Summary
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtreeis one of the biggest expansions to ever be made. It adds a plethora of new bosses, enemies, and an area that is allegedly the same size as Limgrave (it’s actually far bigger). Massive is an understatement with this DLC. As with any expansion from FromSoftware games, it also adds new lore for those who continue to research the stories of Soulsborne games religiously, trying to make sense of item descriptions and why certain bosses are in certain areas.
Most of the lore in FromSoftware titles comes from item descriptions, although interpretation is often required since these descriptions aren’t too long.
In general,Shadow of the Erdtreeexplores the story behind Miquella, one of the demi-god children of Marika, the Eternal, and the elder twin brother ofMalenia, Blade of Miquella,the game’s mascot. It takes place in the Land of Shadow, a completely separate area from the Lands Between, where the base game takes place. The new story bits and ending explore Miquella’s true goals, and as it is largely about him, players must defeat Mohg first to access theEmpyrean cocoon in order to start the DLC.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree Review - FromSoft’s Greatest Hits
Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC is a victory lap for FromSoftware, bringing in elements from past games without losing what made it special.
Does Shadow Of The Erdtree Add A New Ending To Elden Ring?
A Cutscene That Adds Context To The Base Game
Shadow of the Erdtreestill adheres to the general story design that many FromSoftware expansions have had in the past. The story that’s explored adds to the base game and doesn’t replace its ending or its events. Without going into spoilers,Shadow of the Erdtreeis the same,playing a cutscene after the final boss of the DLC is defeatedasShadow of the Erdtree’s ending. This cutscene doesn’t replace any of the endings of the base game and is purely an ending for the events in the expansion.
After beating the expansion,the Tarnished still needs to make their way to the Erdtree and become Elden Lordto beat the game. The expansion can be played if the Tarnished has defeated the Elden Beast, since the game sends players back before that point, butElden Ring’s base endingshave not been added to. This is similar toDark Souls 3and howAshes of Ariandelhandled the final bosses in that DLC. Even if players defeat Sister Friede and Slave Knight Gael in The Ringed City,they still have to beat the Soul of Cinder from the base game to end their journey.
FromSoftware’s expansions tend to have the most difficult parts of their respective games (depending on who is asked). Sister Friede and her three phases were quite a shock to the community whenAshes of Ariandelreleased.
Shadow Of The Erdtree Explores More Lore From Elden Ring
But The Player Doesn’t Get A New Option As Elden Lord
Outside ofElden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree’sending cutscene, players don’t get much in terms of ending content. This means no new options when becoming Elden Lord after beating the expansion, like opting to summon Ranni for the Age of Stars ending. Although a little disappointing, this is in line with what FromSoftware has done in the past with its expansions, such asThe Old HuntersforBloodborneand bothThe Ringed CityandAshes of AriandelforDark Souls 3.
