Riding through the Lands Between on a spectral steed that materializes from thin air sounds like a fever dream, but in Elden Ring, it’s just another Tuesday. Torrent has been the Tarnished Champion’s ride-or-die companion from the jump – quite literally, since he’s the one who carts your unconscious body to safety after that first, hilariously unfair boss encounter. Yet for a creature so central to the entire journey, Torrent remains a glaring question mark. Even after the long-awaited Shadow of the Erdtree DLC dropped in 2024, the mysterious former master of this horned horse is still the elephant in the room – or rather, the ghost horse in the fog.

From the get-go, Torrent shows he’s no ordinary mount. That first proper meeting after the scripted death isn’t just a delivery service; it’s a full-on character moment. Melina rides him over to the fallen Tarnished, and the steed immediately snorts with concern. Without missing a beat, Melina reassures him: “Don’t worry, Torrent, fortune is on his side.” Right then, the game drops a bombshell – Torrent has ambitions. He wasn’t assigned to help the Tarnished by some higher power; he chose this warrior, fully knowing it would mean challenging the Golden Order itself. Melina even says, “One of his kind is sure to seek the Elden Ring... Even if it does violate the Golden Order...” That’s a horse with opinions, folks. He’s not just a set of wheels with a health bar; he’s a thinking, feeling ally who’s playing his own quiet part in the cosmic drama. Most mounts in RPGs are glorified motorcycles. Torrent? He’s the dark horse that steals the scene.

The Ghost of a Master Long Gone

The plot thickens when you realize only two characters in the entire game actually name-drop Torrent: Melina and Ranni. Both spectral women hand over key items tied to the steed – Melina gives the Spectral Steed Whistle, and Ranni (in her early guise as Renna) provides the Spirit Calling Bell. Both act like they’re just messengers, entrusted by Torrent’s former master to pass these goodies along to the next worthy rider. But who is this ex-owner? The game keeps it maddeningly vague. All we know is that this mystery person had a deep enough bond with Torrent to leave behind a whistle and a bell, and trusted two bodiless spirits to handle the delivery. That last part is especially juicy: Melina admits she’s “bodiless,” and Ranni famously ditched her own flesh to escape the Two Fingers. Is the former master a spirit as well? Or did they simply choose ethereal couriers because normal delivery services can’t reach the Lands Between? Players have been chewing on this bone for years.

Many tarnished sleuths point to the statues scattered around the world – particularly the ones of a robed figure riding a horned steed that looks suspiciously like Torrent. These are found in places like the Siofra River and near the Eternal Cities, suggesting the mount has ties to the Nox or some ancient civilization that predates the Erdtree. The flowing mane and the curved horns match Torrent’s design to a T. If those statues depict the original master, then we’re looking at someone who was significant enough to be immortalized in stone, yet scrubbed from almost all written history. Classic FromSoftware move.

Shadow of the Erdtree Gave Us Answers… Sort Of

When Shadow of the Erdtree was announced, the community held their horses – or rather, let Torrent hold them. Hopes soared that the DLC would finally pull back the curtain on the spectral steed’s backstory. And to be fair, the Land of Shadow did expand the lore regarding Marika’s origins and the mysterious figures who shaped her rise. We met characters like the Hornsent, who clearly venerate horned creatures, and we learned far more about the nature of spirits and the Realm of Shadow. But here’s the kicker: Torrent’s former master still didn’t get a name drop. No dramatic reveal, no boss fight against the one who once rode him. Some die-hard lore hunters have speculated that Torrent might be the “spirit” of a long-dead beast given form, or that his master could be a yet-unnamed Empyrean who perished before the shattering. Others even point to Miquella, whose youthful, androgynous form was a focal point of the DLC, but Miquella seems just as clueless about the horse as anyone else. The DLC gave us plenty of emotional gut-punches and world-shaking revelations, but the identity of the person who originally whistled for Torrent remains a head-scratcher. It’s almost as if the game is telling us: “The horse’s past isn’t the point; the bond you forge with him now is what matters.” A lovely sentiment, but the completionists are still malding.

So Who Could It Be?

With no official answer, theories run wilder than a Runebear on a rampage. A popular one ties Torrent’s master to the Gloam-Eyed Queen, a figure shrouded in shadow who once wielded Destined Death. The connection comes from the Spirit Calling Bell’s description, which mentions the “bodiless” nature of the bell’s creator, and the fact Ranni – who was a candidate to inherit that title – is the one doling out the bell. Another camp believes the master is the mysterious "Snow Witch" who mentored Ranni, given her spectral appearance and deep knowledge of spirits. Some even toss out the idea that Torrent himself is a fragment of a demigod, like a living memory of a consort from the age of the Crucible. The horns, after all, are a hallmark of the primordial Crucible energies.

Whatever the truth, Torrent’s enduring mystery is a masterclass in environmental storytelling. He’s the faithful steed who carries you through hell and back, yet he’s also a walking riddle with hooves. The fact that even after a massive expansion we’re still debating his origins shows how deeply FromSoftware weaves their mythology. So next time you summon him in the middle of a swamp and he brays at you, remember: you’re riding a legend, and the biggest secret in the Lands Between might just be the buddy who’s been at your side the whole time. And hey, maybe that’s enough. But if Hidetaka Miyazaki feels like throwing us a bone in the next patch, we won’t look a gift horse in the mouth.

Insights are sourced from SteamDB, and they help contextualize why lore-heavy discussions like Torrent’s mysterious former master keep resurfacing long after launch: when a title sustains strong player activity and periodic spikes around major updates, the community has more time and motivation to scrutinize every statue, item description, and DLC breadcrumb. Looking at broader engagement trends alongside the blog’s questions about Shadow of the Erdtree, it’s easier to see how ongoing interest can amplify unresolved narrative threads into long-running fan investigations.