As exciting as it is for Shadow of the Erdtree to finally be announced, it may be the final piece of additional content Elden Ring will receive. DLC has been highly anticipated since the game launched just over a year ago, but it took much longer than most fans expected to get an official announcement. How much time has passed may inform the plan for Elden Ring’s future. When looking at FromSoftware’s history with DLC content, it becomes apparent that hype for additional content beyond the upcoming expansion should be put in check.

Given Elden Ring’s positive reviews and success, there was little doubt that FromSoftware would release more story content for the game. Especially since the majority of the studio’s past titles received post-launch content. Elden Ring is much bigger than its predecessors, however, so it made sense that any expansions would match its scope in some way, which meant a longer wait time. This reality could be what stands in the way of more content beyond Shadow of the Erdtree.

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As Elden Ring’s Second DLC, Shadow Of The Erdtree Matches FromSoftware Tradition

Shadow of the Erdtree is technically Elden Ring’s second DLC, and most likely follows a FromSoftware DLC trend. With the exception of Demon Souls and Sekiro, each of FromSoftware’s Soulsborne games received story expansions after launch. Dark Souls 2 saw three pieces of DLC, and Dark Souls 3 had two major expansions. Dark Souls and Bloodborne, on the other hand, only received one DLC. When considering Elden Ring’s Colosseum update as the first piece of DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree, unfortunately, would seem to be the second and likely final expansion for Elden Ring. However, Elden Ring’s success could mean a break in FromSoftware’s DLC tradition, but this is a double-edged sword.

Elden Ring’s Could Be Shadow Of The Erdtree’s Downfall

Elden Ring was massively hyped even before it was released, and it delivered on that hype tenfold. After launch, the game’s popularity grew bigger than expected and became FromSoftware’s most successful title. Now, Shadow of the Erdtree has to live up to that, which is a huge amount of pressure for any game or expansion to handle. Unfortunately, this could open the door for some detrimental corporate interference. Put another way, the game’s success could have inflated Bandai Namco’s projections for Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, and if it fails to meet these numbers, then any hope of future Elden Ring content could be squashed.

Not to mention, the long wait for Shadow of the Erdtree’s announcement doesn’t bode well for additional Elden Ring expansions, as subsequent DLC could interfere with FromSoftware’s upcoming Armored Core 6. Despite these factors, it’s worth noting that FromSoftware and Bandai Namco have previously stated in a press release that they are considering how to expand on the Elden Ring IP. In any case, the best course of action moving forward, for now, seems to be tempering expectations for any further expansions to Elden Ring.