After almost a year of waiting, fans finally know the release date for the Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree expansion DLC.
While an Elden Ring DLC was confirmed in February 2023 by FromSoftware, the company hasn’t said a word since. The only actual news to come out on it since has been FromSoftware’s parent company, Kadokawa Corporation, assuring shareholders that everything is going fine. It was a situation reminiscent of the original launch of Elden Ring, where the game was revealed at E3 2019 only to effectively disappear for the next two years.
Thankfully, fans no longer have to wonder about when it will come out. Bandai Namco made the surprise announcement of the reveal trailer just 16 hours before its premiere. Fans had abundant warning of this after months of leaks and data mines hinting at something big.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree release date confirmed
The Elden Ring DLC will come out on June 21, 2024.
Elden Ring was massive at launch, and fans found out in February 2023 that it was set to get even bigger. Though the open-world RPG was widely regarded as the best game of 2022 and was a smash hit at retail, DLC wasn’t necessarily guaranteed.
FromSoftware has a reputation for delivering high-quality DLC, including the renowned Dark Souls 3: The Ringed City, Dark Souls: Artorias of the Abyss, and Bloodborne: The Old Hunters. However, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice was a critical and commercial success, even winning Game of the Year awards of its own, but never actually received DLC.
Fans were relieved when Elden Ring DLC was finally confirmed, but there was still creeping anxiety about it when FromSoftware went radio silent for months. Thankfully, fans no longer have to worry, with a new trailer revealing most of the key information about it.
What’s in the Elden Ring DLC?
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree will include new legacy dungeons, new weapons, and more lore.
Speculation on what would be included in Shadow of the Erdtree ran rampant after its announcement, but the expansion will seemingly be what fans would expect. Quite simply, they’re getting more Elden Ring.
There will also likely be some tying of loose knots in the Elden Ring lore. The piece of artwork that revealed the DLC in the first place seemingly features Miquella, a key figure in the lore of several major characters, most notably the super-boss Malenia. They’re shown riding Torrent, which is notable as Ranni explicitly notes that Torrent has an unnamed “former master” who sends them the Spirit Summoning Bell and they make an appearance in the trailer.
Ultimately, fans won’t know the totality of what’s in the Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC until after its release date, and sometime after that. In the meantime, players can spend some time getting good at the game.
