Little is known about whatElden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC will consist of outside the lore extrapolations made by fans, as well as assumptions made based on what previous FromSoftware DLCs have offered. This may be the case for a while, too, becauseArmored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon’s release datefalling in August could mean that FromSoftware’s focus will be on marketing the mech-customizing shooter instead. Likewise, it will be interesting to see howElden Ring’s DLC stands out from other open-world competitors, such asThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
Elden Ringis certainly not the only impressive open-world game to have launched in recent history, and many fans may have already had their fill of unabashed exploration fromThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wildseveral years earlier. However, it is difficult to deny how much of an impactElden Ringhas had since its launch, which has only made the excitement for its confirmed Shadow of the Erdtree DLC that much greater IfElden Ring’s DLC gives players a new environment to explore, though, that could help it excel as a counter toZelda: Tears of the Kingdom’s Hyrule.
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Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Largely Repurposes Breath of the Wild’s Map
To be fair, the differences betweenZelda: Tears of the KingdomandZelda: Breath of the Wild’s environments are not indistinguishable.Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomdoes feature a substantial amount more to its environment than inZelda: Breath of the Wild, even if it seems like a lot of that comes from the verticality of midair locations. Rather, it is potentially great news thatZelda: Tears of the Kingdomis repurposingZelda: Breath of the Wild’s map because that means fans get a bunch more hours in the same landscape they may have adored before, but this time withZelda: Tears of the Kingdom’s confirmed features.
Still, many fans are disappointed that the sequel is not drastically different considering how much development time was presumably given to it since its predecessor launched. This opinion could change once fans actually get their hands on the game and see for themselves how much is different or new, but this is currently an area thatElden Ring’s DLC could strive to iterate upon in an original way.
Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC Could Bring Players to a Brand-New Map
Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC could exploit some fans’ disappointment inZelda: Tears of the Kingdom’s mapby featuring a completely new environment. It would be terrific to see another region inElden Ring’s Lands Between that perhaps lies past the clouded parts of the map, and it would be simple enough to say that the DLC’s role inElden Ringlore takes place there for whatever reason.
FromSoftware seems to enjoy offering a different perspective on its games’ worlds with stories taking place in the past, such as inBloodborne’s The Old Hunters DLC, and that premise could give a new perspective on familiar locations as well as new regions inElden Ring. There is an argument to be made aboutElden Ringnot needing to change much of its own map, similar to howZelda: Tears of the Kingdomdid not necessarily need to. In fact, becauseZelda: Tears of the Kingdomis a direct sequel, it would make more sense forZelda: Breath of the Wild’s Hyrule to be wholly unchanged unless something cataclysmic occurs in its opening.
Elden Ringis out now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
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