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The Erdtree is dead or dying, its golden sap showering the trunk with what is, in essence, the blood of a literal god. From Software certainly does know how to make a striking expansion pack announcement, right? Enter the Shadow of the Erdtree - the long-anticipated first DLC for Elden Ring, slated to take the Tarnished on a mad romp through an all-new endgame-tier part of The Lands Between.
We've already gone through all the technical bits concerning the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, of course, so today we're most interested in discussing what the DLC's story is all about. To be sure, the Elden Ring base game's narrative is wild beyond imagination, with Outer Gods and interstellar demons making common appearances over the course of the story. The Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, too, is bound to be equally wild. To that end, we don't have much concrete lore information about the upcoming expansion yet.
Regardless, over the next couple of sections, we've assembled all the information we do know about the Erdtree DLC's narrative setup and came up with some theories as to what it might end up being.
READ MORE: Everything You Need to Know About Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
What is Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree about?
Anyone who's kept even half an eye on the story of Elden Ring will know that Miquella was one of the base game's most mysterious elements. Malenia's twin brother was cursed to stay eternally young and, at some point, kidnapped by the blood-crazed Mohg, and cocooned up in the Mohgwyn Palace to become his consort. To transform Miquella, Mohg pumped his catatonic body full of magic-infused blood (sourced from one of the aforementioned Outer Gods), but nothing happened. Before Mohg could put any other plan into action, the Tarnished avatar came about and cut him down.
In the Elden Ring base game, that's about the extent of Miquella's story. We never did get to learn why Mohg couldn't revive Miquella to be his consort for ascension, and we don't get so much as an idea as to why Miquella was catatonic in the first place. Instead, the Tarnished simply moves on, eventually kills Miquella's twin, Malenia, and continues on their merry way.
Now, the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC takes a step back and circles back to Miquella's broken cocoon in Mohgwyn Palace. We know for a fact, for one, that the way into the Land of Shadow is the cocoon itself. The Tarnished needs to touch Miquella's desiccated arm hanging from the cocoon to travel to the Land of Shadow, and it would appear that Miquella has been doing something there all along.
Indeed, the reason why Mohg could never reach out to Miquella and marry him is that Miquella's consciousness ascended from his body. As per the announcement trailer, Queen Marika did something in the Land of Shadow before the events of Elden Ring, and Miquella took it upon himself to follow in her footsteps. That's where the Tarnished comes into the picture.
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Will the Shadow of the Erdtree contextualize Elden Ring proper?
More broadly, Miquella's original plan was to grow old alongside the Haligtree: his own alternative to Elden Ring's massive glowing Erdtree. You see, Erdtree is essentially the physical embodiment of the Greater Will, an Outer God, and Miquella wanted to replace the Erdtree with an alternative that didn't rely upon a potentially problematic deity. To that end, Miquella was originally cocooned at the Haligtree's roots, but Mohg cut him out of them, stunting his growth and essentially killing the Erdtree alternative before it could fully expand.
Now, this is all extremely out-there sort of stuff. From Software has never been the studio to shy away from deeply weird, cosmic horror-type narrative development, so we're hoping that the Shadow of the Erdtree will give us more context as to what really went down between Marika, Malenia, and Miquella, and what role the newcomer, Messmer, might play.
Notably, Messmer appears to be the foil to Miquella in many ways. Whereas Miquella wanted to establish a "Tree" that would do away with the Greater Will, Messmer actively hunts and kills those who are not blessed by the Will's Grace. The clash between the two is obvious, then, with the Tarnished caught between a rock and a hard place.
Explore the Story, or Jump in for the Combat?
Obviously, we'll need to wait and see what From Software ends up delivering in the end, but it seems to us that the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC will explain the role of Miquella in the grand scheme of things and, perhaps, offer us a new way of dealing with the Greater Will.
Remember, the Greater Will is not a kind, benevolent entity by default. As with most Outer Gods, its motives are currently unknown and, perhaps, essentially unknowable to us, though it's certainly clear that it has some plan in mind for The Lands Between. The presence of the Elden Beast, for one, was a clear signifier of this. With that in mind, the Tarnished may end up playing a role in the Greater Will's downfall or, perhaps, at least in dispelling its influence on the Lands Between.
But look, none of the above necessarily matters if you're just in it for the ride. Remember: From Software's games don't really show the narrative into your face. If you wish to seek it out, you can do so, but the game plays all the same whether you understand and appreciate its narrative development, or not.
So, if you're keen on the gameplay of Elden Ring and can't wait to see how Shadow of the Erdtree pushes the envelope in that regard, you're in for a heck of a fight. Stay tuned!
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