Summary
Minor spoilers for the Elden Ring base game ahead.
The Roundtable Hold is a pivotal location inElden Ring. It has massive lore implications and is also the location where the Tarnished can upgrade their weapons andSpirit Ashes.
But as the playerapproaches the end of the gameand burns the Erdtree, the Roundtable Hold, too, goes up in flames. The reason for the burning is never explicitly outlined in the game’s in-game lore, and given that the location is literally described as being “outside this world”, players can’t seem to pinpoint exactly why it burns too. Yet, that’s not stopped them from debating it.
“I Always Assumed It Was Because It Was Actually Inside The Erdtree Somewhere”
Oneexceedingly popular theoryis that the Roundtable Hold is located somewhere inside the Erdtree, meaning they would, of course, simultaneously burn.
Replying in the thread, one player compared it to a “pocket dimension,” with a second adding, “It almost has to be, because there is no way they can fit the boss arena where you fight the Elden Beast into the Erdtree, no matter how big it is.”
Another player suggested that the Roundtable Hold was in “a realm Marika created for the Tarnished,” theorizing that “it’s in the same realm as Marika, aka inside the Erdtree but a different bubble.”
This theory was met with some friction, given the “outside this world” location and the fact it’s seen well away from the Erdtree on The Lands Between’s map. However, “outside this world” is very vague, with one player suggesting that inside the tree could be considered “a world apart.”
“I Assumed It Was Connected To The Tree On A Spiritual/Astral Plane
Another theory suggests that the Rountable Hold was physically connected to the Erdtree, but ona different plane of existence.
“I assumed it was connected to the tree on a spiritual/astral plane, so even if it wasn’t physically there, destroying the tree would destroy the Hold,” one player said, adding, “I never thought it was anything deeper than that.”
Asecond joined the discussion, saying, “That was my take too. That it was linked to the grace, and the grace linked to the Erdtree, so when the tree burned and the grave began to fade, so too did the hold
Other Theories
Anadditional theorypresented by a player was that “The Erdtree is the physical manifestation of the Greater Will, so by burning the Erdtree down, you most likely destroy the Greater Will’s ability to keep the Roundtable Hold tangible in its plane of existence.”
While another player thought that “It’s simply burning because there’s a giant-ass tree on fire flinging embers everywhere”
The Actual Reason The Roundtable Hold Burns
Although not detailed in-game, Miyazaki had actually given a reason for the Hold’s burning.
In the second volume ofThe Books Of Knowledge, Miyazaki said: “The Roundtable Hold is, in a way, a place far removed from the world, though it’s modeled after the Fortified Manor in Leyndell, with its state and power originating from the Erdtree. This is why when the Erdtree burns, the Roundtable Hold burns as well.”
So there we have it; there is a canon reason for the Roundtable Hold catching fire.
Elden Ring
WHERE TO PLAY
With worldbuilding from Game of Thrones scribe George R.R. Martin and developed by FromSoftware, Elden Ring is a masterpiece in what has become known as the ‘Soulslike’ genre of action role-playing games.
