Elden Ring's Erdtree Shadow: Expansive as Two DLCs?

Rumors suggest that the upcoming Elden Ring expansion, Shadow of the Erdtree, could be as expansive as two DLCs combined. This news comes amidst reports of a newly discovered game-breaking bug that has left fans on edge. FromSoftware announced the first expansion for their highly acclaimed open-world RPG in February, but have remained tight-lipped about its details, leading to rampant speculation within the community.

According to known leaker Lance McDonald, Shadow of the Erdtree is expected to be a massive update that is equivalent to two separate DLCs. FromSoftware initially intended to offer a season pass for the game, but ended up rolling all its post-launch content plans into this one expansion. McDonald believes that Shadow of the Erdtree will be the only Elden Ring expansion and his claims hold some weight as he was the one who first broke the news about a "huge" Elden Ring expansion. While some fans may be disappointed that there won't be multiple expansions, having one DLC is still an improvement over Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, which received no post-launch content despite widespread pleas.

There are similarities between Elden Ring and Bloodborne in terms of their DLC plans. FromSoftware had initially aimed for multiple expansions for Bloodborne, but ultimately released The Old Hunters DLC to critical acclaim and fan adoration. However, it is uncertain whether the rumor about Elden Ring only receiving a single expansion will be confirmed anytime soon, as the game has yet to receive a release date or window. FromSoftware's only confirmed release for 2023 is Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon, so it's likely that Elden Ring's DLC won't be available until at least spring 2024.

Elden Ring is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.