Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree: Everything we know
Arise again, ye Tarnished.
Shadow of the Erdtree is a huge expansion DLC update being added to Elden Ring in June 2024.
To prepare you for FromSoftware's largest expansion yet, we've got the Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree release date and trailer below, story details, and everything else we know about Shadow of the Erdtree - including the brand-new Story Trailer.
Be sure to also check out our interviews with Miyazaki on originating the Soulslike genre, and a potential Bloodborne remake.
If the trailer and date announcement have got you all excited to return to your Tarnished roots, then we can help with our beginner's guide for what to do first, main bosses in order, and Site of Grace locations.
On this page:
- Shadow of the Erdtree Release date
- Shadow of the Erdtree Trailer
- Shadow of the Erdtree Story
- Price
- Editions
- Everything else we know
What is the release date for Shadow of the Erdtree?
Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree releases on Friday 21st June, 2024. Many were hoping for a February release date due to an update to its Steam listing, but it turns out that was just preparation for the release date announcement on 21st February.
Is there a trailer for Shadow of the Erdtree?
Here's the official Story Trailer for Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree:
To celebrate one month until Shadow of the Erdtree's release, FromSoftware and publisher Bandai Namco released a new Story Trailer. The three minutes of footage still don't give a huge amount away, but in it we learn of an affair that gave birth to both gold and shadow, as well as a fearsome war that gave rise to Mesmer's Flame.
It certainly seems as though Miquella and Mesmer will play important roles in Shadow of the Erdtree, though the trailer almost raises more questions than it does answers. We also see new golden symbols toward the end of the trailer, but it's unclear whether these are new Sites of Grace, or just marks left by Miquella. With only a month left to go until Shadow of the Erdtree's release, we won't have to wait long to find out.
And if it's more gameplay you're craving, here's the first trailer for Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree:
What is the story for Shadow of the Erdtree?
As seen in the trailer, Shadow of the Erdtree follows the story of 'kind' Miquella - Malenia's twin brother. Miquella is the demigod offspring of Queen Marika and Radagon. The twins were born with a curse, with Miquella doomed to be eternally young and never grow to an adult.
You will follow in Miquella's footsteps in the Land of Shadow area in the DLC, like you followed the Sites of Grace in the base game.
The DLC area has been confirmed to occupy the same space as the Lands Between, but it has been physically disconnected. And it "will involve a warp of sorts to get there" (thanks, IGN).
The story will also involve Queen Marika and what she did in this shadow land, and just what led Miquella to follow her to the Land of Shadow.
Additionally, Mesmer is the man in red seen in the first trailer for the DLC, and he is an important figure who rivals other demigods in Shadow of the Erdtree. He has a key element of shadow to him, which is also an important theme throughout the DLC.
Diving deeper in Miquella's past might help us understand where the DLC's story is going. It starts with Miquella wanting to become an adult, so he used the Haligtree - the late-game Legacy Dungeon where players fight Malenia. He lay here in a cocoon, with the aim of growing older in parallel with the tree, binding himself by watering the tree with his blood. He intended for the Haligtree to grow into an Erdtree, but before he could complete his task, Miquella fell into a deep slumber.
Miquella's cocoon is actually discovered in Elden Ring after defeating Mohg Lord of Blood. Mohg stole the cocoon, morphed into blood, entered it, and attempted to commune with Miquella through his dreams. When we see the cocoon, Miquella's arm is visible: now adult-sized, but unresponsive.
As mentioned in IGN's interview with Miyazaki, "The cocoon and arm you saw at the beginning of the trailer... is actually the point of entry to the Land of Shadow where the players will enter to the DLC area".
We don't know how else this history will factor into Shadow of the Erdtree's story yet, but let's at least hope Miquella extends his kindness to how easy he goes on us poor Tarnished…
How much will Shadow of Erdtree cost?
Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree costs £34.99 in the UK, $39.99 in the States, and €39.99 in Europe. You can also get the premium version of Shadow of the Erdtree which includes the Shadow of the Erdtree Digital Artbook and Original Soundtrack, and it costs £39.99 in the UK, $49.99 in the States, and €49.99 in Europe.
This is just the DLC content, however, as you can also get special editions of Shadow of the Erdtree with or without the base Elden Ring game.
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What editions of Shadow of the Erdtree will there be?
Shadow of the Erdtree is only available digitally, even if you buy a physical edition of Elden Ring that contains the DLC. You instead get a code containing the DLC if you do want to buy any of the Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree Edition.
You also get a special Shadow of the Erdtree Gesture upon release if you pre-order any edition of the DLC, but this Gesture is obtainable by playing through the game normally.
Something else to keep in mind is that even though the DLC is available on all of the platforms that the base game is, physical retail versions of Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree Edition are only available for PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X/S.
If one of the editions catch you're eye, then we can help you pre-order Eldin Ring Shadow of the Erdtree.
Here's what else we know about each Shadow of the Erdtree edition:
Shadow of the Erdtree Edition
This is a standard bundle of the base game with a code for the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree Edition costs £69.99 in the UK, $79.99 in the States, and €79.99 in Europe.
Shadow of the Erdtree Deluxe Edition
The deluxe version of the Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree edition gets you:
- Elden Ring base game
- Shadow of the Erdtree DLC
- Elden Ring Digital Artbook and Original Soundtrack
- Shadow of the Erdtree Digital Artbook and Original Soundtrack
Shadow of the Erdtree Deluxe Edition costs £89.99 in the UK, $99.99 in the States, and €99.99 in Europe
Shadow of the Erdtree Collector's Edition
This huge physical edition doesn't actually contain the base game of Elden Ring, but here's what you do get in the Collector's Edition of Elden Ring:
- Shadow of the Erdtree DLC code
- Statue of Messmer the Impaler
- 40 Page hardcover artbook
- Official soundtrack
The Shadow of the Erdtree Collector's Edition is very limited in stock and varies slightly in cost depending on where you get it from. You'll generally be paying between £224.99 to £249.99 in the UK though, with similar pricing in the States and Europe.
Everything else we know about Shadow of the Erdtree
Thanks to Eurogamer's own interview with Hidetaka Miyazaki, we got some juicy details about what to expect from Elden Ring's upcoming DLC. Be sure to read it for a full breakdown, but in short, here's everything we know about the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC for Elden Ring:
- It's FromSoftware's largest expansion yet - Miyazaki said this DLC is "our largest expansion to date in terms of overall volume".
- The DLC takes place in a brand new map larger than Limgrave - Although fresh new areas await, Shadow of the Erdtree includes a similar structure to the original game. There are field areas, legacy dungeons, and other dungeons of varying scale. Miyazaki says "In terms of pure surface area, you could think of something larger even than Limgrave in the base game".
- Game of Thrones author George R. R. Martin has not provided fresh material - On George R. R. Martin's involvement, Miyazaki explains: "essentially it is the same as it was with the base game. The DLC Shadow of the Erdtree is based on one part of that original mythos that he penned for us. It's not a brand new mythos that he's written specifically for Shadow of the Erdtree, he has not created something new which informed the design of the DLC. It's simply another part of the original story that we thought fit to tell as a new expansion."
- There are over 10 new boss fights - A few were glimpsed in the trailer, but be prepared to prove your Tarnished might against 10 new bosses in Shadow of the Erdtree.
- Eight new weapon categories have been added - On top of new weapons, equipment and skills, we're getting eight brand new weapon categories to experiment with.
- It can be as difficult as the Malenia boss fight - RIP to us all, as Shadow of the Erdtree continues FromSoftware's tradition of brutal challenges in DLC. Miyazaki explains "We wanted to provide these challenging encounters and these menacing threats, and in order to do that, we wanted to give the player a lot of freedom of approach. We wanted them to feel free in how they choose and when they choose to approach and tackle these hardships."
- Field and dungeon areas are more seamlessly interconnected - We've seen haunted grasslands, fiery caverns, and mystical ruins in the trailer, but in regards to the noticeable divide between open fields and secluded dungeon areas in the base game, Miyazaki says that in the DLC "We wanted to go more in depth and bring a denser and richer level design, which brings these types of layout together a little more seamlessly. There of course will be large open areas, there of course will be legacy dungeons, but we've also experimented with something a little more in-between these as well to bring a more diverse gameplay experience".
- Poison swamps return - Because of course they do. Miyazaki explains that poison swamps were "actually a point of introspection for me after creating the base game. It was only after creating it that I realised I really like to create poisoned swamps… So maybe, when players reach the poisoned swamp in the DLC, they will feel a little bit of this retrospection". I'm not sure it's anything close to retrospection I'll personally be feeling, but each to their own.
For more on Elden Ring, check out our articles on The Convergence mod, a rumoured Elden Ring mobile game, and the COVID activists modding Elden Ring to raise awareness.