Summary
It’s been nearly two years sinceElden Ringtook the world by storm, and though countless fans are eagerly awaiting theShadow of the ErdtreeDLC, FromSoftware has been remarkably tight-lipped about the expansion. Naturally, there has been no shortage of speculation as towhat contentShadow of the Erdtreemay feature. Given the scale and ambition of theElden Ringbase game, it’s reasonable to assume that the upcoming DLC will shoot for the stars.
In terms of breadth of content, players are expecting quite a bit fromShadow of the Erdtree. After all,a singleElden Ringplaythrough can easily last over 100 hours, and while the post-launch content may not approach this marathon-level playtime, it could very well exceed the length and scope of most typical DLCs. Whether it’s vast and sprawling or tight and focused, it’s crucial thatShadow of the Erdtreerecapture the strengths of the base game, building upon its strong foundations and avoiding some of its pitfalls. With this in mind, it’s possible that FromSoftware will choose to further emphasize one significant aspect of theElden Ringbase game: its PvP and multiplayer elements.
Shadow of the Erdtree Could Double Down on Elden Ring’s Online Play
Shadow of the Erdtree’s narrativeand single-player gameplay will no doubt be its focus, but there’s also a possibility that it will buttress the multiplayer offerings of the base game. While it’s true that almost every Soulslike game by From Software has featured multiplayer in some form,Elden Ringappears to place a greater emphasis on its online component. This is especially evident in the post-launch content for the game.
Colosseums, added toElden Ringnearly ten months after its release, offer a more structured and unique way to engage with other players. This was a much-welcome update toElden Ring’s online component, which had previouslyfollowed in the FromSoftware traditionof being somewhat cumbersome and needlessly complicated. However, there’s no need for the developer to stop there.Shadow of the Erdtreecould add more colosseums, which would serve as unique combat arenas or, better yet, the DLC could introduce new PvP modes, such as battle royale or some kind of objective-based challenge.
Introducing a Much-Requested Elden Ring Co-Op Feature
Building on the already-successful colosseums would be great, but there’s an even bolder step thatShadow of the Erdtreecould take in regard to online play. Since the game’s launch, players have been lamenting the fact that cooperative gameplay is limited to specific boss encounters, with many arguing that the wide-open nature of the game would be a perfect fit for unrestricted co-op, allowing players to traverse The Lands Between with a friend or two, free to interface with the world in whatever way they see fit. This seems especially feasible ifShadow of the Erdtreeadds new environments; perhaps co-op gameplay would be easier to implement in these new areas.
Multiplayer content andElden Ringare a perfect match, mainly due to the game’s overwhelming popularity. FromSoftware’s games have been successful for quite some time now, but none of them have managed to reach the heights ofElden Ring, which broke out of the somewhat insulated circle of Soulslike fans. With such a large audience, it only makes sense to expand and improve the multiplayer features that the game already offers, and withHidetaka Miyazaki claiming to be inspired by multiplayertitles, more online multiplayer content certainly seems possible. Plus, through multiplayer content,Elden Ringcould have even longer legs, keeping players coming back to it for years to come.
