Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree secret cutscene raises more questions than answers

Give the little guy some freedom.

elden ring art
Image via FromSoftware

Data miners have unearthed a hidden cutscene in the Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC featuring St. Trina which ties into the existing lore of the game, leaving fans wondering why it was removed in the first place. 

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A June 28 post by Sekiro Dubi on X (formerly Twitter) shows a hidden cutscene discovered by a team of the data miners Chain Failure, Magical Shion, and Hnery. The cutscene features a black screen and St. Trina’s voice thanking the player. “Thank you,” she whispers. “Finally, he will be free.” According to Sekiro, this was meant to be the fourth St. Trina cutscene and was set to play if the player returned to her after beating Radahn, Consort of Miquella in Enir-Ilim.

Elden Ring imbibe Trina four times
Psst, exhaust her dialogue options. Screenshot by Dot Esports

The “he” here refers to the demigod Miquella. St. Trina, associated with sleep and potentially death, reveals her deep concern for Miquella’s well-being during the first two instances of her talking to the player. She believes that “godhood would be Miquella’s prison” and that he would be beyond saving after attaining said godhood. Ultimately, St. Trina sends you to kill Miquella in the final interaction with her as a part of her questline.

The allegedly cut content adds a little context to Miquella’s fate following the fight with Radahn at Enir-Ilim. The Tarnished being thanked for setting Miquella free seems like it would have been a fitting end to St. Trina’s questline, which in the actual DLC is more abrupt.

According to Sekiro, “no big stuff” was cut from Shadow of the Erdtree, but this data mine gives us a further (albeit small) insight into Elden Ring’s lore—and has left us wondering what else was left on the cutting room floor.

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Image of Chris Angelo
Chris Angelo
Chris is a freelance writer for Dot Esports and an avid gamer with a passion for competitive shooters. His love for games began at a young age with his first console, and ever since, he's been hooked. Now, Chris enjoys sharing his knowledge and enthusiasm for the industry, hoping to ignite the same spark in others. When he's not writing, you can find him racking up hours in games like Valorant, CS2, and Apex Legends.