Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree has finally been revealed in a debut trailer, with glimpses at cinematics and gameplay revealing a whole new world of gloomy, gothic darkness. As detailed, the game expansion will take players to a whole new realm – The Land of Shadow – and task them with facing down a cavalcade of new threats.
The expansion’s description has arrived in the form of a poem, teasing that players will need to track down the demigod Miquella, all while facing swarms of enemies, and the influence of new boss, Messmer the Impaler.
“The Land of Shadow. A place obscured by the Erdtree. Where the goddess Marika first set foot. A land purged in an unsung battle. Set ablaze by Messmer’s flame. It was to this land that Miquella departed. Divesting himself of his flesh, his strength, his lineage. Of all things Golden. And now Miquella awaits the return of his promised Lord.”
Speaking to IGN, game director Hidetaka Miyazaki confirmed a number of tidbits about the upcoming expansion – including that The Land of Shadow is an entirely new map. Players will “warp” there to begin their adventures, with the action of Shadow of the Erdtree contained in this separate world.
The map is expected to be quite large, as Miyazaki has described it as a “similar experience” to what players had with the base game. “This is going to be structured in a similar way, as you said, with open field maps, with large scale legacy dungeons, and with small to medium scale legacies as well,” Miyazaki said. ‘We hope players will enjoy this same sense of scale and sense of adventure throughout that structure.”
“It’s probably comparable, if not larger, than the area of Limgrave from the base game.”
Beyond size, Miyazaki has also confirmed Shadow of the Erdtree will pick up narrative threads from the base game, introduce a number of new bosses, and provide plenty of challenge for returning players.
As detailed, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree will release on 21 June 2024. There will be a digital release for the expansion, as well as a physical collector’s edition.
