Since Elden Ring has been out in the wild, its DLC has been the talk of the town. Players have been speculating left and right, letting their imaginations fly. However, From Software’s Twitter recently announced the upcoming DLC for Elden Ring with a single Tweet and an image.
And we all know what happens after this; the community has gone crazy coming up with all sorts of explanations.
Going by the Tweet by From Software and some major speculations by the community, we can guess that the DLC will be focused around Miquella. Since he was surprisingly missing from the base game and his significance is echoed throughout the lore, even the character in the picture resembles his appearance.
The Elden Ring DLC Tweet
Before we go into the assumption realm, the tweet that started it all can be seen below:
And that is it! Just some basic words introducing the name of the DLC, Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree, and a single image. But this community is drooling over this image. Examining every pixel of the picture to piece together some clue of the eminent DLC drop.
This whole theorizing and deep diving is what sets this community apart from most other games out there. We will also try to jump on this bandwagon and present our findings.
Once the DLC is released, we will tally our score to what came in the expansion. We have a detailed guide explaining What is the Elden Ring exactly If you want to get some semblance before diving into this fun rea.
We will update this article once the DLC is released with real additions to the game. Let us get into it tarnished!
The Shadow of the Erdtree – Elden Ring DLC
Since we have the picture above, we will dissect it and try to understand what is happening here. Of course, take all of this with a grain of salt. These are all major speculations, and From Software is notorious for subverting expectations.
Most From Software DLCs have either explored the entry’s past or some parallel story that adds to the world’s lore. And we will be considering that when digging for info and clues.
Is that Miquella?
The DLCs in the past have centered around either an integral character mentioned prominently throughout the main story or some lore. And for such an important figure, Miquella was to the whole backstory; he has been suspiciously missing from the base game.
The character seen in the image is most certainly Miquella. Some have thought it was Marika, but her hairstyle is very different from the one in the picture. It resembles that of Miquella, which we can observe from the many imagery and statutes of him dotted all over the game, especially in the Haligtree region.
You can see the similarity in clothing as well between the character in the picture and the statues of Miquella. Also, Marika is always depicted as a full-grown woman while the character in the picture seems like a meek child-like figure.
According to the game’s lore, Miquella is forever cursed with eternal childhood. Miquella is also called a HE in the game but possesses many feminine traits.
The tweet also states “Let us walk a new path together” which feels like Miquella’s intention behind planting a substitute for the Erdtree, or the Haligtree.
Who is Miquella?
The child of Radagon and Marika, Miquella is hinted at as the one stuck in the cocoon-type thing in Mohg’s arena. And according to the lore, Mohg took Miquella from the Haligtree to save the Malenia from the rot.
The Malenia boss room has the cocoon shape missing from the tree there. Mohg had personal agenda to create his dynasty and wanted a demi-god’s power and influence to achieve it.
The Miquella seen in the starting cutscene and certain statues littered about is a weak child, and the hand that pops out of the cocoon is a large one suggesting that Mohg’s ambitions were somehow achieved as the child grew.
The DLC could easily explore a world where Miquella reached his power potential and is now a major threat to deal with.
Gideon also states that Miquella is in slumber, meaning he is not dead. There is a fully realized body in the cocoon that some deep divers discovered, but that could just be a placeholder or another addition to the theorizing.
Is that Torrent?
We never truly got any reasoning in the base game behind Torrent choosing you. Torrent is not just another mount but is a full-blown character that FromSoft won’t ignore that easily. Melina even states your importance and her intention of helping you just because Torrent chose you.
It is quite clear that Torrent holds some major significance in the lore and we would likely be getting the true unraveling of the mystery of your union with this spectral steed.
When Ranni first presents you with the Spirit Calling Bell, she even states it belonged to Torrent’s original owner.
This owner could be Melina herself, but that sounds way too simple. We speculate that Torrent’s actual owner was Miquella considering his attunement with the spirits and his ability to attract affection from the masses.
This aligns with the previous point we raise; Miquella seems to be the center point of the DLC. Not only will we get his story, but the events that led to Torrent choosing you will also be further fleshed out.
Shadow of the Erdtree
The most ominous presence in the tweeted picture is the Shadowy Erdtree in the distance, bleeding gold. And as the name of the DLC suggests, this is an integral part of the addition.
This kind of imagery welcomes tons of theorizing, and we can’t know for sure until the DLC is released. So let us dive into this rabbit hole a bit and try to figure out what the hell is happening:
After close inspection, it seems like there is not just a single tree but two intertwined. There is the straight one in the middle with the golden streak and one wrapped around it, “strangling” it per see.
This can be the Haligtree that Miquella sprouted, but the more potent connection will be with the Black Deathroot Tree of Godwyn.
The Deathroot tree has all the aesthetics of the tree in the picture, the crude thorny design, the black look, and the decaying debris surrounding the area near the Deathroot tree.
Godwyn and Miquella’s lore is tied together, which only feeds into Miquella’s presence in the picture. When exactly does this DLC take place past, present, or future? There is some explanation for all the timelines.
What to expect from the Elden Ring DLC?
The area shown in the picture does not correlate with any particular region in The Lands Between that we have explored in the game. This could perhaps be a whole new segment added to the map.
The many spirit graves suggest the spirit realm could be part of the Elden Ring DLC. How much will the endings you chose will have an impact on the DLC is a huge missing link here.
From Software has explored alternate timelines in the past with the Painted Worlds and the combinations in the picture somehow allude to that as well. The DLC could very well take place in a pocket reality where Miquella exists alongside you. Godwyn could also play a major role in the setting of this DLC.
The DLC might be set when the Erdtree first began to take its roots. Since both Miquella and Godwyn are long dead when the base game events begin, their hint in the picture points to a time when many of these gods were still alive.
Each god or demigod had their own agenda before the fall of the Elden Ring and we would likely be exploring them.