One of Elden Ring Runes' most insane bosses, Astel, Naturalborn from the Void, has hidden connections towards the Age of Stars ending and beyond.

One of Elden Ring’s key features was the sheer volume of memorable boss encounters throughout the game. While FromSoftware is becoming famous because of its innovative and epic boss fights through the Soulslike genre, Elden Ring was a great showing when it comes to its roster of larger-than-life foes. FromSoft’s signature, esoteric storytelling style found its way into the sport as well, however, the sheer depth of the game makes it probably the most expansive lore from the genre yet. Incredible battles like the encounter with Astel, Naturalborn from the Void occur with little explanation and closure, but there's rich lore awaiting people who take a closer look in The Lands Between.

FromSoftware’s type of narrative has always utilized ambiguity to assist realize the mysterious worlds the studio has crafted within its biggest hits. Astel, Naturalborn from the Void is really a challenging and intimidating Remembrance boss found in the cave accessed via a coffin within the creepy Grand Cloister, which is reached through Elden Ring's cursed Lake of Rot, found underneath the Eternal City of Nokstella after being guided with the other Eternal City of Nokron through the witch Ranni. As if the subterranean journey wasn’t overwhelming enough, Astel itself is really a haunting eldritch abomination with connections to some darker side from the lore.

The Eternal Cities Hold Clues About Astel

Astel, Naturalborn from the Void resembles a huge winged scorpion-esque creature covered in cosmic mineral material, however with a disturbing, human-like head and teams of hands. It towers within the player using its massive pincers and confusing tail while hailing down gravity magic attacks. It seems to achieve the ability to turn the ceiling from the boss arena into some manifestation from the cosmos because it rains down powerful projectiles, but this cryptic monster isn't addressed directly whatsoever despite its status as a major boss. It is only after defeating Astel and piecing together the clues left out along the way that the picture of the god-like alien’s story could be constructed.

Remembrance items gained from bosses consume a genre tradition by providing exposition through Elden Ring's item descriptions, and Astel’s offers probably the most insight into its origin. In this passage, Astel is described to become a malformed star born within the void that “destroyed an Eternal City and took away their sky”, a poetic writing that finds itself available for interpretation.

This appears to be the key facet of Astel’s character because the sorcery “Meteorite of Astel” is further described because of the power that the creature attacked the Eternal above City. While that presents an extremely straightforward narrative at face value, the truth that this sorcery is gained from the mysterious second Astel found in the sport begins to challenge a regular interpretation of the story.

While the Naturalborn from the Void has been said to have wrought destruction upon an Eternal City, it isn't stated which bore such ruin. The cities of Nokron and Nokstella are found to possess their underground night skies still shining brightly within the Nox people, making the notion that Astel destroyed them seem contradictory.

The fact is, however, the Deeproot Depths was likely the victim of Astel’s wrath. The title of the “Nameless Eternal City” Site of Grace inside the Deeproot Depths indicates the dilapidated area’s history like a third Eternal City which was brought down through the malformed star. The explanation for this attack might be that Astel rebelled against its creators who have been attempting to forge a weapon from the Greater Will.

Astel Finds Itself Opposed to Ranni like a Tool of The Greater Will

The concept that Astel was made by a wiped-out Nox people who inhabited the Deeproot Depths falls good multiple appearances from the creature and what appear to be related variants from it. The Malformed Star enemies within the underground ruins around the Eternal Cities greatly resemble Astel, albeit weaker and much more juvenile.

Encountered completely at Mt. Gelmir, seemingly only a bull-like rock beast, the Full-Grown Fallingstar Beast also similarly resembles Astel upon closer inspection of their face. A simple but logical interpretation of the connection between these alien creatures could be found by analyzing their names in relation to the geopolitical situation of The Lands Between.

It makes sense that all of those “Star” beasts are born within the void, and crash down as meteorites that induce craters like what could be seen on Elden Ring's Mt. Gelmir. A natural, healthy version of the creature may be the Fallingstar Beast and also the Nox might have engineered this creature into Astel because it also slightly resembles the giant skeletons in thrones found within the Eternal Cities.

Ranni, to be able to bring about her Age of Stars and be a god tasks the ball player with defeating Astel because it had become a musical instrument of her enemy, The Greater Will. Astel likely rained destruction upon Elden Ring's Deeproot Depths and caused its murky sky like a punishment for that Nox’s treason against The Greater Will, an animosity shown throughout Ranni’s questline as she utilizes their tools from the gods.

While Astel’s background and value for an Empyrean like Ranni the Witch seem sensible if the creature is interpreted to become a twisted weapon from the gods, you may still find many details which are left as much as interpretation. From the mad Radahn’s holding back from the stars utilizing gravity magic potentially having major implications for that Naturalborn, towards the connection of Astel’s boss arena using its neighboring Lake of Rot, it's clear that in true eldritch fashion, the concrete origin from the malformed star is unknowable by design.

Like with lots of instances of FromSoftware’s dark fantasy presentation, ambiguity can be used here as a tool to evoke emotion within the player as theories are crafted. But the story of cheap elden ring items also provides sufficient detail for assembling a bigger picture connecting everything, from Astel to The Greater Will.

Elden Ring can be obtained now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.