Wait, Who Did Marika Betray In Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree?

gave a lot of attention to Marika's past, despite her not being seen in the DLC. In some ways, she becomes more sympathetic, given that her past isn't a pleasant one, and she suffered a lot of loss throughout her life that likely played a large role in the type of ruler she became. However, many dark deeds from her past that she sealed away with the Land of Shadow also come to light in this DLC, raising questions about her path to godhood and the actions she committed after ascending.

Miquella's journey to becoming a god mirrors Marika's in several ways, even if he believes that he'll be able to rule without repeating the mistakes of his mother. Yet in the process of following his trail, the Tarnished uncovers what Marika tried to hide by sealing away the Land of Shadow, making it difficult to access from the Lands Between. Although her massacre of the Hornsent seems to be the biggest event she's hiding, there's a betrayal she committed that tends to be attributed to that massacre, but that might not be the truth of the matter.

Elden Ring’s DLC ending features a fight with a familiar foe, but things are very different this time around. Here’s how Shadow of the Erdtree ends.

A few pieces of information that are gathered throughout the Land of Shadow act as the primary evidence for the assumption that the party Marika betrayed was the Hornsent. These pieces also make up the theory that Marika was the Hornsent's successful Jar Saint, which would give them a reason to trust and follow Marika, setting up the chance for her to betray them and take revenge for Shaman Village later. However, it's possible that she found ways to ally with the Hornsent without the help of being a Jar Saint, and betrayed them at the Gate of Divinity.

The most important NPC for your journey in Shadow of the Erdtree isn’t part of the DLC’s story at all and won’t be found in the Land of Shadow.

Marika had a good reason to betray the Hornsent, considering they essentially experimented on her