One of the most extensive quest lines in Elden Ring may have a mistranslation that impacts the reception of one of the game's potential endings. After nearly three weeks since launch, fans of FromSoftware's latest open world title still have plenty to explore, including the new content added with Elden Ring's recent v1.03 Patch.
Arguably one of the most sought after secrets in Elden Ring are all of the potential endings. Currently six have been discovered, with one to two other possibilities still under thorough investigation from the community. This is nothing new for FromSoftware's Souls-like titles, as they usually contain multiple outcomes, some of which require a series of certain in-game conditions to be met. Perhaps the most complicated ending in Elden Ring involves the NPC Ranni and her extensive quest line, which takes the player through multiple hidden areas that are not necessary for beating the game. They are necessary, however, to unlock the unique "Age of Stars" ending, an ending that may have some mistranslations in it.
DualShockers pointed out a pair of potential miscommunications that happen at the end of the quest line. According to them, the Japanese version of the text makes Ranni's "Age of Stars" in Elden Ring seem far less foreboding than what the English translation presents. DualShockers cited a YouTube video from wotnvideos to showcase the mistranslation. However, the YouTuber claims that the text is much more straightforward than the gaming outlet indicates, and that the mistranslation is due to basic grammar instead of any attempt by the writers to be misleading. The user also accuses DualShockers of plagiarizing an unidentified third party's coverage of the mistranslation in the process. Whether or not these accusations are true, it is likely that Ranni's dialogue in the English dub is not an accurate representation of what was initially written.
Mistranslations have been a common occurrence in FromSoftware titles for years, and that trend likely continues in Elden Ring. Sometimes these changes can have an impact on lore that is already cryptic in Souls-like titles. Usually the mistranslations are found in item descriptions, but occasionally they make their way into important NPC dialogue. Once Elden Ring has been thoroughly combed through by the FromSoftware lore community, there will likely be a definitive list produced of all the mistranslations present in-game.
Almost a month after the title's launch, Elden Ring players are still making unique discoveries, but the game is so massive and still so early in its lifespan that much of the community has not had time to fully digest what it all means. While Elden Ring is generally considered to be more accessible than previous Souls-like titles, FromSoftware's cryptic style of storytelling still hangs over the entire game. On top of that, there are almost certainly some mistranslations scattered about as well, which will only add to the work of deducing all that is going on in the Lands Between.
Elden Ring is available on PC, Playstation 4, Playstation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox S|X.
Source: DualShockers, wotnvideos/YouTube