The storytelling of Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree gives the Tarnished information in pieces, then leaves it to them to put everything together in order to form an idea of events that happened in both the Lands Between and the Land of Shadow. As a result, parallels between events are often not fully realized until the Tarnished has finished their journey and looks back on the characters, their backgrounds, and motivations. Then, with the help of hindsight, missed connections become clear.