Gamers are eagerly anticipating the release of Elden Ring's long-awaited DLC as details start to emerge about the expansion.
The world of FromSoftware's 2022 RPG is set to get a bit bigger with the incoming Shadow of the Erdtree expansion.
The DLC drop was first announced back in February 2023, following up on the copious Game of the Year awards the base Elden Ring game won for the Japan-based studio.
When Is Elden Ring DLC Releasing?
After months of waiting, fans finally know when Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree DLC will be released.
Coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, the massive expansion is set to officially debut on June 21, as announced in the game's February 2024 trailer.
This will be a bit of a longer wait when it comes to From Software games and the studio's post-launch plans - with games like Dark Souls and Bloodborne getting expansions within a year of launch. However, according to the team behind the game, it will be worth it.
It is worth noting that just because June 21 has been announced as the official release date for the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, that does not mean it will hit on that date specifically.
Games are constantly delayed in this day and age, and there is a chance that the Elden Ring expansion could get pushed.
For those worrying about a delay though, FromSoftware has stuck pretty close to its announced release date over the last decade and change, only suffering from one major public delay in that time, pushing 2015's Bloodborne back by a month.
How Big Will Elden Ring DLC Be?
The team behind Elden Ring has made it clear that the upcoming DLC expansion for the game will be the biggest that FromSoftware has ever released.
Elden Ring was already big, but Shadow of the Erdtree will up the scale even more.
According to Souls series stalwart and Elden Ring game director Hidetaka Miyazaki, the expansion will introduce an area "comparable, if not larger, than the area of Limgrave" from the base game (via IGN):
"It's hard to answer without giving away too much and to a high degree of accuracy, but if you think in terms of scale or size, it's probably comparable, if not larger, than the area of Limgrave from the base game."
Limgrave is the first area gamers explored in Elden Ring, taking up about 15% of the title's total world map.
Miyazaki added, "Players can expect a similar experience" to what the base Elden Ring game offered, bringing with it the "open field maps" and "large scale legacy dungeons" that so many loved in the 2022 original release:
"We think players can expect a similar experience to what they had with the base game. This is going to be structured in a similar way, as you said, with open field maps, with large-scale legacy dungeons, and with small to medium-scale legacies as well. So we hope players will enjoy this same sense of scale and sense of adventure throughout that structure."
Shadow of the Erdtree will see players transported to an entirely new locale separate from the base game's World Between.
This new biome is known as the Land of Shadow, and will see gamers use a "cocoon and arm" seen in the trailer to teleport to this new world:
"Yes. The cocoon and arm you saw at the beginning of the trailer – this is actually the point of entry to the Land of Shadow where the players will enter to the DLC area. And this does have some relation to Miquella. And Miquella has, as we said, traveled to the Land of Shadow."
How Much Will Elden Ring DLC Cost?
When the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC releases in June, fans can expect to pay a premium for From Software's latest experience.
Announced alongside its official release date, it was revealed the Elden Ring DLC will cost fans $39.99 in addition to already having to own the base game itself.
There are also two higher-end options for gamers to pick up should they so choose.
The Shadow of the Erdtree Premium Bundle edition is priced at $49.99 and includes the DLC as well as a digital artbook and soundtrack.
On top of that, a $249.99 physical collector's edition will be made available as well, coming with the game, the contents of the Premium Bundle, and a statuette of Messmer the Impaler, one of the bosses from the game.
Pre-orders for the expansion are available now on digital storefronts like Steam, PlayStation, and Xbox.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is set to come to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on June 21.
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