'Elden Ring' Expansion, 'Shadow of the Erdtree,' Is Currently in Development

Developer FromSoftware dropped a bombshell announcement for Elden Ring, unveiling long-awaited DLC in the form of an upcoming expansion called Shadow of the Erdtree.

News of the additional content comes a few days after the game's first anniversary, which no doubt stunned eager fans hungry for fresh content last week.

Details on the expansion are sparse as of this writing, but here's everything you need to know about its potential release date and where players may venture next.

Announced via the official Elden Ring Twitter account, FromSoftware revealed Shadow of the Erdtree "is currently in development." It's unclear what challenges or new areas players will encounter in the upcoming content, but it's clear the Lands Between will have more to offer soon.

FromSoftware has a fantastic track record when creating DLC aimed to expand the boundaries of their base games.

The Old Hunters DLC for Bloodborne unraveled the deepest secrets of Byrgenwerth and featured a fierce cast of remarkable bosses; Dark Souls III received positive reception after launching a slew of additional content exploring locales lost to time.

"[FromSoftware] DLC is always the best and somehow the DLC always ends up as good, if not much better than the main game," said a Reddit user in response to the expansion announcement.

Besides the accolades FromSoftware usually gains from its DLCs, longtime fans also know to expect incoming difficulty spikes. One Reddit fan stated, "anyone who thought Malenia was hard is about to get a harsh awakening. DLC is where s--t goes down."

From the key art shown in the Shadow of the Erdtree announcement post, some lore hounds have speculated that Miquella, the brother of Malenia and cursed to be forever young, will play some part in the expansion.

In Elden Ring, Miquella is dormant in a cocoon crafted by the handiwork of Mohg, who hopes to achieve godhood by offering Miquella to a blood god. But judging from the artwork of Miquella's figure and hair from the game against the character shown in the Shadow of the Erdtree key art, they both look eerily similar.

Game reviewer Okami Games speculates the upcoming expansion could "take place in the past" due to the Erdtree missing its golden leaves in the key art and Miquella appearing healthier. Others on Twitter speculate the key art character is riding Torrent, a spectral steed players use to ride across the Lands Between, and would explain its mysterious former master.

FromSoftware has not revealed a release date for when exactly Shadow of the Erdtree will be ready for Elden Ring fans. Because of that, it'll likely be quite a while before we hear more about the expansion, but that doesn't mean 2023 won't see glimpses of it.

Although, depending on how FromSoftware chooses to market the expansion, additional info sometime this year may be sparse to refrain from spoiling the experience for players.