FromSoftware just announced the long-awaited DLC forElden Ringin the most FromSoftware of ways - a Tweet out of the blue with very few details.Still, with rumours swirling and some evocative art to examine, we’ve got some key details to share about Shadow of the Erdtree - read on to find out more.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree announcement
As we mentioned above, there was basically no fanfare or lead-up to FromSoftware’s announcement whatsoever, just a sudden Tweet.
That said, it had long been heavily rumoured that a major DLC was in the works, not least because almost every FromSoftware game has gone on to receive big post-launch additions.
Creator Hidetaka Miyazaki had also said while picking up the top award at The Game Awards in late 2022 that the team still had more plans for Elden Ring, so this wasn’t a huge surprise.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree release date
We don’t yet have a release date for Shadow of the Erdtree - which means it could be a little way off, still. We’d assume that FromSoftware is aiming to get it out in 2023, though.
After all, Elden Ring has been a huge success for the developer but it will still want to capitalise on that by minimising the gap between the game’s release and its DLC’s arrival, and that gap has already stretched to basically a year.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree platforms
You can expect Shadow of the Erdtree to arrive on all the same platforms that Elden Ring did, meaning that every player will have the chance to buy and play the DLC.
This means it will come to PC, PS5 and PS4, Xbox Series X and S, and Xbox One, just like the base game did.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree story
Now, here’s where things get a little interesting. You might think we have very little to go on when it comes to divining the story of Shadow of the Erdtree, but that first teaser image is actually rich with detail.
Firstly, the Erdtree itself looks like it’s there on the left of the picture, clearly burnt to a crisp but with a golden seam running through it - is this sap or a still-raging fire? Either way, it potentially confirms that the DLC takes place after the end of the base game since one of our Tarnished’s final acts is to set the Erdtree aflame in one of a couple of ways.
Some are theorising that the image actually shows the burnt Erdtree being smothered by a new growth, perhaps born out of the death blight that has been spreading from Godwyn’s corpse in the Lands Between.
On the other side of the image is an equally interesting and telling part - our player’s steed, Torrent, bearing a small blonde figure.
Those who know Elden Ring’s lore well will recognise this as most likely Miquella, the demigod abducted by Mohg and stolen from his sister Malenia. Miquella is blessed or cursed with a sort of eternal youth, explaining his diminutive size.
In the coming days, there will be much speculation about what the precise story of the DLC will be, but we can be fairly confident that it’ll be post-game, and will finally uncover more of the mysterious lore surrounding Miquella and his powers.
Given that Miquella built the Haligtree as an alternative haven to the Erdtree, perhaps we’ll be trying to repair the Erdtree in some way, or to save it from a new corruption.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree gameplay
One more key detail from that teaser image that reflects on the DLC’s gameplay is that its huge field of wheat, littered with spectral graves and weapons, doesn’t seem to be included anywhere in the game right now.
So, hopefully, we’re getting a new in-game area to explore, with new dungeons and enemies in it to make things nice and fresh. The wording of the announcement makes it sound like we will still be in the Lands Between, though, so we won’t be swapping to a new realm entirely.
We’d assume that there will be plenty of new weaponry to try out, alongside new Ashes of War and Spirit Ashes to help us in combat.
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