After much waiting and hoping, Bandai Namco and FromSoftware promised to finally give us the first trailer for Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree today, and boy did they deliver. This first three-minute look at the expansion focuses heavily on new bosses, and they look like a very intimidating lot – a towering flaming effigy, a twisted Chinese dragon type thing, what appears to be a giant stick bug, and more. This is all lorded over by what would seem to be the new big bad of the expansion, Messmer the Impaler (that’s him in the header image).
Beyond the new bosses, the trailer provides fewer hints about the new areas you’ll explore, although apparently, you’ll be delving into the “Realm of Shadow.” We also get tantalizing peeks at some new weapons, a hint the expansion may bring in hand-to-hand combat, and more. But hey, enough of my preamble – you can check out the Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree trailer for yourself, below.
Well dang, June can’t come quick enough. The Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree will set you back $40, although despite the price it’s not a standalone expansion – you’ll still need the base game to play it. While FromSoftware is still being slightly cagey with details, but here’s their Shadow of the Erdtree description…
“The Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree expansion features an all-new story set in the Land of Shadow imbued with mystery, perilous dungeons, and new enemies, weapons and equipment. Discover uncharted territories, face formidable adversaries, and revel in the satisfying triumph of victory. Dive into the riveting interplay of characters, where drama and intrigue intertwine, that create an immersive experience to savor and enjoy.”
A new Eurogamer interview with Hidetaka Miyazaki does shed a bit of extra light on Shadow of the Erdtree, which he promises is the biggest expansion FromSoft has ever done. The DLC offers up a whole new map, which Miyazaki promises is bigger than the introductory Limgrave region from the base game. This time around, the line between dungeons and the overworld will be a bit more blurred, with the level design being more dense overall. It will certainly be packed with dangers, as the expansion includes 10 new extra-daunting bosses to punish yourself with.
Bandai Namco is also offering a Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree Collector’s Edition which includes a 40-page hardcover art book, official soundtrack, and Messmer the Impaler statue for €260 or $250 in the US.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree arrives on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PS5 on June 21. Pre-orders are open now via Steam, the PlayStation Store, and Xbox Store. You can pre-order the Collector’s Edition from Bandai Namco’s online store. I’m sure fans will be picking apart that trailer for months, but what was your favorite moment?
