It was a couple of weeks ago that FromSoftware rocked the gaming world with a single tweet — announcing the expansion to their award-winning masterpiece, Elden Ring. And while it rightly has fans of the game salivating at the mere thought of an Elden Ring expansion FromSoft has been frugal with any details.
In fact, this tweet and the accompanying image are all the information that we have. But that hasn’t stopped Elden Ring fans and content creators from spending weeks breaking the image down and coming up with their own theories of what this DLC might offer. So if you’ve been wondering what to expect from ‘Shadow of the Erdtree’, this article is for you. We’ve scrounged through many forums and Elden Ring content creators to find out what the word on the street is about release dates, content, and more. So let’s get started.
As of writing this article, there has been no official release date for ‘Shadow of the Erdtree’. But there have been various speculations based on FromSoft’s previous and future release schedule.
If we exclude ‘Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice’ and ‘Dark Souls 2’ as outliers, we find that FromSoft usually takes about 6 months to a year to come up with an expansion for their titles. The Colosseum free PvP update was released on 7 December 2022. So if we reasonably assume that development on ‘Shadow of the Erdtree’ started after that update, a timeline begins to appear. But before we can mark anything, there are another couple of things to factor in. Firstly, FromSoftware is planning to release ‘Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon’ in the fall of this year. And they would at least like to give the game a few months before any other releases.
Secondly, not that bears saying, but Elden Ring is gigantic. FromSoft has been careful to call ‘Shadow of the Erdtree’ an expansion not a DLC. This is why it wouldn’t be too much of a leap to assume that Shadow of the Erdtree is going to be massive. So while a late 2023 release for ‘Shadow of the Erdtree’ might be possible, it does sound like it’ll most likely come out early next year.
Now, it might appear that the simple teaser image doesn’t give us much to talk about. But there is more we can glean from it than what appears at first glance. When they first released the image, the fans were divided on who the person riding our own beloved spectral steed, Torrent. Some of them believed it to be Marika while others thought it is Miquella. Now that the Elden Ring community has had a month to confer with each other, the consensus is that the person riding Torrent is in fact Miquella, child of Marika, and an empyrean in his own right, chosen for godhood by The Greater Will. The character in the image has their hair done in golden braids exactly like how Miquella has their hair done in the game. Plus Marika has always been seen in full womanhood, while the person riding torrent looks a lot younger, like Miquella, who was cursed to eternal youth.
And while Miquella has been identified as male in the game, there is evidence hidden in the game that proves that Miquella also has a feminine alter ego — St. Trina. Straddling the two identities, it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to imagine Miquella riding Torrent side saddle.
As to the setting of the expansion, there are some clues there too. In the game, Miquella created the Haligtree so that he could embed himself in it and grow to godhood. But while he slept in the Haligtree, he was abducted in his cocoon form by Mohg, Lord of Blood, who wished to be Miquella’s consort. Despite repeated attempts by Mohg, Miquella does not respond to him at all, still asleep. Sir Gideon even remarks that as long as Miquella slumbers, all will be well. And cut content from the game has suggested Miquella be in the world of his dreams all this while.
“Wishing to raise Miquella to full godhood, Mohg wished to become his consort, taking the role of monarch. But no matter how much of his bloody bedchamber he tried to share, he received no response from the young Empyrean”. – Remembrance of Mohg, Lord of Blood
It is entirely possible that this world of dreams is where we meet Miquella and set off on another adventure. Also, Miquella is an empyrean associated with growth and abundance. The landscape in the image then, where we can see rolling hills of wheat, seems could be a part of Miquella’s dream. Also given previous FromSoft expansions like ‘Artorias of the Abyss’ and ‘The Old Hunters’ we can expect to see a new map at least a third of the size of the original Elden Ring world. In addition to that, we should also expect new weapons, armour, NPCs, quest lines, and of course, new bosses. FromSoft has always introduced the hardest bosses in their DLCs and we don’t expect this time to be any different. So be ready for even tougher boss fights than Malenia (UGH!).
There isn’t a lot we know about this new expansion. So all we Elden Ring fans can do is speculate and wish. Some of them — like a wish for a deeper look into the fascinating lore of the game or a wish for even more surprises and discoveries — will most likely be granted. But there is one wish most essential and important of all. The one thing that all fans have been clamouring for — armour for Torrent. He’s the best boy, after all.
The post What can we expect from Elden Ring expansion ‘Shadow Of The Erdtree’? first appeared on 91mobiles.com.
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