The first (and last) Elden Ring DLC is just within the horizon. Here's everything you need to know about the Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree DLC.
Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree Release Date: June 21, 2024
First announced on February 28, 2023, Elden Ring's first and last DLC Shadow of the Erdtree will be released on June 21, 2024, on all consoles and on the PC that the base game is available on. Players will be able to access Shadow of the Erdtree content without having to beat the base game, although players might need to have significant progress in the base game first.
Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree will introduce new enemies, weapons, bosses, and storyline
The Shadow of the Erdtree expansion DLC will be featuring a brand-new location that is roughly the same size as Limgrave, as well as new weapons, new magic, new enemies, and new bosses for the player to overcome. Of course, as a story-driven DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree will also expand upon the game's narrative and offer players a brand-new storyline to partake in.
Among the many new weapons that will be coming to the game, some were featured in the gameplay trailer. This includes a dual-edged blade, a huge fire pot, a fire crossbow, a lance emitting purple energy, and the spear held by Messmer himself. A new butterfly spell was also observed in the gameplay trailer, although its actual effects are currently unknown.
There will be new adversaries that the Tarnished will have to cross paths with, and in Shadow of the Erdtree, the major bosses the player will go up against are Messmer and Miquella, along with eight other boss fights that will be new to the game.
What's happening in Shadow of the Erdtree
As seen from the story trailer, Elden Ring's story continues in Shadow of the Erdtree by focusing on Miquella himself, the brother of Elden Ring's most difficult-to-beat boss, Malenia. However, it's still hard to grasp what the story is going to be, what with the cryptic nature of the story trailer.
What we know so far is that the player will be able to travel to a completely new location in this expansion called the Land of Shadow. Apart from what's happening in the present, this trailer suggests that the expansion will also reveal much more about the past of the Lands Between. From the creation of the Golden Order and the Erdtree itself, down to the ascension of Marika to godhood.
The Shadow of the Erdtree will also tackle the relationship of the Land of Shadow with the Lands Between, the reason behind its existence, and what its continued existence means to the Land Between.
Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree Collector's Edition
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree can be pre-ordered ahead of its June 21, 2024, release date to get the pre-order bonus, the Ring of Miquella gesture.
Apart from just having an online release, a Collector's Edition of the physical version of the Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree Edition for the PS5 and the Xbox Series X will be released. This comes with a 40-page hard-cover artbook, a voucher code for the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC (does not include the base game) and its official soundtrack, and a 46 cm (18 inch) statue of Messmer the Impaler.
It is unclear whether or not the Collector's Edition contains a digital code for the expansion, although it does not contain the original base game.
Elden Ring, the base game, was released on February 25, 2022, on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PS4, and PS5.