7 Things We Want In The Elden Ring DLC

As the release of Elden Ring‘s DLC gets closer by the minute, fans are excitedly theorizing what Fromsoft has in store for us this time. Since Elden Ring‘s base game is already stuffed with hundreds of hours of content, fans hope thatShadow Of the Erdtree can uplift an already great game to new hype levels. Elden Ring forums and Subreddits are filled with players sharing their wishlist for the DLC, and as the release approaches we’re hoping that some of our wishes make it in too. New weapons, new areas, new boss themes? Fingers are crossed that From Software delivers a new experience with new challenges. No matter what happens though, it’s safe to assume the game will be phenomenal. Here are 7 things we want in Shadow Of the Erdtree.

NPC Miquella

Miquella is probably guaranteed for Elden Ring’s DLC, but it’s good to remember that Fromsoft has a history of subverting expectations. Miquella is a background character who gave up his flesh to travel to the Land of Shadow. Fans speculate that Miquella might take on a friendly role in the DLC instead of being an enemy. Their reasoning is dialogue in the DLC’s trailer.

Another fan theory is that the NPC Melina, who grants the player guidance and their steed Torrent, might be Miquella. Near the end of the DLC trailer, a voice says, “May we meet again.” This implies that the player has already met Miquella and if Miquella is the player’s guide in the Land of Shadow, what if Miquella was Melina in the Lands Between? This theory might be a bit of a stretch, but the fact that Miquella is being debated this much shows how much players want him in the DLC.

A Boss Rush Mode

The Souls series is known for its phenomenal boss fights. With a whopping 238 bosses for players to defeat, a lot of fans have their favorites. Elden Ring is pretty open when it comes to player freedom, but the process of fighting your favorite bosses could be a struggle. Depending on a few factors. Fans have been asking for a boss rush mode in a Dark Souls game for a long time, so hopefully it’ll be in theElden Ring DLC.

If a Boss Rush game mode isn’t in the cards, then maybe a way to rematch bosses from the bonfire would suffice. All we want is a way to easily rematch Malenia over and over, we have a grudge to settle. No matter what Fromsoft decides to do, fans will enjoy it. Honestly, I expect something close to a Boss Rush since Sekiro got one.

More Talismans

More weapons have already been confirmed in the Shadow of the Erdtree trailer, but hopefully, there’ll be more Talismans too. The Souls games usually provide a lot of customization options for players to mess around with. While the games aren’t as customizable as say Stellar Blade or Code Vein, players can create a variety of builds with what’s available. Currently, in Elden Ring, there are 118 talismans including upgraded variants. Talismans are accessories that bestow a variety of special effects. They’re sometimes dropped by Enemies or Bosses. They can be looted from chests and even purchased from Merchants.

If we can’t get another 20 or so Talismans, many fans would be content with just receiving more upgrades. Some Talismans don’t have an upgraded version and some only have a +1 variant while others go up to +2. With the new items and weapons coming in the DLC, new Talismans can make way for new wacky builds. We can only cross our fingers, hoping Fromsoft provides.

No Recycled Bosses from the base game

Out of the 238 bosses in Elden Ring, most of them are recycled content. One of Elden Ring‘s biggest issues is just how much of its world’s encounters are copied and pasted. Most fans don’t mind that much, since more enemies to fight is a net positive with combat like Elden Ring‘s. However, some of us are tired of fighting Crucible Knights and Margott. Some bosses are reused 8 times.

Fans are hoping that the DLC is made up of purely unique encounters. This can go either way, looking at Fromsoft’s track record. Bloodborne and Dark Souls 3 both reuse bosses in their DLCs. Elden Ring is a whole different beast, though. Depending on the size of the DLC, we might only get new boss fights, but as of now we can only wait and see.

Legacy Dungeons

We still don’t know how much content will be in Shadow of the Erdtree, but it’s safe to assume it’ll have at least one Legacy Dungeon. These dungeons are some of the best portions of Elden Ring, so it only makes sense to want more of them in the DLC. Legacy Dungeons are special fortresses and areas with more condensed challenges and exploration rewards. This is where players will challenge Bosses, and you cannot ride Torrent within these locations.

From Software has some of the most interesting levels in gaming. If done right, these Legacy Dungeons can be outright legendary. Many people remember their first time traversing Blight Town in Dark Souls, seeing Dragon’s Aerie in Dark Souls 2, or arriving in the Boreal Valley in Dark Souls 3.Elden Ring already has some of the best dungeons in the franchise, we can’t wait to see what the DLC will add.

New Spirit Ashes

One of the coolest additions to the series was a new variant of summoning called Spirit Ashes. You could argue that Elden Ring is balanced around this mechanic. They can completely trivialize the game if you use them correctly, and the Mimic Tear spirit ash is so broken it’s been continually nerfed. Since the DLC is bringing more weapons to the game, maybe we can expect new ashes as well. Fromsoft kind of struggles with balancing a lot of the new mechanics in Elden Ring, so hopefully the DLC ashes won’t break the game.

Spirit Ashes are so strong because they give all the benefits of multiplayer without any of the drawbacks. Some of the best spirit ashes available in Elden Ring are the previously mentioned Mimic Tear and the Black Knife Tiche. New Spirit Ashes could be awesome, especially if they use new mechanics we haven’t seen yet. What if we got a Miquella or Malenia spirit ash?

New Endings

Elden Ring has a total of 6 endings. All the endings end with the player becoming Elden Lord, except for the “Lord of the Frenzied Flame” ending. The “Age of Stars” ending also doesn’t have the player become Elden Lord. We still don’t know exactly when the DLC takes place in the timeline of Elden Ring. It’s safe to assume that it’ll be in the middle or near the end of the base game. I wouldn’t expect any new endings, but it could give us more context for the original 6.

There is no clear good, bad, or true ending due to the ambiguity of the fate of the Lands Between after the player character mends the Elden Ring. Maybe Shadow of the Erdtree can provide us with the information that can point us in the direction of a true ending. If the DLC is going to provide us with more endings, most fans just want a definitive one. The world of Elden Ring is receiving its last bit of content with Shadow of the Erdtree. Hopefully, a true ending is a part of it.

The image featured at the top of this post is ©Shadow of the Erdtree Key Art.