Elden Ring’s first DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree, is in development

By Tomas Franzese February 28, 2023

Yes, Elden Ring is finally getting DLC. After over a year of speculation since the critically acclaimed game’s launch, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is confirmed to be in development.

FromSoftware broke the news via its social media accounts for the game, simply affirming that Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree “is currently in development.” No additional release window or story details were shared, but its Japanese website confirms the expansion will come to all of the same platforms as the base game, and the tweet does include one piece of concept art. In it, we see a darkened Erdtree in the distance as a mysterious girl on a horse rides toward it and some ruins. We don’t know what any of this means just yet, but the key art appears to tease a darker tone and new character and reaffirm that Shadow of the Erdtree will take place in a massive open world.

Rise, Tarnished, and let us walk a new path together.
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
— ELDEN RING (@ELDENRING) February 28, 2023

Elden Ring was released on February 25, 2022, and it was met with critical acclaim and lots of Game of the Year awards (including Digital Trends’ own) because of how FromSoftware adapted its classics Souls series formula into a game with a massive open world that rivaled The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. As many previous FromSoftware games got DLC, fans were hoping that Elden Ring would get the same treatment.

Before now, we’ve mostly gotten small patches, with a Colosseum-adding update in December being the most notable. Although Shadow of the Erdtree doesn’t have a release date, it’s a relief for Elden Ring fans to now have some brand-new content to look forward to.

Elden Ring is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X. Shadow of the Erdtree does not have a release window yet.

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Gaming Staff Writer

Tomas Franzese is a Staff Writer at Digital Trends, where he reports on and reviews the latest releases and exciting…

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Characters fighting on horseback in Elden Ring.

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Gaming

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A furnace golem looms in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree.

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The Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree trailer is full of gameplay, showing the new area that players can explore, many different bosses and combat encounters, and some awesome new weapons. Standouts include a boss that's a giant burning wicker man, a large hippo-like creature that can grow sparks out of its body, and a powerful-looking flaming crossbow weapon. The trailer also shows the player dying many times, so it looks like Shadow of the Erdtree will feature a lot more of the satisfying, yet difficult gameplay loop that the original offered.