The first Elden Ring Shadow Of The Erdtree trailer is hours away, as last February release date hopes fade
FromSoftware's open world RPG expansion to get first proper showing
Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree is getting a trailer today and it'll last for three whole minutes, which is more than enough time for folks to tear all of its finer details apart for several hundred hours. I for one, hope the trailer includes a hint of gameplay and not just like, a long cinematic with some croaky fella explaining how there's been another "downfall" or similar.
The Shadow Of The Erdtree trailer arrives at 7:00 PST, 15:00 UTC, 16:00 CET and 00:00 JST over on Bandai Namco's YouTube channel, which we've embedded down below.
It's long been rumoured that the DLC would drop in February, based on retailer leaks and backend updates. But FromSoft's parent company Kadokawa quietly rebuffed the idea in early February, stating that From are "currently working hard" on the DLC's development in a financial report. With the trailer out today, I think a June or July release date is likely.
When the DLC was first announced, fans speculated that the teaser image showed the Empyrean character Miquella riding on your trusty steed Torrent, staring out at what seems like either a decaying or newly risen Erdtree.
Is it a dreamland? A time flip? An alternate world? It's worth remembering that time can be fickle in From's games - Dark Souls' Artorias Of The Abyss expansion was set before the events of the main game. I just hope we get to step into a big portal, or a big painting or something. And that it'll be easily accessible for those who've awkwardly started a second playthrough and haven't made much progress since.
As for my trailer predictions, let me set the scene. It's going to start with a dark screen, the FromSoftware logo will flash up. Some dust will whip up from the ground and it'll be marked by some ominous humming. A melancholy voice will explain that 1) the world is on the brink of ruin 2) some pesky lads are up to no good.
Cut to lots of clips of combat. One against a skeleton with a fun hat on. A triceratops with a club takes a swing. Patches hits the griddy and it conjures a balding demon that opens its jaws and cackles a stream of spiked coins. Crafting has been upgraded! You can make campfires, cut wood, build a base.
Surprise! Shadow Of The Erdtree is a survival game.