Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree DLC may be officially announced, but FromSoftware has left it shrouded in mystery. Of course, given how Elden Ring's marketing was essentially non-existent until it was a few months from release, fans may be left waiting for some time. Current speculation about it ranges from the timing and the state of the Erdtree to the mysterious tree consuming it and the figure on Torrent. Many postulate the latter is Miquella and for good reason.
Miquella never appears in the flesh in Elden Ring, but a lot of the game describes him as an uber-powerful Empyrean more akin to a God. Eternally young, Miquella creates the Haligtree to cure himself and his sister before his cocoon is stolen by Mohg, Lord of Blood. Not only does Miquella look like the figure in the image, but the gold bleeding from the Erdtree could be related to him, as he was responsible for the creation of unalloyed Gold. Meanwhile, some believe the roots are tied to Godwyn's Deathroot, and it could be some fight for power from the dying Erdtree. Again, this is only speculation because nothing has been confirmed, but if Miquella is indeed involved, cut content regarding him may make an appearance.
Elden Ring: Cut Content Regarding Miquella
Cut Content can be treated as a dirty word sometimes, as fans will think that it is content cut from the base game just to be repackaged and sold. That's not the case here. Elden Ring is already quite expansive and cutting some content to make sure it wasn't too overwhelming for fans makes perfect sense. In fact, the Colosseums were discovered as "cut content" from the game that was eventually added for free. So, cutting content about Miquella since he doesn't appear in the base game makes perfect sense. With that in mind, it's possible some of the cut content spells possible avenues for this DLC.
Among cut references that suggest Miquella would use St. Trina as a secondary name, there is an item called Dream Mist (or Dream Brew) that could easily play a vital role in the upcoming DLC. Data regarding it, at the time, suggests it would involve a map-crossing search for various ingredients, all tied to a monk named Jiko. This item would then, supposedly, make NPCs fall asleep, allowing players to enter their dream. Now, this doesn't mean the entire DLC would fall in the "it was all a dream trope" because it's clear that dreams work differently in Elden Ring; after all, players enter the dream of Fia to face Lichdragon Fortissax. Indeed, it seems dreams are a gateway to another world of sorts in Elden Ring.
This is important for two reasons: it is implied that Miquella is stuck in some form of dream-state within his Cocoon, as a result of his entering the Haligtree. Perhaps he could see the world of Elden Ring, but not interfere as a result (frighteningly meaning he knows players killed his sister, Malenia). But, either way, this item could allow players to enter the Dream of Miquella, perhaps awakening him from his slumber or something to that effect. The second is that there is also a cut item called St. Trina's Crystal Ball, which would allow players to "steal" dreams from other NPCs.
There's plenty of cut content in Elden Ring, but these references and items could easily play a big role in the Shadow of the Erdtree. If, bearing in mind this is pure speculation, the DLC does explore some form of a power struggle between Godwyn and Miquella for the power of the dying Erdtree, it's possible players are caught between the two and must enter their dream states in relation to this power. Or perhaps steal one, sealing off a certain quest line and dealing with the other as a result. While basically nothing is known about Shadow of the Erdtree or its content, one thing is for certain: many fans are excited to see what's next for Elden Ring.
Elden Ring is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
