“Shadow of the Erdtree,” the first DLC penned for FromSoftware’s “Elden Ring,” is finally granted an over 3-minute long trailer highlighting what you'll face throughout the Land of Shadow in tandem with an official debut of June 21.
The trailer gifts only a tiny glimpse of various enemy encounters, “Berserk” references, new weapon arts and the all-too-familiar prevalence of demigod Miquella, brother to Malenia, one of “Elden Ring’s” most notorious bosses.
“Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree” was first announced in a post on X (formerly Twitter) almost a year to the day, back in Feb. 2023. With all but a mere piece of concept art showing a female on the back of a horse overlooking a devastated Erdtree steeped in golden flame. The post enticed the fandom but did little to detail what to expect from the DLC.
Now, the prayers to Queen Marika have finally been answered. We're treated to lengthy bits of gameplay and narrative. An official release date also gives long-awaiting Tarnished something to look forward to. If that wasn’t enough, a full Collector’s Edition and base DLC preorder are up for purchase at various retailers.
A war-torn Land of Shadow ripped asunder
The trailer for “Shadow of the Erdtree” opens with a shot of the aforementioned Miquella encased in the egg withheld in Mohgwyn’s Palace. From there, the video cuts to all-new places scattered about this mysterious Land of Shadow, wherein as Bandai Namco’s blog post reads, “the goddess Marika first set foot.”
It seems this new area has been wrought by a terrible war led by what will most likely be one of the primary bosses, Messmer the Impaler. Those interested can even purchase Messmer's helmet from Bandai Namco's store.
Miquella will lead you through this new land, which will be manifested in golden lines that stretch from Sites of Grace, akin to the base game. Miquella himself and the goddess Marika will play a major part in the DLC's narrative, as you dive headlong into this new war-torn area.
The Land of Shadow is somehow lost from the Lands Between, or disconnected, despite still being held within this same world. You'll journey to this land via the aforementioned cocoon housing Miquella, which is shown in the very first shot of the trailer, as “Elden Ring” director, Hidetaka Miyazaki, asserts in an interview with IGN.
“Shadow of the Erdtree” will be FromSoftware’s largest DLC to date, encompassing many various areas within a new map that will be “larger than Limgrave.” There are a total of 10 major bosses utilizing up to eight new weapon categories added to “Elden Ring’s” arsenal.
Miyazaki explains that the DLC will be far more challenging, likening the entire experience to Malenia’s renowned difficulty. The director adds that the team aimed to ramp up the difficulty so that you have “a lot of freedom of approach.” Additionally, the world will be far more interconnected, with “a denser and richer level design.”
FromSoftware producer and marketing lead Yasuhiro Kitao also released a poster of the forthcoming "Elden Ring" expansion in a post on X (formerly Twitter). The image features a shot of Messmer the Impaler seated on a throne with the golden delipidated Erdtree rising from a world engulfed in flames in the background.
“Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree” is set to release June 21 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and PC.
