Announcing Elden Ring’s First Major Expansion “Shadow of the Erdtree”: All the Details

FromSoftware has announced the first major expansion for Elden Ring. In a tweet, the studio confirmed that the DLC is currently in development and is called “Shadow of the Erdtree”. The 2022 Game Awards Game of the Year winner celebrated its one-year anniversary on February 25, leaving fans disappointed when no new content was revealed. Three days later, the company unveiled key artwork, which includes several hints about what to expect from the expansion. A blog post is also released, confirming that Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC will be available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S/X. FromSoftware, however, did not specify a release date. launch for the upcoming expansion.

“The follow-up report is still a bit early, but I’d appreciate it if you looked forward to it,” reads a direct Google translation of the Japanese Elden Ring blog post. As with most announcements, FromSoftware continues to remain cryptic in its approach, offering nothing but scenic imagery, featuring an open field with two trees intertwined in the distance, the roots of which are presumably corrupted by Deathblight. , a status effect that impales enemies to death in-game. Upon closer inspection, you’ll notice that one of the trees is severely damaged and leaking golden sap, causing its leaves and branches to lose their luster and turn dark. On the far right, you see a mysterious blonde figure riding a horse that looks a lot like Torrent, the summonable spectral steed our maiden Melina grants access to in the main game.

It has been widely speculated through data mining and theories that the Elden Ring DLC ​​will focus on Miquella to some degree. Cursed to stay young forever, he set out to create the Haligtree to grow into an adult, and in the process rid himself of the rot that devoured his Empyrean sister Malenia. However, before he could complete the task, his uncle Mohg, Lord of Blood, kidnapped him and placed him in the center of the Mohgwyn Dynasty Mausoleum, hoping to rule together. Players might recognize a strange-looking cocoon/egg in this arena, in which Miquella is in a deep sleep. Although there’s no official confirmation, we can assume the intertwining trees in question are the Haligtree, while the character itself is most likely Miquella, given the hairstyle consisting of long braids and the loose outfit. . Between the two is a wide open field, populated by ghostly tombstones that seem to have heavy lore implications.

Right around The Game Awards 2022, Elden Ring received its first minor DLC – the Coliseum – focused on PvP content, opening doors to select arenas for players to join in combat. Last week, publisher Bandai Namco confirmed that Elden Ring had sold over 20 million copies worldwide in less than a year. For comparison, their 2016 title Dark Souls 3 took four years to cross the 10 million mark. In a recent interview, game director Hidetaka Miyazaki acknowledged the success of Elden Ring, but claimed that it wouldn’t affect what kind of projects they would work on next. “We basically continue to make the game that we want to make, and that’s our policy. It’s very simple,” he said.

Once ready, the Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree expansion will be available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S/X.