Well over a year since its release, 2022's Game of the Year, Elden Ring, continues to dominate headlines. The culmination of developer FromSoftware's Soulsborne collection, Elden Ring is far from done just yet, and its highly-anticipated DLC, titled Shadow of the Erdtree, was announced via Twitter back in February. While details of the expansion are fairly limited at the moment, FromSoftware should seize the opportunity to use it in order to stoke the fires of speculation around a long-sought-after project: Bloodborne 2.
PS4-exclusive title Bloodborne was released in 2015 to glowing reviews from critics, and many consider the action-RPG to be among the greatest video games of all time. Borrowing many of its razor-sharp mechanics from the acclaimed Dark Souls series, Bloodborne places a heavier focus on aggressive combat by removing the player's ability to block, which proved to be a stroke of genius from Hidetaka Miyazaki and his team. Mixing Lovecraftian horror themes with Soulslike mechanics, Bloodborne still stands as one of the most engaging and immersive video game experiences ever, and a sequel felt almost inevitable at one point. Despite this, no news of one has ever materialized, but fans refuse to give up hope.
Elden Ring's DLC Shadow of the Erdtree is Highly Anticipated
Speculation has been rife among fans in terms of exactly what to expect in Shadow of the Erdtree. Popular fan opinion seems to center on Miquella, the son of Marika and twin brother of Malenia. Very little is known about Miquella, and he does not actually appear in the base game, yet it is widely believed that he can be seen riding the spirit steed Torrent in the DLC's teaser photo. This remains to be seen; either way, fans can be sure that the new expansion will push them to their limits.
Expansions such as Dark Souls 3's The Ringed City and Bloodborne's The Old Hunters show that FromSoftware has a reputation for upping the ante in its DLC offerings. Both of those are among the finest, most challenging content the developer has released to date. A typical FromSoftware expansion includes new areas, weapons, armor, and perhaps most notably, new boss fights. These are often even more challenging than the ones found in the already difficult base games.
FromSoftware's fervent fan base has had no difficulty imagining what a Bloodborne 2 or a Dark Souls 4 could look like, and any signs that these projects are officially happening will likely be met with an incredible amount of hype. Given its trademark use of cryptic storytelling, it's easy to imagine FromSoftware including some kind of connection to Bloodborne in Shadow of the Erdtree.
Whether it be an Easter egg that only the most ardent fans would recognize or a more on-the-nose reference to Bloodborne's world of Yharnam, the inclusion of any kind of hint would be a fantastic reward for all those patient fans who have waited for what probably feels like an eternity for some news. Miyazaki's team is certainly busy at the moment, not only with Elden Ring's DLC, but also Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon, the first game released in the cult hit mech-shooter series in over a decade.
Despite this, FromSoftware reportedly has at least one other new project in active development. It is entirely possible that this may be a sequel to one of its other beloved franchises, and on the balance of probability, Bloodborne 2 certainly seems like one of the most likely options. When it finally releases, Shadow of the Erdtree should end up dropping a clue as to what's coming next from the acclaimed Japanese developer.
Elden Ring is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S. The DLC is currently in development.
