After a great deal of hype and theories that Elden Ring developer FromSoftware might launch the hotly anticipated Shadow of the Erdtree DLC sometime in February 2024, the official gameplay reveal trailer released Wednesday has finally confirmed an official release date.
Nearly two years after the launch of 2022's critically acclaimed game of the year, FromSoftware announced a June 21, 2024 release date for Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree.
The Cocoon of the Empyrean & Miquella
The 3-minute trailer opens on what appears to be a Finger Maiden looking towards something called the Cocoon of the Empyrean. It appears in the base game within the room where players fight the optional boss Mohg, Lord of Blood. In the hopes of becoming the Elden Lord himself, Mohg abducted Miquella from the Haligtree, where he had been slumbering to grow into an adult and find a way to cure his twin sister Malenia of her scarlet rot.
Cut content previously indicated that Miquella was in the world of his dream, but Shadow of the Erdtree’s official description changes that considerably:
“The Land of Shadow. A place obscured by the Erdtree. Where the goddess Marika first set foot. A land purged in an unsung battle. Set ablaze by Messmer’s flame. It was to this land that Miquella departed. Divesting himself of his flesh, his strength, his lineage. Of all things Golden. And now Miquella awaits the return of his promised Lord.”
Confirming a lot of previous speculation, the expansion does indeed focus a lot on Miquella.
“Pure and radiant, he wields love to shrive clean the hearts of men,” a male voice says in the DLC’s trailer. “There is nothing more terrifying.” He’s undoubtedly speaking about Miquella here. In the lore, Miquella seems to have a magical ability to compel the affection of others, essentially bewitching them — which could also explain Mohg's obsession with him.
The trailer then shifts into cinematic gameplay mode as the player rides Torrent through several areas and walks in different environments.
The Erdtree Faithful
“In that forsaken place, blood must spill — the blood of your fellows, the Erdtree faithful,” another male voice says as we see several different enemies, along with what looks like White Mask Varre crumpled on the ground. If you pursue Varre’s questline in the base game, it’s revealed that he’s a disciple of Mohg which is an interesting connection to highlight here.
The “Erdtree faithful” refers to the Golden Order, those who follow Queen Marika, the Immortal. She was a vessel for the Elden Ring and became a god but destroyed the Ring and confined the Rune of Death, making herself and her offspring immortal. In several of the base game’s endings, the player becomes the new Elden Lord by solidifying their faith in the Golden Order and Marika. Shadow of the Erdtree could seemingly offer an alternate ending that more closely resembles the one that focuses on Ranni where the Golden Order and Marika are destroyed and replaced with a new god.
“They were never saints,” a female voice says. “They just happened to be on the losing side of the war.” That’s when we see what might be some kind of Fire Giant, a race of beings that waged a war against the Golden Order long before the start of the game. They were notably on the losing side of that war.
Messmer's Flame
Then there’s another boss who could be an Empyrean with a canine face and glowing green eyes who uses what looks like a Blackflame breath attack and wields lightning.
One of the final shots shows a figure with red hair wielding some kind of flame. “Mother, wouldst thou truly Lordship sanction,” he says as serpents swirl around behind him, “in one so bereft of light?” A later bit of voiceover mentions "Messmer's Flame," so this is either Messmer or a version of Miquella. (They do bear a striking resemblance to his twin Malenia.)
Then we see a series of epic combat encounters showcasing all sorts of abilities and enemies.
“Come, now. Touch the withered arm, and travel to the realm of shadow,” the same female voice that talked about the war says. “I will not be far behind. May we meet again.”
It seems likely then that we will travel to the Land of Shadow by touching Miquella's withered arm in this very location, and the female voice we hear speaking is the one that appears at the start of the trailer.
The trailer ends with an angelic blonde figure gazing out over the shadowy Erdtree, and that's undoubtedly Miquella. Are you the Lord he's qaiting for?
