Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree – everything we know: release date, trailer, story, and more
There’s no mistaking that Elden Ring is one of those games that will go down as one of the all time greats. The beautiful vistas, incredibly designed world, and mechanic-rich boss battles come together to create a jaw-dropping experience.
Shadow of the Erdtree, Elden Ring’s only announced DLC, is primed and ready to enhance the base game even further, bringing additional story beats, bosses, and even more POIs to explore.
Here, we’ll take you through everything we know on Shadow of the Erdtree so you can be as informed as possible before jumping into the expansion.
What is the Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree release date?Even though Shadow of the Erdtree was announced some time ago, it didn’t have a release date. However, thanks to the official trailer for this much anticipated DLC, we now know the Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree release date is June 21, 2024.
This is almost two and a half years after the base Elden Ring game launched so whatever FromSoftware has been cooking up, you know they have put their heart and soul into it.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree trailerOn February 21, 2024, FromSoftware gave fans exactly what they had been waiting for – a glimpse into what Shadow of the Erdtree has to offer – in trailer form.
If you haven’t had chance to watch it yet, here it is:
This is the only trailer that has been released for the DLC as of right now but as we get closer to launch, we expect there to be at least one more, full of exciting tidbits before the full experience releases.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree editionsAkin to the Dark Souls series that also received the DLC treatment post-launch, Elden Ring has a fresh set of editions which come packaged with Shadow of the Erdtree content.
There are four fully fledged editions of the DLC that are on sale, all including variations of the product:
Shadow of the Erdtree Edition- Elden Ring base game code
- Shadow of the Erdtree DLC code
- Shadow of the Erdtree DLC code
- Digital copies of the Shadow of the Erdtree soundtrack and artbook
- Elden Ring base game code
- Shadow of the Erdtree DLC code
- Digital copies of the Elden Ring soundtrack and artbook
- Digital copies of the Shadow of the Erdtree soundtrack and artbook
- Shadow of the Erdtree DLC code
- Digital copy of the Shadow of the Erdtree soundtrack
- 40 page hard-cover artbook
- 46cm statue of “Messmer the Impaler”
As shown above, the two editions that come with the base Elden Ring game, required to play the DLC, are the Shadow of the Erdtree Edition and Deluxe Edition. So, if you don’t own the vanilla experience already, this is the route you want to go down.
Pre-ordering will also net you the Ring of Miquella gesture but this can also be unlocked via playing through the DLC so don’t worry too much about missing out.
You can always purchase Shadow of the Erdtree DLC completely separate to the above editions, and is the cheapest of all the options.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree story detailsElden Ring’s story is rich and full of really intricate details if you know where to look. With intertwining family trees, lore-rich NPCs, and famous weapons and armor, you can see George R. R. Martin’s influence on the enthralling narrative.
Shadow of the Erdtree continues this, focusing more on the family aspect, delving deep into Miquella who is Malenia’s twin brother, as well as Radagon and Queen Marika’s children.
Miquella was born with the curse of never growing into an adult and as time passed, spawned his need to age in whatever way possible. This was when he utilized a cocoon and his blood to become one with the Haligtree in an effort to become an Erdtree.
However, he was not successful, and if you reach the Mohg Lord of Blood boss in the base game, you can see the aforementioned cocoon with Miquella’s arm seeping through the cracks.
It is here where you enter the DLC and into the Land of Shadow, where we expect that more will be revealed on this bloodline, hopefully clearing up Miquella’s fate.
The trailer above also showcased Mesmer – the scary looking guy dressed in warrior attire and appearing to control snakes. This is likely the final main boss of the DLC, and will likely hold the key to revealing the finale of the story.
Whatever the full story of Shadow of the Erdtree is, there’s one thing for certain – it’ll be complex and only unearthed through diving deep into every item and listening to every NPC.
How many bosses are in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree?
There are at least ten new bosses that are introduced with Shadow of the Erdtree, with some potentially being as difficult as the infamous Malenia according to game director Hidetaka Miyazaki.
This will take Elden Ring’s total boss count to around 250, including both optional and required fights. Obviously this is a staggering number, and one that will likely be unmatched by anyone other than FromSoftware.
How big is Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree?
Since the FromSoftware pattern for DLC releases is usually a two-part affair, the fact that Shadow of the Erdtree is one big, complete package means that you’re going to be spending some hours in it.
In fact, Miyazaki stated that Shadow of the Erdtree is the “largest expansion” FromSoftware has created “in terms of overall volume”. This translates to a whole new area that is larger than “Limgrave in the base game” coupled with even more dungeons to explore.
In fact, Miyazaki has even managed to squeeze in one of his trademark poison swamps into Shadow of the Erdtree. If you’re feeling shudders down your spine or even fully-fledged nightmares of Dark Souls’ Blighttown, you’re not alone…
Featured image: FromSoftware
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