Highlights

  • The Shadow of the Erdtree DLC for Elden Ring offers a new open-world experience, with more weapons and magic to acquire.
  • This DLC breaks the mold for FromSoftware, offering a fully open-world experience similar to Elden Ring's base game.
  • The Land of Shadow in Shadow of the Erdtree resembles a mini version of the Lands Between, with large explorable areas and more non-linear gameplay. This should help with pacing, as boss fights can be spread out more easily, and the sheer number of secrets to find should increase.

Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree DLC is one of the most highly anticipated gaming experiences of 2024, adding another layer to the story of 2022's Game of the Year award winner. In Shadow of the Erdtree, players will be traveling to the Land of Shadow, where they will be guided by Empyrean Miquella on a brand-new adventure in an entirely different world separate from Elden Ring's Lands Between. Along with a new story, players will be allowed to acquire new weapons, equipment, weapon skills, and magic that they aren't able to acquire in Elden Ring's base game. As such, there will likely be plenty for players to do during their time in Shadow of the Erdtree.

Elden Ring isn't the first FromSoftware game to receive DLC, as it is actually a very common practice for the developer. However, Shadow of the Erdtree is not a typical FromSoftware DLC, and that is primarily due to Elden Ring's structure and gameplay design, which is unlike anything FromSoftware has done before. Specifically, Elden Ring's open-world model will also be featured in Shadow of the Erdtree, giving it an advantage over the DLCs of FromSoftware's past.

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree Shouldn't Be Afraid To Embrace The Main Game's Best Meme
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Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree Shouldn't Be Afraid To Embrace The Main Game's Best Meme

Out of all the Elden Ring memes Shadow of the Erdtree could reference, one stands out as having the best shot at becoming real content.

Shadow of the Erdtree's Open-World Gives It Opportunities Other FromSoftware DLC Didn't Have

Past FromSoftware DLC Has Had Many Limitations

Elden Ring may not be the first open-world game by FromSoftware, but it is certainly the first like it. Rightfully compared to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Elden Ring features a vast open-world that drives its players to explore by appealing to their curiosity, rather than simply bogging down the map with icons. Elden Ring's open-world has been widely considered its most prominent and best feature, so it's only natural that Shadow of the Erdtree would follow suit and take players to its own open-world zone. However, this is not something past FromSoftware DLC expansions have had the pleasure of taking advantage of, leaving each of them limited in what they can offer.

By and large, FromSoftware DLC is historically linear, inadvertently guiding players from one location to the next as they defeat various enemies and bosses along the way. Before Elden Ring, FromSoftware's classic game design involved linear levels as opposed to explorable areas within an open-world zone, and this includes any DLC the developer released for its games. Despite their effectiveness in providing a concise and streamlined experience for players, they have nonetheless been limited in what they are capable of, and this is further highlighted by the successful execution and positive reception of Elden Ring's open-world. Shadow of the Erdtree, on the other hand, is a fully open-world experience, which means it will be able to explore possibilities that past FromSoftware DLC has not been capable of.

Shadow of the Erdtree's Open-World Will Be Like a Mini Elden Ring

As confirmed by FromSoftware, Shadow of the Erdtree's Land of Shadow will be an open-world zone that functions like a miniature Elden Ring. Firstly, the Land of Shadow's size is comparable to the base game's Limgrave area, and it may even be larger. As a larger explorable area, the Land of Shadow can host a variety of activities for a more non-linear experience than is typical for FromSoftware DLC. According to what has been revealed so far, there will be plenty of legacy dungeons in the Land of Shadow, which means players can expect a great number of bosses too. The DLC could have an easy time pacing out its toughest boss fights with so much space to work with, and players can encounter more surprises and secrets on top of that.

Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree DLC is highly anticipated, simply due to the base game's success, but also on account of it being unlike any FromSoftware DLC to date. As a fully open-world experience, Shadow of the Erdtree's advantages over the FromSoftware DLC of old are clear, with the ability to essentially grant players another Elden Ring game to enjoy.