Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree - What we Know & Theories!

Two years after its release, From Software announces the first DLC for Elden Ring, which will be released on June 21, 2024. Through the trailer, we are introduced to a new area, new bosses, mechanics and challenges. We will know much more about Queen Marika's story, the steps Miquella took when heading to this new area, and face countless challenges.

If you haven't seen the trailer yet, check it out below!

The Story so far…

In Shadow of the Erdtree, we will be introduced to the Land of Shadow. Taking place in a region outside the Lands Between, this new region was previously part of the map we already know, however because of events still unknown, it was taken to another plane.

The Land of Shadow was where Queen Marika first set foot when she came into the world. Miquella will be the central character of this DLC, where we will follow its steps in these unknown lands, in addition to discovering what Marika did in this first contact with the Lands Between and why Miquella followed her, as stated by Miyazaki himself in an interview to Famitsu.

Miyazaki also commented that Miquella will have other NPCs following it, and who will cross the player's path, at times as allies and at others as enemies.

Denying some rumors that the DLC would take place in the past, due to the history of several DLCs linked to the Souls games taking place during this period, Miyazaki stated that Shadow of Erdtree takes place at the same time as the main plot. The story of Queen Marika and the Land of Shadow's past will be told in the DLC in the same way as the breaking of the Elden Ring was told in the base game.

George R. R. Martin created the universe behind Elden Ring, and this was a fraction that had been left aside to be worked on as extra content.

Map Size

According to Miyazaki, this DLC is the biggest project From Software has done so far. Previously, The Old Hunters was the longest Souls-Like expansion, averaging eight hours in length.

The map will be approximately the size of Limgrave, the starting area of the base game. Remembering that this area takes an average of 15 hours to explore, so we can expect something around that in the DLC which, according to the creator himself, is much denser than Limgrave.

According to him, a richer Level Design was created, mixing Legacy Dungeons (the game's main dungeons) with open areas, giving a new way of presenting the exploration of these lands to the player.

Weapons and News

The trailer introduces new weapons, spells and Weapon Art. According to Miyazaki, the new expansion will add eight new types of weapons! In it, we see a fight with a being with a lion's face and its movements are similar to a dance. All of this is intentional and refers to the culture that exists in the Land of Shadow. The movements, in fact, are very similar to those performed by Malenia's master, the Blind Swordsman.

Difficulty

With approximately more than ten new bosses, Miyazaki guaranteed that the battles will be challenging, having the same mechanics as the base game, where we will have difficulty advancing at a given moment, but thanks to the freedom to explore, we will be able to strengthen ourselves beforehand before moving on again to the clash against a difficult boss.

Messmer

Messmer will be one of the bosses we will face throughout the DLC. For collectors, a figure will be available to those who purchase the collector's version of this content.

In the trailer, we can see Messmer sitting on a throne, the same one we saw in the fight against Margott in the base game, being on the same level as characters like Godrick, Malenia, Radahn, Rykard. Miyazaki said that he is also referred to as a son of Marika.

Speculations and Theories