Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree

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Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree
DeveloperFromSoftware
PublisherBandai Namco Entertainment
DirectorHidetaka Miyazaki
SeriesElden Ring
Platforms
Release
  • WW: 21 June 2024
GenreAction role-playing
Modes

Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree is a downloadable expansion (DLC) for the 2022 action role-playing game Elden Ring. It was developed by FromSoftware and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X and Series S on 21 June 2024.[1] The expansion requires the base game and takes place in the Realm of Shadow, a new region connected to the story of Miquella.[2]

Shadow of the Erdtree retains the open-world structure and combat systems of Elden Ring, while adding a new map, bosses, enemies, weapons, armour, spells, and a separate item-based progression system.[3][4] Director Hidetaka Miyazaki described it as the largest expansion FromSoftware had produced, and said it was intended to recapture the base game's sense of discovery.[5]

The expansion received critical acclaim. Review aggregator Metacritic reported "universal acclaim" for the PlayStation 5 version, with a score of 94 out of 100 based on 64 critic reviews.[6] It sold five million units worldwide within three days of release and surpassed ten million units shipped by July 2025.[7][8] At The Game Awards 2024, it became the first DLC nominated for Game of the Year after the organisers clarified that downloadable content, expansions, remakes, remasters, and seasonal content were eligible in all categories.[9][10]

Gameplay

Shadow of the Erdtree is an expansion to Elden Ring, an action role-playing game played from a third-person perspective. The expansion preserves the base game's exploration, character-building, combat, summoning, and boss encounter systems, but introduces a new region called the Realm of Shadow.[2][11] Players access the expansion through the base game after defeating Starscourge Radahn and Mohg, Lord of Blood.[3][4]

The expansion adds new weapons, armour, spells, enemies, dungeons, and bosses.[2] It also introduces a separate power system for the Realm of Shadow. Scadutree Fragments improve the player character's attack and defence within the expansion area, while Revered Spirit Ashes strengthen spirit summons and the spectral steed Torrent there.[3][12] Reviewers noted that the system encouraged players to explore the new region rather than relying only on their character level from the base game.[11][4]

The Realm of Shadow is structured as an interconnected world with open fields, legacy dungeons, smaller caves, forts, ruins, and optional boss encounters.[11][13] GameSpot described the expansion as large enough to resemble a separate game, while Game Informer emphasised that its added systems and regions expanded the main campaign rather than functioning as a small side area.[11][4]

Synopsis

The expansion is set in the Realm of Shadow, a land separated from the Lands Between and obscured by the Erdtree.[2] Its story centres on Miquella, a demigod from the base game whose fate was left unresolved in Elden Ring.[5] The player follows traces of Miquella through the Realm of Shadow, encountering followers drawn to his path and confronting new enemies connected to the region's history.[11]

The central antagonist promoted before release was Messmer the Impaler, a new character associated with fire, serpents, and the Realm of Shadow.[1] The expansion also develops the background of Queen Marika, the Golden Order, and the hidden history behind the base game's setting.[5][14]

Development and release

Bandai Namco announced Shadow of the Erdtree on 28 February 2023, stating that an expansion for Elden Ring was in development.[15] A gameplay reveal trailer and release date were published on 21 February 2024.[1] The expansion was released worldwide on 21 June 2024 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X and Series S.[1] It was sold as a separate expansion requiring the base game, as part of bundled editions, and in a collector's edition.[1]

Miyazaki said that Shadow of the Erdtree was the largest downloadable expansion FromSoftware had made. He compared its world size to Limgrave, the opening region of Elden Ring, while saying that the expansion was denser in content than that comparison suggested.[5] He also said the decision to focus on Miquella was partly intended to develop unresolved parts of the mythology created for Elden Ring, including material connected to George R. R. Martin's contribution to the setting.[5] In an interview with The Guardian, Miyazaki described the expansion as the end of Elden Ring's story, while not ruling out the possibility of returning to the world in another form.[14]

Before release, Miyazaki said that Shadow of the Erdtree was intended as the first and last downloadable expansion for Elden Ring.[16] After release, FromSoftware adjusted the expansion's Scadutree Blessing system through a calibration update, increasing the effect of blessings during the earlier part of the progression curve and slightly improving later scaling.[12][17]

Reception

Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
MetacriticPS5: 94/100[6]
Windows: 92/100[6]
XSXS: 95/100[6]
Review scores
PublicationScore
Game Informer9.75/10[4]
GameSpot10/10[11]
IGN10/10[18]
PC Gamer (US)95/100[19]

Critical reception

Shadow of the Erdtree received "universal acclaim" from critics, according to review aggregator website Metacritic. The PlayStation 5 version received a weighted average score of 94 out of 100 based on 64 critic reviews, while the Windows and Xbox Series X versions received scores of 92 and 95, respectively.[6]

Critics praised the expansion's scale, world design, level design, combat additions, enemy variety, and sense of exploration. Tamoor Hussain of GameSpot awarded it 10 out of 10, describing it as an expansion with enough content to resemble a full game and praising its setting, combat options, and additions to the lore of Elden Ring.[11] Marcus Stewart of Game Informer awarded it 9.75 out of 10, praising the Realm of Shadow, the new dungeons, bosses, weapons, and Scadutree progression system.[4] Mitchell Saltzman of IGN awarded it 10 out of 10 and considered it a strong final expansion for Elden Ring.[18] Tyler Colp of PC Gamer gave it 95 out of 100, praising its world, battles, set pieces, and storytelling.[19]

Several reviewers emphasised that the expansion restored the uncertainty and danger of first playing the base game. The Verge focused on how the Realm of Shadow forced experienced players to reassess their habits and approach the game with caution.[13] Kotaku described the expansion as large and dense enough to function as a standalone title, while also noting that its map could be difficult to read because of the vertical structure of the new region.[20] Reviewers also discussed the expansion's demanding boss encounters and progression system, generally treating its difficulty as a central part of its design rather than only a barrier to completion.[11][4][13]

Difficulty and player response

After release, the expansion prompted debate over difficulty, performance, and the importance of the Scadutree Fragment system. Video Games Chronicle reported that FromSoftware adjusted the calibration for Shadow Realm Blessings shortly after launch, making the early upgrades more effective and slightly improving later scaling.[12] Automaton West similarly connected the update to early player criticism of the expansion's difficulty and the mixed user response on Steam.[17]

Miyazaki addressed difficulty in interviews around the expansion's release. He told The Verge that the studio had tuned Shadow of the Erdtree in response to lessons learned from the base game, while maintaining FromSoftware's emphasis on challenge.[5] In The Guardian, he said that lowering difficulty would undermine the experience the studio was trying to create.[14]

Sales

Bandai Namco announced that Shadow of the Erdtree sold five million units worldwide within three days of release.[7] By July 2025, the company announced that the expansion had surpassed ten million units worldwide.[8] Following the ten million milestone, GamesRadar+ described the expansion as having one of the highest attach rates in downloadable content history, comparing its commercial performance with major expansions for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Cyberpunk 2077.[21]

Accolades

Shadow of the Erdtree won Best Game Expansion at the 2024 Golden Joystick Awards.[22] It was also nominated for Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2024, after the awards organisers clarified that expansions, downloadable content, remakes, remasters, and seasonal content were eligible for all categories.[23] The nomination drew attention because Shadow of the Erdtree was an expansion to an existing game rather than a standalone release.[10]

Award Date Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Golden Joystick Awards 21 November 2024 Best Game Expansion Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree Won [22]
The Game Awards 12 December 2024 Game of the Year Nominated [24]
[25]
Best Game Direction Nominated
Best Art Direction Nominated
Best Role Playing Game Nominated
Players' Voice Nominated
New York Game Awards 21 January 2025 Statue of Liberty Award for Best World Won [26]
NYC GWB Award for Best DLC Won
D.I.C.E. Awards 13 February 2025 Role-Playing Game of the Year Nominated [27]
Nebula Awards 2025 Best Game Writing Hidetaka Miyazaki Nominated [28]

References

  1. "Fall from grace in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree, the expansion to Elden Ring arriving this June". Bandai Namco Entertainment. 21 February 2024. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  2. "Bandai Namco Entertainment and FromSoftware to release Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree on June 21, 2024" (PDF) (Press release). Bandai Namco Entertainment. 22 February 2024. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  3. Stewart, Marcus (4 June 2024). "Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree Preview – A Three-Hour Trek Through The Realm Of Shadow". Game Informer. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  4. Stewart, Marcus (18 June 2024). "Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree Review". Game Informer. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  5. Parrish, Ash (22 June 2024). "Even Elden Ring's game director knows Erdtree is too hard". The Verge. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  6. "Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  7. "ELDEN RING Shadow of the Erdtree reaches 5 million units sold worldwide". Bandai Namco Entertainment. 27 June 2024. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  8. "FromSoftware Inc.'s recent games based in the Elden Ring universe surpass 10M and 5M milestones". Bandai Namco Entertainment. 24 July 2025. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  9. Williams, Demi (19 November 2024). "The Game Awards 2024 nominees have been announced with Shadow of the Erdtree being the first DLC to be up for a Game of the Year award". TechRadar. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
  10. Mahardy, Mike (17 November 2024). "Game Awards confirms Elden Ring DLC is GOTY eligible". Polygon. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  11. Hussain, Tamoor (18 June 2024). "Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC Review – Kill Them With Kindness". GameSpot. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  12. Ivan, Tom (26 June 2024). "Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree update makes the expansion easier". Video Games Chronicle. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  13. Parrish, Ash (18 June 2024). "Shadow of the Erdtree reintroduced me to Elden Ring by kicking my ass". The Verge. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  14. MacDonald, Keza (21 June 2024). "'I have always felt the world was a harsh place': Elden Ring's Hidetaka Miyazaki on why he may never stop making games". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  15. "The expansion of Elden Ring, Shadow of the Erdtree has been announced!". Bandai Namco Entertainment. 28 February 2023. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  16. Fanelli, Jason (2 May 2024). "Elden Ring Shadow Of The Erdtree Is "First And Last DLC," No Other Content Planned". GameSpot. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  17. Fujiwara, Hideaki (26 June 2024). "Elden Ring's latest DLC update buffs the effect of Scadutree Fragments on attack and defense stats". Automaton West. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  18. Saltzman, Mitchell (18 June 2024). "Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC Review". IGN. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  19. Colp, Tyler (18 June 2024). "Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree review". PC Gamer. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  20. Mercante, Alyssa (18 June 2024). "Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree Review: Massive, Menacing, And Magnificent". Kotaku. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  21. Donaldson, Alex (24 July 2025). "At 10 million copies sold, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree has one of the highest attach rates in DLC history, rivalling CD Projekt Red's sterling run with The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077". GamesRadar+. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  22. Mahardy, Mike (22 November 2024). "Black Myth: Wukong grabs surprise Game of the Year win at the Golden Joysticks". Polygon. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  23. MacDonald, Keza (20 November 2024). "From Astro Bot to Balatro, the 2024 'game of the year' race is too close to call". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  24. Spangler, Todd (18 November 2024). "The Game Awards Nominations 2024: 'Astro Bot,' 'Final Fantasy VII Rebirth' Lead With 7 Nods Each". Variety. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  25. "Here are all The Game Awards 2024 winners". Polygon. 13 December 2024. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  26. "Awards: All The Awesome Winners From Our 14th Annual New York Game Awards!". New York Videogame Critics Circle. 23 January 2025. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  27. "28th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards Finalists Revealed". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. 10 January 2025. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  28. "SFWA Announces the 60th Annual Nebula Awards Finalists!". Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association. 12 March 2025. Retrieved 10 June 2026.