Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree Expansion Gets New Details - News

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Publisher Bandai Namco and developer FromSoftware has released new details on the upcoming Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree expansion on the PlayStation Blog and Xbox Wire.

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree expansion will launch on June 21 for $39.99.

Read the PlayStation Blog post below:

We’re not in Limgrave anymore

Shadow of the Erdtree takes place in an entirely new region, known as the Land of Shadow, and is accessed by touching the mummified arm found in Mohgwyn Palace in the base game. It’s here that Miquella, the oft-mentioned but never-seen character from the main game, traveled to in the game’s lore.

The section I explored opened with a sprawling meadow filled with gravestones and shadowy spirits. In the distance, I could clearly see what lay ahead of me: a vast settlement, an expansive castle, and a dark woodland looming on the horizon. Above all, an enormous tree stood, charred and gnarled, in stark contrast to the golden tree seen across the main game’s landscape.

While regions in the original game often glowed with autumnal warmth, this region’s dried grass and dying shrubs felt ancient and blighted. The dungeon and fortress I explored—Belurat Tower Settlement and Castle Ensis—were claustrophobic and folded over on themselves. They were filled with winding paths and concealed shortcuts, opening to reveal routes back to Sites of Grace. I fought through flooded cellars, lava-filled chasms, and forests alive with an eerie blue glow.

Fresh yet familiar, The Land of Shadow feels like a natural extension to The Lands Between, and FromSoftware’s mastery of level design is displayed here in glorious form.

New opponents await

It wouldn’t be a FromSoftware update without fresh foes to face, and in that regard, Shadow of the Erdtree comes out swinging. The first enemy I faced dove down to attack me from atop a pillar and quickly sent me back to the Site of Grace. After that, I faced hatchet-wielding ghosts, death sorcery-breathing birds, and knights more lethal than anything I had encountered before. Gigantic, flaming brazier-like beasts flung brimstone in my direction mere moments after I started my journey, setting the scene for the rest of my time there.

And then there are bosses. Shadow of the Erdtee will feature 10+ full bosses and additional side bosses. Some are required to progress the story, and others can be challenged when you feel up to it.

I faced two of these. The first, the Devine Beast Dancing Lion, is found in Belurat Tower Settlement and felt like that classic FromSoftware early game skill check. The grotesque beast leaped across the arena to attack, using a mixture of elemental abilities to keep me on my toes before crushing my poor sorcerer between its teeth again and again.

The second was the magic-wielding Twin Moon Knight, one of the guardians of Castle Ensis, who used a distinctive double full moon attack that filled the entire arena with magic blasts. This devastating ability was challenging to avoid and threw me into the air before slamming me back down to earth, often with lethal force. And if the double moon doesn’t get you, their one-two combo of pyro and glintstone-infused blades will.

One consistent thing between every enemy I faced was their speed and agility. Without exception, the inhabitants of the Land of Shadow felt lethal even from a distance due to their ability to sprint, leap, and spin through the air to reach me. Enemies move fast. It’s hard to say if this is unique to the area I explored, but players should be prepared to get very familiar with that dodge button.

Rebuild your armory

Shadow of the Erdtree will introduce around one hundred new weapons for players to discover. From the start, I chose a Greatsword-sized katana, which caused fire damage when it made contact, and a battle shield featuring large metal spikes on the edge, turning this protective item into an offensive tool.

Players can also discover eight brand-new weapon types. The details on many of these types were being kept under wraps for now, but I was given access to one: Martial Arts.

This new category allowed me to go into combat bare-handed, swinging heavy punches and slamming kicks into my opponents. Just like other weapon types, Martial Arts can be assigned a Skill to suit your playstyle, and mine saw me taking a leaf from some of the bosses’ books by leaping through the air and landing a flurry of kicks on my enemies.

Fighting barehanded might seem like madness in this kind of world, but I found it remarkably effective. The blunt impact of the blows made it easier to break enemies’ stance, leaving them open to a quick and deadly finisher. Martial Arts was a joy to use, and if the other new categories are even half as fun to play with, Tarnished are in for a treat with the new weapon types.

Bolster yourself with Grace

Shadow of the Erdtree introduces a new system, called Shadow Realm Blessing, to help level the playing field a little. Intrepid explorers are offered the chance to find and use a new consumable to apply a stackable buff that negates some incoming damage and increases the damage you cause to opponents in the Land of Shadow.

This consumable, Scadutree Fragments, are rare, but can be found littered across the world if you look carefully enough. Useable only at Sites of Grace, the amount needed for the next level of buff increases after each use, but seeking them out could make your journey slightly less harrowing. Of course, if you prefer a tougher challenge, the use of the Scadutree Fragments is entirely optional, and the buff has no effect outside of the Land of Shadow.

Shadow of the Erdtree is shaping up to be a worthy expansion to FromSoftware’s now-legendary adventure. If you’ve been away from Elden Ring for some time, jumping into this new region will feel comfortingly familiar, but even for veterans, there is plenty to uncover.

Read the Xbox Wire post below:

Touch the Withered Arm

If you played Elden Ring, there’s a good chance that you saw the withered arm hanging limply out of what appeared to be an egg in Mohgwyn Palace. That’s precisely where the DLC kicks off and it means that players will need to defeat Mohg (Lord of Blood if you’re nasty) before they can dive in. Once the area is clear, you’ll meet a new character named Leda. After briefly introducing yourself, she urges you to “touch the withered arm,” which teleports you to a brand-new area called the Realm of Shadow.

This is One Expansive Expansion

As anyone who played the excellent Ashes of Ariandel and The Ringed City expansions for Dark Souls III can attest, developer FromSoftware excels at creating fresh and memorable environments outside of the core game area. Shadow of the Erdtree looks to carry on (and even improve upon) that tradition by offering a massive new area for Elden Ring fans to explore. Although I spent several hours exploring the wide-open plains and labyrinthine corridors of the Realm of Shadow, much of the map was still shrouded in fog, indicating that I was only scratching the surface of what it has to offer.

It’s Certainly a Vibe

My entry to the Realm of Shadow was through the Gravesite Plain, which stretched out before me and was chockful of spectral gravestones and shambling, easily-dispatched low-level enemies. After riding my steed around the area and hitting the nearest map stele to unlock a better view on my map, I decided to do some exploration before forging ahead on the suggested path. Sure enough, I found spooky mausoleum to explore, as well as a dragon peacefully napping in the middle of a small lake. I decided to take a close look at both. After all, what’s the worst that could happen?

I’ve Made a Huge Mistake

As I noted above, I’ve played a lot of Elden Ring. So much so that I apparently forgot how unmercifully (and wonderfully!) challenging the game can be. Strolling up to the dragon awakened him and he looked at me for a moment… before launching himself into the air and scorching everything around me with black flame. Yes, Black Flame Dragons are now a thing, and I learned quickly that they are not to be trifled with. After several failed attempts to take the winged beast down, I decided to make my way back to the mausoleum, only to be met by Blackgaol Knight (reminiscent of the Crucible Knights) that summarily beat me down a half dozen times. Ahhhhh, yes, now that’s the Elden Ring I know and love!

You’re Only as Good as Your Gear

There are a number of new elements in Shadow of the Erdtree that will help you along your journey. I got a chance to try out the Milady, a light greatsword with several balanced attacks that I am already looking forward to using more. I also utilized some new armor from the Oathseeker Knight armor set that looks pretty slick (and offers a good deal of protection for its weight). The most important items I found, however, were the new Scadutree Fragments, which bolster the players Scadutree Blessing. This Blessing, effective only in the Realm of Shadow, allows the player to deal more damage and negate more damage from enemies. Finding as many of these as you can will likely go a long way in determining your long-term success.

Remember Fingercreepers? They’re Back… in Spirit Ash Form!

Fingercreepers (also known as Hand Spiders or Spider Hands or The Worst Enemy Ever) made an immediate impact on even the most diehard Souls-like fans, popping out of the ground to swarm and grab players. Well, they’re back in Shadow of the Erdtree, this time as a Spirit Ash that can be summoned to help the player in battle. I also had the chance to play around with two more additions to the Spirit Ash menagerie: the airborne Gravebird and the powerful Black Knight Commander Andreas. I’m not sure if any of them will ever take the place of my precious Mimic Tear, but it’s nice to have some flexibility.

Double (and Triple and Quadruple and…) Cross

After getting back on track, I came to a crossroads (quite literally). At the end of the main road through the Gravesite Plain, I reached a tree where the road split. Nearby was a glowing yellow cross and some NPCs named Freya (a former ally of our old friend Radahn) who explained that the crosses dot the land and are Miquella the Kind’s (???) footprints. Another character, Hornsent, gave me a map and explained that I could find more of the crosses if I explored. Further up the road, on the way to a large fortress, was another cross and another one of Miquella’s NPC followers. Ansbach, as he was called, asked me to figure out what Kind Miquella (again, ???) was doing in the Realm of Shadow.

What’s the Story, Mourning Glory?

As you might have ascertained from my liberal use of question marks above and as you probably might guess if you’ve played any of From’s other games, Shadow of the Erdtree’s plot is intentionally and deliciously murky. It’s up to the player to put the story’s puzzle together and you can be sure that there will still be a few pieces missing once you finish. The beauty of these games is letting your imagination (or, in many cases, the rabid and lore-obsessed community) fill in the blanks. Personally, I can’t wait to learn more about why Miquella was there in the first place, what the crosses represent, and what he wants with the titular Erdtree.  

Burn it with Fire!

At last, I made it to the first of the two fortresses in the section of the game I got to play. Upon opening the large doors, I was immediately greeted by a large, hairy scorpion/spider hybrid and nearly a dozen smaller ones that slowly dropped down from the ceiling to swarm me. That garnered a big old nope from me and I quickly moved to dispatch them with extreme prejudice before moving further into the sprawling castle and facing tougher and tougher enemies (though none were as icky as those arachnids).

Choose Your Own Adventure

Like every great FromSoftware game, Shadow of the Erdtree offers players a plethora of choices when it comes to exploration. Do you jump off the path to make your way across the rooftops? Could that dark and spooky hallway actually lead to a shortcut back to the nearest site of grace? Is there an enemy lurking right around the corner next to that shiny item? Playing Shadow of the Erdtree reminded me just how great FromSoftware is at creating environments that provoke emotional responses from players. Whether it’s triumph, revulsion, or relief, you’re guaranteed to feel something as you explore the detailed environs.

Who’s the Boss?

During my time with Shadow of the Erdtree, I managed to make it through both of the castles (full disclosure: I basically sprinted through one of them in an effort to see the second boss) and battle the punishing bosses within. Bosses are always my favorite part of From’s games and these two did not disappoint. The first was named “Rellana, Twin Moon Knight” and was a massive knight that wielded two swords and dealt fast, whirling attacks. Upon getting Rellana to half health, he let out a roar and imbued one of his swords with red fire and the other with blue magic. That fundamentally changes his attacks to deal those types of damage, and he made quick work of me over a dozen times before I finally put him down.

Dance, Lion, Dance!

The second boss I faced, on the other hand, put me down over and over and over. The Divine Beast Dancing Lion moves a lot like the dancing Chinese dragons that you’ll see in parades, but facing off against this monstrosity was no celebration. In addition to its herky-jerky and unpredictable movements, the Dancing Lion occasionally spewed out fog that made it difficult to see more than a few feet. Once it was taken down to half health, it began summoning lightning strike attacks that required precise timing to dodge. I gleefully banged my head against that particular wall over a dozen times before my time with Shadow of the Erdtree was, sadly, at an end.

Yes, this IS Dog

Yeah, that’s right, everyone’s favorite beshelled reptiles have returned! No word yet if any of them are of the papal variety, but now you’ve got an even better reason to explore the Realm of Shadow when Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree launches on June 21.

A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can contact the author on Twitter @TrunksWD.

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