Summary

• Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC introduces new theories about characters and the Land of Shadow.
• Radahn's actions are reinterpreted as heroic, potentially delaying Ranni's fate and his own.
• Ambiguous motivation surrounding Radahn's decision to halt the stars leaves room for speculation.

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree brings a massive amount of new content to the Lands Between in the form of the Land of Shadow. That means that there's new lore, and with new lore comes new theories about the Lands Between, the Land of Shadow, and the characters inhabiting both locations. One particular theory that's started floating around with the arrival of the DLC actually paints the actions of a character in a new light that makes him more of a hero. Since fate holds a lot of importance in Elden Ring, holding fate still can either save somebody or ruin their plans entirely.

The base game for Elden Ring gives the Tarnished a few options for different Elden Ring endings depending on the quests they've completed leading up to the final battle. One option, which is the fan-favorite choice, is the Age of Stars ending that comes from completing Ranni the Witch's quests. In it, Ranni sends the Golden Order far away to free the residents of the Lands Between from its influence and ushers in an Age of Stars, whose cold, distant nature lets people choose for themselves the kind of life they want.

A New Theory Suggests A Different Reason As To Why Radahn Stopped The Stars

It Was A Selfless Act

Starscourge Radahn was already described as a hero, as seen in the Starscourge Talisman, which reads "The mightiest hero of the demigods confronted the falling stars alone, and thus did he crush them, his conquest sealing the very fate of the stars." As answer for why Radahn decided to halt the stars — and fate itself — is left to theory and speculation without a definite explanation given in either Elden Ring or its Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. Some motivation is given by the Starscourge Conflict monument, which states that Radahn alone holds Sellia secure, implying that stopping the stars keeps an event from destroying it.

However, there are a few new theories that started circulating with the release of the DLC. All of these give Starscourge Radahn a more active role as the conqueror he's described to be, rather than playing a defensive role in trying to keep cosmic entities from arriving in the Lands Between. Since there are hints that Radahn, Ranni, and Rykard are on decent , shown by Ranni trusting Rykard with part of the Rune of Death and Radahn's portrait being hung in Rykard's manor, it's possible that Radahn held the stars to keep Ranni from being used by the Two Fingers.

Ranni's Fate As An Empyrean & An Opportunity For Radahn

Both Benefit From Fate Being Stopped

By stopping the stars, Radahn stops Ranni's fate of being an Empyrean who's destined to ascend to godhood. If he was aware of her plan to use the Rune of Death and get rid of her flesh, this action could've bought her enough time to execute that plan. With the new information from Shadow of the Erdtree, this would also benefit Radahn by delaying when his vow with Malenia and Miquella would come to fruition. If he wasn't entirely willing to be Miquella's consort but was charmed into agreeing, it would make even more sense that he's delaying both Ranni's fate and his own.

Depending on Radahn's views of the Golden Order, he could've been in league with Ranni the Witch for the Age of Stars ending. Ranni would have enough time to shed her Empyrean flesh and find a Tarnished willing to work with her, and she could send that Tarnished to give Radahn a final battle since he would want to die honorably in a fight. At the same time, if the Tarnished couldn't win against Radahn, they could be seen as unfit to be Ranni's consort. In which case, Radahn would continue holding fate still until a suitable Tarnished faced him.

In the end, there's no conclusive answer about why Radahn decided to hold the stars in stasis, and another theory even suggests that he did it to draw cosmic creatures to the Lands Between in order to defeat them. Whether it was for himself, Ranni, or another reason entirely, it makes Radahn an interesting character to have ambiguous motivation about his defining characteristic. Unfortunately for Radahn, fate needs to be put into motion, so he needs to be killed for the Age of Stars ending and to enter the Land of Shadow in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree.