Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree trailer analysed

Legions of Elden Ring fans have been scouring The Lands Between in recent weeks ever since director Hidetaka Miyazaki let slip that something (secret, reference, or otherwise) remained to be unearthed. A newly discovered link between a shield in the base game and enemies in the upcoming Shadow of the Erdtree expansion has been found and may indeed be that missing link.

Let Me Solo Her, the legendary Elden Ring player who has helped countless others to defeat the hardest boss in the game, might finally move on from his crusade upon the release of the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. This much anticipated expansion, which is expected to introduce even more tough opponents, will drop in mid-2024.

DLC finally has a release date and received a new trailer alongside the announcement. In true FromSoftware fashion, there are a lot of hidden details and new enemies in the trailer. But that also means there's plenty of room for speculation while waiting for the DLC to fully release.

Elden Ring’s upcoming expansion, Shadow of the Erdtree, is out this Summer and adds a new world, the Land of Shadow, complete with new enemies, over ten bosses and much more. It doesn’t affect the outcome of the base game (and vice versa), but you need to play a fairly significant amount to even access the expansion.

Inspired by the Shadow of the Erdtree gameplay reveal trailer, a talented Elden Ring fan completes an impressive painting based on the setting of the new DLC expansion, the Land of Shadow. The Elden Ring painting depicts the Erdtree and the mythical shadow covering the new region that players will soon explore this June.

Some new enemies in ’s DLC have been shown with the reveal of the expansion’s gameplay trailer. The long-awaited DLC for FromSoftware’s award-winning RPG was first announced in February 2023, approximately a year after the base game’s original release. At the time, the content was teased with key art featuring a blond character, believed to be Miquella, mounted on a Spirit Steed with the Erdtree far in the distance. Little to no details were known about the DLC until the DLC gameplay trailer reveal, which showcased a lot of the upcoming content.

A full year after it was first announced, the DLC expansion for ,, has finally had more information revealed alongside a trailer. The highly anticipated DLC was announced in February 2023, a year after 's release, but its reveal was accompanied by only a single image. As was the case with the base game before it, speculation over has run rampant, but new details have shed light on a central figure known as Messmer the Impaler, who seems to have a close relationship to Miquella.

Elden Ring’s upcoming expansion, Shadow of the Erdtree, got its first gameplay trailer, and FromSoftware isn’t easing up on the mystery, or the depth in the new content on the way. 

FromSoftware’s Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree promises to explore the “dark secrets” of the world, shining more light on the mythos. However, director Hidetaka Miyazaki confirmed that its ending won’t change the base game’s progression of events (and vice versa).

When Elden Ring was first announced, the collaboration between director Hidetaka Miyazaki and author George R.R. Martin of Game of Thrones fame got many curious. Martin’s contribution focused on the overall setting and backstory, with the current events handled by FromSoftware’s narrative team.

With Shadow of the Erdtree serving as the first paid expansion for Elden Ring (and FromSoftware’s largest yet), many assume it will provide a tougher challenge. It’s a pattern with the developer’s previous expansions, as seen in Dark Souls 3: The Ringed City, Bloodborne: The Old Hunters.

Alongside its first gameplay trailer, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree received several new details courtesy of an interview with FromSoftware president Hidetaka Miyazaki. He confirmed to Eurogamer that the Land of Shadow, a brand new map, has a similar structure to The Land Betweens and offers new Legacy Dungeons.