Everything we know about ELDEN RING Shadow of the Erdtree

After a long wait, Shadow of the Erdtree has finally been shown off in a new gameplay trailer, and here I’ll break down everything we’ve seen and can confirm from this trailer!

Shadow of the Erdtree will take the tarnished to an entirely new location, the “Realm of Shadow”. Behind Mohg, Lord of Blood, in Mohgwyn Palace, you’ll find a hand dangling from a cocoon, which is the entrance to the Realm of Shadow. Where this is is unknown, but it does seem to have ties to The Lands Between. This location is also similar in size, if not a little larger than Limgrave from the base game.

There’s a plethora of new equipment to be found within the Realm of Shadows, from new armour, weapons and spells of all kinds. There are eight new weapon types and new takes on older weapons, too: a rapid-fire crossbow (fans of the Avelyn from DARK SOULS III have something to look forward to), dual curved swords — akin to the Sellsword Twinblades, and even seemingly throwing daggers, as an actual weapon, instead of just a consumable. Along with this, there are new Ashes of War and spells, too, so all types of players will be able to have fun and experiment with the new items across the Realm of Shadow.

As should be expected for FromSoftware titles, Shadow of the Erdtree will introduce over 10 new bosses, from a giant weaponised living basket of flame, which was used in a war that took place in Realm of Shadows, to a giant beast, seemingly inspired by Chinese dragons through the way its head looks and moves. To all you fans of high difficulty, however, there is supposedly a boss hidden that’s been designed to have a similar level of difficulty as Melania from the base game.

As you adventure through the Realm of Shadow, you’ll stumble across new NPCs who are also on a quest to find out what Miquella is up to, opening you up to make new friends and enemies. These may, too, lead to new questlines and new opportunities to cooperate against the beasts of the Realm of Shadow.

Messmer is an interesting and incredibly mysterious character showcased multiple times throughout the trailer for Shadow of the Erdtree and will prove to be an incredibly important character. He’s heavily related to the theme of shadow, which will be an important element throughout the whole of the DLC, and has some mysterious connections to Miquella, along with the other Demigods. In a piece of key art for Shadow of the Erdtree, you can see Messmer seated on a throne, similar to the thrones of the Demigods from The Lands Between, showing how he stands equally to them and may even rival their power.