Would You Dare to Enter the Elden Ring’s Land of Shadow?

After the booming success of the original Elden Ring back in 2022, this year we are getting the long-awaited DLC that has been in the making for a whole of two years. The title for this expansion DLC is Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree and it is announced to reach market in June.

Currently, the BANDAI NAMCO ENTERTAINMENT & FROMSOFTWARE collaboration for this DLC is in a Pre-order state and is going to offer different versions for PlayStation®4 and PlayStation®5, as well as Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S. There are going to be different editions with some awesome exclusives that we are going to discuss in more detail further in this review, but for now we can simply say they would be absolutely worth it and we are stoked to get our hands on the Shadow of the Erdtree release in the middle of this year!

So, are you ready to dwell deep in the shadows of the realms and get to explore this amazing new extension of the beloved and very much praised Elden Ring lands of mystery? Let’s not waste a moment more and dive right in the mesmerizing adventure!

An exciting continuation of a grand title with a completely new map to explore!

After the universal great reception of the original Elden Ring title two years ago, fans have been eagerly awaiting more exciting developments around the franchise and their cravings are soon to be soothed by the studio, since recently a trailer for Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree got uploaded online and it instantly got lots and lots of attention.

There would be many things to discuss since there are surely going to be new pieces of the lore and story that have already sparked the imagination of players since there has been much speculation going around about the new enemies, significant details in the level environments and so much more.

In the Elden Ring: Shadows of the Erdtree gameplay trailer we got glimpses of new interesting locations, quite a few deadly enemies and vague details of the new plotline that is going to be taking place in this ELDEN RING expansion DLC. It is going to be the first (and sadly perhaps the only) expansion for Elden Ring, but it definitely looks very grand and massive in its reaches with a huge variety of areas to explore thoroughly. Certainly, there are going to be many mighty bosses to vanquish that are awaiting you in those places too.

The Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree gameplay would most likely take place after the events in the main game and all of the action happens predominantly in the Lands of Shadow. It is in these places that would serve as the setting for the expansion and they got their very own map, where players would get into the role of the Tarnished once again and follow the path of Miquella, the cursed son of Queen Marika, who never aged into adulthood and always remained looking as a child. You would learn more information about why he came to this mysterious land in the first place. It is also rumored that it would be an experience very much resembling the one where you followed the Sites of Grace in the original game.

In its size the Lands of Shadow are a place that occupies relatively the same space as the Lands Between in the original Elden Ring, however it has somehow been disconnected apart from reality, according to Miyazaki when he gave an interview for IGN. It should be viewed as a completely new map that is actually at least as big as Limgrave, so even though it is not as enormous as the whole Lands Between, it is quite expansive nonetheless.

He then continued to explain that the Lands of Shadow will be very similarly structured to the base game's locales with a balanced mix of both open areas and multiple dungeons of varying scale and size. He also added that the team had done a lot of experiments with the concept of in-between spaces in order to make the experience much more dynamic thus bringing these diverse layout types together in a bit more of a seamless manner for players to fully enjoy.

So, there is an important question that really needs an answer at this point, how do we actually get there?

In the interview, Miyazaki says that for player to get to the new map it would require a "warp of sorts" to reach the Lands of Shadow, by using Miquella's hanging arm out of the cocoon in Mohg's Palace, serving as the entry point to make the jump.

Once you arrive on the other side, you are going to be delighted to discover the new impressive areas full of ancient ruins and grand structures with deep dark undertones, just like in the base game. There would be a plethora of symbols all around since the attention to detail is quite highly expressed in the franchise, so make sure to get a good look at the levels while you explore and roam around, this way you may actually get much more of the mysterious lore and connect a lot of the dots in the bigger story.

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree enemies, bosses and the potential main villain character

In the Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC expansion you would face up to not only the regular types of morbid enemies (even though they should also not be underestimated) but also new mighty boss opponents, some of which we already saw in the official trailer. There are vicious monsters, a possessed giant iron pot of fire, crazed beasts as well as many other evil and shadowy creatures to combat with.

There is however a lot of attention given to Mesmser the Impaler, a powerful and fierce character that does not have much background information available, he is able to strike you with rays of dark magic powers and then attack you with his weapon – a deadly spear-like weapon that is also enhanced with magical properties.

His appearance is quite intimidating and demonic, surrounded by a magical red aura field, his eyes glow in the darkness, but perhaps one of the most distinct features of his is the winged serpent snake that seems to be bonded with him somehow. The attacks that he performs during the trailer are truly devastating, with one aerial jump attack with his spear being strong enough to twist and bend the environment into a field of spikes covered in dark energy. He is both mystical and mysterious, giving out a ruthless first impression and acting very determined in his brutal ways.

What is new for the gaming experience in terms of mechanics and features?

First of all, it should be noted that you could absolutely get ready for the epic battles ahead of you in the Lands of Shadow, there would be 8 new Shadow of the Erdtree weapons categories introduced on top of the already existing ones.

You would also get new sets of skill moves, magic spells and lots more gear and equipment to use and take advantage of on your adventurous journey through the levels.

There would also be a brand-new leveling system available only for the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC areas in order to track the progress more properly.

Being FORMSOFTWARE’s biggest ever expansion so far it adds much more content, items and 10 new boss battles to the game lore and even the poisonous swamps make a return as well.

You would be able to interact with different NPCs that would guide you around or give you interesting information about the locations or the battles that have taken place in their world in the past.

Let’s now have a look at the planned versions that are available!

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DIGITAL VERSIONS

There would be a few different Shadow of the Erdtree steam versions available to choose from and some of them are coming with exclusive goodies! But something to note is that you would need the base game in order to play the expansion since it is not a stand-alone title.

Digital Edition versions would have three options: just the basic one with the game and DLC. ELDEN RING Shadow of the Erdtree Edition which is a bundle of the ELDEN RING base game and Shadow of the Erdtree expansion at an affordable price. There would also be two more digital options with Original Soundtracks, Digital Artwork books for both games in the DELUXE EDITION and the Shadow of the Erdtree PREMIUM EDITION which contains only the DLC and its bonus products.

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree COLLECTOR’s EDITION

As for the Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree COLLECTOR’s EDITION comes in a limited quantity but with a 46cm tall statue of "Messmer the Impaler", who is one of the main boss characters in Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, an artworks book, as well as a download voucher for the original soundtrack for the title. *This edition does not include the ELDEN RING base game.

It should come as no surprise that the Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC has got two years in the making as good things take time and if the original game is to be used as a reference, then the expansion would most certainly not disappoint the fans! We are surely going to enjoy the Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree steam release this summer, so make sure to not miss it too!

As always, we @YUPLAY will continue to keep you updated on what’s important in gaming so stay tuned for more interesting blog posts!