Shadow of the Erdtree overview: date, content, and more
Elden Ring DLC is coming out soon, and in this guide, we’ll cover what to expect from it, so here we present Shadow of the Erdtree overview.
Table of Contents
FromSoftware fans, rejoice! The two-and-a-half-year wait was worth it. Shadow of the Erdtree promises to conclude the Elden Ring story and bring a lot of new content that we will cover in this article without spoilers. The following article will tell you 10 things you need to do before Shadow of the Erdtree.
Shadow of the Erdtree release date
The first and only Elden Ring DLC: Shadow of the Erdtree is released on June 21 at 12:00 AM (EDT). Pre-download is available 48 hours before release.
Shadow of the Erdtree platforms and prices
Shadow of the Erdtree is available on the following platforms: Windows (Steam), PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
Prices:
- Standard Edition – $39.99.
- Premium Bundle Edition – $49.99.
- Physical Collector’s Edition – $249.99.
How to access Shadow of the Erdtree
FromSoftware CEO Hidetaka Miyazaki confirmed that to access the Elden Ring DLC, you need to defeat two optional bosses: Starscourge Radahn and Mohg, Lord of Blood. Shadow of the Erdtree will begin in Mohgwyn Palace when you touch Miquella’s withered hand hanging from his cocoon.
Shadow of the Erdtree content and features
At the moment, it is known that Shadow of the Erdtree will contain a new location, Land of Shadow, approximately the size of Limgrave, Miyazaki’s favorite poison swamps. It will also include eight new types of weapons:
- Beast Claws
- Great Katanas
- Hand-to-hand Arts
- Light Greatswords
- Perfume Bottles
- Reverse-hand Swords
- Throwing Weapons
- Thrusting Shields
ten new bosses, new kinds of enemies, new mechanics, spells, and upgrades. Shadow of the Erdtree is also known to have 30-40 hours of gameplay.
Shadow of the Erdtree story
Let’s talk a little about Elden Ring’s lore. As with other FromSoftware games, Elden Ring’s lore is vast but often hidden. Unfortunately, we can’t write a 500-page article explaining all the details, so let’s briefly discuss why you need to defeat General Radahn and Mohg to access the Elden Ring DLC.
The introductory video at the Elden Ring launch reveals details about what happened immediately after the Shattering and also tells who our protagonist is:
As you know, the Shadow of the Erdtree plot will focus on Elden Ring’s most mysterious character, Miquella. Obviously, a key figure in the Elden Ring DLC will also be Messmer the Impaler, who hadn’t previously been mentioned in the main game.
To remember and understand all the Elden Ring characters’ connections, let’s turn to the family tree of the Lands Between royal family.
Miquella is the son of Queen Marika and Radagon, as is his twin sister Malenia. However, they were both born cursed. Malenia received the curse of Scarlet Rot, and Miquella received the curse of eternal youth. Miquella worked to free them both from the curses and also helped all the damned and wretched by growing the Haligtree to replace the Erdtree of the Golden Order, which rejected all the cursed.
At the time of the Shuttering, Miquella was sleeping in his cocoon in Haligtree, trying to grow up and break the curse of eternal youth. It’s also worth mentioning that Miquella’s alter ego (or cover) is Saint Trina, which is associated with slumber. Saint Trina was also featured in the trailer.
Starscourge Radahn
Radahn is the son of Queen Rennala and Radagon. As we know, after the Shattering, General Radahn, one of the strongest warlords, fought with Malenia, and during this battle, he was infected with her Scarlet Rot.
Radahn’s story is strongly linked to Malenia, as is the entire Caelid region. Malenia, Blade of Miquella, as her title already suggests, is even more closely related to Miquella, the Shadow of the Erdtree key figure. If, in the Elden Ring, you managed to complete the quest and defeat Malenia, then you already know that you didn’t actually defeat her, as she has never known defeat.
So why did Miyazaki say you had to defeat Radahn to access Shadow of the Erdtree? Perhaps because this boss is much easier than Malenia but is directly related to her. Possibly because defeating him opens the way to Nokron, Eternal City, which is necessary to Ranni’s quest progress, or maybe the star cycle restoration, which Radahn conquered, somehow influenced Miquella himself.
Mohg, Lord of Blood
Luckily, the connection between Mohg and Miquella is more prominent. Mohg is the son of Queen Marika and Godfrey, as is his twin brother Morgott. However, they were both born Omens, which is why they were excluded from the Golden Lineage, their royal family.
With the help of the Outer God Formless Mother, Mohg came up with a plan to return to the throne after the Shattering: he stole the cocoon with the sleeping Miquella from Haligtree and tried to grow him himself with his cursed blood. Considering the huge difference in Miquella’s size between the intro and in-game, when we see his cocoon in Mohgwyn Palace, Mohg achieved something.
Mohg intended to ascend the Empyrean Miquella to godhood and become his consort, to found the Mohgwyn Dynasty and rule Lands Between together. He protected Miquella’s cocoon and fed him blood until the Tarnished (protagonist) perfidiously killed Mohg.
So why is defeating Mohg important for Shadow of the Erdtree? The Story Trailer states that Miquella abandoned everything, including his flesh. This may hint that although his body remained in Mohgwyn Palace, his mind was in the Land of Shadow. As Saint Trina, we know that Miquella can control dreams, so perhaps the Land of Shadow is some kind of another side of the Lands Between.
Conclusions
In this guide, we briefly recall the Elden Ring story, discuss the Shadow of the Erdtree story, and consider everything you should know about Shadow of the Erdtree without spoilers. In the next article, we’ll cover 10 things you need to do before Elden Ring DLC.
Share in the comments what you expect from Shadow of the Erdtree and what other Elden Ring guides you would like to read!
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