It's been a few months since Elden Ring came out, and a lot of players have come to terms with it, even some relatively casual players, thanks to superpowered summons, items and builds. And even if others got discouraged in order to reach the end, either because of the filling, or simply because the game is "too long", many players still want more. Their wish would be to discover facets of the story and the world that have not yet been approached, to take on ever more difficult challenges, or to obtain the functionalities that they believe are missing.
Can we expect DLC for Elden Ring?
As of now, no DLCs have been officially announced , and even their development is unconfirmed. Unlike many games from unscrupulous publishers, Elden Ring also doesn't have a Season Pass.
But the game has already sold more than 13 million copies, and we can legitimately expect it to easily exceed 20 million by the end of the year. It would be really surprising if he was not entitled to DLC after such commercial success. Especially since as dataminers and patches have shown, Elden Ring is far from being a finished game. The developers had to cut elements in order to release the game on time. This isn't the first time FromSoftware has been forced to make this sacrifice, and it's no guarantee that this cut content will make a return as DLC, but it still seems reasonable. An (old) counter-example is the original Demon's Souls, one of whose worlds had been deleted before release, and which never received a DLC. A much more recent example is the excellent Sekiro, many players were hoping for a DLC that never happened . Presumably the development team preferred to focus on Elden Ring instead. The game was still entitled to a big patch of free content a few years later, with the boss run mode.
In summary, we can probably count on DLC for Elden Ring, but it is not guaranteed. We will nevertheless consider that there will be some for the rest of this article.
When can we expect to see the DLC arrive?
FromSoftware has a history of taking its time with DLCs for its games, they tend to be quite massive and very rich, both in terms of lore and gameplay. It's not something that came out in a hurry, it's more of an extension. In order to help you visualize the thing, here is the list of their games of the last 10 years, and the time it took to see their DLC(s) arrive:
- Dark Souls got only one DLC, Artorias of the Abyss, which arrived 13 months later.
- Dark Souls 2 has 3 DLCs. The first, Crown of the Sunken King, arrived just 4 months after release, the second a month later, and the third a month later too. We can say that they have fueled. Miyazaki was not a director on this game, which could explain the thing.
- Dark Souls 3 had 2 DLCs, the first is Ashes of Ariandel which was released 7 months later. The second DLC, The Ringed City, was released a full year after the base game.
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Finally, Bloodborne was treated to a single massive DLC, The Old Hunters, 8 months later.
Of course, we cannot guarantee that past DLCs and the times of the time are representative of what it will give on Elden Ring. The game took much longer to develop, it is also much more beautiful. The format of these DLCs and their ambitions can also have a major impact on their development time. We can nevertheless point to the fact that the studio is not afraid to release its DLC more than a year after the release of the initial game. As absolutely nothing has been announced for the moment, and as changes are still being made to the base game, we should probably not expect a DLC before the start of the school year in September. Having to wait until 2023 is just as likely .
What are the possible DLCs for Elden Ring?
This is where the interesting things begin, and where we can finally let our imagination run wild. In absolute terms, Hidetaka Miyazaki can pull an infinity of things out of his hat and deliver tons of fantastic stories and adventures that no one could have seen coming, and maybe that's what he has in store. We will rather rely on elements present in the game, or at least, in its files, in order to find potential clues about the next DLCs. We'll also explore some possibilities, based on under-explored aspects of the story, unanswered questions (yet) and major characters who haven't had a chance to really step onto the stage yet.
The Coliseums
The first possibility is obviously the use of the different Colosseums in the game, of which there are 3. They are physically present, the interior is modeled, even functional in some cases, and some characters seem to indicate that they should serve sooner or later. late. These areas are simply inaccessible at the moment. It will be relatively simple to use them for DLC, for the much-needed enrichment of the game's PvP, with factions, arena duels and the like. Even in PvE there is plenty to do, with for example a tournament against different opponents and creatures. They could even be used for a boss run. The presence of the Great Jar seems to indicate the series of a series of quests or trials that have not been completed as well.
The Cloud Between the Divine Towers
One of the most popular fan theories has to do with the various Divine Towers in the Underworld. They are used to restore the Major Runes, as well as to communicate with the outer deity that oversees Marika and the Beast of Elden: the Supreme Will. These towers form a gigantic circle on the map, but not around the World Tree, instead they encircle the Inner Sea, and a strange cloud marked on the map. Observing the place with the naked eye or with the spyglass displays a kind of layer of fog. So there seems to be something in the middle of the towers, and with so many clues, it would be strange if we didn't venture there in a future DLC.
Miquella's Cocoon
The only living demigod who hasn't really had a major role in the story is Miquella, Malenia's twin brother. Since his birth, he is cursed, and he is condemned to keep his appearance of a young boy. Along with Malenia, he attempted to create the Sacred Tree in the North of the Continent for various reasons, but was abducted by Mohg the Bloodlord when he was vulnerable. He was then enclosed in a cocoon, or a giant egg in the Palace of Mohgwyn, in order to transform him into a true divinity, capable of replacing Marika, but in the service of another external divinity even more harmful than the Supreme Will. He appears to have grown in the process, as his arm can be seen emerging from the cocoon. He's still asleep, but Gideon Ofnir mentions he'd better not wake up. In the past, Miquella was visibly able to charm those around her, as shown in the Bewitching Branch. A DLC that focuses on his awakening and/or the fight against the new deity that attempts to use him is one more DLC option. In its current form, it is reminiscent of Bloodborne's most formidable boss, both physically and thematically: the Orphan of Kos.
Exploring the past
It's a recurring theme in FromSoftware games, as well as in the media in general, since it's available in one form or another in the majority of the studio's games. It's a good excuse to experience key moments in the history of the world, and to participate actively in them. It also allows you to face some of the most powerful beings of this universe and its mythology, when they were still alive and in great shape. We already know that there are time manipulations, or at least such anomalies in the Underworld, as evidenced by the ruins of Farum Azula. The dragon lord Placidusax rests in a temporal sanctuary in the center of the city, before it was reduced to dust by tornadoes. And Maliketh, the Ebon Blade, can be encountered and killed there, without affecting his alter ego outside the ruins: Gurranq.
With time travel, one could participate in many major events in the history of the Underworld. Here are some notable examples:
- The different periods before the age of the world-tree, it can be that of the Crucible or the ancient Dragons for example.
- The rise of Marika the Eternal, or one of her conflicts with the many factions that ruled before, such as giants or elder dragons. They also involved Godwyn, another important character in the game, already dead at the start of the story.
- The famous Night of the Black Knives, with the assassination of Godwyn. This could also be an opportunity to meet or even confront Ranni in his original form in order to obtain his major rune, which is inaccessible in our time.
Numen and the other continents
Elden Ring takes place on what is thought to be the central continent, or at least the most important, since it has the world tree. But many elements indicate that the world is not just about that. As you may have noticed, when creating your character, it is possible to choose different ethnicities, with different skin colors and countries of origin. Most notable is Numen, the country Marika hailed from when she was not yet a goddess. The Black Knife assassins are also all women from Numen. There seems to be something special about this country, or at least about the nature of its residents.
That's not all, there's also the land of reeds, where the Samurai hails from, as well as a few NPCs, like the invader who drops the hugely popular Blood River katana. From what we know of the places, it would be in the grip of a devastating civil war. Its elements obviously refer to Japan, and its name too, since the country was named as such at a certain time. It might just be a nod from the studio to its own country, it might also be a way of paying homage to Sekiro. It's also possible that a future DLC will take place there, although compared to the other options, it doesn't seem very likely. Let's also mention all the desolate and hostile territories in which Godfrey and the Shardless had been banished by Marika. They wandered these lands for many years before returning, and many battles were fought there. Suffice to say that it is simple to create new areas from scratch beyond the oceans that surround the Underworld. Let's not forget to point out the many shipwrecks all around the Underworld, these means of transport exist, and we may be given the opportunity to set foot on their deck one day.
The stars
The celestial bodies of the world of Elden Ring are not like those of the real world. They have strange ties to the Shardstones, the Moon, and the wizards of Liurnia, not to mention Ranni and his Dark Moon. Stars aren't balls of gas light years away either, after all Radahn managed to control them and hold them in place with his gravitational powers. Incredible as it is, controlling hundreds of real stars would be asking too much of it. These are the optional bosses that allow us to discover their true nature, they are monstrous and hostile creatures like Astel, the spawn of the void and the Stellar Creatures. There is therefore life, and forces in presence, and they are already stranded regularly on the Inter-earth. It would be amazing if there weren't more to discover in the heavens.
What would you like to see come first in DLC? One of the items listed above, or something different?
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