FromSoftware has shared a new story trailer for upcoming Elden Ring DLC Shadow Of The Erdtree, and lore fans are stoked.
Released yesterday (May 21), the three-minute video gives players a hint of what to expect when Shadow Of The Erdtree launches next month.
“The shadow of the story can now be told. Learn the history of the Realm of Shadow, the unseen land,” reads the official description while the trailer puts Elden Ring background character Miquella The Kind front and centre.
“Miquella The Kind spoke of the beginning. The seduction. And the betrayal. An affair from which gold arose. And so too was shadow born. What followed was a war unseen. One that could never be put to song. A purge without grace or honour. The tyranny of Messmer’s flame. And so kindly Miquella would abandon everything. His golden flesh, his binding strength. Even his fate. But we are not deterred. We choose to follow. Will you walk with us,” asks the trailer.
Following the trailer, fans have started speculating on what aspects of Elden Ring’s already-expansive lore Shadow Of The Erdtree will expand upon, and they’re also expecting some sort of twist with this DLC set to conclude this chapter of Elden Ring.
Game Of Thrones author George R.R. Martin assisted with “a bit of worldbuilding” for Elden Ring after being contacted by FromSoftware, helping to create “the backstory and history” for the title despite not being a huge fan of video games. The “offer was just too exciting to refuse,” he explained. However, it was previously confirmed Martin added nothing further to Shadow Of The Erdtree.
Set for release June 21, Shadow Of The Erdtree has been described as “the first and last” DLC for the game. “Elden Ring emphasises exploration and adventure in a big world. In order to provide such an experience, a vast and huge setting is inevitably needed. Therefore, instead of splitting it into several parts, it was better to simply make one big [expansion]. If they were sold separately, the freedom of exploration and sense of adventure would be reduced,” explained FromSoftware head Hidetaka Miyazaki.
However, he also hinted a sequel could be in the works, with the door deliberatly “left open”.
In other news, Baldur’s Gate 3 developer Larian Studios is opening a new studio in Poland to work on two “very ambitious” new RPGs.