Elden Ring: Is Miquella a Villain? – SPOILERS

In true FromSoftware fashion, the recent release of Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree - which is a sequel-sized DLC, if we're being honest - has basically recontextualized most things we know about the lore of the game up until now. The presence of all-new villains - like the ominous Bayle - is certainly welcome, but we were most interested in arguably the most important character in the expansion: Miquella.

Now, it should be plainly obvious right off the bat that this guide is absolutely brimming with spoilers. If you haven't yet played through Elden Ring and even the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC and wish to come to your own conclusions at your own pace, we recommend skipping this piece entirely. If, however, you're simply confused about the game's lore, which is perfectly understandable and don't mind excessive spoilers, then let us get to it!

READ MORE: 20 Must-Have Shadow of the Erdtree Items

What did Miquella do in Elden Ring?

Though he is effectively comatose during the events of Elden Ring proper, Miquella has been setting the stage for his plans for a good long while before the Tarnished comes into the picture. Known also as St. Trina (yup), Kindly Miquella, and Tender Miquella - among many other syrupy nicknames - Miquella's actually been trying to establish a whole alternative dimension that would side-step the Golden Order in its entirety.

That is, of course, where the Shadow of the Erdtree takes place: the Realm of Shadow.

Miquella is presented as a kind, loving, and caring demigod who only wished the best for his followers. Slowly, however, over time, this meant that Miquella had to metaphysically cast off parts of himself, one of which is St. Trina itself. The resultant figure is a demigod of toxic positivity: either you're for Miquella and wish to love and cherish him, or you're getting killed off.

One example of Miquella stopping at nothing to achieve his goals was the epic clash between Malenia and Radahn. Notably, Miquella had been in love with Radahn since childhood, but the latter turned down his advances. In response, Miquella commanded Malenia to attack Radahn to zombify him and turn him into his consort by force.

Did Miquella brainwash Mohg into loving him?

So, this one's surprised us the most as it shifts the whole creepy vibe of Mohg kidnapping Miquella and nurturing his cocoon to become his bethrothed/consort. Up until now, we believed that this whole shindig was Mohg's idea through-and-through, but as it turns out, Miquella's brainwashing magic worked its way into the evil-looking fella as well.

That's right: Miquella the Kind actually made Mohg fall in love with him, all to end up being killed and used as meat to facilitate the return of Miquella's true designated consort: Radahn.

Is Miquella actually evil?

For all intents and purposes, Miquella is evil. It's worth remembering, however, that he is an Empyrian striving to be come an Outer God: any pretense of human morality should be thrown right out the window when discussing an entity like this. Though, at the same time, it's hard to shake off the feeling that this guy really went to town even when he had no need to do so.

The plot with Mohg, for one, is appropriately horrific and ends in his untimely death at the hands of the player Tarnished, and if you scour through item descriptions and lore, it's hard to shake off  the feeling that there's something truly amiss about Miquella in general. Yet, you don't need to look further than the actual fight with Radahn as Miquella rides him against the Tarnished.

This, mind, comes up after Miquella had used Mohg's corpse to revive Radahn during the height of his power, to be used as his future consort. Chilling stuff by default, but it gets worse:

• All the kindly NPCs that had been helping you along the way suddenly turn against you; even Moore the Trader begins throwing pots at you!
• Miquella is more than happy to use his Rune to enchant your character, if you let him: doing so has Miquella draw the Tarnished close to his lips to say: "I promise you a thousand year voyage guided by compassion."

It's this Rune attack that had us scratching our heads the most, really, with how ridiculously creepy it was. Oh, and if your Tarnished does succumb to it, it's not a happy game-over. Instead, they kneel before Miquella and then Radahn tears them apart.

So... is Miquela evil? Well, yes. Torrent ends up in good hands after all.

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