Tarnished, Rejoice, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree Is Officially in the Works

One year and a few days after releasing their acclaimed magnum opus Elden Ring, FromSoftware has announced the very first expansion is in development titled: Shadow of the Erdtree. The news comes by way of a tweet from the official Elden Ring Twitter account. The tweet also comes with a piece of art from the expansion.

There are not many details to speak of at the moment, but this is still intriguing news. Previous FromSoftware expansion DLC have been very well regarded and often opened up new avenues of the story. The Japanese company has a fairly consistent record with Soulsborne DLC, from the Lovecraftian-inspired The Old Hunters DLC for Bloodborne to the intense final word in the Dark Souls 3 series that was the twin DLC Ashes of Ariandel and The Ringed City.

The name of the title suggests that the expansion will focus on the Erdtrees, the all-important great trees that shape the lore and landscape of the Lands Between, growing from the central Erdtree in the Atlus Plateau. In the lore, they have an important relationship with the land and death, their roots leading to the deathly catacombs you could find while wandering. These Erdtrees were also sources for the special tears you could mix into your Flask of Wonderous Physic in-game. What the “Shadows” in the title could be referring to is, however, uncertain at the moment.

No release date for this expansion has been shared with the public. We also don’t know yet whether this will be an expansion to the open world with a new region or something else entirely.