Bilawal Bashir 
Review copies of Elden Ring’s long-awaited Shadow of the Erdtree DLC have reportedly been distributed and there’s now word on the date when the embargo will be lifted.
FromSoftware has a good reputation for expansions and DLC, and Shadow of the Erdtree has already gotten strong praise after a closed-door preview with content creators. The hype surrounding the expansion is at an all-time high, with fans eager to play more Elden Ring. The new expansion promises exactly that, with new weapons to take on new bosses in a new hellscape.
Many have already confidently pre-ordered the expansion on FromSoftware’s pedigree alone. Not everyone who played Elden Ring is familiar with that history, though, so a degree of skepticism is understandable. Thankfully, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is reportedly in the hands of reviewers, and they’ll have their thoughts ready when the review embargo lifts a few days before the DLC’s release.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC review embargo date info
Shadow of the Erdtree review embargo lifts on June 18, three days before the expansion releases for everyone.
Tom Henderson from Insider Gaming stated in a tweet that reviewers have access to the expansion and also informed about the review embargo date. No details about the time were given in the Tweet. The expansion will be available for preload on June 19, with the full release two days later on June 21.
The three-day gap between the embargo and release isn’t unusual but may be a sign of confidence from the developers. Some publishers lift embargos on the release date, like the recently released Hellblade 2, with this often being seen as a means of obfuscating the game’s quality. On the flipside, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s review embargo lifted weeks ahead of its official release, which was akin to a brag from Square Enix. The standard when it comes to lifting review embargos is two days before a game’s release date, so Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree adding some extra breathing room can be taken as a good sign for the DLC.
How much content is in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree?
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is full of new content, making it reportedly the biggest expansion in FromSoftware history, with 100 new weapons and more than 10 new bosses.
It would be a blessing for reviewers to have almost nine days to review it. Shadow of the Erdtree has a smaller map is a fraction of the base game’s size, but is set to be crammed with content. Depending on the playstyle, the expansion is estimated to be 30 to 40 hours long. The generous review window will let reviewers explore the map more freely.
The expansion also took longer than previous FromSoftware releases. Fans can look forward to the review embargo lifting on June 18 as the day where they find out whether Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree was worth the wait.
