Summary

• Elden Ring's upcoming DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree, is expected to take between 20-30 hours to complete, based on previous Soulsborne games.
• The DLC's price of $39.99 suggests a larger scope than previous DLCs, featuring new combat mechanics and an entirely new location to explore.
• Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree introduces a new level system and prevents players from over-leveling, offering a fresh challenge in a new area.

Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree DLC is right around the corner, but there has been no official word on just how long it will take to complete. Elden Ring is one of the more expansive RPGs of the last several years, clocking in with a roughly 60-hour completion time for those who focus on main story objectives. Players who like to explore can expect to spend anywhere between 100–150 hours completing the game in its entirety.

Soulsborne games have a rich history with post-game content, with the Dark Souls franchise and Bloodborne receiving DLC after launch. Game director Hidetaka Miyazaki recently revealed that Shadow of the Erdtree will change Elden Ring's combat mechanics, but players are still in the dark about completion time. However, looking back at other Soulsborn DLC's, there's a trend that may predict just how long Shadow of the Erdtree will be.

Dark Souls' DLC Paints A Picture For Shadow Of The Erdtree's Length

The Longest Soulsborne DLC To Date Takes Roughly 8-11 Hours

There are seven DLCs in total that have been released by FromSoftware — one from Dark Souls, three from Dark Souls 2, two from Dark Souls 3, and one from Bloodborne. These DLCs also came in at three different price points, which vary but always land at a final cost of $9.99, $14.99, or $19.99 upon release. These are fair prices given the average time for completion among FromSoftware DLCs has been as short as four hours with Dark Souls 3's Ashes of Ariandel, and as much as 8–11 hours with Bloodborne's The Old Hunters.

Elden Ring's Shadow of the Ertdree is the most expensive DLC to come from a Soulsborne game since the franchise first adapted additional content in Dark Souls. Shadow of the Erdtree is available for $39.99, only $20 short of the price of the original game and double the cost of the most expensive Soulsborne DLC's of the past. This new price could be a hidden sign of how much bigger the Elden Ring DLC is going to be than any other FromSoftware DLC to come before.

While the expansion alone is $39.99, players can purchase the game and the DLC with the Shadow of the Erdtree Edition for $79.99, upgrade to the Deluxe Edition for $89.99, or pay a hefty $249.99 for the Collector's Edition, which contains a 46 cm statue of Messmer The Impaler.

With Shadow of the Erdtree costing double that of Bloodborne's The Old Hunters, it's fair to assume that Elden Ring will deliver more comprehensive quests and a bigger map to explore than any Soulsborne game prior. If Elden Ring aims to give players the same value that FromSoftware has delivered with past DLC's, Shadow of the Erdtree will likely take at least 20 hours to fully complete, if not more.

A dedicated Elden Ring fan took to Reddit to create a poll, asking players how long they expect to spend on Shadow of the Erdtree, and the most common answer was anywhere between 26 and 29 hours. This would line up perfectly with the increase in price from previous FromSoftware games, and although only a fraction of the time to complete the main story, it is still great value for a $40 price.

What Else Do We Know About Shadow Of The Erdtree?

The Elden Ring DLC Will Be Released On June 21, 2024

Shadow of the Erdtree will be harder for Elden Ring veterans for several reasons, one of which is that players will not be able to take over-leveled characters from the base game into the DLC. Shadow of the Erdtree will introduce a new level system, similar to Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, where players will receive damage and health upgrades for defeating bosses. This is to prevent players from farming runes for months before the DLC launch, and jumping in on day one with an overpowered character.

Shadow of the Erdtree will also take Elden Ring players away from the Lands Between to an entirely new location titled The Land of Shadows. It's been said that moving back and forth between the content from the base game and the DLC will be easy. The new area is described as having a healthy mix of new enemies and areas to explore, as well as familiar content from the Land's Between. The Land of Shadows will also expand upon the lore, as the official Elden Ring website describes it as the place Marika first set foot.

Few Shadow of the Erdtree plot details have been revealed at this time, but it's been confirmed that Miquella, brother of Malenia, will be a major figure. His most notable power is the ability to control free will, forcing others to feel affection for him. In one of the first shots of the Shadow of the Erdtree trailer, Miquella can be seen in the same cocoon that players can find him in upon going to fight Mohg, Lord of Blood.

Mohg, Lord of Blood, is weak against bloodloss damage but strong against fire. Take a weapon that deals blood loss damage, such as the Bloodhound's Fang or the Rivers of Blood Katana.

There have been rumors and speculation that the bulk of the DLC will be set inside Miquella's dreamworld, which is where he's confirmed to be residing while captive inside Mohg's cocoon. If Shadow of the Erdtree takes place outside of Miquella's dreams, there's a possibility that it could be set before the main Elden Ring story and lead to his capture. Otherwise, if Shadow of the Erdtree takes place after his capture, FromSoftware will have to deliver a lot of lore about how exactly he got captured and how he managed to escape.

There are currently no plans for another Elden Ring DLC, but if Shadow of the Erdtree follows in the footsteps of the main stories, gamers could very well be in for one of the best DLC's of any Soulsborne game of all time. While FromSoftware has yet to officially reveal the time for completion of Shadow of the Erdtree, given its price, it will likely fall somewhere between 20 and 30 hours. Souls games may be unpredictable on the gameplay front, but trends for pricing and completion time, especially with DLC's, have proven to be fairly reliable.