Elden Ring DLC titled Shadow of the Erdtree is now in development.
We all assumed it was coming, but that doesn’t make today’s announcement any less exciting for Elden Ring fans. Given the 2022 action-RPG’s monumental success in terms of both critical acclaim and sales, an expansion felt inevitable. And thanks to a post shared on the official Elden Ring Twitter account, we now know just a little bit more about it.
“Rise, Tarnished, and let us walk a new path together,” reads the tweet. “An upcoming expansion for Elden Ring, Shadow of the Erdtree, is currently in development. We hope you look forward to new adventures in the Lands Between.”
Rise, Tarnished, and let us walk a new path together.
— ELDEN RING (@ELDENRING) February 28, 2023
An upcoming expansion for #ELDENRING Shadow of the Erdtree, is currently in development.
We hope you look forward to new adventures in the Lands Between. pic.twitter.com/cjJYijM7Mw
Shadow of the Erdtree is the first paid expansion to the game, and given developer Fromsoftware’s track record with DLC on previous games, may be the only expansion as well.
Accompanying the announcement message was the first piece of artwork for Shadow of the Erdtree. In it, a lone rider dressed in white can be see traveling across a field of wheat towards an enormous tree in the distance. Ruins and fog dot the landscape ahead of them, and ghosts of gravestones and banners are visible in large numbers. The tree itself, leafless, appears to be leaking a golden light from within, though it isn’t clear if this fire, sap or power from the Elden Ring.
There’s no information provided with the image, but it will no doubt set fan theories alight as to the direction of the expansion. Given the seemingly young age of the mounted figure, it could be that Shadow of the Erdtree will see us follow the path of the Empyrean Miquella, who sought to grow the Haligtree as a means to cure the rot afflicting the Lands Between and his sister, Malenia.
Alternatively, the tree could be the land’s towering Erdtree, though the surrounding landscape looks nothing like that within the game world. If so, that would indicate the events take place in the distant past or future of the Lands Between. Either way, we’re excited to learn more about the Elden Ring DLC and the history of the Lands Between when Fromsoftware is ready to share.
