in other From games - albeit on a larger scale.
If you don't mind me asking, why do you think it would be impossible.
The game hasn't stated when Radagon was created or that Marika purposely transferred her curse into him. Messmer could very well be a scion of Radagon and the GEQ as it fit with the themes of "seduction and betrayal", and Radagon having done the same with Rennala to get what he/Marika wants.
Messmer would not have equal right to the throne by being simply adopted by Marika, he just like Rykard/Radahn/Ranni needed to be direct offsprings of the one God, that being Marika and Radagon who share the same body.
I think I'll go into the DLC with my STR/INT build, I don't want to start with a broken build, STR/INT is still strong and has fun weapons so I'll go with that, the gravity lance shown in the trailer also seems interesting. I'll also level my FTH/STR one, after that I'll see what new weapons they add and then decide.
Why are you not feeling the unga bunga? It's genuinely a pretty strong build so I guess it's a playstyle issue?
Why are you not feeling the unga bunga? It's genuinely a pretty strong build so I guess it's a playstyle issue?
Maybe. I've been using the brick hammer and I thought I'd be posture breaking more often at 40 STR while two handing. I'm missing my uchi's
I'll enter the DLC with my Faith/Dex build, I hold her off before fighting Malenia and Fire Giant.
Stopping at 125 for the DLC - will spend my extra runes on consumables, etc.
Now to work on the rest of the platinum but not go too far with the main quest.
Rolling with a pretty standard greatshield + katana bleed build right now but this was kind of a result of wanting to get through the eligibility prep with no desire to experiment. Maybe I will pivot to something else as I explore and get more options again but I'm probably going stay as is and then mix it up based on my early findings in the DLC.
Now to work on the rest of the platinum but not go too far with the main quest.
Rolling with a pretty standard greatshield + katana bleed build right now but this was kind of a result of wanting to get through the eligibility prep with no desire to experiment. Maybe I will pivot to something else as I explore and get more options again but I'm probably going stay as is and then mix it up based on my early findings in the DLC.
Yeah, my interpretation is that Radagon was always a part of Marika. In the Story Trailer which we now know was the "beginning", the Marika figure is very purposefully left androgynous. For a split second while Marika is holding up the threads, you see Radagon's signature long braid appear on the left side of their hair just above the ear. Not to mention the color scheme of the scene is very deliberately trying to make it seems as though the hair could be colored Red OR Gold. It's a bunch of little hints towards Radagon being there with Marika as well.
So, what this would mean timeline wise is that Radagon has always been a part of Marika, something I've always held as true. It would then explain Messmer's hair and him being son of Radagon(Marika) and the GEQ. Messmer presumably calling Marika 'mother' in the gameplay trailer is because Marika basically took him as her own after betraying the GEQ. Messmer may not even know his mother is really the GEQ.
But I also have a theory that some people did know or at least rumors began to spread. Its why the Abductor Virgin enemies exist. To me they tell the story of Marika stealing away the child of the GEQ(Messmer) and raising him as her own. The Snakes inside the machine call back to imagery heavily associated with Marika. She wears bracelets that look like a two headed snake, her machinations and plotting/seduction/betrayal is obviously very snake-like, and even her attire in Concept Art and In-Game are extremely snake coded. Even more interesting is how the image of the Snake is reviled in contemporary Lands Between culture. Is Marika trying to hide her past/true nature or subdue memories of what she did to the previous God Queen/Snake Deity(GEQ)?
I think the issues her children have(Mogh, Morgott being a constant reminder of the atrocities committed towards Omen culture; Malenia being rotted) and her new Erdtree ceasing to provide blessings like it once did cause her to start to doubt her Godhood and the Order she built while Radagon wanted to maintain it and keep things together. Causality and Regression. Her one "normal" child Godwyn dying a half death(evidence Marika actually wanted him to be a martyr to destined death and die a full death) and Miquella being stolen away by Mogh(Gideon's Dialogue; karma for her stealing away Messmer) are what finally break the camel's back. She chooses to shatter the ring.
I would do anything to be able to see this someday. Quite sure that we won't though :(
Well, "almost impossible" was admittedly hyperbole -- obviously Elden Ring lore is so vague, and the timeline so hazy, that our current understanding can and likely will be totally upended in the DLC.
But currently, here is what we know:
- Radagon has absolutely zero mention prior to the Liurnian Wars. He just appears out of no where as Marika's 'champion', leading her armies.
- The Liurnian Wars are directly after the war against the giants (which Godfrey led, and was promptly Tarnished after).
- Radagon is Marika's divested alter ego, and not an inherently separate person. And that this is a closely guarded secret.
- Radagon is deeply ashamed of his red hair, and colors his statues' hair blonde.
- The English text for the Fire Giants Braid is poorly worded. Japanese and other languages are more speculative or pointed about Radagon's hair color being the subject of a curse by the Fire Giants.
- Messmer's forces have Fire Giant heads displayed as trophies during trailers, meaning he obviously predates their genocide, with the bloody purge of the trailer taking place soon afterward.
It's possible that Marika could divest and reabsorb Radagon at will, and did so whenever she had need to, such as dealing with the GEQ similarly to how she did Rennala. But that's far more speculative at this point; we barely know anything about the GEQ. It is true that Messmer somewhat resembles the Godskins' lanky proportions, though.
Not sure what you're referring to with Messmer being adopted by Marika; I never posited he was. He's definitely a demigod / Marika's child, but by whom we don't know. Given that he refers to Marika as 'mother', I somewhat doubt the GEQ could be his mother with Radagon as the father -- unless Marika is somehow the GEQ, or is pretending she's his mother despite being his father. 🤷♂️
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Where is this confirmed? We know that Radagon "strives to be complete" which definitely could be an indication that he is not a fully actualized person, but I don't think it's ever mentioned that he is divested from Marika.
IMO, Radagon is his own person with his own beliefs and wants just the same way that Marika is. The difference between them is her potential to become a God due to her being Empyrean(i.e. female). They just share a body. How and why? Well, I think we have to wait for the DLC to explain that, or not, in typical Fromsoft fashion.
This could be happening simultaneously with the genocide of the Giants. After Marika becomes a God and splits off the Land of Shadow, Messmer is in there laying waste to anything dubbed as graceless by his 'mom'. So that includes any Fire Giants/Dragons/Omens in the vicinity.
While at the same time, in The Lands Between Marika is in the mountaintops razing the Fire Giant's homeland.
Protection of the Erdtree Incantation: "In the beginning, everything was in opposition to the Erdtree. But through countless victories in war, it became the embodiment of Order."
I know there's no evidence in the main game of Fire Giants being so far south as where we speculate the landmass for the shadowlands was originally, but we do know that Caelid shares animal life(Crows, Dogs) and giant fossils between it and Mountaintops of Giants. Where the land of shadow would be(in the center of the map) could have acted as a landmass bridging those two areas which means Fire Giants could have inhabited the Land of Shadow region as well. But huge stretch for sure.
Your interpretation could be right too though of course as we really have too few concrete facts right now about the relevant pieces.
Thank you DoubleTake and Disclaimer for the intriguing replies :)
I've noticed the colour scheme too, this scene could also be mid-transition. In Radagon's intro, we see him transitioning from Marika into Radagon, from 0:45 you can see how the hair and body morphing, which can explain why Marika looks androgynous in the 'grace thread holding' scene in the trailer.
Good call on the Abductor Virgin. Rykard isn't a fan of the Erdtree, it makes sense why he flooded Mt Gelmir and Lirunia of these contraptions to mock the Goddess (Queen Marika) for abducting another Goddess's child (Gloam-eyed Queen). Marika's snake motif can also be implied by the swirly shawl of her dress in her church statues, the shrawl looks like a snake skin that's been shed. Another theory going around is that the Abductor Virgin could be designed after the GEQ as she is shown carrying baby, this is going by speculative imagery on the Godskin's weapons and Farum Azula statues.
There's also Melina, her in-game data label is the 'Daughter of Marika'; a popular theory is that Messmer burned Melina, which is another child of Marika lost to tragedy.
The matter is we aren't sure when Radagon was created (or maybe he wasn't created but he created Marika, but that's another is-it-the-egg-or-chicken conundrum to dive into). Why would Radagon suddenly pop up after Marika exiled Godfrey? How did she created him and why did Radagon took on the curse hair? We have yet to receive these answers, hopefully the DLC's spills them.
What I mean by 'not simply adopted by Marika', is that Messmer would still be considered a direct offspring from her, as Marika is Radagon (just as Rennala's children are considered heirs to the Elden Throne, despite Marika not being their birthing mother as they carry Marika's genetics regardless via Radagon). Messmer share physical resemblance to the Godskin Apostles with the lanky proportions, serpentine eyes, and the snake motifs - in saying that he has two mothers and one father: GEQ (his birth mother), Marika (abductor), and Radagon (planted the seed).
Messmer having scarlet hair is likely a genetic curse from Radagon. However, I am not to drawing out the plausibility he took part in the war against the Fire Giants (there is signs the Impaler did). So Messmer being cursed alongside Marika is possible, but then I am wondering why Godfrey is not flaunting around his red locks as he took part in the war too.
I've noticed the colour scheme too, this scene could also be mid-transition. In Radagon's intro, we see him transitioning from Marika into Radagon, from 0:45 you can see how the hair and body morphing, which can explain why Marika looks androgynous in the 'grace thread holding' scene in the trailer.
Good call on the Abductor Virgin. Rykard isn't a fan of the Erdtree, it makes sense why he flooded Mt Gelmir and Lirunia of these contraptions to mock the Goddess (Queen Marika) for abducting another Goddess's child (Gloam-eyed Queen). Marika's snake motif can also be implied by the swirly shawl of her dress in her church statues, the shrawl looks like a snake skin that's been shed. Another theory going around is that the Abductor Virgin could be designed after the GEQ as she is shown carrying baby, this is going by speculative imagery on the Godskin's weapons and Farum Azula statues.
There's also Melina, her in-game data label is the 'Daughter of Marika'; a popular theory is that Messmer burned Melina, which is another child of Marika lost to tragedy.
The matter is we aren't sure when Radagon was created (or maybe he wasn't created but he created Marika, but that's another is-it-the-egg-or-chicken conundrum to dive into). Why would Radagon suddenly pop up after Marika exiled Godfrey? How did she created him and why did Radagon took on the curse hair? We have yet to receive these answers, hopefully the DLC's spills them.
What I mean by 'not simply adopted by Marika', is that Messmer would still be considered a direct offspring from her, as Marika is Radagon (just as Rennala's children are considered heirs to the Elden Throne, despite Marika not being their birthing mother as they carry Marika's genetics regardless via Radagon). Messmer share physical resemblance to the Godskin Apostles with the lanky proportions, serpentine eyes, and the snake motifs - in saying that he has two mothers and one father: GEQ (his birth mother), Marika (abductor), and Radagon (planted the seed).
Messmer having scarlet hair is likely a genetic curse from Radagon. However, I am not to drawing out the plausibility he took part in the war against the Fire Giants (there is signs the Impaler did). So Messmer being cursed alongside Marika is possible, but then I am wondering why Godfrey is not flaunting around his red locks as he took part in the war too.
I never got the impression from any of the lore bits in the game that Radagon was anything other than another side of Marika. The "secret" you can reveal in the capital says as much. Marika is Radagon. The only perception of them as different people is from external parties, as intended by Marika.
My beloved Winged Scythe
or dual-wielding Godskin Peeler and frosted Twinned Knight Swords
(Couldn't find a gif for my TKS, the Royal Sword attack move is visually similar).
This honestly very well could be the case. It fits with Marika's mischevious and scheming personality we've seen throughout the story. But then it opens up the question of why Radagon tries to repair the ring as Marika shatters it. Or why he is characterized as "striving to be complete" and forms the Golden Order Fundamentalists while his other side begins to doubt the Golden Order.
Maybe these inconsistencies are just showing how conflicted Marika was about ending or continuing her order. But I personally choose believe that they are two separate entities and minds. A sort of inversion of the D Twins who are two Bodies with one Soul; Radagon and Marika are two Souls within one body.
We know the crucible is considered to be where all life was blended together. That could be taken literally and metaphysically in the sense that beings could be born with sharing physical aspects of other creatures as well as sharing spirits and bodies. Miriel does say that "ALL things can be conjoined."
Theres more evidence of this when you look at items like the Wraith Calling Bell: "Wraiths are said to be the vengeful spirits of those who died when cursed" and realize that some Omen, who are said to be close to/of the crucible, have the ability to summon vengeful spirits from within themselves without the need of an item like the Wraith Calling bell.
Need some build ideas for the DLC character. Points to keep in mind -
PvE only
I am terrible at dodging so having a shield is pretty much required.
Already done a play-through with Magic so looking for melee with maybe some magic buffs if they are worth it. STR/DEX or QUALITY. Open to all.
Would prefer focusing on 1-2 stats and then VIG dumping, trust me I need all the health I can get and would rather not spread myself too thin.
Mid-Late game weapons are fine, recommend me anything. This will probably end up at LVL 100-150 depending on things.
PvE only
I am terrible at dodging so having a shield is pretty much required.
Already done a play-through with Magic so looking for melee with maybe some magic buffs if they are worth it. STR/DEX or QUALITY. Open to all.
Would prefer focusing on 1-2 stats and then VIG dumping, trust me I need all the health I can get and would rather not spread myself too thin.
Mid-Late game weapons are fine, recommend me anything. This will probably end up at LVL 100-150 depending on things.
Stuff you already know but ima talk it out to justify my reasoning: If going shield, Endurance will be needed, and going Str over Dex will open up more/better shields. Ppl like to use a Brass Shield over a greatshield, but greatshields are just better at bouncing attacks away despite the similar-looking stats. They are awesome.
I'd consider a Str/End/Vig build with a greatshield. Barricade Shield is very good, but can get boring, imo. Here's a setup that's a bit diff: Great Stars infused with the Prayerful Strike ash, and Golden Greatshield offhand. Both very achievable first half of the game.
You have great non-dodge defense, a good guard counter/stance break weapon, amazing shield, and heal after every attack, sometimes a lot if using the weapon ash. It's a pretty alluring unkillable tank concept, though I've not tried it. But given your criteria, I think it would be fun and effective. Plus, with high Endurance you can stack this with high Poise armor and just be a freaking monster defensively while healing constantly, especially if you use the Godskin Swaddling Cloth or Blessed Dew Talisman once available. That shield is practically vibranium, too.
The Icon Shield would grant even more HP regen at the expense of Guard Boost. Maybe overkill, but worth trying.
Edit: oh yeah, Great Stars has bleed buildup, too, but I would only count on that maybe once during a boss battle, if that. You could go Occult rather than Heavy and do an Arc/End/Vig build, but then you will struggle with Equip Load or be way more spread out, stat-wise. I'd just take the random free hemmorage here and there as a nice bonus now and again.
Just one idea!
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