As fans await the arrival of the upcoming Elden Ring DLC expansion, they have been busy theorizing, predicting, and wondering what the update, titled Shadow of the Erdtree, will bring to the game. While there isn't much to go off of as all that's been shared is a title and a poster, plenty of Elden Ring fans are masters of understanding and analyzing the game's lore. The Lands Between is completely full of secrets, discoveries, and plot threads that will take more than just one playthrough to see the big picture at the end.
Elden Ring may be a rather fleshed out open-world game, but plenty of players have found gaps in its lore. The Greater Will, the centerpiece of the Golden Order, is hardly explained in-depth; there's plenty of unexplained things regarding the Shadows of Empyreans, and even the player's steed Torrent has room for exploration in the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. There are plenty of spaces in Elden Ring's lore that if fans are given more choices about any hidden truths added to the game that maybe new endings will be added as a result.
New Choices in Elden Ring Could Lead to More Endings
FromSoftware, the developers of Elden Ring, has made a name for itself by producing some of the most unique action RPGs that gaming has ever seen. One of the staples of their works in the genre is multiple endings that give weight to the player's choices throughout the game. Elden Ring is no different as it features six endings at the very least. Each ending has its own requirements, and every player is forced to make the choices that put them on a specific path eventually, even though some can be changed at the last minute if fans have second thoughts.
All the endings occur at the same time and place, in the Erdtree once the Elden Beast is defeated, meaning there's plenty of room for the Shadow of the Erdtree to expand upon what's already been established without changing the ending too much. After all, it's hard to picture something like Torrent's backstory or the Gloam-Eyed Queen's identity changing the fate of The Lands Between much. However, as important pieces like the connection between Radagon and Marika, and even The Greater Will could use some exploration, there's more potential for new endings than fans may realize.
While FromSoftware doesn't make a habit of adding endings with its expansions, the studio does include a bit of time travel with its DLC fairly often. If Elden Ring repeats what's almost a FromSoftware tradition, then players may get to see important pieces of lore in action that were only spoken of in the main game, such as Queen Marika's history with The Greater Will. With this context behind the Tarnished's actions, provided there are details that change the player's mind, some might wish to seek a better way, and thus, bring on a different age for The Lands Between.
Unfortunately, the Shadow of Erdtree expansion may grow closer by the day, but it isn't entirely known just how long fans will have to wait for the DLC to be released. Ever since the DLC was announced in February 2023, FromSoftware has been incredibly quiet about it. There are a few windows for Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree to appear at upcoming events, but FromSoftware likely doesn't want ER to take Armored Core 6's thunder as the game comes out next month. Fans will likely just have to be patient, knowing that FromSoftware will deliver in due time.
Elden Ring is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.