Summary
- A number of Elden Ring fans are disappointed with the fact that Shadow of the Erdtree is completely disconnected from the base game.
- According to some such opinions, having Ranni assist the Tarnished during the final Shadow of the Erdtree boss fight would have been an excellent move on FromSoftware's part.
A vocal section of the Elden Ring fandom has recently banded together to lament FromSoftware's decision not to make any changes to Ranni's questline in Shadow of the Erdtree. Although the recently released Elden Ring expansion avoided altering the base game altogether, some fans believe Ranni's quest left room for an obvious change that would have been impactful without necessarily being a huge time sink to implement.
Elden Ring and Shadow of the Erdtree endgame spoilers ahead.
Ranni's Age of the Stars is widely seen as the best Elden Ring ending. Unlocking it requires following a rather convoluted quest that will take the Tarnished all across the Lands Between. After jumping through its many hoops and beating the base game's final boss, Ranni will take the Tarnished as her consort. The two will then rule the Lands Between together in an era free of the meddling of most—or possibly even all—Outer Gods. It is heavily implied that Ranni herself becomes a god in the process of actualizing her ambitions.
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Some Elden Ring Fans Wanted Ranni To Help With Miquella
The story of the game's recently released expansion revolves around Miquella trying to achieve something similar by ascending to godhood with a consort of his own. And when the Tarnished finally faces Shadow of the Erdtree's Promised Consort Radahn, they soon find themselves fighting both the general and Miquella himself, hanging from his champion's back in spirit form. Some fans were disappointed to learn that Ranni cannot support them in the same or a similar way during the fight, having opined as much in a recent r/EldenRing thread started by Reddit user cat210803.
Grievances about Ranni's Elden Ring questline being unaffected by Shadow of the Erdtree are far from unique, as the expansion doesn't interact with any other aspect of the base game, either. FromSoftware presumably opted to deliver such a detached experience in order to focus on maximizing the volume of DLC content rather than committing resources to changing an already finished game.
Having Ranni assist in the fight against Radahn and Miquella also wouldn't make sense from a story perspective, as Shadow of the Erdtree canonically happens during the events of the base game. Specifically, the DLC must be completed no later than after the Tarnished defeats the Elden Beast, but before they decide on the fate of the Lands Between. Ranni thus neither ascends to godhood nor does she take the protagonist as her consort during Shadow of the Erdtree's story.
Some fans still appear disappointed that FromSoftware hasn't at least included some small gameplay reward for completing Ranni's quest. One such opinion was recently shared by Reddit user _Lucille_, who claimed they would have even been happy with something as minor as a 
Miniature Ranni Talisman, no direct boss fight assistance needed.
- Released
- June 21, 2024
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Base Game
- Elden Ring
- Developer(s)
- FromSoftware
- Publisher(s)
- Bandai Namco Entertainment, FromSoftware
- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op, Online Multiplayer
- Engine
- Proprietary
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.
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
