The FromSoftware community has thrived over the past couple years, with both Elden Ring and Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon releasing to high acclaim. Both are some of the most ambitious projects FromSoftware has put out -- Elden Ring because it merges the Soulslike formula with an open world, and Armored Core by virtue of being a series revival one decade in the making. With support for both titles continuing, things are looking good for FromSoftware fans.

More is on the horizon, as Elden Ring has DLC on the way. Taking the form of an expansion called Shadow of the Erdtree, this is expected to be FromSoftware’s largest post-launch addition to date. The only thing holding back fans' hype right now is the lack of information on it beyond a single image released in February 2023. Plenty of insight has been gleaned from Shadow of the Erdtree’s announcement poster, but the community should still prepare for the information drought to continue into 2024.

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Evidence Points To Elden Ring Having A Quiet 2023

Shadow of the Erdtree will be shown when it's ready, and there's no clear indication yet of when that is. However, two likely conclusions are that Elden Ring’s DLC will not release in 2023, and that the back-loaded marketing strategy that FromSoftware and Bandai Namco's last few games have used is in play again. Shadow of the Erdtree is being treated like Elden Ring was in the over-700 days between its initial 2019 announcement and full gameplay reveal in 2021. As even Armored Core 6 staggered its previews until the last few months before launch, it's clear that FromSoftware has no issues keeping its projects under wraps.

Although there is a slight chance for a trailer at The Game Awards in December, there is no reason to release Elden Ring’s DLC in 2023 at this point. This DLC appears to be experiencing a full game’s development cycle, and that means that it should have a preview period just like the base game did. A shadow-drop won't happen no matter what event Shadow of the Erdtree resurfaces at, but that does mean that fans should have at least a couple of months of warning before it’s out. It doesn't hurt that pushing it into 2024 would get it away from the waves of popular releases that should last well into next year.

Shadow of the Erdtree’s True Reveal Will Herald Its Launch

The question of when Shadow of the Erdtree will show up next is hanging over Elden Ring fans’ heads, and 2023’s Game Awards will be telling in that regard. If the expansion appears, it will probably also get a release date, which could be as early as February 2024 or as late as the summer. It's a long time to wait for DLC, but fans should have plenty of time to try other Soulslikes while waiting for Elden Ring's DLC. However, if it isn't shown in 2023 at all, the next opportune time to market Shadow of the Erdtree is Summer Game Fest in June 2024, which would likely mean a late summer or holiday 2024 release date. As this expansion is adding open world regions to Elden Ring’s already dense map, the extended development time is understandable.

As it stands, Elden Ring fans would be wise to follow the example of Hollow Knight: Silksong’s community and not count on news anytime soon. The immense effort going into the project, combined with the proven effectiveness of staggered marketing, means that Shadow of the Erdtree can reappear at its developers leisure. Thanks to its massive success, Elden Ring is far from finished as a franchise, so fans can wait comfortably for Shadow of the Erdtree knowing it will be held to the base game’s standards.

Elden Ring is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

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