As massive fans of Elden Ring, we got ourselves completely engrossed with the 2022 release, as you can tell by our massive Elden Ring guide we published. Shadow of the Erdtree is the first, and only, DLC expansion and it’s going to be a big one! Keep reading to learn what you can expect in the Realm of Shadow.

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Shadow of the Erdtree is the massive DLC expansion to Elden Ring!

The Story of Shadow of the Erdtree¶

You’ll be forgiven for forgetting some of the more important points of Elden Ring’s story, and Shadow of the Erdtree takes place before you end your journey in the Lands Between. You may remember, after defeating Mohg, a rather large cocoon with an arm hanging out of it that served no purpose. Or the absence of Miquella, who is mentioned a lot throughout your time in the original game.

Shadow of the Erdtree will cover Miquella, whisking you off to the Realm of Shadow after making contact with the arm. Here, you’ll learn more about this mysterious world that Miquella has retreated to and the carnage that Messmer the Impaler has wrought (and also the character used for the cover art). As you journey through this new location, you’ll meet an interesting cast of new characters and learn the secrets to the war fought here.

Locations and Bosses¶

As with any new Soulslike DLC, you can expect a new location to travel to, and the Realm of Shadow is massive! Described as larger than Limgrave, one of the base game’s largest regions, you’ll traverse mysterious forests and more as you make use of the expansion’s improved verticality. What we do know is that Shadow of the Erdtree will give you freedom from the outset to tackle it how you see fit.

From what we understand, there are five Legacy Dungeons in this expansion, which serves as Elden Ring’s main way of guiding you to the storyline bosses. Of this, you can expect at least 10 new Remembrances, these usually drop from said major storyline bosses. If you cast your mind back to the original adventure, there were 15 to be had, so Shadow of the Erdtree featuring 10 should give you some idea of what to expect when it comes to the size of this game. Still, you’ll also find plenty of optional bosses along the way, just like the main game.

Weapons and Spells¶

What would new content for a Soulslike be without new toys to play with? There are eight new Weapon Types for you to play around with, including martial arts which were sorely missing from the base game. As you may expect, new Ashes of War will accompany them and you’ll also find new Spirit Ashes and Spells to go along with it all. Add this to the new playground, and Shadow of the Erdtree really is like a miniature version of the base game, which is impressive when you consider just how large that was.

There you have it, this is everything we know about Shadow of the Erdtree leading into its release. Check back at launch to find our extensive guide and Interactive Map to help you through the Realm of Shadow and tackle any threat that comes your way!