The FULL Story of Miquella - So Far | Elden Ring Lore Before DLC 

Thank you for watching my breakdown of Miquella - let me know your thoughts in the comments below

Potential reason the Haligtree failed #4: Miquella feeding the tree his own blood caused the tree to absorb an aspect of his curse. The Haligtree is perpetually underdeveloped like him, it cannot grow beyond a sapling.

Can’t wait for DLC to drop new lore that reveals that Miquella truly was benevolent and altruistic and not a manipulative narcissist bent on world domination, would love to see the reaction to all these “Miquella is Griffith” mfs.

It seems to me that the eclipse ritual to return Godwyn’s soul failed due to Radhan halting the movement of the stars which leads me to believe that Miquella was the one who sent Malenia to defeat him so the actual eclipse could commence. Unfortunately it was during her time away Mohg managed to infiltrate the haligtree and steal Miquella.

I agree with your view on Goldmask and Miquella. I see the difference between them to be that of a reformist vs a revolutionary.

“If thou covetest the throne, impress my vision upon thine heart. In the new world of thy making, all things will flourish, whether graceful, or malign…”. That cut quote really wants me to believe that Miquella truly is meant to be the most benevolent demigod.

Did Miquella and Malenia ever ask themselves why they never see their mom and dad in the same room together?? 🤔

"Yes I need an hour and a half lunch break, new smoughtown vid just dropped!"

The sculpture of Melanie and Miquella in embrace makes me very sad 😢 It's an extremely moving piece.

Furthermore, it almost seems like the three Empyreans were all in one way or another equally as close to heralding their new order. Ranni's order was stalled due to her lacking the power and knowledge to defeat Radahn which would have finally gotten her into Nokron, and it seems like Miquella is literally racing against the clock here as his sister's new order of Rot appears to be coming into "bloom" due to the inactivity of the world. They all held so much potential.

Could it be possible that Miquella and Malenia were born afflicted (at least partially) because the Great Rune of the Unborn was removed from the Elden Ring before their birth? Surely, things would go wrong for unborn demigods if the "rune of unborn demigods" was removed, right?

I think it'd be more fitting that Miquella's "twist" isn't that he's actually an evil manipulator, but rather that everything about him is the tragedy of unrealized potential. He's an eternal child, endless potential that cannot grow to be realized. Every act he did really was out of genuine benevolence, but he never succeeded. He's pure because he's a child but being a child means he lacks physical strength and agency.

TOGETHAAA!!!!

“Babe are you coming to bed?” “Not anymore!”

Miquella was too good for this world, too pure. Or is that what Miquella wants you to think!? *dun dun duuuuunnn*

I want so very much for Miquella to be the good and pure Empyrean, but I feel like there's much more left to be discovered in the DLC! This will be a nice refresher in preparation for SotE, thank you for cooking excellence as always Geoff!

Good afternoon my fellow tarnished, please rest with me at this holiest site of grace.

With regard to the black knife assassins being in Ordina. I think they’re trapped. Everything you find as it pertains to Michela and Godwin is Michela trying to bring him back. From the eclipse at Castle Sol to the creation of weapons meant to eliminate Those Who Live in Death begging for his brother to die a true death. I feel like he wouldn’t just offer peace and sanctuary to those that perpetrated the whole thing.

Noting your opening quote. And Miquellas overall ties to the unwanted and outcast. And the candle wood imagery in Haglitree and dlc, I wonder if we will see anything about Ensha in the dlc. “It is said that the bones belong to an ancient lord - the soulless king. The lord of the lost and desperate, who was known as Ensha.”

Great video! The quote with the word “meddling” can have another sense to it. It could mean Miquella wants to preserve free will for mortals, or it could mean that he doesn’t want outer gods meddling/interrupting HIS own influence on others. That could be the warped aspect FromSoft created for the character. Very fun to think about

I really do hope that Miquella turns out to be good. It would be a really nice subversion to have a benevolent mastermind in a soulsborne game.

An alloy of gold would ideally become stronger when the right balance of impurities are spread through it evenly. Miquella and Malenia are what happens when that balance is off. She grows up strong, but the impurities leave her vulnerable to rot. He is unalloyed, and remains young and weak without that added strength, but pure.

Miquella is so well written. Is he the most good, or most evil? Even the most compelling evidence, the Haligtree Soldiers Ashes, can be interpreted in completely opposite ways: Either, Miquella cast a spell on them, or his natural abilities are such that just by looking at him or him reaching out to your mind, you are his servant. When some foot soldiers are damage enough, they sacrifice themselves in an (very effective and arguably brilliant) attack. He has no need to waste resources healing them when they are damaged enough, since they are the lowest of his army. More armored, armed and skilled Soldiers & Knights do not sacrifice themselves because they are more valuable. Miquella preprogrammed certain ranks of his army to act in certain ways to make them effective as possible, since he view them all as pawns under his will. OR Miquella's army just naturally love their leader so much, that after such a long time waiting for his return, some realize or consider that Miquella may be gone forever. Such an unbearable thought, because they know without a doubt Miquella was the best, most pure hope for the world, that his loss would make life truly pointless. So they either throw their lives away in an attack to end their suffering, or still believe so much that they'll do *anything* they can to help Miquella achieve his goals. Again, more experienced and skilled members of Miquella's army believe enough in themselves because of Miquella that they will never give up; always staying strong and unwavering, awaiting Miquella's next word eternally.

i don’t think there’s anything naive about Miquella. Idealistic, sure, but Miquella is well aware of the world around him and it’s corruption. That’s why he’s trying to fix it in the first place. and, mostly, everything he envisions he puts into place. he’s a powerful, intelligent, and convicted idealist. and it’s still possible that he succeeds in his vision. maybe that’s why Malenia still awaits his return

By far my favorite ER character, well done!

I want to say that Miquella's journey to the DLC may not be a plan A but a plan B. I personally believe Malenia fought Radahn to restart the stars so the Eclipse could happen. Miquella probably felt her bloom and on top of that Mohg took the opportunity to steal the cocoon. So. Cant fix Godwyn (Stars), Rot God is winning(Bloom), Blood God is winning (Mohg), his own body is being alloyed (Mohg sauce). Desperation move to abandon his body and try to start a new tree in the DLC land like his mom. Not that Miquella isn't clever and wise, in fact it was the best move he probably could have made to try and save his goal. But it may have been something he didn't plan.

People want Miquella to be evil but it’ll be funny if Miyazaki did a 180 and made him a pretty chill guy who supports you throughout your journey of being a Elden Lord

Okay but that thumbnail art is GORGEOUS 🔥

I still hold the theory that we were hand picked by Miquella since the start of the game to be his chosen lord, the only reason Melina becomes our maiden is because Torrent chooses us. And we know now that Torrent use to belong to Miquella, so I think Miquella gave Torrent to Melina so he could find the Tarnished strong enough to help him achieve his goals and become his Lord.

Why does it feel like all forms of life in TLB are getting diminished over the generations? Ancient dragons became modern variants who aren't just weaker: they're also less intelligent. Humans used to be strong enough to wield the Giant-Crusher and now they are feeble. The Demihuman Queens used to study at the Academy. Now, with the exception of Maggie, they're barely holding their sapience together and throw their staffs away before going completely feral. My theory is that the Erdtree is draining the divine spark from everyone and sending it back to the Greater Will, in line with the Law of Regression: if we all came from The One Great then we are destined to return to it.

I assumed that much of the Academy scholars/mages, their works, and Loretta, were at Haligtree simply because Rennala closed the door on so many of them after transporting them out. Like the Albinauric, they were without a home... which would probably be enough reason for Miquella to take them in.

Miquella and Malenia are the most inspirational characters in the game. And from their backstory, Motives, Struggles, and influences in the lands between makes me forgive Malenia for her suffering upon me.

I know that a lot of people think it’s possible he kind of controls his sister or uses his ability to bewitch on her but I think that with his genuine love he shows for her by spending so much time and energy helping her and the statues of them when they were younger, he simply would not do that to his sister. He clearly loves her and I think his love would carry him to not disrespect her by trying to bewitch her.

I've never been more ready or excited for a DLC than I am for Shadow of Erdtree. It'll have to be one hell of an ending to compete with the Age of Stars, I can't wait to meet Miquella 🙂😁🔥

Ngl, the more I learn about Miquella's character the more I see comparisons not just to Griffith, but also Lelouch from Code Geass.

Amazing video! Genuinely appreciate the shoutout from the lore legend himself. Refreshing & inspiring to hear your perspective as always. 🙏 edit: super glad to hear you and i both agree with this @ 1:28:40 I actually mentioned this in my miquella video too! The fact that malenia only ever left him unattended because she knew that he had already ascended partially and thats why she left to fight Radahn to gain control of the stars as we see being extremely crucial in controlling ones fate! Such is the reason ranni needs us to defeat radahn as well!

arriving from my hospital shift to see smoughtown uploaded, and feeling stoked to start my weekend with another lore video... thank you, ST!!!

This finna be the background to my next workout, gonna go crazy

Elphael could also be derived from the biblical name “Elpaal” which means “God’s work or creation” which given miquella’s unique nature also fits as solid interpretation. Eliphal works too sense it reads as “God’s miracle” and the haligtree is a sanctuary for many races in the lands between.

This again reminds me of George Martin's confluence on the story. The idea of a young boy who while dreaming is able to project his mind to others, just like Bran for example. The way Miquella is able to compel love vs know the secrets of humanity as saint Trinia, well that's Bloodraven.

St Trina content was cut from base game likely so they could use it to help fill the DLC. It seems to fit better in the darker setting too

This is your best video yet! Loved your writing, editing and story telling! Great job! I’m even more excited for the DLC now!

There's always a moment in your videos when i slap my hand to my forehead and say "of course!" This time it was the connection between Loretta the former carian knight, and the Miquella's Knight Sword being styled after a carian royal knight sword. another banger video, awesome stuff man. thank you, and cant wait until the dlc for more lore and elden ring!

This is a great surprise for a Friday! Thanks!

A small theory that I have is that St Trina is the one who started the order of war surgeons that Varre was a part of. My main piece of evidence comes from the masked figure we can see in the SoTE trailer who is sleeping amongst the St Trina lilies. This figure bears a striking resemblance to the white masked surgeons. I believe that they originally used the sleep inducing properties of the lilies as a pain killer but during the shattering things got so bad that they just started killing the patients as a form of mercy. It would also make them another thing of Miquella that Mogh corrupted.

Love your videos man, thanks for another banger!

Man these videos keep me going some days fr, thank you.

No way, new lore video, can’t wait to dive in! Haven’t watched it yet. Im sure you wont disappoint ST!

I would not be surprised if Miquella's curse is a by product of Marika's intent with conceiving him: an age of deathless abundance without the influence of the Greater Will. This fact also makes me worried for Miquella as it has been said that no new ending will be given in the DLC.

Smough, I’m curious if you’ve heard of the Roman myth of Cupid and Psyche? It seems to have been used as inspiration for much of Miquella and Malenia’s story; Miquella being Cupid, Malenia being Psyche, Marika being Venus (Cupid’s mother), Radahn being the “horrible monster” that Psyche is compelled towards by Cupid, the Scarlet Rot being the “box of fateful beauty” that Psyche is constantly tempted to open. The concept for St Trina being an alter ego of Miquella (who only appears at night/in dreams) seems to come from the scenario where Cupid is coming to Psyche at night to have hoo-ha with her. He keeps his face covered, leading Psyche and her sisters to speculate about the person’s possible identity. One night, Psyche’s curiosity overcomes her, and she removes her lover’s hood - to discover that it was Cupid all along! Cupid flies off, and is not ever seen in this ‘hidden identity only-appearing-at-night’ alter ego again. “St. Trina is an enigmatic figure. Some say she is a comely young girl, others are sure he is a boy. The only certainty is that their appearance was as sudden as their disappearance.” The final showdown with Radahn, and her decision to finally give in and unleash the Rot, is heavily reminiscent of the ending of the myth. Psyche is tasked by Venus to go to the Underworld and retrieve a box of “Prosperina’s loveliness.” It was made clear that Psyche was not allowed to open this box, and was instructed to bring it back unopened. “Psyche does as instructed. On the way back from Proserpina, though, she is tempted to open the box and take a tiny dab of Proserpina’s loveliness. But as soon as she opens the box, she falls asleep. Cupid, meanwhile, can no longer bear Psyche’s absence. He flies to find her and sees that she has been undone by her own curiosity again. He wakes her up and instructs her to finish her task, which she does.” What happens to Malenia as soon as she ‘opens the box’ and unleashes the Rot? She falls into a deep slumber, needing to be carried back home by Findlay. She slumbers at the Haligtree Roots, until she is awoken upon our arrival. In cut dialogue, she seemingly speaks directly to Miquella during our fight - did he wake her up and instruct her to ‘finish the job’?

I can’t wait to watch later :) weekend highlight! And what a beautiful thumbnail as always! Props to the artist! ❤

Dude I love your content. I just wanted to point out the art in your thumbnails is absolutely insane. Finally just subscribed to them from your description I saw 😊

I hope when the dlc is out and enough time has passed you and Vaati do a collaboration video would love to see what you both can discover. Love the videos keep up the amazing work.

Ivyjinna did a great job on the thumbnail art! So, excited for the DLC.

I can’t wait to know more 😝 I’ve been binging as much lore content and diving into the base game to uncover as many links as I can regarding Miquella and Messmer

Love this video and love your stuff in general!

The bigger question in this dlc will be if Mohgs blood ritual did anything to Miquella whether physical or spiritually.

Just stating some unrelated facts here: 1) Miquella seeks to form a new order out of "Unalloyed Gold" i.e. free of any impurities. 2) Miquella is the offspring of a single god. 3) Miquella has three older half-siblings that we know of, from Marika's first marriage to Godfrey - Godwyn, Morgott and Mogh. 4) Miquella crafted a sword in memorial for Godwyn. A nice gesture, but it also happens to be designed for the express purpose of giving him and his kin a "true death". 5) Miquella's Haligtree is a place meant to be welcoming to the downtrodden and offer a vision of what the world would look like under Miquella's new age. 6) There are no Omen, Undead, or Tarnished in Miquella's Haligtree. Well what do you know, maybe those facts aren't unrelated after all! Could it be our boy Miquella has some kind of resentment for the descendents of Godfrey?

Hey smough, i saw you drop this the other day just now getting to it. Much excited. Listening now :)

Yessssssss. I love your lore videos. Thank you sir for blessing us again.

my god, these trina renders look GORGEOUS!!!!!! it is always so fun to see you collaborate with the artists on visualizing the game's missing pieces of lore!

wow this video is one of the best soulsborne lore vids 10/10

I'm currently playing through Elden Ring again (beat it a few months after it came out) and watching these videos as I explore catacombs and hide from runebears is so amazing. Please keep making more Elden Ring content.

It’s gonna be a good day 🙌 can’t wait to dive into this, thanks as always Smough!

“Babe wake up, new SmoughTown dropped” (babe can’t wake up due to being purple-roofied by St Trina)

For Miquella's eternal youth, it seems to me defined by the absence of Outer God - all other Empyreans are associated with Outer God, and Ranni refers to "Empyrean flesh" implying that it's somehow different from normal, perhaps Empyreans can't grow without a bond with an Outer God, and the twins' single-god birth has somehow disrupted the intended bond with Greater Will, with Rot taking over Malenia, and nobody taking over Miquella.

Enjoyed this, well done

Another fantastic video. The DLC hype is fever pitch!!!!

Miquella did nothing wrong

Eager to see more of this fearsome, nascent godling and what his role entails in the Land of Shadow.

This is the inspiration I needed for my next character, thanks boss!

Super excited to see what you do with the new lore coming from the expansion!

I'm convinced that Riko's quest will be the means by which we access the DLC.

I wonder if Rhico is going to be in the DLC. Maybe he was the one speaking in front of Miquella’s cocoon in the beginning of the DLC trailer.

Bless you and your impeccable timing to post a video on the hottest topic just as I had a lousy week. High quality stuff.

I think Miquella might be Melina. 1. If you defeat the Grafted Scion at the very beginning of the game, if you follow the path to the cliff, it will be surrounded by Nascent Butterfly, which are associated with Miquella himself. After your fall, you will meet Torrent. 2. Melina is deceptive about her true identity 3. Both Miquella and Melina divested of their flesh and are bodiless so they are free to roam around 4. Melina said that she's not a maiden but she could play the part 5. Melina is suspiciously with Torrent in the beginning and we know that Miquella is torrent's former master. Very convenient for her to have Torrent by her side. 6. Empyreans often depicted with their eyes obscured and/or blinded; Melina has her other eye closed for the most part. When she opened it, the color is bluish purple, a color associated with St Trina 7. Upon closer look at St Trina's torch, she has a similar scar on her left eye like Melina 8. The arms of Miquella's statues are depicted with scars, very similar to Melina's. The DLC plot also stated that Miquella will be the one guiding us to the Realm of Shadows. I won't be surprised if he introduces us the new power up mechanics of the DLC, the same way Melina introduced us the power up mechanics in the base game. It will all come full circle. "Come, now. Touch the withered arm and travel to the realm of shadows. I will not be far behind. 𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝘄𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻." - it was Miquella that uttered these lines. Miquella is the one guiding the tarnished in the realm of shadows the same way Melina guided us in the base game, and of course Miq already met us, because Miquella is Melina.

Despite the fact that many people theorize that Miquella is some kind of plans-on-plans genius manipulator, so far nearly all of them have failed, or left half done. First, there's his sister's Scarlet Rot affliction. Miquella never managed to put the pieces together to fully expel the disease from Malenia, try as he might. Through the longest and most convoluted quest in the game, the player can return Miquella's needle to Malenia's bud after defeating her, but it's up in the air if that worked like it did for expelling the frenzied flame from us. Next there's the Eclipse and the Death Prince. Castle Sol was apparently aligned with Miquella to set an eclipse that would return the souls of the soulless demigods. Ever since he was still with the Golden Order, Miquella mourned the loss of his brother Godwyn and this set him on the path to save his brother and others left soulless by the night of the black knives. I suspect that the Wandering Mausoleums and their guardian knights are of Miquella's design as well. The knights shields all bear the symbol of Sol's black eclipse. These monstrous walking hulks were designed to keep the grip of deathroot away from the other soulless demigods while the eclipse was being prepared. But the eclipse never came, and Castle Sol was left to rot. Finally there's the Haligtree. This is the project that Miquella put the most considerable amount of effort into. A twinned tree to rival the Erdtree that built a city that welcomed even the most downtrodden of the Golden Order should they make the trek. Miquella buried himself in the tree to feed its growth, and from the look of Malenia's arena, grow himself to be a true god and successor to Marika herself. But that is all cut short with Mohg's absconding with his body mid-transformation. Some say this was done deliberately by Miquella himself, but I'm holding judgement until we see more evidence of that. In the press release for the DLC, it's said that Miquella has divested himself of "all things golden". Perhaps all of his previous failures have left him bitter about his lineage. The Golden Order could not solve any of the problems he faced, And the fact that he's a demigod did not stop all his plans from falling through. By losing all of the grace of gold and defiling himself, maybe Miquella wants to start from zero and work his way up in the Land of Shadow with some yet unknown power.

I love your videos ❤ such great content to put on while working paperwork. Your narration is impeccable. Thank you ❤

Dropping these vids at a great time 🎉

How can anyone deny Elden Ring is one of if not the greatest game ever made? Over 2 years later we are still delving into everything about it

I think that Miquella and Malenia were supposed to be 1 god like their parents, but Malenia was separated from Miquella, which is why he has all the power and she just has the rot and considers him as the true heir. I also believe Rot is a mutation brought into existence by Death being removed from life. Everything is supposed to die and be reborn. Rot, in this world anyway, is supposed to be a form of rebirth without death

tnx for coming up with something today! i didn't know how to pass this cursed hours.. Tnx a lot🙌❤️

Thanks for the upload💯💪🏾

What a great way to start the weekend. I hope you all have a great day 🍻

With the Church of the Eclipse, I believe that Miquella secretly worked with Ranni to expose the failings of the Golden Order by targeting Godwyn the golden for the second half of the Rune of Death (Death of Soul). Representing a Skeleton on the Golden Epitaph, the symbolism of the Full Moon (Ranni) eclipsing the Sun (Godwyn the Golden) the Mausoleum Knights also carry a shield bearing the Eclipse emblem, but these are warriors who are headless, and guard the Tombs of the headless demigods within the Mausoleums. Along with Loretta acting as Ambassador between both the Carians & the Haligtree, which is why we meet her in Spirit form in the Carian Manor while her real body is at the Haligtree. I don't think he's conventionally "evil" but that he wants to purify the world of the influence of the Outer Gods going to any length to get this accomplished.

Man I love your Lore videos❤

Top tier lore vid as usual, just to note the BEWITCHING BRANCH can be chosen as a starting gift

I wonder what would have happened if miquella and gold mask met

Radagon's story resembles Griffith's far more than Miquella's.

hell yeah love listening to this at work and trying to get a good grasp on the lore before dlc

Okay I think I may be going nuts. But did Miquella send Melania to undo the fate of the stars by killing Radahn and allowing the Eclipse to take place? It explains their fight it explains why the Eclipse never came (Radahn "won" and kept the stars in place) and why the plan the castle Sol tried to enact failed?

Maybe, on the dlc when Mesmer talk about the ones without light, he is referring to Miquella since In the description of the trailer it says that Miquella It was to this land that Miquella departed. Divesting himself of his flesh, his strength, his lineage. Of all things Golden. So maybe Mesmer is tracking down Miquella too They say All those who stripped from the grace of gold shall al meet death in the embrace of Mesmer's flame I this theory, Mesmer is tracking down Miquella because he divest himself of all things Golden, including the grace

Melania really got the short end of the stick😅 "One was cursed with eternal childhood, while the other was cursed with ROT"😅 Feels bad man.

Another awesome video.

Absolutely great video

Have counting the seconds for this one❤

So I got a theory that’s seems kinda good. So Miquella had to strip himself of his flesh and power to enter the Land of Shadow right? What if he entered as his alter ego St Trina and can’t manifest physically without an Emphyan body? So he sends the Tarnished to find Messmer and slay him in order for Miquella to possess his body for his own resurrection and claim the Crucible for his own. Also I think we will get insight into how Radagon merged with Marika, seeing as the Land of Shadow may have had the war of the Fire Giants in it or it’s being continued there. Sounds good right?

The idea of a completely pure world would come from the Mind of a naïve child as it’s a complete fantasy merely a dream, Dream. An interesting reason why the magics of sleep and spirits were invested by Saint Trina. If it’s just a fantasy then if he made everyone go to sleep they could all dream of this perfect world.

Somehow this video has convinced me that Miquella is related to the night of Black Knives. I think he wanted Godwyn dead for some reason, and the plot was to remove him and deal a blow to the golden order. This would have been when Miquella left fundementalism behind. He needs the eclipse, which isn't possible unless there's a demigod for it to work against. There wouldn't be an eclipse with the stars motion locked either, which is why Malenia travels so far to fight Radahn. I hope our DLC gives answers in 92 days.

My 5 favorite and most intriguing characters in Elden Ring are Marika, Radagon, Ranni, The Gloam-eyed Queen, and St. Trina. Similar to how Marika IS Radagon, Miquella IS St. Trina. But I feel like they are their own characters and have their own backgrounds for a Real reason. I love how all the characters intertwine in Elden Ring.