Elden Ring is set in a dark fantasy world created by Hidetaka Miyazaki, the renowned game director, and George R. R. Martin, the celebrated author of the A Song of Ice and Fire book series. The game takes place in the Lands Between, a mystical realm ruled by the Erdtree, a powerful and ancient tree that blesses the world with its presence. Players assume the role of a Tarnished, an exile seeking to return to the Erdtree and claim the Elden Ring, a powerful artifact that maintains balance in the world.