Elden Ring's Astel, Naturalborn of the Void's Lore Explained

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

One of Elden Ring's key features was the sheer quantity of memorable boss encounters throughout the game. While FromSoftware has become famous for its innovative and epic boss fights throughout the Soulslike genre, Elden Ring was an exceptional showing in terms of its roster of larger-than-life foes. FromSoft's signature, esoteric storytelling style found its way into the game as well, but the sheer depth of the game has made it the most expansive lore of the genre yet. Incredible battles such as the encounter with Astel, Naturalborn of the Void occur with little explanation and closure, but there is rich lore awaiting those who take a closer look in The Lands Between.

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

RELATED: The Best Elden Ring Keepsake For Every Character Archetype

Astel, Naturalborn of the Void resembles a giant winged scorpion-esque creature covered in cosmic mineral material, but with a disturbing, human-like head and sets of hands. It towers over the player with its massive pincers and confusing tail while hailing down gravity magic attacks. It seems to have the ability to turn the ceiling of the boss arena into some sort of manifestation of the cosmos as it rains down powerful projectiles, but this cryptic monster is never addressed directly at all despite its status as a major boss. It is only after defeating Astel and piecing together the clues left behind along the way that a picture of this god-like alien's story can be constructed.

Remembrance items gained from bosses follow a genre tradition by offering exposition through Elden Ring's item descriptions, and Astel's offers the most insight into its origin. In this passage, Astel is described to be a malformed star born in the void that "destroyed an Eternal City and took away their sky", a poetic writing that finds itself open to interpretation.

This seems to be the key aspect of Astel's character, as the sorcery "Meteorite of Astel" is further described as the power with which the creature attacked the aforementioned Eternal City. While that presents a rather straightforward narrative at face value, the fact that this sorcery is gained from a mysterious second Astel found in the game begins to challenge a conventional interpretation of the story.

While the Naturalborn of the Void is said to have wrought destruction upon an Eternal City, it is never stated which bore such ruin. The cities of Nokron and Nokstella are found to have their underground night skies still shining brightly over the Nox people, making the notion that Astel destroyed them seem contradictory.

The truth is, however, that the Deeproot Depths was likely the victim of Astel's wrath. The title of the "Nameless Eternal City" Site of Grace within the Deeproot Depths indicates the dilapidated area's history as a third Eternal City that was brought down by the malformed star. The explanation for this attack could be that Astel rebelled against its creators who were attempting to forge a weapon against the Greater Will.

The concept that Astel was created by a wiped-out Nox people that inhabited the Deeproot Depths falls in line with the multiple appearances of the creature and what seem to be related variants of it. The Malformed Star enemies found in the underground ruins around the Eternal Cities greatly resemble Astel, albeit weaker and more juvenile.

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

It stands to reason that all of these "Star" beasts are born in the void, and crash down as meteorites that create craters like what can be seen on Elden Ring's Mt. Gelmir. A natural, healthy version of this creature is the Fallingstar Beast and the Nox may have engineered this creature into Astel, as it also slightly resembles the giant skeletons in thrones found in the Eternal Cities.

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

While Astel's history and value to an Empyrean like Ranni the Witch make sense if the creature is interpreted to be a twisted weapon of the gods, there are still many details that are left up to interpretation. From the mad Radahn's holding back of the stars utilizing gravity magic potentially having major implications for the Naturalborn, to the connection of Astel's boss arena with its neighboring Lake of Rot, it is clear that in true eldritch fashion, the concrete origin of the malformed star is unknowable by design.

Like with many instances of FromSoftware's dark fantasy presentation, ambiguity is used here as a tool to evoke emotion in the player as theories are crafted. But the story of Elden Ring also provides just enough detail for putting together a bigger picture connecting everything, from Astel to The Greater Will.

Elden Ring is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

MORE: Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree DLC Should Take Inspiration from This Location

Cameron Lucas is a video game writer with a passion for recognizing those who bring their wildest visions to life. After years of perfecting his craft, he has developed the knowledge to create truly engaging and memorable experiences for several media platforms.With experience in design and programming, Cameron has a deeper understanding of many facets of the industry. That's why his takes can be relied on for their well-informed quality. With his background, he knows he can provide a unique and valuable perspective to any team.When it comes to working with others, he's a true collaborator who's always down to brainstorm new ideas and approaches. Whether it's discussing what goes into crafting complex game mechanics or weaving captivating storylines, he's up for any challenge that comes his way.So, if you're looking for someone who is dedicated, creative, and slightly quirky with a penchant for snark, then look no further.