Originally released in February 2022, Elden Ring took the gaming world by storm and became so popular that even The New York Times published articles about it. Despite providing expert gamers and novices alike with an intense challenge, it remained a shoe-in for Game of the Year even against the excellent God of War Ragnarok. Now, nearly two years later, there’s a lot of hype surrounding a previously announced expansion called Shadow of the Erdtree.
When is the Elden Ring DLC: Shadow of the Erdtree Release Date?
Because the open-world Elden Ring marks such a huge departure from FromSoftware’s more linear action games, we can’t really rely on the DLC timeline for previous games like Bloodborne or Dark Souls III. Both of those games received substantial expansions roughly within a year of the base game’s launch, and that is not the case here.
Developer FromSoftware released a PVP-focused Colosseum DLC update on a Wednesday in December 2022, but the upcoming Shadow of the Erdtree marks the first major expansion for the smash hit. FromSoftware announced the expansion on February 28, 2023 via Twitter, roughly a year after the game’s initial launch and on a Tuesday. Like most video games, Elden Ring launched on a Friday. Who knows what day of the week Shadow of the Erdtree might fall on?
The tweet notes that the expansion was “currently in development” at the time, and given its timing around the first anniversary, it’s led many to theorize that Shadow of the Erdtree might be release in February 2024. The collectible maker PureArts is slated to release its first piece of Elden Ring merchandise in February. There’s also a supposed leak from controller manufacturer Thrustmaster indicating a February 2024 collaboration timed to the Shadow of the Erdtree release. None of these feel particularly credible, however.
There were also rumors that Shadow of the Erdtree would be released specifically on February 5, but that seems wildly unliked at this point. That particular leaker has also removed their tweet since then.
We also have to remember that hype and speculation around Elden Ring was at a fever pitch for years. It won The Game Awards’ Most Anticipated Game in 2020 and 2021 with constant speculation about the game’s release. For now, we can all hope Shadow of the Erdtree might be released in February, but take it with a healthy dose of skepticism. Elden Ring producer Yashuhiro Kitao told Game Watch in late 2023 that the expansion was “still a little ways off, but progress is going well." That doesn't sound like a developer getting hyped for launch anytime soon.
Is there an Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree Trailer?
Thus far, the only media we have from Shadow of the Erdtree is the teaser image released with the February 2023 tweet. The Colosseum update was announced the day before its launch with a trailer, so it’s possible Shadow of the Erdtree will have a similar timeline between reveal and launch. Whenever it does drop, the trailer is likely to focus on the story just as much as the gameplay, along with new gameplay features like weapons, spells, armor, and enemies.
What is Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree?
Firm details are scant when it comes to the expansion.
“Rise, Tarnished, and let us walk a new path together,” the original announcement reads. “An upcoming expansion for #ELDENRING Shadow of the Erdtree, is currently in development. We hope you look forward to new adventures in the Lands Between.”
Nothing else is confirmed about the expansion thus far, but the teaser image depicts a massive, decaying tree in the distance that’s presumably the golden Erdtree prominently featured throughout the base game. Whether this takes place in the distant past or sometime after the events of the game is uncertain.
In the foreground, a humanoid figure with long blonde hair rides what appears to be Torrent, the spectral steed the player rides in Elden Ring. It looks pretty much identical: a white-maned horse with goat-like horns. Early in the base game, Ranni the Witch appears to the player and gives them the Spirit Calling Bell (the item that summons spirits from ashen remains), saying, “I was entrusted this, for thee. By Torrent's former master.” We never learn anything else about that former master, but they could be the focus of the expansion.
One of the more popular — and likely theories — is that the figure is none other than Miquella, an Empyrean, or demigod, within Elden Ring lore that’s mostly just hinted at in the lore tidbits of various items. Malenia, the ultra-hard end-game boss, is Miquella’s twin sister. Because we’re dealing with gods, much like in Greek and Roman mythology, gender and form are often fluid. One obscure piece of lore actually confirms that Malenia and Miquella’s parents, Queen Marika and Radagon of the Golden Order, were in fact that same god. There’s also a lot of evidence to suggest that St. Trina may be Miquella’s female form, so it makes a lot of sense that this figure riding Torrent looks androgynous.
Malenia was cursed with the Scarlet Rot and Miquella was cursed with eternal childhood. Miquella originally worshipped the Elden Ring and Erdtree as a Golden Order fundamentalist but over time sought alternative ways to cure him and his sister of their afflictions. This led him to create the Haligtree and embed himself inside it as a cocoon in the hopes of birthing a new Erdtree. The player encounters this cocoon after it’s been abducted from the Haligtree but cannot interact with it. Could the DLC change that scene and establish a new endgame questline, perhaps introducing a different ending where a different Empyrean ascends to godhood?
Elden Ring’s incredibly dense lore is tied up with Outer Gods, celestial beings that seem to be omniscient and omnipotent but exist solely beyond the Lands Between. The Elden Ring itself, the Erdtree, and Queen Marika all get godly power directly from an entity called the Greater Will that seems like an Outer God. Most of the game’s endings involve other Outer Gods using you to reshape the Lands Between in their image or one of Marika’s offspring using you to achieve godhood to do the same.
Marika shattered the Elden Ring after her firstborn and most beloved son Godwyn was killed, out of grief and spiritual crisis. That in turn led to a war amongst all the demigods that plunged the Lands Between into chaos. It all speaks to the prevalent theme of dwindling faith. Melina, the maiden demigod who guides you early in your journey, explains that Marika essentially divorced and banished her first husband Godfrey because of the blind faith he and his followers had for the Golden Order. Her union with Radagon (which is another form of herself) led to the birth of Melina, Malenia, and Miquella. Therefore, each of them fundamentally represent a sort of religious skepticism and rejection of the Greater Will, the Erdtree, and the Elden Ring.
Now, there’s also a Great Tree that predates the Erdtree, and it’s heavily implied that they’re the same object. The teaser image may be of the Great Tree in a previous age, but it does look more like a sick Erdtree that’s leaking golden sap.
How Much will Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree cost?
Previously FromSoftware DLC has cost roughly between $14.99 and $24.99 and, in some cases involves a more expensive Season Pass that grants access to all upcoming DLC. The previous PVP-focused Colosseum update was free, but that’s not likely to be the case for Shadow of the Erdtree.
The upcoming expansion will probably cost at least $24.99, but if FromSoftware confirms the existence of future DLC in the pipeline, then the company will likely advertise a more costly Season Pass model.
How to Prepare for Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
Historically, all of the DLC for FromSoftware’s games is not exclusively end-game content. In other words, you probably don’t need to beat Elden Ring to access Shadow of the Erdtree. If it’s a flashback like some theories indicate, then it could be a standalone adventure. But it’s far more likely that the expansion will instead literally expand upon the game that’s already there by adding new areas to explore and enemies to fight.
Lorehounds out there ought to replay the game to explore the the various endings to better comprehend the convoluted lore. Beyond that, the best thing you can do is inch your way towards collecting everything you can by following these guides:
