At the beginning of Elden Ring’s journey, players are introduced to a character who stays important throughout the game’s narrative. She’s none other than Melina, an enigmatic NPC who asks for the Tarnished’s assistance.
Even though we may have expected to learn more about her through Shadow of the Erdtree, there’s little we truly know about who she is, but some have theories about her importance regardless of Hidetaka Miyazaki keeping secrets from us.
Note: Spoilers for Elden Ring and Shadow of the Erdtree.
Fans Are Starting to Build Theories About Melina’s True Origins
Not long after the game’s DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree dropped, fans have been speculating whether Melina’s importance is still an active mystery in the game’s world.
After all, she is one of the most important characters in the base game. Unfortunately, Hidetaka Miyazaki and his team have kept a lot from us when it comes to understanding Melina’s relevance and truth in Elden Ring’s universe.
That’s where fans come in. Players like FrankNGN and PSIEX have their own versions of a theory that suggests that Melina may be related to other main characters in the base game as well as Shadow of the Erdtree.
For instance, it is possible that Melina is Messmer’s sister, based on some of the item descriptions found in the game. It would be crazy to believe that someone like Melina (who helps the Tarnished) would be related to Messmer (who cannot stand us) in the game’s overarching narrative.
Players also believe that FromSoftware has intentionally kept the attention away from her so that we can focus on new characters that are central to the expansion’s storyline, even if their intentions may not align with the Tarnished’s.
Melina’s Relevance in Elden Ring’s DLC
Depending on how much you’ve journeyed through Shadow of the Erdtree already, it won’t be surprising to assume that you’ve been missing Melina from the base game.
After all, she helped us with the initial stages of the base game and even introduced us to Torrent, the Tarnished’s worthy companion. Later on in the game, she also assists players with understanding and comprehending all the things that are happening in the Lands Between.
Unfortunately, none of it stays the same way in the expansion, and there’s close to no information about Melina’s whereabouts. Even if the item description helps players understand some context about Melina’s familial ties, it doesn’t really add to her story in any way.
Perhaps there’s more to this expansion (and the future of franchise) that we’re choosing to ignore at the moment. FromSoftware has a history of keeping things enigmatic, and we can maybe learn more about Melina in another game at some point in the future.
What are your thoughts on Melina’s relevance in the game? Let us know in the comments below.
