The Elden Ring DLC Shadow Of The Erdtree has finally been revealed. In this article, we summarize all the information that is currently available on the upcoming Elden Ring expansion. Furthermore, we take a look into the crystal ball and speculate what kind of story content Shadow Of The Erdtree could include.
Finally, we have more information about the Elden Ring DLC! Shadow of the Erdtree was officially announced – it will be the first major DLC expansion following the free Colosseum update, which enabled PVP combat and a matchmaking system in the titular Colosseums.
The Shadow of the Erdtree DLC is expected to focus on the burnt and diminished state of the Erdtree or potentially a warped version of the Haligtree, depending on who you ask.
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While details about the Elden Ring DLC are limited, we have gathered all the available information to prepare you for the next expansion to the Lands Between.
Elden Ring DLC: What We Can Expect
It is very likely that Elden Ring will get new areas, boss fights, NPC quest lines, lore and more with Shadow of the Erdtree. However, it is important to note that previous DLCs have taken us back in time, so it is possible that Elden Ring will be set in a different period.
This could potentially introduce us to new characters, enemies, and lore that we have only read about up until this point. It is also likely that the expansion will be very challenging, based on previous DLCs by FromSoft.
So far, nothing much has been revealed about Shadow of the Erdtree, except for one gorgeous promo image. What could the image reveal about the upcoming add-on?
What The Promotional Image By FromSoftware Reveals
Shadow of the Erdtree was announced on February 28, 2023. The promotional image for Shadow of the Erdtree DLC gave us limited information, with only a name and a piece of concept art showing a blonde figure on Torrent (or a creature like it) riding towards a damaged version of the Erdtree. The overall look is bleak, even by FromSoftware's standards, with dark skies and ghostly figures in ruins.
As the release of the expansion for Elden Ring draws closer, fans are eagerly dissecting the new feature art released by FromSoftware. There are tons of theories about the Shadow of the Erdtree promo image out there. Here are some of our favorite ones:
Miquella & Torrent
The image depicts an unknown character, riding a Torrent-like horse through a vast field of wheat. Many speculate that the character is likely Miquella, as she is surrounded by abundance (Miquella possesses the rune of abundance) and has the same hairstyle as in the game's opening cinematic.
Torrent is a spectral horse that chooses the player as its rider at the beginning of Elden Ring. The Witch Ranni gives the player the Bell of Beckoning and the Ashes of the Lonely, with reference to Torrent's previous owner. Interestingly, there is a statue in Farum Azula that depicts a child surrounded by three wolves, reminiscent of Miquella. Was Torrent's previous owner Miquella, before the player formed a bond with the trusted steed?
Godwyn's Roots
The tree in the background of the art appears to be a dark Erdtree, possibly strangled by another twisted tree, which lore-expert VaatiVidya suggests could be Godwyn's Deathroot. This would make sense since Godwyn's and Miquella's stories are closely intertwined.
Story Theories & Speculation
Shadow of the Erdtree appears to focus on the diminished, ashy form of the Erdtree, which the player must set on fire to progress in the main story of Elden Ring. The DLC may take place after the main story, as the Erdtree looks burned in the promotional shot.
Even since before the announcement, players have speculated what the DLC could be about. Here are some of the most interesting and plausible theories from the community.
Miquella
There are several characters in Elden Ring who may be connected to the figure shown in the promotional shot. One possibility is that this figure is Miquella, the godly brother of the goddess of rot, Malenia.
Miquella tried to cure his own curse and his sister's rot by creating the Haligtree, but Mohg stole him away in hopes to become his consort. Fia, the deathbed companion, also has a quest related to death and decay and may return in the DLC. Malenia also may have been blonde before she was cursed with the Scarlet Rot.
Another possible interpretation of the "Shadow of the Erdtree" is that it refers to the Haligtree in the Consecrated Snowfields, which was created by Miquella but has wilted and decayed since Miquella's slumber. The promo shot may show the Haligtree in a particularly diminished state.
Miquella's egg, in which the powerful demigod is in a permanent slumber, is another thing that could play a role. If he were to awaken, it could have significant consequences.
Marika & Godfrey
Queen Marika the Eternal, the true queen of the Lands Between, is associated with the Erdtree and her hair seen in the intro cinematic matches that of this new figure. Melina, the Finger Maiden who helps the player level up, may be a secret daughter of Queen Marika and could potentially have hair more like her mother's.
The DLC could explore the formation of the Lands Between and the rise of Marika, who formed the Lands Between with her consort Godfrey and battled giants, dragons, and sorcerers to expand the territory of the deity known as the Greater Will.
This would allow for exploration of a younger, wilder version of the Lands Between and engagement with major characters in the game's lore. It's worth noting that all of these possibilities are speculative and based on educated guesses about FromSoftware's history and the comments made by its creators. Updates will be provided as more information becomes available.
St. Trina & Helphen
It is unclear when or where the expansion takes place, as the landscape looks vastly different from the Lands Between we know. VaatiVidya suggests, that the black tree in the image could be Helphen's black spire, which is described as the dark counterpart to the Erdtree and guides the dead with its light.
This could suggest that the expansion takes place in a ghost world or dream world where Godwyn's Deathroot has spread. This seems plausible since Miquella's female alter ego, St. Trina, is associated with sleep and dreams. She was a traveling healer who left relics of sleep magic through the Sword of Saint Trina and craftable items like sleep arrows. Saint Trina's appearance is enigmatic, as some say she is a comely young girl while others believe that Trina is a boy.
Trina is also presented as an adult woman on her torch that induces sleep. The theory is, that Miquella took the form of Saint Trina until he was ripped from his dreams. The DLC could dive deeper into this theory and reveal more about the mysterious figures St. Trina and Helphen.
Divine Towers
A different theory about the DLC involves the mysterious cloud between the Divine Towers. If you draw a line straight from every tower in the game, they converge around a central point in the middle of the map, obscured by the cloud. It's possible that a future DLC could reveal a new island in this location.
The midpoint between all the divine towers isn't the Erdtree, but instead is this mysterious clouded region... wonder if we'll ever see what's there from Eldenring
Elden Ring DLC: Release Date Expectation
There is no official release date for Shadow of the Erdtree DLC yet, as it is still in development. However, we can look at past FromSoftware games and their DLC release dates to speculate on when it may come out.
For example, Dark Souls took 11 months to release its Artorias of the Abyss DLC, while Dark Souls 2 took 3 months to release its Crown of the Sunken King DLC. Bloodborne took 8 months to release The Old Hunters DLC, and Dark Souls 3 took 7 months to release Ashes of Ariandel DLC. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice never actually got major DLC.
If these examples set a precedent, we may hear about Elden Ring DLC within a year, but this is speculative. Also speculative, but somewhat believeable, is a leak revealing that Shadow of the Erdtree will release after Armored Core 6, FromSoftware's next game.
The return to the studio's classic Mecha franchise is set to release in September or October. That means that you can expect Shadow of the Erdtree to come out in late 2023 or early 2024.
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