From Software have officially announced an upcoming expansion to Elden Ring, called Shadow Of The Erdtree.
The only other information From Software has disclosed is that Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree is currently in development. You can see the announcement tweet below.
Prior to this, From Software released a free update to Elden Ring last December. This update added the Colosseum, a PVP arena so that players could put each other to the test.
More recently, dataminers caught evidence that there could be a new update coming to Elden Ring in the Steam files. While there was anticipation that From Software would make announcements official during the one year anniversary, they actually waited a few days after to make it official.
We had looked into the possibilities of future updates and or DLC for Elden Ring, after covering a dubious rumor about the game that didn’t pan out. At the time, it seemed like a good idea to reexplore some ideas From Software already used in their prior games and bring them to this one.
As for the Erdtree? Well, it’s one of the core elements of the lore of Elden Ring, and a fitting Macguffin for the upcoming DLC. Some story spoilers follow below.
Conceptually, it’s similar to a common motif in different mythologies around the world; the idea of a world tree, where life and youth emanate from.
However, in the world of Elden Ring, the Erdtree is a malicious subversion of that idea. The Erdtree is a sort of parasite, planted by Queen Marika the Eternal to establish the prevailing social order in The Lands Between that revolves around her.
As described in previews and promotional materials, the Erdtree ‘blesses’ the inhabitants of The Lands Between. There is also a religion that worships Marika and the Erdtree, known as the Golden Order.
Without delving into it any further, the fate of the Erdtree at the end of Elden Ring is dependent on the player’s actions. This creates an interesting dilemma for From Software, as whatever they come up with for Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree may or may not fit in with all the endings they have written up so far.
Is it possible that this expansion will be a prequel to a previously determined point in Elden Ring’s lore? Will From Software simply decide to deem some endings as non-canonical? Or does George R.R. Martin have some brilliant idea that brings it all together, a plot twist that can happen regardless of what outcome you get at the end of your game?
For now, Elden Ring is playable on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam.
