FromSoftware's open-world RPG Elden Ring has certainly made an impact on the gaming community – as of mid-June, it's the best-selling title in the US for 2022 (according to data analyst group NPD), overtaking Call of Duty: Vanguard.
One of the key points making the game such a popular experience for players is its sheer scale and scope, with an enormous map full of rich and challenging encounters, not to mention the gorgeous scenery.
But for those that have already played through the game (or even finished it multiple times), you'll likely be keen to hear about any news on additional content landing in the form of DLC – specifically, will it happen, and if so, when will it land? And what will it look like?
We're going to take a dive into the possibilities that surround downloadable content for Elden Ring, largely based on previous FromSoftware titles, and see what forms it may take, given certain hints throughout the game.
Will we even get Elden Ring DLC?
Let's kick things off with the disclaimer that Elden Ring DLC hasn't been officially confirmed by FromSoftware yet. While there's certainly a chance we won't get any DLC (such as with the studio's previous title, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice), we don't think that's likely.
Having proven the studio's most successful title to date, the opportunity to release paid DLC to carry on its momentum feels too rich to pass up. And while Sekiro notably didn't receive any DLC, all three Dark Souls titles did, and Elden Ring arguably shares much more of its DNA with these games than with Sekiro.
In a recent interview, FromSoftware director Hidetaka Miyazaki stated Elden Ring will continue to be updated into the future, and while there's every chance this may just include patches and bug fixes (such as the latest 1.05 patch), we suspect some extra content is implied here.
Even if you don't feel any of the above is enough to indicate that we'll be seeing DLC, there are a few more hints that come in the form of curious in-game elements within Elden Ring, but we'll discuss these in the final section below.
When will Elden Ring DLC arrive?
Elden Ring launched February 25, 2022, so at the time of writing, the game has been out for a little over 4 months. If we take a look at the release schedules of FromSoftware's previous titles, and how soon afterwards their first DLC followed, we can get an idea of the timeframe they may be likely to pursue.
- Bloodborne: 8 months
- Dark Souls: 13 months
- Dark Souls 2: 4 months
- Dark Souls 3: 7 months
On average, that's an 8 month wait between initial launch and first DLC landing, but it's worth noting that as we've now hit that 4-month mark – the time period between the launch of Dark Souls 2 and its first DLC – an imminent release wouldn't be without precedent.
Of course, this is in no way concrete evidence of a roadmap for Elden Ring DLC, but if it does exist, it's fair to suggest it could arrive at any point in the next 4 months, and most likely around the September/October mark.
What will Elden Ring DLC involve?
Before you read further, please note that the following section contains minor spoilers for Elden Ring, as well as some speculation.
Soon after release, players discovered three distinct coliseum structures scattered around The Lands Between, each inaccessible to the player. Out the front of one such structure, an NPC gives the following dialogue: “All I wanted was to fight, as a warrior, to the last… So why? Why, O guidance of grace, will this door not open?”
Alongside this curio, the NPC is wearing a set of armor that is currently unobtainable in the game, Brave's Set. The chest armor in this set can be altered to have either a red or blue coloration – colors commonly used in PvP (Player-vs-Player) multiplayer modes.
From this, we can either conclude that PvP arenas were once going to be in-game but were cut at some point during development (with the coliseums and armor remaining), or more likely, they will be accessible in future DLC.
FromSoftware has previously released dedicated PvP arenas in past Dark Souls titles as paid DLC, and when you combine this fact with the coy dialogue from the aforementioned NPC, it's largely suggested that the coliseum doors will open at some point and we'll get our multiplayer combat arenas.
There's been much community speculation as to what shape other Elden Ring DLC may take, but with a world so vast, additional content could take innumerable forms. Of these, one of the most plausible seem to be related to the mysterious central cloud.
When viewing the map of The Lands Between, the ocean surrounding the landmass is depicted as girt by clouds, but one notable cloud also hovers in the central bay. This cloud happens to line up fairly neatly with the intersectional point of the six Divine Towers that surround it.
The map itself also contains some illegible writing beneath the cloud, similar to the banners denoting other major regions such as Limgrave, Liurnia and Caelid. While (typically) nothing is visible in-game where this cloud lies on the map, some pioneering players have explored this area using hacks, and found some strange, barren and perfectly square geometry.
All this is to suggest that something seems to be up with this region, but we can't quite tell what it is yet. Will a city in the sky appear, or perhaps a whirlpool to access another underground area? We'll just have to wait and see.
