Elden Ring is set to receive a large DLC expansion with Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree and after years of waiting, there’s finally a release date to mark down and enemies to start planning for.
The 2022 game of the year left fans clamoring for more, even after thoroughly exploring the Lands Between. While fans generally expected a large paid DLC, it wasn’t guaranteed. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice was a popular game that performed well at retail, but never got a sizable expansion of its own.
After shipping multiple free content updates, FromSoftware officially confirmed the Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree expansion. The reveal came in the form of a tweet and a single piece of artwork, but the response was still enormous. It took more than a year for anything else to be revealed but eventually, trailers started coming through.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree release date confirmed
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree will come out on June 21, 2024. The release date reveal came suddenly after a year of silence and the actual launch is more than two years removed from the base game.
Previous FromSoftware games’ DLC have come out much faster. Dark Souls 3: Ashes of Ariandel and Bloodborne: The Old Hunters came out eight months after their games first hit the market. On the flipside, it took over a year for Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree to even be announced. This announcement was preceded by multiple free DLC updates, but it was still an unusual move for the studio.
While many hints and leaks hinted at a February 2024 release date, the DLC was instead revealed in February. The long wait for the DLC may have stemmed from FromSoftware’s business dealings. Ahead of the DLC’s official reveal, FromSoftware secured full ownership of the Elden Ring IP from Bandai Namco.
FromSoftware is an iconic developer unto itself, but it’s also partly owned by massive tech conglomerates Tencent Holdings and Sony. The goal for both is to turn Elden Ring into a larger cross-media IP and game franchise. This would make it somewhat akin to Pokemon, with a catalog of games, TV shows, movies, and more. Fans have seen some of this with an Elden Ring webtoon and manga series.
Regardless, the Elden Ring DLC is likely to be the last paycheck that Bandai Namco gets from the game.
How long is Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree?
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is estimated to be between 30 and 40 hours long.
That number was coyly offered up by Elden Ring director Hidetaka Miyazaki himself. He initially declined to answer questions on it, citing the fan response to him under-selling the base game’s length.
That’s a substantial length of time, as a playthrough of Elden Ring normally lasts anywhere from 50 to 100 hours. Those who want to start it will need to do a bit of legwork before doing so, however. Miyazaki confirmed that the Elden Ring DLC is a late-game affair, with players needing to beat two specific shard bearers before they can head to the Land of Shadow.
Who is Miquella in Elden Ring?
Miquella the Unalloyed is an important background character in the lore of Elden Ring who doesn’t properly appear in the base version of the game.
They are the sibling of Malenia and the child of Queen Marika and Radagon. They seemingly created or helped grow the Haligtree. Miquella was probably the character shown riding Torrent in the first piece of Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree artwork.
All fans see of Miquella in the base game is the arm that falls out of the cocoon in Mohg, Lord of Blood’s boss arena. There are still many hints that Miquella is a significant character.
Numerous characters discuss protecting or helping Miquella, including Malenia, Mohg, and various phantoms. This suggests that Miquella has a grand plan of some sort, but their true goal is uncertain. The two most likely goals are ending Marika’s control of the Elden Ring or resurrecting his dead sibling, Godwyn the Golden.
Ranni the Witch and the spectral steed Torrent also likely had a relationship with Miquella. When Ranni first appears in the Church of Elleh, she gives the player the Spirit Summoning Bell and the Lone Wolves Spirit Ash. She states that she was entrusted to give these items to the Tarnished by “Torrent’s former master.”
Further suggesting that these came from Miquella are statues in Crumbling Farum Azula showing a long-haired child surrounded by wolves. The child in these statues resembles the character in similar statues around the Haligtree, where Miquella and Malenia are worshipped. Odds are that questions surrounding these figures will be answered in the Elden Ring DLC.
What will be in the Elden Ring DLC expansion?
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree will add a new legacy dungeon, new weapons and spells, and more bosses.
FromSoftware’s DLCs are typically very strong. Dark Souls 3: The Ringed City, Bloodborne: The Old Hunters, and Dark Souls: Artorias of the Abyss were all critically acclaimed. Even the “Crown Trilogy” of Dark Souls 2 and Dark Souls 3: Ashes of Ariandel are considered generally strong despite being panned by a vocal portion of the FromSoftware fanbase.
Elden Ring’s DLC takes things even further, though. Shadow of the Erdtree is set to expand upon every facet of the game in a significant way. The new Land of Shadow area expands the map with a new area and adds over 100 new weapons to collect. Players can use these tools to take on tens of new bosses including the newly introduced demigod Messmer the Impaler.
Will Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree be free?
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree will not be free.
The Elden Ring team released multiple free DLCs with no buildup or teases. This included various patches to PvP combat, fixing questlines, and making additions to the game. These were interwoven with content updates that added NPCs like Jar Bairn and expanded the questlines for Nepheli Loux and Juno Hoslow.
Arguably the biggest was the Colosseum Update that opened the doors to the colosseums dotted around the Lands Between. This gave proper, structured PvP in an arena rather than the more traditional experience of hiding around corners in areas inhabited by monsters. While all of these were free, that won’t be the case with Shadow of the Erdtree.
How much will the Elden Ring DLC cost?
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree costs $40.
That’s very expensive for any DLC, but that’s especially the case with FromSoftware. The asking price for Soulsborne DLC has traditionally been between $10 and $20. Dark Souls: Artorias of the Abyss cost $15, Dark Souls 3’s expansions were $20 apiece, and the Dark Souls 2 “Crown” DLCs were each $10. Bloodborne: The Old Hunters also cost $20.
Dark Souls 3: The Ringed City and Bloodborne: The Old Hunters were massive in scope, adding multiple large areas. The fact that Elden Ring’s DLC will cost double their initial asking price speaks to the amount of content on offer and the game’s enduring popularity.
More than two years removed from the initial release date, Elden Ring remains a favorite among many from streamers like Kai Cenat to professional wrestlers like Randy Orton. The fact that there’s still buzz around the game after so long is a major reason why Bandai Namco can ask for that much.
Will the Elden Ring DLC update come out on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC?
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is coming to PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. This means that all Elden Ring players will have the ability to pick up the DLC, regardless of which platform they play on.
This should be a relief to Elden Ring players who have the PS4 or Xbox One as their go-to consoles.
Though both platforms continue to get major releases into 2024, some developers have washed their hands of past-gen hardware. Games like Cyberpunk 2077 stopped supporting the PS4 and Xbox One versions after a point, even as DLC shipped on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. Others like Mortal Kombat 1 have implemented new or improved features for PS5, PC, And Xbox Series X/S, but not Nintendo Switch.
On the flipside, everyone who purchased Elden Ring will have the opportunity to play Shadow of the Erdtree on the day it launches.
