Elden Ring month is upon us. The anticipated Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, expanding FromSoftware’s parent dark fantasy, is releasing in just a few weeks and previews are rolling in detailing three hours worth of gameplay following Messmer the Impaler’s uprising in the Land of Shadow.

Not only has a new Blessing system been established in the expansion, but several theories surrounding the game’s lore have also been fortified. The result of Miquella’s conquest to free the Land of Shadow from fire, character cameos from the base game, and previous clues pointing to the Land of Shadows’ location on the Lands Between map are all beginning to see the light of day.

Shadow Of The Erdtree’s Setting Was Hiding In Elden Ring’s Map From The Beginning?

The Erdtree was Elden Ring’s focal point in the Lands Between. Towering as the heart of the Golden Order within the Royal Capital, the Erdtree’s primordial form was known as the fabled Crucible. The great evergreen was birthed alongside the Giant War and blessed by the Elden Ring.

Therefore, the DLC’s title provoked several meanings to be debated, including a land or entity bereft of the Erdtree’s light or the power that rose once the tree had burned. The add-on’s setting, the Land of Shadow, is confirmed to be about the same size as Limgrave and, as previous theories stated, a realm existing in the tree’s shadow.

Described as a place “obscured by the Erdrtree”, an expert in Elden Ring lore, Quelaag, previously addressed the pocket of sea situated within the curvature of the Lands Between map, and used the dial that’s used to illustrate the passing of time as evidence. The dial has a darker center and the expert suggested this was the Land of Shadow right under our noses.

Thanks to PC Gamer’s deep dive into the expansion’s preview, a message inscribed on a gravestone seems to confirm the Land of Shadow’s precise location on the map, saying it was situated “at the very center of the Lands Between”. The shadow land doesn’t appear on the DLC map, unfortunately, but it’s suggested that the realm became “disconnected” from its original place similar to the Roundtable Hold.

Miquella, Marika and Messmer’s story should paint a clearer picture by the end of the DLC and you can unlock the lore yourself when Shadow of the Erdtree is released on June 21.

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Here’s What I Want From Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree

Bows, new builds, and answers about the Haligtree, please.