Even months after the release of Elden Ring, FromSoftware's mega-hit is still considered one of the best games of the year by critics, and fans are still finding new details and secrets while exploring the Lands Between. One such detail was posted on Reddit by user M24Spirit, who pointed out an easily-missed detail in the cinematic before fighting Godfrey, First Elden Lord.
Like many of the game's major bosses, Godfrey's introductory cutscene sees him monologue to the player about their goal of becoming Elden Lord before challenging them to combat. What makes this particular scene stand out is the faint, but definite ray of grace that leads from Godfrey to the Tarnished controlled by the player and what this small detail means for the stakes of the fight the player is about to undertake.
One of the first things players learn in Elden Ring is about the Guidance of Grace, rays of golden light that extend out from sites of grace, directing the player in the direction they need to travel to progress the game. Elden Ring lore explains them as guiding lights for Tarnished able to see them, which lead them on their journey to become the Elden Lord. In game, this means a grace will point the player toward the next boss, typically the demigods that must be defeated to complete the game.
The fact that the grace points to the player and not to Godfrey is a clever and subtle example of Elden Ring's environmental storytelling that shows just how strong the player has become. Godfrey, like the player, is Tarnished, becoming the first one after losing the grace of the Greater Will and his title as Elden Lord. Now, he has come to reclaim it and, just as the player has through the entire game, he must defeat a great foe to do so: the player themself.
This shift in perspective does a lot to show how high the stakes have become. Just after Godfrey is the door into the Erdtree, where the player faces off against the game's final boss to take the mantle of Elden Lord. While Godfrey is the last step before this for the player, this inverted guiding grace implies that the player is the final step Godfrey must take as well. Unlike the fights before, where the lowly Tarnished fought against demigods and monsters of great power, this fight pits two powerful Tarnished against one another, both so close to taking the mantle.
The other bosses of Elden Ring seek to keep the world from moving forward, with the player's defeat meaning these demigods would simply return to their business. However, if Godfrey could truly defeat the player and take their runes, he would likely continue to bring about a new age of his own like the player is able to do once defeating the final boss. The only thing stopping him is the player.
FromSoftware games don't often choose to show how powerful and accomplished the player has become through their trials, and this small detail does a lot to legitimize the hours of nail-biting fights the player has been through to get to the end. Elden Ring has a number of endings, and knowing Godfrey was so close provides ample intrigue as to how the Lands Between could've changed if the other Tarnished had managed to reclaim his title as First Elden Lord.