Summary
Soulsborne games are almost as famous for their tragic stories as their difficulty, andElden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtreeis no exception. The Tarnished are probably used to watching their favorite NPCs meet an untimely end after completing their quests and there isn’t a lot of hope as far as many characters are concerned. Not only does this apply to friendly NPCs, it also applies to the many bosses that are put in the Tarnished’s way. Just because they need to be slain for the sake of the game doesn’t mean there isn’t a tragedy behind it.
[Warning: Minor spoilers for Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree.]
Shadow of the Erdtreeis perhaps more tragic than the base game with some of its characters. The horrors inflicted on the Land of Shadow, especially on the Hornsent, are but one example of this, and much of this can be seen through the many bosses added in the expansion. Messmer’s exile after the war he was forced to wage in his mother’s name, Metyr being abandoned by the Greater Will, and Romina being a victim of Messmer’s crusade are all examples of this, but none suffer more than Midra,Lord of Frenzied Flame.
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The Tragic Life Of Shadow Of The Erdtree’s Most Gruesome Boss
The Suffering Of Midra, Lord Of Frenzied Flame
As far as the bosses ofElden Ringare concerned,Midra is unique in that he starts off as almost harmless and reasonably pathetic, before playing a gruesome cutsceneto properly start the boss fight. Although body horror and self-mutilation aren’t uncommon inElden Ring,with theFire Giant bossripping off its own leg as an example, Midra pulling his own head off is something else entirely. Thankfully, the game fades to black before the head is detached from the rest of the body.
Self-mutilation seems to be a theme withElden Ringbosses. Godrick chops off one of his many arms, Messmer takes out one of his eyes, the Fire Giant rips off his leg, and Midra pulls his own head off.
By the time the Tarnished comes across Midra, his house is in ruins, his servants and wife have been killed, and he has a barbed sword through his skull that he pulls out during the boss fight, but things were once very different.Midra was once known as a sage and was well-respected by the servants of his house, who referred to him as the Great Midra. His house was surrounded by a thick forest that the Hornsent didn’t dare to enter, and his life with his wife, Nanaya, was going well.
It is implied that Midra touched one ofShadow of the Erdtree’s Aging Untouchables, which resulted in him acquiring the Frenzied Flame, similarly to how the player can get it when touched by the Three Fingers. Nanaya cradles a baby from their homeland who becomes"frenzied"and dies, which could explain why the Aging Untouchables followed Midra and his wife. From there, everything went downhill,resulting in Midra becoming a vessel for the Frenzied Flame, but he was told by his wife to endure it, since the Frenzied Flame could have destroyed everything.
How Midra Became The Lord Of Frenzied Flame
And How The Tarnished Gave Him A Merciful End
Although the Hornsent aren’t as traditionally opposed to the Three Fingers as the Golden Order is, they do consider immortal spirits an important part of their belief system.The Frenzied Flame can burn away everything, including these spirits(this is why Torrent refuses to appear in the Abyssal Woods), so an inquisition was sent to stop the Frenzied Flame in its tracks. Ironically, the Hornsent Inquisition didn’t do too well, considering that Midra still becomes the Lord of Frenzied Flame when the Tarnished meets him.
Although the inquisition failed in their task, they did manage to do some pretty horrible things to Midra’s household. His wife was killed as well as his servants, whose bodies can be found outside the house without their heads. Midra was allowed to live, butthe Hornsent used the Greatsword of Damnation to impale the master of the house. The sword opened up with its barbs, resulting in the horrifying crucifixion-like punishment that’s seen just before the Midra fight, yet the man still manages to endure the Frenzied Flame despite this pain.
The barbs of the Greatsword of Damnation can be used by the player against foes with the Golden Crux Ash of War.
When the playermakes their way to Midra’s Manseand finds him, he will be hostile. In his impaled form, he offers little challenge, but after the Tarnished defeats him, he cannot endure the pain and madness any longer.He even apologizes to his wife before giving into the Frenzied Flame, ripping the Greatsword of Damnation out with his head attached to it, which is a pretty gruesome way to start the real boss fight. With his head removed, he becomes the Lord of Frenzied Flame with a ball of fire as his new head.
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Midra Finally Finds Mercy As The Lord Of Frenzied Flame
If players have seen the Frenzied Flame ending ofElden Ring(arguably theworstElden Ringending),then they likely know what could have happened if Midra had succumbed to his madness earlier. It is unknown how dangerous Midra would have been had he escaped his house, but he could have begun a world-ending event or at least caused untold disaster in both the Land of Shadow and Lands Between. Thankfully,the Tarnished is there to save the day, unless they’ve been touched by the Three Fingers, in which case the inevitable is only delayed.
The player cancure themselves of the Frenzied Flamewith Miquella’s Needle.
To Midra’s credit,he endured the pain and madness of the Frenzied Flame for a long time, despite the death of his wife and his entire household. In slaying Midra, the Tarnished both offers him an end to his pain and madness while preventing the Frenzied Flame from using another vessel. There are plenty of bosses that FromSoftware make players feel bad about killing, like Sif fromDark Souls, but Midra is thankfully not one of them, even if it seems as though he was largely innocent.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtreedoesn’t pull any punches when it comes to its tragedy. With Messmer’s crusade against the Hornsent taking center stage, it’s easy to forget that the optional bosses can suffer just as much. Midra is put through an outrageous amount of pain and suffering, and makes an impression with his horribly gruesome cutscene. He may be a hidden boss, but his tragic life is far more overt than many other characters in Soulsborne games.
Elden Ring
Elden Ring is a popular game released by From Software, creators of games such as Armored Core, Dark Souls, and Bloodborne. Players assume the role of a Tarnished, a being once exiled to the Lands Between and has returned to repair the Elden Ring after the events of “The Shattering.” “The Shattering” occurred when the offspring of Queen Marika battled to claim the shards of the Elden Ring, known as Great Runes. Their war has brought lawlessness, destruction, and chaos to the land, and the player will challenge them with the assistance of a Maiden known as Melina as they travel towards the great Erd Tree to face their destiny and to become the one true Elden Lord. Players can tackle the game how they choose and can adventure across realms as they build their character how they want - be it a powerful magic caster or a brutal swordsman - they will have complete control over their build.
