Bandai Namco and FromSoftware have finally revealed plans for Elden Ring’s first DLC Expansion, which is known as Shadow of the Erdtree. This DLC is currently in development, but still seems to be a ways off.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree Release Image
The artwork that came with the announcement has a few key details. First, the Erdtree is in the background and looks to be in serious disarray. There seems to be ash falling off of the tree and even some sort of golden liquid pouring out of it. It looks withered and even burned, which might point to this DLC taking place after the events of Elden Ring itself.
The second noteworthy detail is that of the blonde figure riding a horse that looks quite similar to the spectral steed Torrent that the player’s Tarnished is bequeathed by Melina. Of course, there is speculation already that this figure is Miquella, brother of Malenia and one of the Empyreans. There isn’t much in Elden Ring about Miquella, which gives the developers a good opportunity to bring him into the DLC expansion.
Of course, if the person on the horse is actually a young Marika, then the DLC could take place before Elden Ring – who knows?
When Will the DLC Release?
FromSoftware and Bandai Namco did not announce a release date. However, both the Artorias of the Abyss DLC for Dark Souls and the Old Hunter DLC for Bloodborne were released a little over a year after the initial game. Elden Ring has been out for a year as well.
However, Elden Ring is a much bigger game than Dark Souls or Bloodborne, so it follows that the developers would take a longer time to come out with a quality DLC expansion for the game. The longer it takes, the better the content will be.
Because of this, speculation points to around six months from now. Another tweet from FromSoftware revealed that the DLC will be releasing on PC as well as previous and current gen consoles.
New Gameplay Mechanics
The next big question is: will there be any gameplay changes to Elden Ring with the DLC expansion? Dark Souls added Dark Magic in its DLC. Bloodborne added new weapons. Both of these add-ons created the possibility for entirely new playthroughs of the game that players couldn’t do before.
There are so many possibilities. Elden Ring could add a new magic type. They could add a new damage type or new status effects. They could add an array of new weapon skills and ashes of war to add to existing weapons. New spirit summons, new sorceries, new incantations, etc. etc. – there are infinite possibilities of new gameplay mechanics that could be added.
What the Fans Want
First, fans definitely want a massive expansion, rather than just a small added dungeon or quest. Elden Ring is a huge, open-world game that has so many interesting and dynamic areas and biomes to explore. A DLC expansion should capitalize on that and add even more explorable space.
The expectations of the DLC are high because Elden Ring surpassed all the expectations that fans had in the first place. As Game of the Year for 2022, Elden Ring has a huge fanbase that is playing the game regularly. There are more and more Tarnished jumping into the Lands Between each and every day.
Fans of Elden Ring that love to dive into the lore of the game by watching videos on YouTube (thank you, VaatiVidya) and holding discussions in the comments will surely be speculating about the DLC propositions. Fans will want to see some cut questlines, like that of Asimi, the conscious Crystal Tear or the Dreambrew quest.
Fans are already theorizing and debating what the image that came with the DLC announcement really means. Some say that the tree in the background may not even be the Erdtree, but the Haligtree. Maybe the Shadow of the Erdtree is a reference to the Haligtree. Maybe the entire expansion takes place in Miquella’s dream world. There are so many possibilities and so many things that the fans want to see.
In any case, a few months from now, their curiosities will be sated and the DLC will arrive. The (hopefully) sizable expansion will see veteran players rejoicing for new content in one of their favorite games.
