An Update On Elden Ring’s Shadow Of The Erdtree DLC Timing

Shadow of the Erdtree

FromSoft

Elden Ring has already cemented itself as one of the best games of the generation and FromSoftware’s most profitable by far. As such, the microtransaction-free game is trying to capitalize on that with a large DLC expansion, revealed back in February 2023, Shadow of the Erdtree.

While there was a recent rumor it would be out in early 2024, possibly even at the year mark of its announcement, and two years after release, FromSoftware Producer Yasuhiro Kitao , via Game Watch, has said that’s not quite right, and the DLC “still has a little way to go” but that the project is “progressing well.”

Fans are wondering a bit just how long this is going to take, given that Elden Ring was released in February 2022 and now we’re looking at something like at least 2.5 years for the DLC to arrive. The main, obvious theory is that it’s just so big that it’s taking a really long time to produce. It’s not dissimilar from Cyberpunk 2077 launching its (excellent) Phantom Liberty expansion nearly three years after launch, but that was a game that spent at least two of those years mainly fixing the base game, something Elden Ring did not need to do nearly to the same extent. Back in the days of The Witcher 3, both of its huge DLCs were out within a single year.

Phantom Liberty

CDPR

Fans have only gotten a single teaser of Shadow of the Erdtree with what appears to be Miquella riding Torrent. The Erdtree is charred and molten, implying the DLC takes place after the events of the main game, which is certainly not unexpected, as prequel DLC is pretty rare. Pricing remains unknown, but $40-$50 is probably a safe bet, or some sort of $80 bundle for both, perhaps.

Expansions, when they’re big enough, seem to be able to qualify for things like Game Awards, as evidenced by Cyberpunk 2077’s Phantom Liberty which was nominated for Best Narrative, Best Performance and is in the Top 10 for Players’ Choice right now, purely as an expansion that requires the base game to play. The main game itself is nominated for Best Ongoing game, due to all its updates and this DLC (and another update coming next week). So it seems possible that Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree could secure a lot of nominations despite being a DLC expansion. Though next year might be the time when everyone runs smack into Grand Theft Auto 6, if that does actually make it out in 2024 (My guess remains 2025).

So, no firm dates or timelines yet, but don’t expect Erdtree in the early winter months of 2024, despite earlier rumors.

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Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.