FromSoftware showed us what’s been cooking in the Elden Ring oven, and the results have undoubtedly made Soulslike fans salivate. (I’m Soulslike fans.) The studio unveiled the first trailer for its hotly anticipated DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree, and now that we know it arrives on June 21, it’s a good time to round up everything we’ve learned about the upcoming expansion to one of 2022’s best games.
Does Shadow of the Erdtree have a release date?
It sure does, and it’s the day after summer starts: June 21. So, if you were looking for a way to dodge those blisteringly hot midyear months, Shadow of the Erdtree will give you some shade.
What platforms will Shadow of the Erdtree launch on?
Just about anywhere the base game currently exists: PC via Steam, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Is there a trailer for Shadow of the Erdtree yet?
The trailer dropped on February 21, not too long after Nintendo’s Direct Partner Showcase. You can check out the reveal below:
How much will Shadow of the Erdtree cost?
That depends on the edition you want and whether you already own Elden Ring. Say you already have the game, which is more than probable considering its colossal sales. You can preorder the Standard edition of the DLC for $40 or the Premium Bundle for $50. That extra $10 will net you the expansion’s artbook and soundtrack in addition to the DLC itself. If you don’t already own Elden Ring, then an $80 Deluxe Edition is available and features the base game, the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, and all the goodies.
What Is Shadow of the Erdtree even about?
It’s about Malenia’s twin brother, Miquella, and his journey to the Land of Shadow. In a February 21 IGN interview, director Hidetaka Miyazaki said this setting is “a brand new map separate from the Lands Between,” requiring some sort of warp to get there. Undisclosed story events disconnected this place from the rest of the world, and it’s up to you to figure out what happened and why Miquella has traveled there. You’ll enter this land via a cocoon which Elden Ring players may remember seeing in a chamber where an optional boss can be fought.
Is Shadow of the Erdtree a large expansion?
That’s difficult to answer since we don’t have the DLC in our hands yet. However, Miyazaki told IGN that the Land of Shadow is “probably comparable, if not larger, than the area of Limgrave,” which makes up most of the base game’s main map. So, Shadow of the Erdtree should be relatively expansive, all things considered.
Will Shadow of the Erdtree bring new enemies and weapons?
Of course! This wouldn’t be a FromSoftware expansion without some new enemies to get killed by and weapons to pick up around the world. Miyazaki didn’t explicitly detail everything seen in the trailer, but he talked to IGN about a “friendly fellow” who uses the remains of burning bodies as ammo, as well as the mysterious Messmer the Impaler, a rival of the demigods and “a key figure of this DLC,” as he put it.
Is George R. R. Martin involved with Shadow of the Erdtree?
I think I’ll just let Miyazaki answer this question:
The way George Martin’s story has been incorporated is the same as it was with the base game with Elden Ring. And to avoid misunderstanding there, we just want to point out that he hasn’t written anything exclusively and new for the sake of this DLC. But it would still be fair to say that he and his mythos that he created for us are involved in the creation of Shadow of the Erdtree in the same way.
Will Shadow of the Erdtree be just as hard as Elden Ring?
Oh, absolutely. While he said that, like Elden Ring, Shadow of the Erdtree will let you approach bosses in whatever way you see fit, Miyazaki noted that the DLC is still a “challenging experience” that’ll put you through a blender. Remember Malenia, the scarlet rot goddess with such a high body count that a lone player became a legend for facing her on his own, again and again and again? Well, you won’t literally fight her again, but expect more like her; Shadow of the Erdtree will have optional bosses that’ve been tuned to be similar to the Blade of Miquella, and Miyazaki hopes these encounters will be “as memorable as Malenia was.”
And there you have it, all the info we’ve gleaned so far about Shadow of the Erdtree. You should really read that IGN interview with Miyazaki. He talks pretty long about Shadow of the Erdtree, so it’s a good source on what to expect when the DLC drops in the summer. I can’t wait to stay inside and sweat over a hard boss.
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