TheElden Ringfanbase is abuzz with activity right now. After a year of speculation,Elden Ring’s DLC has finally been revealed as Shadow of the Erdtree. While it only exists as an image right now, more information is expected to come for it later in the year. Fan speculation is running wild, with different parts of the provided artwork promptingtheories such as Miquella’s relevanceor the presence of another Erdtree. Debates are still raging regarding the finer points ofElden Ring’s lore, so this should serve to fill in a few gaps.
However, even though Shadow of the Erdtree was anticipated, some thought it would arrive under a different name. As part of a recent ransomware attack on Bandai Namco, a list of projects dated for 2022 and 2023 was leaked online. Nowadays, the list is widely suspected to be fake, andElden Ring’s expansion may have just confirmed that. Supposedly, the game’s DLC was going to be called Barbarians of the Badlands, referencing an area briefly mentioned in a couple characters' lore. There’s a chance that Shadow of the Erdtree will beElden Ring’s only DLC, but if so, then the potential present in the Badlands may have been wasted.
RELATED:Why Elden Ring’s Badlands Would Be a Great DLC Setting
Why Visiting The Badlands Would Have Been Exciting
One of the biggest reasons whyDark Soulsand FromSoftware fans were anticipating something like Barbarians of the Badlands was because it would take place in a whole new environment. It’s a special moment whenever a FromSoftware title allows players to leave its primary region and visit a significantly different locale. This was most often found through DLC, even if a number of areas likeDark Souls 1’s OolacileandDark Souls 2’s Brume Tower shared visuals and narrative ties to places in their base games. Unforeseen places likeDS2’s Frozen Eleum Loyce andBloodborne’s Fishing Hamlet were received especially well.
What these areas have that others lack is a heightened sense of surprise. Whether it’s the Fishing Hamlet turningBloodborne’s lore on its head orDS3’s Ringed City expounding on whereDS1’s pygmy people went and how the series' story would end, these new locations showed players unfamiliar corners of FromSoftware’s masterfully crafted worlds. Getting to see the Badlands inElden Ring, a rarely-mentioned place that is potentially relevant to the playable Tarnished’s backstory, would be like gettingSekiro: Shadows Die TwiceDLCthat took the player to the Interior Ministry’s homeland. Considering the many characters from foreign countries throughout every Soulsborne title, players so rarely get to see them.
The Badlands DLC Would Have Made A Good Counterpart to Elden Ring
Of course, novelty is far from the only reason that the fans were hopeful that the Badlands leak was real.Elden Ringhas a number of plot points such as the Godskin cult and their Gloam-Eyed Queen seemingly originating from outside the Lands Between, and an external DLC could explore those elements. Wherethe Shadow of the Erdtree expansionwill take place is unknown, but it likely won’t be able to answer outstanding questions irrelevant to the Erdtree. If nothing else, seeing the stomping grounds of the first Tarnished and potentially learning more about Hoarah Loux and Nepheli Loux would have satisfied many.
Many questions related to Hoarah Loux, AKA the first Elden Lord Godfrey, could have also been tackled. The 1.0 release ofElden Ringmentioned that there were sixteen Crucible Knights, and with only fourteen appearing in the game, it would make sense that a couple would have left with Godfrey. As a number of people in the modern Badlands would presumably be Tarnished that followed Godfrey into exile,the very nature of the Tarnishedcould be explored. Regardless, Shadow of the Erdtree should more than deliver on expandingElden Ring, though hopefully it shares some of the ideas that could have been found in Barbarians of the Badlands instead.
Elden Ringis available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
MORE:If Shadow of the Erdtree Follows a FromSoftware Pattern, Elden Ring Fans Are in For a Big Challenge
