Shadow of the Erdtree is Elden Ring’s sole DLC, but may not be the series’ end

Shadow of the Erdtree will be Elden Ring’s only piece of DLC, but that doesn’t mean more Elden Ring isn’t on the way in future.

Creator Hidetaki Miyazaki was interviewed by Chinese outlet Zhihu (spotted by YouTuber Ziostorm), where a few new snippets of information have been revealed.

Potential spoilers and speculation follow.

In the interview, Miyazaki confirmed Shadow of the Erdtree will be the first and last DLC for Elden Ring and that no further content is planned. The reason for just one DLC is to maintain the sense of exploration, rather than splitting it into several parts.

However, it has not been decided whether the Elden Ring story is conclusively finished and FromSoftware tends to keep possibilities open for future games. That said, Miyazaki would not be pushed on whether another installation is on the way.

And while Miyazaki refused to state how long the DLC will be, he did state there’s no specific end to it, but players will have to face certain choices. It all suggests this won’t be a linear expansion, but offer the same sense of freedom as the main game.

Some lore details for Shadow of the Erdtree were also revealed, with Miyazaki explaining some mysteries from the main game will be answered.

One of those will likely be the link between Miquella and St. Trina, as Miyazaki confirmed the latter will appear in Shadow of the Erdtree. St. Trina is important to the game’s lore despite never appearing in person: the Sword of St. Trina description describes the character as “an enigmatic figure” who can appear as either a boy or a girl. There’s also a similar appearance to the items Miquella’s Lilies and Trina’s Lilies.

As such, some players have surmised that St. Trina and Miquella are one and the same. St. Trina also played a part in the dream quest cut content found by dataminers, suggesting the themes of Miquella, St. Trina and dreaming will all be explored.

We already know the DLC will be accessed from the cocoon in the Mohg boss fight area, meaning Mohg will need to be defeated, but so too will Scarscourge Radahn. Miyazaki states in the interview the reason for this will be clear after experiencing the DLC, suggesting Radahn is an important character in the narrative.

Lastly, some further information was provided on the leveling system in the DLC. Miyazaki previously confirmed a new element of progression unique to this area would be implemented, which took inspiration from Sekiro. In further news, we now know players will be able to choose whether to turn on this growth to challenge a tough enemy, or turn it off if the challenge is the right level. Perhaps players will absorb power from bosses, similar to enhancements in Sekiro.

This should ensure the DLC is approachable for all, no matter how much of the main game has been played – although difficulty will be similar to its latter half.

Shadow of the Erdtree will be released on June 21st and will be FromSoftware’s biggest expansion to date.

For more details, check out our analysis of the Shadow of the Erdtree trailer.