Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition

Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition is the Nintendo Switch 2 version of FromSoftware’s 2022 action role-playing game, published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. Announced during the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct on April 2, 2025, it brings Elden Ring to Nintendo hardware for the first time. The package combines the original game with Shadow of the Erdtree, the substantial expansion first released for other platforms in June 2024.

The story begins after the Shattering, a war caused by the destruction of the Elden Ring. Queen Marika the Eternal has disappeared, and her demigod children possess Great Runes, fragments whose power helped drive their conflict. The player creates one of the Tarnished, exiles recalled to the Lands Between by the guidance of grace. Their quest is to defeat major shardbearers, gather Great Runes, reach the Erdtree, and pursue the title of Elden Lord. The journey is shaped by choices involving figures and forces such as Melina, Ranni, the Two Fingers, and the Frenzied Flame.

Combat mixes deliberate melee attacks, blocking, dodging, spellcasting, ranged weapons, and summonable Spirit Ashes. Sites of Grace function as checkpoints, while runes earned from enemies serve as both experience points and currency; unspent runes are dropped upon death and can be recovered from that location. The open world links fields, caves, catacombs, castles, and intricate Legacy Dungeons. Torrent, the spectral steed, enables rapid travel and mounted combat. Cooperative multiplayer allows summoned allies, while invasions permit hostile players to enter another world. Asynchronous features include player-written messages and bloodstains showing others’ deaths.

Shadow of the Erdtree is accessed through Mohg’s palace after key progression requirements are met. It sends the Tarnished into the Realm of Shadow, where Miquella has traveled and where Messmer the Impaler commands a destructive campaign. The expansion adds regions, bosses, dungeons, weapons, spells, and progression blessings based on Scadutree Fragments and Revered Spirit Ashes.

Tarnished Edition also includes new equipment and appearance options for Torrent. Bandai Namco stated that this additional material would also be offered separately as the Tarnished Pack for existing editions on other platforms. The Switch 2 release was initially announced for 2025, but FromSoftware later postponed it to 2026, saying extra development time was needed for performance adjustments. This edition therefore represents a platform-specific compilation rather than a sequel: it preserves the Lands Between campaign and folds the Erdtree expansion into the Nintendo release, alongside the newly announced cosmetic and equipment additions.