Gaming News

The Upcoming Elden Ring DLC Could Be Better Than Initially Expected

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree could be bigger than expected according to a new discovery.

In a few previous stories, I wrote about Elden Ring’s new DLC, as well as other Elden Ring-related news. These will be linked at the end of this post. In this post, I will go over what was discovered regarding this new DLC.

What is Elden Ring?

This is an action role-playing game developed by FromSoftware, the creators of critically acclaimed titles such as Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.

The game was published by Bandai Namco Entertainment and was released on February 25, 2022, for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC.

Elden Ring is a collaboration between FromSoftware’s director Hidetaka Miyazaki and George R.R. Martin. Miyazaki is known for his intricate world-building and challenging gameplay, while Martin is known for his rich storytelling and detailed world-building in his novels.

Elden Ring takes place in a world called The Lands Between, ruled by the Elden Ring, a powerful artifact that has been shattered. The player takes on the role of a Tarnished, a being exiled from the Lands Between due to their past sins.

The Tarnished must journey through the game’s world and defeat powerful bosses known as demigods in order to restore the Elden Ring and save the world from destruction.

The game features a vast open world that can be freely explored, with various landscapes ranging from grassy fields to snowy mountains. The world is filled with dangerous enemies, hidden secrets, and ancient ruins that can be explored for loot and new abilities.

Combat in Elden Ring is similar to FromSoftware’s other titles, with a focus on precise timing and strategic use of abilities. The game also features a new mechanic called the “Elden Ring” which allows players to summon powerful spirits to aid them in battle.

Elden Ring also features a deep lore and backstory, which is slowly revealed to the player as they progress through the game. The world is filled with unique characters and factions, each with their own motivations and goals.

The Shadow of the Erdtree DLC

Recently, a new discovery has surfaced in the gaming community regarding the upcoming Shadow of the Erdtree DLC for Elden Ring, indicating that the expansion has been in development for longer than initially expected.

This exciting news has caused fans of the action role-playing game to speculate about what this could mean for the DLC’s content and size.

FromSoftware, in collaboration with Bandai Namco, released Elden Ring, an open-world action RPG, in February 2022. Based on FromSoftware’s popular Dark Souls series, Elden Ring offers an innovative take on the formula, which has garnered nearly universal acclaim from both fans and critics alike.

Earlier this year, the studio announced Shadow of the Erdtree, the first major expansion for Elden Ring. Despite little being known about the expansion and FromSoftware’s silence on its release date, the announcement has only added to fans’ anticipation for the DLC.

However, a recent revelation suggests that the upcoming expansion may be bigger and more ambitious than initially anticipated.

Although FromSoftware only announced the expansion this past February, it has been in development for almost a year before that, according to senior developer Kenneth Chan’s LinkedIn profile.

Chan, the Producer and Co-Director for FromSoftware’s upcoming Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon, is also the Lead Game Designer for Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree. According to Chan’s profile, he has held this position since April 2021, roughly thirteen months ago. The profile previously listed the DLC as an “unannounced project.”

While it is unsurprising that Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree was well into development before its official announcement, the news that the expansion had been in the works for over a year as of this writing has excited fans. It is possible that the development for Shadow of the Erdtree began almost immediately after Elden Ring launched.

There are no rules governing the duration of a DLC’s development, with minor content updates potentially taking a few months. At the same time,more ambitious expansions may have development cycles comparable to standalone games.

However, it is worth noting that Elden Ring was in development for about five years, from the end of 2016 to around December 2021.

I want to clarify that this does not necessarily mean that Shadow of the Erdtree will have one-fifth of the base game’s content. Still, it does suggest that the expansion has been in development for quite a while compared to the time spent on Elden Ring’s development.

Thus, it is reasonable to assume that the new expansion may be meatier than most DLCs. Shadow of the Erdtree may be closer to a sequel than a typical expansion.

The revelation of the longer development cycle of Shadow of the Erdtree has certainly generated excitement and anticipation among fans of Elden Ring. With the expansion’s release date still a mystery, this news has given fans something to speculate about and hope for.

It will be interesting to see how this extended development period affects the expansion’s content and size and whether it will be worth the wait. Regardless, it is clear that FromSoftware is dedicated to delivering high-quality content for its games, and Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree is no exception.

Final Words & Takeaways

FromSoftware’s highly acclaimed action role-playing game, Elden Ring, is set to receive its first major expansion, Shadow of the Erdtree.

Although the developer has been silent on the expansion’s release date, a recent discovery has suggested that it may be bigger and more ambitious than initially expected.

According to the LinkedIn profile of Elden Ring’s Lead Game Designer, Kenneth Chan, the expansion has been in development for almost a year as of April 2021, roughly thirteen months before its official announcement.

While this does not necessarily mean that Shadow of the Erdtree will have one-fifth the content of the base game, it does suggest that the new expansion may turn out to be meatier than most DLCs, potentially closer to a sequel than a typical expansion.

This news has generated excitement and anticipation among fans, and it will be interesting to see how the extended development period affects the expansion’s content and size.

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With that being said, thank you for reading my post, and have a good one.

Here are a few of my previous posts relating to Elden Ring:

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