Elden Ring DLC: Shadow of the Erdtree, The Colosseum & everything we know

Elden Ring has already had a few free updates that have overhauled PVP and introduced Colosseums, but players are still awaiting the expansive Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, slated for later this year. Here’s everything we know about the upcoming Elden Ring DLC.

The huge commercial and critical success of Elden Ring immediately had players salivating for more content in the form of paid DLC. With rumors flying from day one, Tarnished hoped FromSoft would continue the tradition of releasing meaty expansions as they had for the rest of the Soulsborne series.

The free Colosseum update heralded the next phase of Elden Ring, and now fans are wondering what future DLC will look like. That question may have been answered as FromSoftware has revealed a fully-fledged expansion coming to the game. Previous FromSoftware titles have all taken a very different approach when it comes to downloadable content, but things can change.

There are also the Elden Ring endings to consider. Will the game be set after you become (or reject becoming) Elden Lord? Or could the DLC offer new endings to unlock or simply exist independently of them as some previous Souls expansions have?

Here’s everything we know about Elden Ring DLC based on rumors, leaks, FromSoftware/Bandai Namco’s track record, and what’s been announced so far.

Of course, as we’re discussing late and post-game content, spoilers will be lurking for those who’ve not completed Elden Ring.

Contents

• Does the Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree DLC have a release date?
• Elden Ring Colosseum DLC update
• Elden Ring DLC rumors & leaks
• Ray tracing and new areas

FromSoftware

Players will finally get to enter the Colosseum.

Does the Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree DLC have a release date?

Aside from smaller updates, the first major, likely paid, Elden Ring expansion DLC – Shadow of the Erdtree – is on the way, but FromSoftware has not confirmed a release window as of yet.

Shadow of the Erdtree first came to light on February 28, 2023, when a tweet was posted informing players that Elden Ring DLC was in development. The DLC started development soon after the base game was released, causing some outlets to assume the expansion was an entirely new project.

The DLC is likely to release sometime after From Software’s next Armored Core game, which is coming on August 25, 2023.

Outside of its stunning promotional image to go with the announcement, not much has been announced about Shadow of the Erdtree, but when we learn more, we’ll update this article as soon as possible.

Elden Ring Colosseum DLC update

Elden Ring players got to experience the free Colosseum Update which arrived on December 7, 2022.

The Colosseum is a multiplayer-focused DLC allowing players to battle in one-on-one duals or as part of a three-Tarnished team while pitted against another three players.

Elden Ring DLC rumors & leaks

New bosses leak

Leaker Sekirodubi found clues hidden in the code of one of Elden Ring’s patches featuring information about potential upcoming content.

The update contains references to new items and hairstyles, but also up to 30 new bosses. As many as 16 new/NPC or enemy characters referred to as “Someone Yet Unseen” have also been spotted by the committed data miner.

Elden Dreams

As first reported by Eurogamer, data miner Lance McDonald has discovered that Elden Ring once contained items and quests that involved exploring the dreams of certain NPCs. While the content was cut from the main game, it could be saved for DLC.

In the cut content, an NPC called Monk Jiko asks the Tarnished to bring him something called Dream Mist. To get it, the player needs to invade the NPC’s dreams. This offers lots of creative possibilities and will allow players to fight literal nightmares, on top of all the other horrors that lurk in the Lands Between.

Extended endings

The DLC of Bandai Namco’s last two games with FromSoftware, Dark Souls, DS 2, and 3, featured DLC that extended the ending of the base game. However, it did so without contradicting or changing any ending the player had already unlocked.

The Three Crowns DLC in Dark Souls 2 allowed the player to complete an additional quest, once all 3 DLC packs had been completed, which unlocked a new ending. This one essentially gave the player a third option, on top of linking or rejecting the fire.

Those who completed both Dark Souls 3 DLC packs were treated to a complimentary ending, one which sat alongside any other ending the player had unlocked by playing the base game.

This one essentially offered the characters a way to escape the dying world by entering a painted world. It will be interesting to see how the Elden Ring DLC impacts the game’s various endings or the world we explore.

From Software

Miquella still slumbers inside his egg at the end of Elden Ring. Likely turning into something powerful and grotesque.

Elden Ring DLC bosses

Even if you hunt down every Shardbearer in Elden Ring, there’s one demigod that escapes your round of deicide. That is Miquella the Unalloyed, who’s still safely slumbering inside his egg when the credits roll.

Miquella is Malenia’s twin brother and is said to be the most powerful demigod in Elden Ring. So, if this is the case, why don’t we ever fight him? One answer is that we can obtain his shard of the Elden Ring by killing his captor and half-brother Mohg the Lord of Blood, so there’s no need to bother with him. Even Gideon Ofnir tells us to leave Miquella in peace, but was this short-sighted?

FromSoftware doesn’t do anything by accident when it comes to Souls bosses, therefore we suspect Miquella’s absence is by design. Let’s not forget, the demigod is slumbering in his egg to become powerful enough to fix his family, especially his sister, who he aims to cure of her scarlet rot.

He’s unlikely to be best pleased when he wakes up to find that a new Elden Lord has risen and slaughtered his whole family – including Malenia. This perfectly positions Miquella to be the big bad of any Elden Ring DLC. Not only is he growing in power, but he’s also going to have grudge against the Tarnished once he realizes what’s happened.

FromSoftware

Elden Ring players can now battle in the Colosseum.

Story Expansion

Elden Ring won the Game of the Year at the GOTY Awards. In his acceptance speech, Miyazaki said that “As for Elden Ring, we have several more things we want to do.”

This means there’s likely more DLC on the way after the Colosseum update and is likely to be a more substantial and story-driven expansion – like the ones for Dark Souls were.

Miyazaki’s comments also imply that there could be more than one upcoming DLC for Elden Ring. Twitter user SekiroDubi, who accurately predicted the Colosseum DLC has also referenced something called m20, suggesting that this is likely to be the second – and first proper expansion to Elden Ring that is currently in development.

We now know that the next DLC will be Shadow of the Erdtree, and it could be the beginning of several further add-ons in the future.

So that’s everything we know so far about the Elden Ring DLC. For more on the biggest upcoming releases, check out our pages on some of the most-anticipated games that have been announced:

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