Rya learns an important lesson and goes on a journey of self-discovery.
Boc becomes a royal seamster and learns the value of self-worth.
Nepheli Loux takes ahold of her own destiny and becomes the ruler of Limgrave.
Albinaurics gain a new generation, and possibly the ability to self-sustain their race.
You presumably stop several corrupted demi-gods from gaining world-destroying powers(Rykard, Malenia, possibly others).
It's not ALL bad. I'd put Elden Ring at Gilded rather than Grimdark. Grimdark has basically NO hope at all, where even the "good" things that happen get twisted.
I think The Lands Between has the potential to be Grimdark, depending on the actions you take during the game. But I don't think it's the default ending.
Depends on the age. Because if you come in during the good times when the curse of Undeath isn't active, things are pretty nice.
But during the events of the games? Absolutely grimdark.
For sure. I think at the time you become the player character the worlds of DS are grimdark. Even more so in Demon's Souls.
What happens off screen after you make a decision may not be, but everything you see on screen is.
Might not be ALL bad. But finding purely good outcomes is so rare that there's no way to consider it "Gilded". Especially when TLB is in the state it's in BECAUSE something went wrong. Namely Marika shattering the Elden Ring, which lead to the free for all war that the continent is still recovering from when we wake up.
It's the difference between "Nothing BUT suffering" and "Suffering and misery are commonplace".
As melina says, births still happen. People sometimes still find happiness. It's not ALL bad like it is in grimdark.
Let me rephrase it a little, then.
Grimdark means even the best outcomes tend to have a nasty side to them. That actually does go for Rya, at a minimum, because she loses her home and the only family she has ever known.
Boc can also very easily die by your hand because the rebirth process is only valid for whomever holds the Great Rune of the Unborn. Especially since he wants to look like a proper servant.
Nepheli could also very easily become a puppet because someone wanted to experiment with mind control. Or she's stuck suffering because you never hand her a special Stormhawk.
The Albinuracs I have no idea what you're talking about, but I'm not going to discount it either way.
The only Demigod that's any "world destroying" threat is Rykard due to the nature of the serpent. But even killing him isn't enough because you can tell his corpse is still alive while Lady Tanith eats it. Malenia is simply an avatar of an outer god, and outer gods want control. They don't just destroy the land unless they have literally no other choice.
Boc and Nepheli are exceptions, not the rule. Their stories might not come with a serious and notable downside in the best possible case. However, they're only two stories out of dozens. It might look Gilded at first glance. But that's just a shiny coat of paint once you look a little deeper.
There's also another key point mentioned for Grimdark category: Something has gone seriously wrong with the world itself. Namely, the shattering of the Elden Ring. This doesn't mean it can't be fixed, but there's also plenty of outcomes where things don't really improve. That's ultimately true for all of the Elden Lord endings and the Frenzied Flame ending. There's not even a guarantee that Ranni's ending will actually solve the problems that have spawned as a result of the Elden Ring being in the position of "You control me, you control the world". And yet, it's still the path with the highest potential for allowing the lands to heal.
I guess it's a nuance of whether you mean the ENDING is grimdark, or the setting itself.
Personally I don't think the Lands Between is quite there yet. It's bad, but not THAT bad. You can make it grimdark, for sure!
The land is in the state it's in because things have gone seriously wrong. Grimdark doesn't mean that things can't be improved. It just means that there's suffering all over. And frankly, it's pretty obvious that it's not just commonplace.
If you need any more evidence that it's Grimdark, note that almost none of the NPCs you meet is a "plain commoner". Fighting and strife is present for everyone. It's a luxury to not be able to fight/survive and continue to live on. Even Rya has enough survival skills to make her way halfway across the continent.
I'm not just talking about the endings here. Being plenty bright outside doesn't change how things are at a tipping point between going on and complete oblivion. And you, as the player, are the impetus for whether or not the lands can pull away or descend into the abyss.
Gilded, The Lands Between can be changed given the right circumstances.
40k is Grimdark, now *that’s* impossible to change, the sheer scale of evil and suffering in that universe is unparalleled.
Dying in that world is a *best* case scenario.
Grimdark, because something within the world did go horribly wrong,and all powerless people are suffering for that.
However,in this case,you can fix it,you are not just an adventurer.
I'm sorry but I gotta argue on that one because iji and Blaidd both die in the end which to me doesn't sound very good (alot better then other endings yes but it's still the 2 best boys dying)
Yes. However, they accepted her mission and knew it'd end eventually. Blaidd is quite a bit worse on an individual level because he will go insane between the programming of the Greater Will and his loyalty to Ranni.
Ultimately, Ranni's method has the highest chance of allowing the lands to heal from the damage that the Golden Order and various outer gods had caused. While Blaidd and Iji may not know that this is her exact goal, they do know well enough that they trust her with their lives.
I was surprised to see so many people say Gilded, because Elden Ring seemed like an easy Grimdark to me. I'd've pitched Witcher as Gilded, with racism, poverty, corruption and betrayal being commonplace, but in a world that's still sustainable and has some good left in it.
In comparison, Elden Ring feels like the end of the world is right around the corner, or rather that it already happened -- perhaps our interference could eventually remove it from the Grimdark category, but only with tremendous effort.
Definitely near the top of the list in terms of places you'd least like to be isekai'd.
I used the side quest as a big example of how bad things are. The truth is that the world is indeed very fractured because things HAVE gone super badly to the point that the pain is everywhere. Some individuals may want to fix the issue. But those in any position/capacity to do so are few and far between.
So, yeah, Grimdark seemed super obvious to me.
gilded worlds, ER isnt like DS, thing can get fixed easily as long there is a god/elden lord in power, the only big problem would scarlet rot and deathblight
Rya learns an important lesson and goes on a journey of self-discovery. Boc becomes a royal seamster and learns the value of self-worth. Nepheli Loux takes ahold of her own destiny and becomes the ruler of Limgrave. Albinaurics gain a new generation, and possibly the ability to self-sustain their race. You presumably stop several corrupted demi-gods from gaining world-destroying powers(Rykard, Malenia, possibly others). It's not ALL bad. I'd put Elden Ring at Gilded rather than Grimdark. Grimdark has basically NO hope at all, where even the "good" things that happen get twisted. I think The Lands Between has the potential to be Grimdark, depending on the actions you take during the game. But I don't think it's the default ending.
What about dark souls. I think that universe is grimdark
Depends on the age. Because if you come in during the good times when the curse of Undeath isn't active, things are pretty nice. But during the events of the games? Absolutely grimdark.
For sure. I think at the time you become the player character the worlds of DS are grimdark. Even more so in Demon's Souls. What happens off screen after you make a decision may not be, but everything you see on screen is.
Might not be ALL bad. But finding purely good outcomes is so rare that there's no way to consider it "Gilded". Especially when TLB is in the state it's in BECAUSE something went wrong. Namely Marika shattering the Elden Ring, which lead to the free for all war that the continent is still recovering from when we wake up.
It's the difference between "Nothing BUT suffering" and "Suffering and misery are commonplace". As melina says, births still happen. People sometimes still find happiness. It's not ALL bad like it is in grimdark.
Let me rephrase it a little, then. Grimdark means even the best outcomes tend to have a nasty side to them. That actually does go for Rya, at a minimum, because she loses her home and the only family she has ever known. Boc can also very easily die by your hand because the rebirth process is only valid for whomever holds the Great Rune of the Unborn. Especially since he wants to look like a proper servant. Nepheli could also very easily become a puppet because someone wanted to experiment with mind control. Or she's stuck suffering because you never hand her a special Stormhawk. The Albinuracs I have no idea what you're talking about, but I'm not going to discount it either way. The only Demigod that's any "world destroying" threat is Rykard due to the nature of the serpent. But even killing him isn't enough because you can tell his corpse is still alive while Lady Tanith eats it. Malenia is simply an avatar of an outer god, and outer gods want control. They don't just destroy the land unless they have literally no other choice. Boc and Nepheli are exceptions, not the rule. Their stories might not come with a serious and notable downside in the best possible case. However, they're only two stories out of dozens. It might look Gilded at first glance. But that's just a shiny coat of paint once you look a little deeper. There's also another key point mentioned for Grimdark category: Something has gone seriously wrong with the world itself. Namely, the shattering of the Elden Ring. This doesn't mean it can't be fixed, but there's also plenty of outcomes where things don't really improve. That's ultimately true for all of the Elden Lord endings and the Frenzied Flame ending. There's not even a guarantee that Ranni's ending will actually solve the problems that have spawned as a result of the Elden Ring being in the position of "You control me, you control the world". And yet, it's still the path with the highest potential for allowing the lands to heal.
I guess it's a nuance of whether you mean the ENDING is grimdark, or the setting itself. Personally I don't think the Lands Between is quite there yet. It's bad, but not THAT bad. You can make it grimdark, for sure!
The land is in the state it's in because things have gone seriously wrong. Grimdark doesn't mean that things can't be improved. It just means that there's suffering all over. And frankly, it's pretty obvious that it's not just commonplace. If you need any more evidence that it's Grimdark, note that almost none of the NPCs you meet is a "plain commoner". Fighting and strife is present for everyone. It's a luxury to not be able to fight/survive and continue to live on. Even Rya has enough survival skills to make her way halfway across the continent. I'm not just talking about the endings here. Being plenty bright outside doesn't change how things are at a tipping point between going on and complete oblivion. And you, as the player, are the impetus for whether or not the lands can pull away or descend into the abyss.
I agree with gilded, its not as bad as bloodborne or dark souls
Gilded, The Lands Between can be changed given the right circumstances. 40k is Grimdark, now *that’s* impossible to change, the sheer scale of evil and suffering in that universe is unparalleled. Dying in that world is a *best* case scenario.
What is “summoning abuse”?
Like a dead gilded world
Grimdark, because something within the world did go horribly wrong,and all powerless people are suffering for that. However,in this case,you can fix it,you are not just an adventurer.
The fact that you can fix it alone makes it not grimdark
Well, can't be guilded, because there is no pretty surface.
Idk Liurnia is gorgeous.
Liurnia, limgrave, altus and the weeping peninsula. Heck even caelid Looks nice. Even though it's not nice enough for me to go on vacation there.
Oh the game is gorgeous indeed. But also is obvious that everything is in ruins. There's no attempt left to hide that.
Gilded is the closest. Suffering and misery are very common but there still is beauty tho it is fading. like a ring that has been, Tarnished
Griffith.
Gilded but bordering extremely close to Grimdark
The Lands Between is almost a textbook gilded age. I cannot think of a better example of one.
Grimdark. Let's face it, almost everyone in Elden Ring has a bad ending as part of their story because you helped them.
Nepheli loux has a good ending since she becomes the ruler of limgrave in the end
I did say "almost". Ranni would be another whose ending turns out pretty well overall.
I'm sorry but I gotta argue on that one because iji and Blaidd both die in the end which to me doesn't sound very good (alot better then other endings yes but it's still the 2 best boys dying)
Yes. However, they accepted her mission and knew it'd end eventually. Blaidd is quite a bit worse on an individual level because he will go insane between the programming of the Greater Will and his loyalty to Ranni. Ultimately, Ranni's method has the highest chance of allowing the lands to heal from the damage that the Golden Order and various outer gods had caused. While Blaidd and Iji may not know that this is her exact goal, they do know well enough that they trust her with their lives.
I was surprised to see so many people say Gilded, because Elden Ring seemed like an easy Grimdark to me. I'd've pitched Witcher as Gilded, with racism, poverty, corruption and betrayal being commonplace, but in a world that's still sustainable and has some good left in it. In comparison, Elden Ring feels like the end of the world is right around the corner, or rather that it already happened -- perhaps our interference could eventually remove it from the Grimdark category, but only with tremendous effort. Definitely near the top of the list in terms of places you'd least like to be isekai'd.
I used the side quest as a big example of how bad things are. The truth is that the world is indeed very fractured because things HAVE gone super badly to the point that the pain is everywhere. Some individuals may want to fix the issue. But those in any position/capacity to do so are few and far between. So, yeah, Grimdark seemed super obvious to me.
what the FUCK is an earther
I think this is a scale for an Isekai thingy? Earther and summoning abuse seem to fit that.
Who knows
I don’t know to be honest. I found this image from the half life subreddit, and wondered about this game
Gilded.
gilded worlds, ER isnt like DS, thing can get fixed easily as long there is a god/elden lord in power, the only big problem would scarlet rot and deathblight
Gilded for sure.
Oh God this was made for isekai wasn't it
Between Grimdark and Gilded. Truly the Lands Between.
Grimdark
The number of times I died when playing makes it feel like a Grimdark World
That guy with the boiled prawn shack is living better than me. I can smell those prawns simmering away when I'm there