Chapter Summaries

A player used a health-lock cheat in Elden Ring and discovered that NPCs could report him, summoning the Tracker and Inquisitor Knights to punish him. After he tried to avoid combat and admire Limgrave, another report caused the blood moon to descend toward his character.

• The player activated a health-lock cheat and defeated the spear-and-shield soldier at Gatefront, but received a cheating report and was killed by the Tracker and Inquisitor Knights.
• After restarting at the Church of Elleh, the player attacked a servant, received another report, and was killed again by the Tracker.
• The player reentered the game and wandered through Limgrave without attacking anyone, hoping to avoid further punishment.
• At night, the player watched and photographed the blood moon, then received a third cheating report as the moon began moving closer and filling the screen.

After repeatedly killing monsters and fleeing before the Inquisitor Knights could catch up, the player was trapped by the Tracker and killed. The Duchess then became the Tarnished’s maiden and explained the contest for the Elden Ring.

• The player set the time to daytime, killed a Demi-Human, and fled as the Inquisitor Knights appeared at the spot where it died.
• The player used hit-and-run tactics across Limgrave, killing monsters and repeatedly escaping the Knights.
• On the player’s seventh attack, a dark golden mark slowed the Tarnished and reduced his maximum health, allowing the Tracker and four Inquisitor Knights to surround him.
• The Tracker killed the Tarnished, then told the Duchess he had knocked the rule-breaking Tarnished unconscious seven times and asked her to watch over him.
• The Duchess agreed to act as the Tarnished’s maiden, explained the Thousand-Year Contest and the purpose of Runes, and introduced herself at an unfamiliar site of Grace.

A player tested the Duchess’s limits on cheating before setting out for Stormveil Castle, where the Mechanical Shrimp’s knockback and the nearby abyss defeated his health-lock cheat. He returned to the Duchess for advice and traded her Pocket Bread for her Crafting Notes, which promised to reveal the Shrimp’s weakness.

• The player repeatedly attacked creatures with cheats enabled, and the Duchess knocked him down before eventually warning him to stop provoking the lord.
• The player crossed Limgrave toward Stormveil Castle while occasional cheating reports brought no immediate intervention from the Tracker or Inquisitor Knights.
• The Mechanical Shrimp repeatedly knocked the Tarnished toward the cliffs, and a water bolt finally sent him into the abyss despite his locked health.
• The player found that the Mechanical Shrimp could only be damaged by critical attacks, then returned to the Church of Elleh to ask the Duchess about its weakness.
• The Duchess asked for bread in exchange for information, and the player gave her Pocket Bread and received Duchess's Crafting Notes 1.

Horace warned Marika that a Nomadic Tribe caravan had entered the Golden Dynasty’s territory with signs of the frenzied flame, and they rejected the Two Fingers’ order to bury the tribe. Marika put Horace in charge of handling the caravan and warned him not to let the frenzied flame ignite.

• Horace read a report about the Nomadic Tribe caravan and recalled how the Golden Dynasty had buried the tribe alive, leading to the Three Fingers’ arrival.
• Horace told Marika about the caravan and the traces of frenzied flame in its members’ eyes.
• Marika and Horace asked the Two Fingers how to handle the Nomadic Tribe, and Enia relayed their command to bury the suspected heretics underground.
• Horace objected to the order but could not explain his knowledge of the consequences, so Marika rejected the Two Fingers’ advice and left with him.
• Marika assigned Horace to handle the Nomadic Tribe and warned him not to let the frenzied flame start burning.

Horace learned that Hassan’s nomadic people had been infected with Frenzied Flame Sickness through Shabriri’s scheme and temporarily suppressed the symptoms with the Great Runes. He kept the caravan confined to the manor while he searched for a lasting cure.

• Horace questioned Hassan about the yellow in his people’s eyes, and Hassan admitted they suffered from Frenzied Flame Sickness.
• Hassan said Shabriri had deceived his ancestors with promises of special sight, infecting their people and forcing them to wander in search of a cure.
• Horace used the Great Runes to suppress the Frenzied Flame in Hassan’s eyes, but realized the sickness remained rooted in his soul.
• Horace told Hassan to keep the caravan inside the manor and avoid outsiders while he researched a more thorough cure.
• Horace warned Hassan that Shabriri was still alive, and Hassan promised to obey.

The player bought Trina's Lily from Kalé, crafted sleep arrows and a harpoon, and defeated the Mechanical Shrimp Lord of Cinder. After admitting to breaking the rules, the Tarnished was sent to Blood Moon Manor, where he fought an invincible Blaidd until Blaidd vanished.

• The player found that Kalé could order Trina's Lily and later bought all ten for 1,000 Runes each.
• The Tarnished crafted Beast-Bone Sleep Arrows and a Shrimp-Hunting Harpoon, then used them to defeat the Mechanical Shrimp Lord of Cinder.
• At the next Site of Grace, the Tracker asked whether the Tarnished admitted to breaking the rules, and the player chose yes.
• The Tracker transported the Tarnished to Blood Moon Manor, where White Wolf Warhound Blaidd invaded him.
• The Tarnished and Blaidd fought across the reception hall without either health bar changing, until Blaidd landed a critical attack and vanished.
• Dragon Girl scolded Blaidd for damaging the reception hall and told him the repairs would come out of his pay.

Horace tried magic and medicine to treat the nomads’ Frenzied Flame sickness, then discovered that the Gate of Myriad Laws could remove the affliction. The gate answered that it was “Not enough,” leaving Horace to wonder what it required.

• Horace used Tranquilize on Hassan, but the spell only briefly eased his symptoms.
• Horace made Frenzy-Flaming Moss, which suppressed Hassan’s sickness but required continuous use and scarce ingredients.
• Horace tried to restrain the Frenzied Flame with his Law, but the clash nearly overwhelmed Hassan, so he stopped.
• Horace asked the Gate of Myriad Laws how to cure the sickness, and it drew the Frenzied Flame out of Hassan through a narrow opening.
• Horace heard mysterious whispers as the gate opened, then saw Chains seal it shut again after it answered, “Not enough.”

Marika sent Godfrey a message through Lilith, then Radagon took control of her body and brushed off the Two Fingers’ questions. Godfrey received Marika’s instruction on the Mountaintops of the Giants and set out to get kindling while Serosh slept.

• Marika asked Lilith to tell Godfrey to return if he had lost his grace and carry out their agreement, while Lilith teased her until Radagon took control and severed their connection.
• Radagon went to the Two Fingers and answered their questions about Horace, the Frenzied Flame, the heretics, and the Black Knives with repeated claims that he did not know.
• Old Enia translated Radagon’s dismissive answers, and the Two Fingers trembled in frustration after he left.
• Godfrey listened for an hour as Marika cursed Lilith through a blood pool before finally hearing her message.
• Godfrey looked toward the giants’ cauldron and decided to get the kindling while Serosh slept beneath a rock.

Marika and Rellana struggled to read Godfrey’s illegible letter from the front, and Marika pretended it was a cipher to avoid exposing her ignorance. Miriel caught Marika trying to sneak away and made her return to her lessons, while Marika continued plotting to get Horace appointed Chancellor.

• Rellana examined Godfrey’s letter but could not make sense of its scrawled handwriting.
• Marika claimed the letter used a Golden Dynasty cipher, then avoided translating it when Rellana asked her to decipher it.
• Rellana left to find Horace, admitting to herself that she had only asked Marika to tease her.
• Marika pulled out her Mimic Veil to sneak away, but Miriel stopped her and ordered her to resume studying.
• Marika reluctantly opened her books and resolved to trick Horace into taking the Chancellor’s position so she could escape her lessons.

A trailer showed Horace rejecting the crown and declaring that only a rebellious hero could become king. It ended by calling nameless, fateless players to seek the Elden Throne, while an unseen voice promised they would all return to its embrace.

• The trailer showed Horace pick up the crown, then toss it from the Elden Throne and shatter it on the floor.
• Horace met the camera's gaze and declared that only a rebellious hero could become a king.
• Lilith appeared on the first of seven seats as blood covered it, while the remaining seats manifested Spiritflame, moonlight, glintstone, growth, Marika, and Fell God Flame.
• Horace spread his arms as a phantom girl appeared between them and vanished, while the narrator described fragmented images of a jester, a drunkard, a wave, and broken scales.
• The narrator called nameless, fateless players to contend for the Elden Throne and showed dangerous places and creatures across the Lands Between.
• The trailer ended on golden guidance of grace, as an unseen voice promised that everyone would return to its embrace.

A trailer showed Godwyn, Radahn, Malenia, Morgott, Miquella, Messmer, Rykard, and Mohg pursuing their visions for the world. A silver-haired girl in the Oracle Tower revealed that the heroes slept there as Heroic Spirits, then asked the viewer whether they would become her knight.

• A mother told her child that a loyal beast never betrayed its master as meteors crossed the night sky.
• Godwyn announced the end of the Golden Dynasty and called on people to accept death and join those they had once shunned.
• Radahn vowed to protect humanity from the designs of gods and destroyed a meteor with a crystal spear.
• Malenia cultivated new growth while rejecting life born of Scarlet Rot, and Morgott mourned the loss of his brother and the eternity of gold.
• Miquella and Trina discussed a dream paradise and humanity's capacity to awaken and change, while Messmer declared he would burn away threats with his final flames.
• Rykard and Mohg resolved to win their way out of their heavy duties, then a silver-haired girl revealed that the heroes were Heroic Spirits and asked the viewer, 'Will it be you? My knight...'

After the Gate of Myriad Laws replenished its energy by devouring the Frenzied Flame, Horace and Rellana left for the Mountaintops of the Giants to help Godfrey and the others win over the Trolls. There, a Death Rite Bird and Lilith gave Horace gifts, while Lilith drove away the Moon’s attempt to connect with him.

• The Gate of Myriad Laws devoured the last of the Frenzied Flame and regained enough energy for Horace to cross worlds.
• Rellana gave Horace Godfrey’s letter, which asked them to travel to the Mountaintops of the Giants and help recruit the Trolls.
• Horace decided to leave at once, and Marika let him and Rellana depart on the Grand Lift of Rold.
• In a wind-sheltered hollow, a Death Rite Bird left Horace a feather and a pale hooked rod before disappearing.
• Lilith appeared, complained that others were trying to claim Horace, and gave him a mass of Cursed-Blood that the gate devoured.
• Lilith stopped the Moon from reaching Horace and Rellana, forcing its moonlight to retreat.

Horace and Rellana continued through the Mountaintops of the Giants after Lilith drove off the moon and the fell god of the forge, but a blizzard left them lost. Horace subdued Borealis and claimed it with the Great Runes, then learned Rellana had known the way to the Fire Giants all along.

• Lilith warned Horace not to trust the moon or the fell god at the forge, then vanished after insisting that family could not be called fell gods.
• Horace and Rellana crossed the frozen lake, lost their bearings in a blizzard, and wandered into Borealis's territory.
• Horace and Rellana overwhelmed Borealis, and Horace drove Great Runes into the dragon's soul to make it his.
• Rellana recognized Borealis from a past visit to the Mountaintops with Rennala, when Fire Giants had attacked it.
• Horace discovered Rellana remembered the route to the Fire Giants and asked why she had not mentioned it earlier.

Horace and Rellana reached Godfrey's camp to find the Trolls had already surrendered, but the war against the Fire Giants was stalled by the fell god's flames. Serosh recruited Horace to face those flames and slipped him a mountain of logistical paperwork, leaving Horace and Rellana to prepare for the next battle.

• Gideon Ofnir told Horace and Rellana that the Troll tribes had surrendered after witnessing Godfrey's might.
• Serosh explained that the Fire Giants' sacrifices summoned devastating flames from the fell god, stalling the army's advance.
• Serosh asked Horace to join the next battle as an Empyrean and test how the fell god's flames reacted.
• Serosh dumped logistics documents on Horace, then hurried off with Gideon to the front line.
• Horace accepted the paperwork for later, and Rellana took some of the stack to help him review the supplies.

Serosh tried to maneuver Horace into a position that would let him retire, but the Fell God’s flames disrupted the battle and gave Horace a strange gift instead. The Fire Giants withdrew, and Godfrey silently trusted Horace to handle the gods’ game as Serosh mourned his lost hopes of freedom.

• Serosh planned to use Horace’s achievements and royal connections to make him Chancellor of Leyndell, allowing Serosh to retire.
• The Fell God’s Wrath gathered above the battlefield, but the fireball disintegrated before it could strike Godfrey’s army.
• Most of the flames returned to the war cauldron, while a small cluster drifted into Horace’s palm as docile Kindling.
• The Fire Giants lost their momentum and retreated, leaving Godfrey frustrated that he had not gotten a proper fight.
• Serosh broke down over his thwarted retirement plans, and Godfrey knocked him unconscious to quiet him.
• Godfrey studied the Kindling in Horace’s hand, asked no questions, and trusted Horace to deal with the gods’ schemes.

Godfrey unleashed his pent-up fury on the Fire Giants, turning them into weapons and slaughtering them while Horace and the allied heroes watched. The giants’ fear drove them to sacrifice their own kin to the Fell God, whose flames briefly disrupted the allied advance but failed to stop it, trapping the giants in a cycle of escalating despair.

• Godfrey used one Fire Giant as a club to batter other giants and the mountainside, then killed it with savage stomps and blows.
• Godfrey summoned Serosh, tore him apart to transform into Hoarah Loux, and resumed his rampage against the Fire Giants.
• Horace, Sir Gideon Ofnir, and the other heroes watched as Hoarah Loux overwhelmed the giants, while Horace worried about where his brother’s fighting spirit would turn next.
• The Fire Giants repeatedly sacrificed their kin in burning cauldrons to call down the Fell God’s flames, hoping to stop Godfrey.
• The Fell God’s fire caused casualties and briefly stalled the allied forces, but Grace and healing incantations helped the survivors recover, leaving the giants to repeat their desperate sacrifices.

Horace reflected on the Fire Giants’ self-inflicted ruin as the Golden Alliance Army neared victory. Meanwhile, Godwyn accepted a Death Rite Bird’s feather but rejected its unequal, painful death rites, resolving to find a way for all life to receive a peaceful death.

• Horace told Rellana that the Fire Giants’ own sacrifices had brought them closer to extinction than the Golden Dynasty’s army had.
• After dismissing his attendants, Godwyn encountered a Death Rite Bird, which offered him a feather and showed him the ancient Death Rite.
• Godwyn judged the Death Rite unfair because higher beings received proper rites while lower beings were neglected, and he declared that all life deserved an equal death.
• The Death Rite Bird’s mother agreed that death should be equal but asked whether a god’s child could solve the problem.
• Godwyn accepted the feather and privately resolved to seek a painless, proper death for all life, while Fortissax watched him conceal it.
• Godwyn declined to explain his thoughts to Fortissax and left with him to continue fighting in the war.

The Fire Giants surrendered after the Fell God of Fire ended their resistance, and Horace sealed their kindling while containing the cauldron’s flames. He arranged new terms for the Trolls, Sage Warriors, and Fire Giants, leaving the Mountaintops divided between the latter two under the alliance’s oversight.

• The Fire Giants surrendered, but Hoarah Loux remained eager to fight until Horace launched him from a siege catapult toward a Rune Bear.
• Horace sealed the Fire Giants’ and Trolls’ kindling, weakening the giants and dimming the flames in the War Cauldron.
• The Fell God of Fire objected, but Horace restrained the cauldron with chains and threatened to summon Lilith, prompting the god to yield.
• Horace freed the Trolls to choose where to live and gave the Sage Warriors territory on the western slopes of the Mountaintops of the Giants.
• Horace allowed the Fire Giants to remain near the cauldron under restrictions, with their kindling sealed and their autonomy conditional on good behavior.

Horace returned to Caria with Rellana and Borealis, expecting Rennala to give birth, but found a mourning hall and was told she had died. He discovered Rennala was alive, and she spun Rellana around by the head in the Caria Princess Self-Defense Technique.

• Horace stationed monks and scholars near the giants' territory to watch the Fire Giants and ordered the distinctive hand monsters relocated to the Mountaintops of the Giants.
• Horace remembered Rennala's due date and hurried back to Caria with Rellana, bringing the bound ice dragon Borealis along.
• At Caria Manor, Loretta and the knights told Horace and Rellana that Rennala had died from childbirth complications, though their wording made Horace suspect something was wrong.
• Rellana rushed into a mourning hall and wept beside Rennala's coffin while the living Rennala watched her in annoyance.
• Rennala struck Rellana on the head, revealing she was alive, and began spinning her sister around by the head while Rellana immediately asked for pocket money.

Rennala faked her death to escape the throne and pushed Rellana into succeeding her, but Horace arranged for Rellana to serve only as regent until the young Ranni came of age. At the ceremony, Rellana became acting queen and Horace prince regent while Rennala openly enjoyed the banquet.

• Rennala told Rellana she was officially dead and ordered her to take the throne, then slipped away to enjoy her freedom.
• Horace explained that Ranni was the rightful heir and proposed that Rellana rule temporarily as regent until her niece came of age.
• Horace presented the regency plan at Rellana's accession ceremony while Carian nobles and guests focused mostly on the banquet.
• Rennala attended her own funeral feast openly and chatted with Sellen, embarrassing several elderly nobles.
• Rellana received a symbolic coronet as acting queen, and Horace received the seal of regency.