7 Secrets We Learned from Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree DLC Preview

Jun. 5, 2024

The ever-awaited Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree DLC is only a few days from its global release. The recentElden Ring story trailerhinted at shocking revelations about Queen Marika’s past. The birth of the Erdtree has also perfectly set up the stage for the DLC. But are you prepared enough? The Shadow of the Erdtree preview releases have opened up and brought with them a boatload of new information. We now know more about the upcoming DLC through a few nifty details. If you’re also curious about what Shadow of the Erdtree brings, keep reading as we discuss the 7 secrets we learned from the preview.

1. New Weapon Types

Elden Ring already had a diverse range of weapon types forked out onto so many different weapons. The game probably had the most weapons among the Soulsborne,followed by Dark Souls 2. The Shadow of the Erdtree DLC willadd 8 more weapon typesto the game and many more new weapons for each of the old and new categories.

The new weapon types coming to Erdtree range from Great Katanas, Dryleaf Arts (Hand-to-Hand), Throwing Weapons, Thrusting Shields, and much more.

Furthermore,100 new weaponswill be added to the game, including many new weapons added to the old categories. The multi-shot crossbow and the throwable large hammer are only just a few featured during the previews. The Hand-to-Hand and Throwing Weapon types look particularly amazing and meta-changing. I cannot wait to see the crazy builds players will come up with after the release of the DLC.

During the interviews following the game’s announcement, Elden Ring’s DLC was already revealed to have a different leveling-up system. The DLC previews have confirmed thattwo new upgrade typesare coming to the Elden Ring DLC, but they will only be limited to the Land of the Shadows. These are:

The two new forms of upgrades hint that your normal character stats won’t be very influential in the Land of Shadows, likely to prevent over-leveled characters from steamrolling the DLC.

Those who have seen the recent Elden Ring DLC trailer must have noticed Miquella’s sign shown in multiple locations in Land of Shadows. These are not the new sites of grace butfootprints of Miquella’s path in the Land of Shadows.

You will generally find Miquella’s followers around these signs, and they likely also point towards the path the tarnished should take to reach the end. Miquella’s signs are also important because you can find the Scadutree Fragments and Reverend Spirit Ashes around them while progressing many of the new NPC quests.

Like the new weapons type added to the game, Shadow of the Erdtree will also havea ton of new spirit ashes, including the Finger Creeper Spirit Ashes. Finger Creepers were among the most despised enemies in the base game,almost driving me to borderline insanity on multiple occasions, so it’s good to see it as a friend and not an enemy. The newFinger Creeper Spirit Ashcan also doAoE heals, so it is quite useful in most Elden Ring fights.

Other than the Finger Creeper, we learned about two other new Spirit Ashes in the DLC preview. One wasAndreas Black Knight Commanderand theGravebird Spirit Ashes. However, seeing as there are a lot more under wraps, I fully expect a ton more Spirit ashes to come to the Shadow of the Erdtree.

I don’t know if it could get any worse, but yes, from everything we have seen from the preview, you can expect the Erdtree DLC to bemuch harder than the base game. The enemies arefaster, stronger, and have more health.

However, that isn’t very surprising since FromSoftware has been known for having its DLC come with the hardest content. The biggest difficulty spike in the game appears from the new level-up system, as it almost nullifies the advantage of character stats from the base game.

But just like the base game, Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree should be much easier with Spirit Ashes, player summoning, and ridiculously broken builds. So, never lose hope and remember that anything goes when you hit that wall.

You likely remember the cute-looking blue spirit worms first appearing during the Elden Ring DLC teaser. This obviously raised the question: Are they hostile or friendly? Now, we finally have the answer.

The mysterious blue spirit wormshave been confirmed to benon-hostilein Elden Ring Preview. That is,until you hit them. Every participant of the Elden Ring DLC preview has mentioned that the worms get pretty wild after you hit them, but how they react is anyone’s guess right now.Now I know the first thing I will do after getting my hands on Shadow of the Erdtree.

One of the biggest mysteries about the Elden Ring DLC teaser and trailer was the mysterious female narrator, who was later revealed to be one of Miquella’s followers. Now, we have learned a bit more about her from the Elden Ring DLC preview.

The narrator’s name is “Needle Knight” Leda, and she is the first NPC you meet at Moghwyn palace near Miquella’s bodyafter defeating Mohg in the base game.

She guides us to the Land of Shadows, much like Gael does in the Dark Souls 3 Ashes of Ariandel DLC. Her messages are present in important places in the Land of Shadows, guiding Miquella’s champions on the proper path they must take.

An old soul who loves CRPGs and Souls-Like to death. Takes pleasure in simplifying “Complex and Hard” games for casual players with tailored guides and videos. He loves to explore new places, read fantasy fiction, watch anime, and create wacky character builds in his off time.