Elden Ring DLC ​​​​Hands-On: Shadow of the Earth Tree

My first steps in Elden Ringis new Shadow of the Earth Tree Expansion feels like coming home. After traveling there, I touch a withered arm, step onto a grassy plain, and see a crumbling giant tree in the distance. The land is littered with intangible tombstones and spirit world versions of enemies I’ve faced before: dogs and wandering nobles. But it’s not long before I face something terrifying in this new region, the Land of Shadow, in the form of a giant walking iron brazier filled with embers and burning prisoners.

As I attempt to slash at this 100-foot-tall behemoth, I quickly realize that even the high-ranking, lavishly-equipped knight I got to play as as part of a three-hour preview of the DLC is no match for the thing. It kicks huge, inescapable piles of burning debris at me as I try to run away. A handful of other unknown monsters—Gravebirds, smaller cousins ​​of the Death Rite Birds from Elden Ringand lithe, ashen-skinned humanoids armed with two round blades – attack and beat up my poor knight.

Even at a high level, I’m not well prepared for what awaits me in the Land of Shadow. But there’s a new type of power-up scattered throughout the Gravesite level and in the dungeons nearby: Scadutree Fragments. These new consumables are shards of this world’s version of the Earthtree. They grant my knight the Scadutree Blessing and improve virtually all of his stats. Shadow of the Earth Tree Players must track down these fragments to deal with the powerful enemies here. During my three hours of playtime, I found half a dozen of them with relative ease. I also found plenty of the DLC’s other new power-up, Revered Spirit Ash, an item that makes my Spirit Ashes and my steed Torrent more powerful.

Scadutree Fragments and Revered Spirit Ash can be used at Places of Grace in the Land of Shadow to become stronger, similar to how players use Golden Seeds and Sacred Tears to strengthen their flasks in Elden Ring

. The benefits of these new power-ups are immediately apparent, but they only give my character superpowers while he is in the Land of Shadow. (In this land, your stats are boosted by the color yellow. Back in the In-Between Lands, they revert back to white.)

To enter the Land of Shadow, two major achievements are required: Elden RingYou must defeat Starscourge Radahn in Castle Redmane and Mohg, Lord of Blood in Palace Mohgwyn. Once you have done that, you can use the help of a Knight, one of Miquell’s many followers that you can find in Shadow of the Earth Tree‘s adventure.

When I met the followers of Miquella, who all describe the mysterious brother of the swordswoman Malenia as “kind” or “affectionate,” I noticed another difference here in the Land of Shadow: a sense of hope. Unlike the despair that characterized the lands between the two in the main story of Elden Ringthe people you meet in the Land of Shadow all seem happy.

I met a handful of Miquella’s followers at stations known as three-way crosses, which are meant to represent Miqeulla’s footprints as he traveled through this land. At these golden, glowing crosses, I met new NPCs and merchants, some of whom gave me items to use or quests to undertake. One named Freyja said she was a former ally of General Radahn. Another claimed to be a servant of Mohg. One Miquella’s follower, Moore, was a simple-minded merchant. Unlike many of the confused and dejected NPCs typical of FromSoftware’s games, Miquella’s followers all seem unusually happy. They all seem to support you in your mission here, despite your status as a Tainted. (Why they object to this isn’t entirely clear to me based on my playtime.)

Beyond the Gravesite level are a handful of ancient dungeons, catacombs, and fortresses. The largest I saw was Belurat, a massive castle settlement with labyrinthine pathways patrolled by new types of enemies. I fought against fairly large and terrifyingly large scorpions, pesky wizards, and humanoid giants.

At the end of my journey through Belurat, I encountered the divine beast, the dancing lion, a jumble of human limbs, cloth and a lion’s head that I had previously seen in Shadow of the Earth TreeThe Dancing Lion attacked in a chaotic rhythm, using freeze and lightning attacks as I tried to keep up with his frenzied dance. My powerful pre-made knight and a pair of summons – two of Miquela’s followers – made the fight relatively easy (with my Elden Ring

character). After I killed him, the Dancing Lion dropped his own head, which I then wore as a comically oversized helmet. This new piece of armor increased my knight’s strength and dexterity, but reduced the effectiveness of my flasks.

Before my trip to Belurat Castle, I stumbled upon a prison underneath where I discovered the most gruesome thing I have ever seen. Elden Ring yet. Belurat Prison, a catacomb-style dungeon, is full of Living Jars that live there. But here’s the bad thing: the scraps of flesh that players usually get from smashing these jars are still very much alive in this location. For the first time, we get to see what lives in the jars: a glittering, tumorous monstrosity that attacks you with its own entrails and throws itself at you to hold you down. As disgusting as they may be, these glass-flesh people still manage to get stuck on Elden Ring Director Hidetaka Miyazaki famously said that one shouldn’t rely on the “gross factor” to alienate players. They are both repulsive and sad to watch.

The other region available during my hands-on experience with the expansion is known as Castle Ensis. It is a medium-sized dungeon guarded by a new type of giant troll. This one can use magic, a harbinger of things to come (i.e. lots of wizards). While exploring Castle Ensis, I encountered a knight with a giant hammer who, while beating me to death with said hammer, signaled that I was not ready to face him. Bandai Namco representatives suggested to those present that if we wanted to take on such a challenge, we should seek out additional Scadutree fragments to become competitive.

I rejected this advice and chose the other option in Elden Ring: run past everything. By sprinting through Ensis, I successfully reached its boss, Rellana, Twin Moon Knight. She is a former princess of Caria and the younger sister of Elden Ring Boss Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon. Like Rennala, Rellana can throw magical moons at you while Also She wielded two long blades that dealt magic and fire damage. Like the Dancing Lion, I managed to defeat her, but only with the help of several summoned allies who helped me break her stance and stagger her several times.

My victory is also thanks to a brand new weapon in the game: my fast but powerful balance-breaking light greatsword, which is called Milady. The light greatsword is a new weapon class in Shadow of the Earth TreeOther new features include the Backhand Blade, a curved sword held backwards that can be used to perform thrust attacks and strikes into the opponent’s flanks; Dryleaf Arts, one of the new martial arts weapons that is not actually a weapon but a form of close combat; and the Red Bear’s Claw, a real severed bear’s paw modified with steel claws.

New weapon types that I haven’t really had much time to explore include the previously revealed thrust shields, which are shields with pointed ends; throwing blades, a variant of the existing throwing knives that can be equipped as a primary weapon; perfume bottles, which are now also a primary weapon option; and the large katana, which is, well, a larger version of a standard katana. Bandai Namco and FromSoftware are promising 100 new weapons in Shadow of the Earth Treealthough the few new features I’ve tested already feel like fun new variations on existing fighting styles.

During my three hours with the game, I feel like I have barely scratched the surface of what Shadow of the Earth Tree will add Elden Ring. I have already discovered some fascinating new characters and stories, daunting new challenges and fascinating moods. Whether the hopeful tenor of Miquell’s followers is authentic or some sort of misdirection before things go horribly wrong is something we will all have to find out when Shadow of the Earth Tree will be released on June 21st.

[Disclosure: This article is based on an Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree preview event held by publisher Bandai Namco in Los Angeles on May 24. Bandai Namco provided Polygon’s travel and accommodations for the event. You can find additional information about Polygon’s ethics policy here.]