Hello there, fellow Tarnished! If you‘ve sunk hundreds of hours into exploring the Lands Between like I have, you‘re probably hungry for even more Elden Ring content. Well, I‘ve got good news and bad news. Let‘s jump right in, shall we?
The bad news first: Unfortunately, the major Elden Ring DLC expansions will not be free. The first paid DLC called Shadow of the Erdtree was just announced on February 28, 2023. And from what industry experts are saying, we can expect to pay around $19.99 or so for each additional content drop.
The good news: We have already received some free Elden Ring DLC! Back in December 2022, FromSoftware released the Colosseum update, letting us engage in fresh PvP and co-op multiplayer modes. So that was a nice holiday treat.
Now, I know paying extra after you‘ve already bought the base game stings. But as a fellow gamer, I think you‘ll agree Elden Ring is a masterpiece more than worth the cost. Let‘s dive deeper into what we know so far about the DLC plan and what we can expect.
Free Colosseum DLC has expanded multiplayer
First, give FromSoftware credit for providing the Colosseum DLC at no additional charge. This substantial update added the Limgrave Colosseum, Caelid Colosseum, and Royal Colosseum. Each arena provides new PvP and co-op match types to try.
Some highlights include:
- United Combat – 1 vs 1 duels
- Combat Ordeal – 2 vs 2 team battles
- Survival Horde – 1 vs many against waves of enemies
- Tournament – Bracket-style 1 vs 1 duels
There‘s even a dedicated Spectator Mode so you can watch others battle it out. FromSoftware also increased the multiplayer count from 4 to 6 players. So if you enjoy competing against others, the Colosseum update is a welcome freebie.
Paid story DLC is also in the works
While the Colosseum DLC was free, FromSoftware has made it clear that major story expansions will be paid content. This follows their successful DLC model for past Soulsborne games like Dark Souls III and Bloodborne, which all had $19.99 DLC packs.
The first paid Elden Ring DLC is called Shadow of the Erdtree. It was officially unveiled on February 28, 2023 with a dark, intriguing trailer teasing what‘s to come. Specific details remain shrouded in mystery for now.
But based on the DLC for their previous titles, we can expect Shadow of the Erdtree to include:
- A new zone or region to explore, probably with unique enemies and environments
- Additional weapons, spells, and gear to discover
- At least 2-3 new major boss encounters
- More lore and story content expanding the narrative
- New quality-of-life features and gameplay enhancements
- Hours of additional playtime value
So in short, Shadow of the Erdtree seems poised to offer a meaningful chunk of content, albeit for an extra fee. I‘d guess $19.99 as a standalone or $29.99 bundled together with future DLC.
Elden Ring‘s incredible sales success
Now you might ask, why should we have to pay extra for Elden Ring DLC when we already paid $59.99 or more for the massive base game? That‘s a fair question.
The reasoning becomes clearer when you consider Elden Ring‘s jaw-dropping sales performance since launch:
- Sold 12 million copies worldwide in under 3 weeks
- Has now sold over 16.6 million copies as of August 2022
- Was the best-selling game in the US for 5 consecutive months
- Has significantly outsold the entire Dark Souls franchise, which took 10+ years to reach 27 million copies sold
- Player count and revenue are exceeding pre-launch expectations by over 50%
According to analyst firm NPD Group, Elden Ring is "the best-selling game in the last 12 months, the best-selling game on the year to date, and the best-selling game of the last 12 months."
Simply put, Elden Ring is an absolute phenomenon that has shattered records. Developing meaty post-launch DLC for engaged fans makes solid business sense.
How Elden Ring sales stack up
To fully appreciate Elden Ring‘s commercial dominance, let‘s compare its sales to the all-time best-selling video games:
| Game | Copies Sold |
|---|---|
| Minecraft | 238 million |
| Grand Theft Auto V | 170 million |
| Tetris | 100 million |
| Elden Ring | 16.6 million and rising fast |
The fact that Elden Ring has already moved over 16 million units in just 6 months is staggering. At this pace, it‘s well on track to catch up with Rockstar‘s Grand Theft Auto V. Sky‘s the limit!
High Elden Ring completion percentage
Here‘s another testament to Elden Ring‘s phenomenal replay value:
- Elden Ring takes ~130 hours to fully 100% complete
- An impressive 7.9% of players have completed Elden Ring and earned the Platinum trophy
- For comparison, only 6.5% of players have the Platinum trophy in Bloodborne
The sheer volume of players who‘ve persevered through Elden Ring‘s challenging endgame shows that fans are hungry for more content. FromSoftware would be wise to oblige.
What to expect from Shadow of the Erdtree
While concrete details on Shadow of the Erdtree are still unknown, fans have some theories on what it may include:
- The floating Erdtree city seen towering in the distance
- The mysterious Land of the Queen
- New demigod bosses like Miquella or Godwyn
- Additional legendary armaments and incantations
- Deeper lore revelations on the Shattering and history
Personally, I‘d love to see some new evolution of the flame mechanics, maybe introducing a third great rune element. How about you – what are you hoping to see in the DLC? Let me know in the comments!
More Elden Ring sequels are likely coming too
Looking even beyond DLC, publisher Bandai Namco described Elden Ring as a "fantastic start for the new franchise." Reading between the corporate lines, additional sequels seem inevitable given how popular the IP has become globally.
However, Elden Ring 2 is probably years away still. In the meantime, DLC will help keep us occupied with fresh challenges.
Is Elden Ring DLC worth the cost?
As a fellow fan who has poured 100+ hours into my own playthrough, I‘d say the DLC will absolutely be worth paying for. Elden Ring already provides an enormous amount of content for the base $59.99 price.
FromSoftware‘s DLC track record is also rock-solid. Past Soulsborne expansions have been widely praised for quality and adding 10+ hours of quality gameplay.
Considering how quickly I burned through Elden Ring‘s existing zones, I‘m happy to pay a reasonable fee to journey somewhere new. The base game will keep us busy until the DLC is ready.
In closing
While the Colosseum update gave us free content, substantial Elden Ring story expansions like Shadow of the Erdtree will come at a price. But given the game‘s runaway commercial success and FromSoftware‘s pedigree, the DLC should deliver exciting new challenges worthy of a purchase. Personally, I can‘t wait to see what‘s next for the Elden Ring franchise!
Let me know your thoughts in the comments, and praise the sun!
