Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree – Everything We Know

#FromSoftware has a special place in Dark Fantasy and Souls-like fans’ hearts for its amazing releases. The developer is known for dropping hits, from the multiple-award winner Elden Ring to classics like Blood Borne, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, and Dark Souls. Elden Ring fans will be in for an even better experience with the game, thanks to the developer’s heed to your requests. FromSoftware is releasing an expansion dubbed Shadow of the Erdtree that promises an all-new story set unfolding on a new map. Here is everything we know about Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree. 

What is Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree?

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is an action role-playing game and an expansion of FromSoftware’s original game, Elden Ring. It’s a large-scale base-game expansion, and players must have the original Elden Ring installation to play the DLC. With this expansion, the developers introduce a deepened third-person perspective RPG with fresh features and a more expansive game world in Land of Shadow. Players will now traverse seamlessly back and forth and beyond the Lands Between. 

Like the main entry’s map, the Land of Shadow tosses players into new, strange lands filled with dark secrets. The queen, Marika, first entered the area that the Erdtree was concealing. Uncover the mysteries and explore the uncharted territories with precarious dungeons while encountering formidable enemies. Watch drama and intrigue interweave in this FromSoftware and Bandai Namco Entertainment-published classic. 

Story

In the base game, the story revolves around Marika, the queen of the fictional Lands Between. The immortal queen, who previously ruled the land, was also the keeper of the Elden Ring. It’s a powerful force, representing the land’s physical concept of the Golden Order. But when Marika shatters the Elden Ring and disappears, her offspring, the demigods, pick up a fight over the Ring’s pieces, the shards or Great Runes. Each holds a piece of the Runes that bequeaths them an inglorious power.

Miquella is one of Marika’s demigod children, known to be the greatest Empyrean, meaning the best candidate to succeed Marika. In Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, he is at the center of the story as other bosses follow in his footsteps with ill motives. He is known as Miquella of the Haligtree, which he created to heal his curse and that of his twin brother Malenia. Miquella is cursed to remain a kid forever, while his brother Melania is rot-afflicted. 

In the main story, Miquella appears only in his cocoon form and is still in that form in the Shadow of the Erdtree teaser. He will be at the doorway to the Land of Shadow and perhaps remain in that form throughout the entire DLC. The fearsome Empyrean stripped himself of his flesh, strength, and lineage. However, he was stolen before he could grow his Haligtree to its full potential. Mohg, the Lord of Blood, sought to make Miquella a god and become his consort. However, Miquella couldn’t become a god, as he had already divested his flesh. 

Miquella is now said to await a promised lord, while his Haligtree shelters the meek and those afflicted with a curse. He will guide the Tarnished in the DLC’s Land of Shadow as they follow in his steps with ulterior motives. 

Gameplay

Just like the main game, the upcoming expansion is an action RPG, in which gamers play from a third-person perspective. The gameplay is set in an open world. As such, the lovers of exploring the Lands Between are be in for a new experience in the Land of Shadow. However, whether the new map will have multiple locations, such as the Lands Between Caelid and Limgrave, is still unclear. And although Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree follows a new storyline, its gameplay isn’t much different from the base game’s. Only those players are now following up on Miquella’s journey rather than the Light of Grace. Players will explore the Land of Shadow, full of mystery and scary dungeons. New menacing foes loiter on the land, but you have the weapons and equipment to face them. 

The game features new and expanded abilities and items. They range from the weapon and weapon skills to the equipment and magic unseen in the original game. Immerse yourself in an uncharted world with new adversaries as new boss fights and plotlines. You will still traverse the land on a steed torrent but in an all-new land with a different set of dark secrets. 

Development

After launching Elden Ring on February 25, 2022, FromSoftware is releasing Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree as a DLC that will include changes that fans have requested. The expansion will include changes like the Bandai Namco logo and item inventory identifiers. FromSoftware is famous for maintaining a good track record for DLCs. So, while the expansion hasn’t been long in development, the fact that they incorporated even the minor fans’ requests makes them crave its release. But even more enticing is that players' inventory access becomes hassle-free. 

Trailer

FromSoftware dropped Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree’s official gameplay reveal trailer. Fans can see the 03:06-minute video on the game’s Steam page and pre-order. Miquella’s role in the Shadow of the Erdtree is apparent from the video. The land is forsaken, and as the voice says, blood must spill. The action unfolds in what seems to be an epic drama with intense gore. It begins with your character on the steed torrent before the enemy bosses appear. Watch the enemies spill the blood of the Erdtree faithful. And they are not saints. They only happen to be on the losing side of the battle. 

Release Date & Platforms

Elden Ring’s expansion will launch on June 21, 2024. The game will be available with a single download code for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S. 

So, what’s your take on the upcoming Elden Ring DLC? Do you think it will be better than the base game? Let us know your thoughts here on our socials or down in the comments.