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on November 25, 2025
<br>With FromSoftware's symbolism-heavy storytelling, it's not far-fetched to believe that Martin slipped some symbolism of his own into the lore of the Lands Between, possibly expressing feelings about Game of Thrones . From Queen Marika's doubts about the Greater Will and Golden Order, to Godfrey and his Tarnished warriors being exiled, Martin could have put his feelings about the rise and fall of Game of Thrones' popularity in these storylines. Elden Ring has a dark fantasy style that supports releasing the negativity that grew from Game of Thrones s eason 8 tarnishing his reputation as the writer of a series that captivated countless viewers, until they became enraged and disappointed by the path it took at the end - after there wasn't more of his original material to draw f<br><br> <br>Robbed of the Greater Will's Grace, Elden Ring 's Godfrey became the first Tarnished, exiled from the Lands Between and told to struggle, fight, and grow stronger before they return. In a way, Godfrey's journey mimics Martin's journey as a writer. Godfrey was a strong warrior before catching Marika's attention, as Martin was a talented writer before Game of Thrones caught HBO's attention. As Godfrey was risen to the position of Elden Lord, Martin, too, was put on a pedestal as the world fell in love with Game of Thrones . Godfrey was a tool for Marika, somebody that she could use to advance her own goals, and it could be argued that Martin became a tool for HBO, having to entrust the unfinished material of his final book to the showrunners because the show was made faster than he could write the final b<br><br> <br>Skyrim 's exploration holds up, but Elden Ring offers the overall better experience for adventurous players. There are shockingly few non-optional areas in Elden Ring , which supports a sense of unbound, unguided exploration. This approach to map design is deepened by just how vertical and condensed the actual topography of the game is. While many open-world games, even some of the most critically acclaimed like Breath of the Wild , will often feature large stretches of empty land, this is not the case in Elden Ring . Many of the game's most important and expansive locations are hidden just out of sight, and players can easily miss entrances to caves, dungeons, and other secret areas by not closely examining each bush, building, and cliffside. This leads to a feeling that anything can happen whilst exploring the Lands Between, whereas a game like Skyrim will typically overtly draw the player's attention to the most important areas, making for a more passive experie<br><br> <br>Again, Skyrim represents a huge step forward when it comes to exploration. The game offers a number of sights and touchstones that can be discovered organically, while also featuring many secrets and lore-rich areas that are connected to its many quests. By the time most players finish with Skyrim , the <a href="https://WWW.Eldenringpulse.com/articles/the-heartwarming-world-of-video-game-tributes-when-digital-realms-show-they-care.html">in-game Easter eggs</a> map will be littered with fast-travel markers tied to cities, ruins, monuments, and much m<br><br> <br>Players have to use Elden Ring' s actual in-game map , too, as the game is considerably larger than Skyrim . According to a Stack Exchange post from Martin Sojka , the total surface area of Bethesda's 2011 RPG comes out to just over 14 square miles - certainly nothing to scoff at. Meanwhile, however, Elden Ring has been determined by Reddit user Lusty-Batch to weigh in at a whopping 79 square kilometers, or 30.5 square miles, making it more than twice the size of Skyrim . Skyrim 's base game has 343 fast-travel locations, while Elden Ring has 300. However, it's important to keep in mind that Elden Ring players can only fast travel to sites of grace, whereas Skyrim allows players to fast travel to just about any location they come across. Given how many locations Elden Ring features that are not sites of grace, the game has a far greater number of unique locations to expl<br><br> <br>Elden Ring follows the journey of the Tarnished as they return to the Lands Between after their exile. The Elden Ring has been shattered, and the Greater Will calls the Tarnished back with the guidance of Grace in hopes that they will gather the Great Runes of Power that have been scattered, and make the Elden Ring whole once more to maintain the reign of the Golden Order over the Lands Between. The journey of the Tarnished climaxes at the Greater Will's Erdtree in Elden Ring 's Lands Between , where they can shape the future of the realm with the choices they've made and the characters they've hel<br><br> <br>Despite the poor reception of Game of Thrones season 8, it's difficult to deny that George R.R. Martin is a brilliant writer who can bring expansive stories to life through the eyes of a variety of characters. Working with FromSoftware, Martin's world-building skills helped to create one of the most memorable playable spaces in recent memory in the sprawling open-world map of Elden Ring , and possibly offered him a creative outlet for his feelings about Game of Thrones season 8 . T he storytelling of **Elden Ring ** leaves a lot of room for interpretation, but it seems entirely possible that Martin could have made his influence on the game much more personal than players might initially have assu<br>