Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree DLC hands-on preview: An expansion that turned my “good memories” of Elden Ring into hungry anticipation for more 

Shadow of the Erdtree, Elden Ring’s long-awaited official expansion, is almost upon us, scheduled to release worldwide on June 21 for the PC, PS5/PS4 and Xbox Series X|S/Xbox One. Taking players to a brand-new map physically separate from the Lands Between, Shadow of the Erdtree is set in the Land of Shadow, where Queen Marika became a God and the golden Erdtree was born. The story centers around Miquella, an Empyrean and demigod whose status remained a mystery throughout the main story. 

I had the opportunity to preview a portion of Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC ahead of time, and here is everything I was able to discover about it. Before getting into the details, I want to quickly go over the in-game conditions that need to be cleared in order to access and play the DLC, as well as some general comments on the level of difficulty. 

The entry point to Shadow of the Erdtree is the Cocoon found at Mohgwyn Palace, but in order to access the DLC, you will need to first conquer the two bosses Starscourge Radahn and Mohg, Lord of Blood. Mohg’s difficulty as a boss practically requires you to be at a level where you can clear Elden Ring, and the DLC requires a similar level of skill if not higher. The player data we were provided with during the preview was at Level 150, and the DLC was difficult enough for a Level 150 character to easily get decimated. So, if you want to beat Shadow of the Erdtree while keeping your sanity intact, I would recommend making full use of the new buffs that will be available exclusively within the DLC’s area (which I will come back to later on). 

With those general points out of the way, I’d like to quickly move on to the details of the preview. Everything started in front of the previously mentioned Cocoon. I followed the lead of an NPC who claimed to be “following in the footsteps of Miquella” and soon found myself in the DLC’s new game field, the Land of Shadow. 

The Land of Shadow is a peculiar space in which “symbols of the past,” such as black spirits and glowing tombstones, stand side by side amidst scorched grasslands. The veil of light pouring from the sky around the distorted shadow of the Erdtree struck me as symbolic of both a twilight-like apocalypse and a sunrise-like beginning. The Land of Shadow, as its name suggests, is a world of cast shadows, a mysterious atmosphere where the sun never seems to shine directly. It is entirely distinct from the world we traversed in Elden Ring’s main story, where the lingering afterimages of civilization can be felt. I clearly remember the word “scary” spilling out of my mouth as soon as I set foot in this new map. The Land of Shadows also strongly reflects the concept of time, and I noticed the environment change together with the passage of time. 

Taking in the scenery, I began to wander the field in search of checkpoints when I spotted a local. It was an enemy that had been revealed through Elden Ring’s official social media not long ago. As I was in possession of some DLC-exclusive weapons and magic spells (and it had been a while since I last played Elden Ring) I decided to take this guy for a warm-up round. 

In the lineup of weapons, I spotted a reverse grip sword, a lightweight great sword, throwing daggers (which can be used for long-range attacks), and a Great Sword that can be wreathed in flames. But what really caught my eye was the dueling shield, a shield that you can attack with. To use it defensively, you equip it in your left hand; to use it offensively, you use it with your right hand. Furthermore, it can be equipped with offensive skills, which means it can be used to both guard and attack when held with the left hand. The attack motion feels quite light and is easy to use. On the other hand, the dueling shield’s range is on the shorter side. 

Satisfied with my choice of weapon, I jovially made my way towards the enemy. However, his almost dancer-like movements threw me off, and before I knew it, I took a hit that rendered me defenseless, and it was game over. After an additional two losses, I was ready to admit I may not have made the right choice and decided to back-track. I switched to a reverse grip sword. Reverse grip swords are basically an extension of Straight Swords, and they work excellently for closing the distance in battle. The flexible weapon allows you to control your spacing and eliminate gaps in movement, making it both easy to use and fun to explore. Anyhow, as soon as I switched weapons, I defeated the enemy without much difficulty. Due to the nature of my build, I was unable to try out any new magics spells, but alas, this is what Elden Ring is all about. 

After the fierce battle, I took a breather at a checkpoint I found and unfolded the map I obtained. According to FromSoftware, the game field of Shadow of the Erdtree was designed with density in mind, with more than ten bosses scattered throughout. Although the DLC’s game field is not as extensive as the base game’s (as far as I could tell from the map), there appears to be no shortage of elements to stimulate the player. 

For the preview, we were able to choose from two available dungeons to challenge, but even before reaching them, I came across so many temptations, places to explore and close encounters with enemies. For example, a huge Wicker Man-like enemy that spewed massive amounts of lava. Conflicted with the desire to make detours, I proceeded through the field and reached a fork in the road. Ahead of me were the two dungeons that were available for the preview, a large legacy dungeon and a medium-sized dungeon. I chose to head to the former. On the way, I came across and talked to several NPCs – they were all looking for Miquella, but belonged to various factions. Considering the possibilities of how their stories may develop in the final DLC, I remember thinking, “they were right about the DLC being density-driven.”   

Soon enough, I arrived at the dungeon. Although its general appearance was similar to that of the base game’s, it was engulfed by the same alien atmosphere I described previously – the flowing gold streaks and traces of a past war were all telling me that this was a special place. Construction-wise, it is designed to make full use of vertical levels, and jumping will lead you to discover new paths in unexpected places. Enemies along the way range from ghostly warriors to swarming scorpions, gloomy giant birds, and armor-clad Omen warriors, offering a rich variety of challenges. Seeing the Omen freely walking around made me wonder if this is an area where there is less discrimination. 
 

As a result of my exploration, I found and fought a boss-class enemy outside the main route. If I had spent more time, who knows how many more battles and rewards I would have come across. Incidentally, the reward this time was a new skill that gives your weapon an Arcane attribute. The less HP the weapon has, the more it will get powered up. The DLC also includes exclusive buffs that work only in the Land of Shadows. These allow you to boost your attack power and damage by consuming specific items. The idea of the DLC’s boss battles being designed around these buffs makes me excited for all the possibilities. 

I eventually reached the innermost part of the dungeon and began fighting the Lion Dance-reminiscent enemy that appears in Shadow of the Erdtree’s trailer. I will not describe the details of the boss battle in this article to avoid spoiling the fun, but If I dare say anything, it is that I was astonished at how well the Lion Dance motif was translated into an enemy. The powerful, monstrous intensity mixed with the dancing-like motions make for a unique boss. Oh also, the attacks hurt. If you’re not careful, you can easily end up with a game over if you’re around level 150. My skills were unfortunately not at the level to conquer this enemy, so I decided to use the remaining time to head over to the other dungeon. 

The second dungeon looked like the remains of a base, with a grim and rather dark atmosphere. I wondered if it was connected to the invasion by Messmer the Impaler, described in the DLC’s story trailer. Inside await enemies bearing the name “Black Knight.” When defeated, they drop equipment. You can also come across Spirit Ashes that will fight alongside you. I proceeded to the deeper ends of the dungeon, but unfortunately, my time was up before I could reach the boss. Thus, the preview ended. 

All things considered, my overall impression of Shadow of the Erdtree is that it is a DLC that completely revives the joy of playing Elden Ring. This is partly due to the simple desire to travel the between worlds with new weapons, magic spells and the like, but also due to the way the DLC ties into the story and worldbuilding of the base game.  

This is a very personal matter, but my playing skills have declined dramatically over the past two years, and I have experienced Elden Ring slipping away from my body and becoming a “memory” firsthand. However, it is way too early for Elden Ring to become just a good memory or a masterpiece of the past. This preview of the upcoming expansion has left me eager to keep experiencing what Elden Ring has to offer. 

The Shadow of the Erdtree Elden Ring DLC is scheduled to release worldwide on June 21 for the PC, PS5/PS4 and Xbox Series X|S/Xbox One