NPCs in FromSoft games often tend towards the morally gray. Whether their storylines end happily or tragically, and regardless of any positive features they have, very few are spotless on a moral level. Many NPCs have dark pasts they want to escape, or commit dreadful acts over the course of the game.
This trend continues in Elden Ring, which populates the Lands Between with a whole host of flawed individuals. Some, however, go beyond ambiguous morals and head into very dark places. Their histories, personalities, and actions mark them as repulsive and the very worst people in the Lands Between.
9 Gideon Ofnir's Drive Takes Him To A Dark Place
Initially, Gideon Ofnir's purpose seems to be little more than providing exposition. Despite being one of the Tarnished mentioned by name in Elden Ring's opening cutscene, he seems content to remain in Roundtable Hold and provide the player with information about the shardbearers in the Lands Between.
Further in the game, a darker picture begins to appear. Gideon massacres an entire village of the oppressed Albinaurics to attempt to secure the Halligtree Medallion. He then disowns his daughter and potentially has the player targeted for assassination when they intervene - as well as becoming a boss fight later. Despite this, he has some standards, notably protecting Nepheli from the evil Selivus.
8 White Mask Varre Is A Killer, But A Petty Killer
Some NPCs aren't worse only because the scale of their actions is so small. White Mask Varre is likely the first NPC the Tarnished speaks to in the Lands Between and is a thoroughly unpleasant character. He mocks the player for being Maidenless and provides foul portents for their time. However, his true wickedness is worse.
Varre is the NPC who gives the player the ability to invade other players, rewarding them for murder and sadism. In addition, he is likely to be something of a serial killer of Finger Maidens, with hints that he murders the character before the game even begins. It is only because of the small scale of Varre's villainy that he is not worse.
7 Queen Marika Is At Fault For So Much
Queen Marika the Eternal is at the very center of the religion of the Lands Between, venerated as the queen of the Lands Between, ruling from the imposing Erdtree. The immediate events of the game's backstory are kicked off by Marika disappearing when the Elden Ring breaks, leaving her family of demigods to war amongst themselves.
A shocking twist in Elden Ring reveals that Marika is the same person as her second husband, Radagon of the Golden Order. Between these two forms, they are responsible for great wickedness. Their deeds include wars against other races, murder, manipulating entire kingdoms in their plan, and worse. The only redeeming factor is that, in breaking the Elden Ring, Marika appears to have been trying to do the right thing and make the world a better place.
6 Godrick The Grafted Is A Despicable Demigod
Godrick the Grafted is likely the first shardbearer that the player character faces. He is a distant relation to Marika but claims to be the true heir to her son, Godwyn the Golden. He participated in the civil wars of the Shattering alongside his siblings.
Wanting to prove himself, Godrick has devastated his kingdom attempting to besiege the capital Leyndell, and is despised by everyone else in the Lands Between. His true villainy comes in his grafting, however, having Tarnished in the Lands Between captured, tortured, and taken apart to boost his own power.
5 Rykard, Lord Of Blasphemy Desires Only Deicide
Rykard, Lord of Blasphemy is an optional shardbearer in Elden Ring, with the player having to go out of their way to Volcano Manor to face him. Nonetheless, he is yet another wicked demigod. After years of being loyal to his family, he betrays them by merging with the being known as the God-Devouring Serpent.
Unlike other demigods, Rykard seems relatively unmotivated by power or revenge. Instead, he simply wishes to kill and devour the other gods and demigods - many of whom are his relatives. Although the gods are not necessarily moral in and of themselves, Rykard's single-minded determination to exterminate them is dark indeed.
4 The Lord Of Frenzied Flame Will Scour The World
Elden Ring is a game with many endings. Most of them see the player Tarnished becoming the Elden Lord, marrying Marika to reforge the Elden Ring and attempt to preside over a new age - with several variations. In one of the other endings, however, the Tarnished falls under the influence of another Outer God, the Frenzied Flame.
Lured in by vengeance, power, or the desire to save Melina, the player can commune with the Three Fingers and take on the corrupting and devastating power of the Frenzied Flame. After they defeat Radagon and the Elden Beast, they then unleash the Flame upon the Lands Between, threatening to scour all life. Even Melina, the Tarnished's loyal companion, promises to slay them for such an act.
3 Preceptor Seluvis Is A Serial Rapist
One of the worst NPCs in Elden Ring is met during the questline of the sympathetic Ranni. He is the standout villain in her three companions, with the others being the likable Iji and the fan-favorite Blaidd. Aside from his unpleasant and off-putting demeanor, Seluvis earns the hatred of most players through his quest.
In it, Seluvis seeks to add a woman to his collection of 'dolls'. These 'dolls' are living people who he poisons in a way that gives him control of their bodies. It is heavily implied that he uses this as a way to rape women, and his first target in the game is Nepehli Loux. Seluvis is so vile that any ending to his quest involves him being murdered.
2 Mohg, Lord of Blood Is A Predator And Murderer
A major part of Elden Ring is that the demigods are responsible for much of the state of the world because of their own petty and selfish desires. The worst of the demigods is Mohg, the Lord of Blood, because of how truly monstrous his selfish desires are.
Mohg is motivated by his very specific wish to become the consort of a god, much as his father Godfrey was to Marika. However, the specific target of his affections is his half-brother, Miquella, who is trapped in the body of a child. After his sexual assaults of Miquella were rejected, Mohg murdered his brother in the hopes of bringing him back as a god, so that he can force them to be together.
1 The Loathsome Dung-Eater Wants Worse Than Death For Everyone
Of all the Tarnished mentioned in Elden Ring's opening cutscene, the Loathsome Dung-Eater is one quickly called out by players for his amusing and unintimidating name. It is a testament to how wicked he is that most players still hate and fear the NPC and the vileness that drips from his every action.
Dung-Eater is a serial killer. He defiles the corpses of those he murders, refusing to let them return to the Erdtree and ensuring that their spirit lingers in eternal torment. In one of Elden Ring's darkest endings, he recruits the Tarnished to inflict this fate on all life, ensuring that every being born in the world will be tortured endlessly.