Just as promised, the Shadow of the Erdtree trailer dropped yesterday afternoon, and man, does it get the jubblies tingling.
Showing off the Land of Shadow, new Ashes of War, new gear and new bosses, for every second of that three-minute trailer, all I could think about was diving back into the base game, preparing myself for the new story that awaits us.
Aside from the apparent new stuff and the confirmed release date of the 21st of June 2024, what ridiculous theories can we come up with, predicting what sort of story we’ll be playing through when the DLC finally releases?
First off, we are provided with an image of Miquella and Mohg’s cocoon. As many had initially predicted, there was something more than just a dead-end after defeating the optional boss Mohg in the base Elden Ring game. “Come, now. Touch the withered arm and travel to the world of shadow.” Seems pretty self-explanatory that Miquella’s cocoon is a portal to the Land of Shadow.
In an interview between Hidetaka Miyazaki, Edlen Ring Director, and IGN, Miyazaki confirmed that this cocoon would, in fact, be the entry point to the DLC.
Miyazaki also mentioned how the story includes Queen Marika. The trailer’s description says, “Where the goddess Marika first set foot.” and we are led to believe that the Tarnished will attempt to follow Miquella’s quest to find out exactly what Queen Marika had done or is doing in the Land of Shadow.
While the trailer does show off a variety of new bosses, such as a giant flaming brasier and what looks like a Chinese Lion where two people separately control the head and the body, Miyazaki himself said talking about these characters may give away too much of the story.
What we do know, and as confirmed by Miyazaki, is the lanky, red-haired figure at the end of the trailer is Messmer the Impaler. Miyazaki confirms that he sits upon a throne similar to those seen in the throne room where the player fights Morgott. This indicates that Messmer is in equal standing with the other demigods and children of Marika. In the trailer, we also hear a voice-over say as Messmer enters the scene, “Mother, wouldst though truly Lordhsip sanction, in one so bereft of light?”. This might suggest that Messmer is, too, a child of Marika in some way and a sibling to Miquella, Melania.
Some other interesting visuals that we get from the trailer that might feature in the story are the portrait of the old man and a figure with braided hair. We can’t exactly tell who the figure is, but it could be Miquella. We later see a skeletal figure that looks quite similar to the old man in the portrait, perhaps removing his spine from his eyeball to be used as a weapon. Could this show the wake Miquella leaves behind, or does it show what happens when Miquella is no longer there?
The veiled Shadow of the Erdtree also looks eerily similar to the veiled bed of Queen Marika. We know the Land of Shadow is where Marika comes from, could she have initially ruled this land with her Numen people before stepping into the Lands Between? Or does it show she still holds control over the land and its apparent ruler, Messmer?
While there is a lot we can pull from the trailer, as in typical Elden Ring style, all of it will be speculative until we actually touch the withered arm and venture forth to the Land of Shadow ourselves.
Have you pre-ordered the DLC yet? Perhaps you have your own theories about the storyline and the Land of Shadows. Let us know in the comments below.