I’ve got no idea when this DLC is going to be released, but that’s not going to stop me from speculating endlessly. The long anticipated, hyped, and awaited DLC to the legendary Elden Ring, Shadow of the Erdtree, grows closer to release to the point we can realistically start speculating what it will be about.
I’m going out on a short limb here…but I think it has to be centered around Miquella.
Despite Elden Ring coming out nearly two years ago at this point, FromSoftware have yet to release the game’s highly anticipated DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree, and the small teasers and hints the studio has released gives so much room for speculation. And, even though this DLC could literally have 1 million story possibilities, I think we’re almost certain to be seeing a massive story centered around Miquella.
Okay, I may have exaggerated too much when I said there are “1 million story possibilities” for this upcoming DLC, but any guesses under that figure really does a disservice to the multitude of possible storylines for this DLC. I mean, it’s quite clear now that not only will this DLC be the largest one in FromSoftware’s history as a video game developer given the extraordinary development time (2 years), but this DLC is undoubtedly to also have huge story implications on the Tarnished and the Lands Between.
Since we finish the game as Elden Lord, whether that come with Marika as our consort in the Blessing of Despair, Age of Order, Age of Fracture, or Age of the Duskborn endings, Ranni as our goddess doll-queen in the Age of the Stars ending, or as the sole Lord of Chaos in the Frenzied Flame ending, I would assume this DLC must either take place before our Tarnished takes the throne, after they take the throne, or in the middle of our adventures.
Though, I’m going to automatically rule out the “after they take the throne” possibility as that would have to mean this storyline takes into account each and every one of the Tarnished’s ending options. And, seeing as how two of them (Age of Stars, Frenzied Flame) remake the world completely, I don’t see how a story could fit without breaking the head-canon of millions of players (which FromSoftware has never done with a DLC as far as I’m aware).
And, I also have to rule out this being a “new ending” as I don’t see why FromSoftware wouldn’t just add this possibility in the main game. Obviously, I can see a developer like EA or Activision withhold ending choices at release and repackaging them as “DLCs”, but I can’t see FromSoftware or Hidetaka Miyazaki doing that. So, I think this DLC is going to take place either before the main story or somehow during the Tarnished’s travels.
Yet, that just leads me to the biggest question we all have: what and who will be centered in this DLC?
(FromSoftware/Bandai Namco-Elden Ring-Miquella)
Now, as I said, the possibilities really are endless given we could have a DLC about Queen Marika, Radagon, Rennala and her Amber Egg, Mohg and/or the Formless Mother, Nokstella, The Eternal City and the Nox people, Godwyn the Golden and his deathblight, the ancient dragon gods and/or the ancient fire giant gods, Melina and her origins, Godfrey and his Tarnished warrior’s journeys, or literally any other unanswered question that Elden Ring presented.
And there are A LOT of them.
But, with that teaser image and the fact that this demigod was widely discussed yet hardly featured in the main game, I just don’t see how the DLC does not involve Miquella. As one of only three demigods Empyreans (Melania and Ranni being the other two) capable of replacing Marika as Queen and god of the Lands Between, Miquella is by his heritage one of most important characters in the lore.
Moreover, Miquella is the ruler of the arguably most mysterious and secluded area in all of Elden Ring in the Haligtree demesne, while his ascension to godhood through curing his “forever-young” curse in his cocoon was very briefly touched upon.
So, since we only got to see his withered, perhaps undead (but I doubt it) arm at Mohg’s palace, I think he’s going to be the focus of this DLC. I also believe Godwyn the Golden and his rotting, expanding corpse will also be central to the story as his close relation to Miquella was one of the only things actually mentioned about the young Empyrean in the game, but the Erdtree also seems to be smothered in his deathblight in the teaser image.
How all of this will transpire and play out beats me. But that’s perfectly fine as getting to experience a brand-new adventure in the Lands Between is enough advertisement for me to buy this DLC on Day 1!
Images Source: Featured Image: (FromSoftware/Bandai Namco) (Elden Ring)
In Text Image 1: (FromSoftware/Bandai Namco) ((1) ELDEN RING (@ELDENRING) / X (twitter.com))
