Elden Ring is finally here. The huge game, from Dark Souls developer FromSoftware, is set in a world created in part by Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin. It largely lives up to the massive hype, but it didn’t have a perfect launch. Bandai Namco issued a PSA on the day of release, promising updates to fix a PS5 save bug and some PC issues. And The Verge’s Ash Parrish wrote about how the game’s character creator fails Black players.
Now, FromSoftware is preparing the game’s first DLC expansion, Shadow of the Erdtree, which is scheduled for release on June 21st.
We’ll be covering Elden Ring closely as Bandai Namco releases updates and as players discover the many secrets hidden in the Lands Between. You can find our stories about the game right here.
Highlights
Jun 18
Shadow of the Erdtree reintroduced me to Elden Ring by kicking my ass
In my first moments with Shadow of the Erdtree, I found myself in a graveyard dotted with incorporeal gravestones… and puddles of glowing blood. By the time I remembered what those bloodstains meant and the imminent danger I was in, I was ripped to shreds by a man I did not see or hear coming, leaving behind a new little blood puddle to mark the occasion.
Read Article >I have not stopped grinning since.
Jun 14
Great haircut, Tarnished.Elden Ring is getting an update on June 20th — one day ahead of the release of Shadow of the Erdtree — that adds five new hairstyles and a bunch of other handy new features. You can read more about what’s coming on X.
The Elden Ring X account also shared the global release schedule for the expansion and updated minimum and recommended PC specs.
Jun 12
And most of ‘em still haven’t beaten Mohg.To prepare us for Shadow of the Erdtree FromSoftware has released a “The Journey So Far” video. The company has also announced that Elden Ring itself has sold 25 million copies. But honestly, considering that in order to even access Shadow you need to beat Shardbearer Mohg — a feat only 38% of Steam players have achieved — FromSoftware would have been better off releasing a “How to beat Mohg” video.
May 21
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree’s new trailer is a dramatic call to arms
With only a month until release day, there’s a new story trailer for Shadow of the Erdtree, and the Elden Ring lore hounds have their work cut out for them.
Read Article >FromSoftware has been slowly teasing Shadow of the Erdtree and its story beats ever since the gameplay trailer was released back in February. All we knew then was the DLC would take place in the Land of Shadow and feature a bunch of new horrors straight from the slightly warped imagination of game director Hidetaka Miyazaki.
May 21
The Shadow of the Erdtree looms.Bandai Namco has announced that it will debut the story trailer for Shadow of the Erdtree today at 11 AM ET / 8 AM PT. There’s exactly one month until the highly anticipated DLC to 2022’s Game of the Year finally launches and there are a whole lot of messed up lil’ dudes FromSoftware has to show off between then and now.
May 17
FromSoftware just debuted their bloodiest monster yet.FromSoftware’s monster designs have really nailed the inherent horror of living in ambulatory sentient meat sacs and this new one from Shadow of the Erdtree is just...
That is a uterus, y’all and if it means Shadow of the Erdtree will tread the “transformative horrors of childbirth” like Bloodborne did, I am so on board. I cannot wait for June 21st, my uterus is ready.
Apr 1
April Fools’ 2024: Elden Ring expansion.They didn’t say DLC (Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree won’t be here until June 21st); they said expansion. And they delivered.
Feb 21
While you were studying the Erdtree, I studied the blade.They got some Sekiro in my Elden Ring.
Tamoor Hussain from GameSpot noticed that the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC has incorporated elements from Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. In a part of the new trailer, it looks like a monster (or a Tarnished, can’t tell) is doing some flippy-dippy martial arts nonsense. Turns out it’s a move taken from one of the mini-bosses in Sekiro. Every FromSoftware game incorporates elements from its siblings and it’s neat to see those influences proliferate throughout.
I can’t wait for this DLC to ruin me.
Feb 21
Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree trailer is full of new ways to die
Wake up, Tarnished. It’s time to visit the Shadow of the Erdtree.
Read Article >In Shadow, it looks like we’re going to a darker part of the Lands Between, and of course, there are all sorts of new lil’ freaks to fight. But the biggest news is that the DLC’s main antagonist appears to be Miquella, the twin brother of Malenia, meaning “Let me solo her” might have to change his name soon.
Feb 21
I’m at the combination Nintendo Direct / Elden Ring DLC trailer announcement.The first of today’s big video game announcement events is the Nintendo Direct happening at 9 AM ET. Then, shortly after what Nintendo says will be a 25-minute presentation, FromSoftware will release the first trailer for Elden Ring’s first DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree at 10 AM ET.
It’s gonna be a big day.
Feb 20
Get your first look at Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree expansion on Wednesday morning.It’s been almost a year since FromSoftware announced it was working on DLC for the 2022 hit Elden Ring, and now we have a date and time for the first Shadow of the Erdtree gameplay reveal trailer: February 21st, 10 AM ET / 7AM PT / 4PM CET.
The 3-minute presentation will be available on YouTube with subtitles in your preferred language.
Jul 12, 2023
Tarnished on Tour.Bandai Namco has announced that it’s launching an Elden Ring concert tour. Dubbed a “symphonic adventure,” the concert will feature a live orchestra and choir synced up to visuals and sound effects from the game. The tour starts in Paris with tickets to go on sale at 10 AM EST tomorrow.
Oct 13, 2022
Huge Elden Ring update will seemingly make players a lot harder to kill
Elden Ring, the game that feels like it was released several years ago but was in fact launched just this February, has announced a massive update. According to Bandai Namco on the game’s website, the patch intends to “encourage more versatility in terms of gameplay” — if “encourage” also means “make you a nigh unkillable god in single player.” A lot of weapons and spells were buffed, very few things were nerfed, and it seems like it’s going to get a lot harder to kill your friends in PVP. The patch notes are indeed massive, but I’ve picked out a few highlights.
Read Article >Glintstone Pebble / Shard Spiral: increased attack power
Apr 4, 2022
All hail Elden Ring’s ever-growing map
One of Elden Ring’s most polarizing features is its willingness to withhold information. While it’s less arcane than earlier FromSoftware titles like Dark Souls, the game constantly hands you items, quests, and mechanics with very little explanation. But after 130 hours and counting in the Lands Between, I’m in love with how well it sometimes deploys that obscurity. And there’s no better example than Elden Ring’s map, which has transcended a simple open-world convention to become one of my very favorite pieces of the game.
Read Article >If you’re still in the early areas of Elden Ring, you might want to skip this post because I’m going to talk about a mechanic that relies on mystery. But if you’ve played a bit of the game, you might know what I’m talking about. Elden Ring’s map offers a constant give-and-take of showing players new spaces to explore, then pulling back a curtain to more places that they didn’t even realize could exist. It withholds information only to reveal it in a way that’s delightful, satisfying, and entirely in keeping with the world’s vast scope. It’s not just an interface element — it’s a meta-game in its own right.
Mar 15, 2022
Elden Ring speedrunners race to the bottom
Elden Ring is just so massive and its bosses are so tough that the average player will probably take over 60 hours to beat it. But speedrunners, assisted by some traditional speedrunning tricks and the game’s own open design, have somehow managed to beat the sprawling game in under 30 minutes.
Read Article >For a speedrunning enthusiast, the first days of a game’s release are extremely exciting. New techniques and optimizations are constantly being discovered, as boss behaviors and the runner’s own luck work with or against them, making almost every run a possible world record. While every runner is ostensibly competing against the clock, two runners have emerged in the Elden Ring speed community, each racing to post lower and lower times.
Mar 11, 2022
I’ve made a huge mistake in Elden Ring
In Elden Ring, it’s killed or be killed — brutally. The game is designed to put you ever on the defensive, ready to lash out before you yourself can be lashed. But that shoot first, ask questions later mindset led to an event I truly and deeply regret. I killed a dragon, and I feel really awful about it.
Read Article >In Elden Ring, even the damn flowers are dangerous, but contrary to the game’s reputation, not everything in the Lands Between wants to kill you. There are those cute rodents that scurry about and delightful little donut-rolling sheep that exist only to bleat at you as you zip by them on Torrent. I’ve had so many peaceful moments sitting on the edge of a cliff, gazing in wondrous awe at the golden Erdtree with a convocation of eagles for company. I’d never think to kill any of these creatures because, for one, they’re worth a pitiful amount of runes, and secondly, they’re harmless. (Editor’s note: killing the calm, wise old tortoises should be punished by a full game restart, even if it’s an accident.)
Feb 28, 2022
Elden Ring’s world is full of mystery, but I’d rather wait for a guide
It seems like everyone, even people who don’t usually partake in FromSoftware games, is playing Elden Ring. It’s currently the seventh most played game on Steam based on number of concurrent players and has a score of 97 on Metacritic, putting it on track to be this year’s highest rated game.
Read Article >And while I have enjoyed the bits of Elden Ring I’ve played, I’m not too keen on joining the rest of my Tarnished colleagues in the Lands Between just yet. I’m gonna wait for the guide writers, speedrunners, and wiki editors to catch up, because from my dabblings in FromSoftware games, I know that in order to truly enjoy Elden Ring, I’m gonna need a lot of help that just doesn’t exist yet.
Feb 25, 2022
Elden Ring’s character creator fails Black players
Most of you playing Elden Ring are probably knee-deep in the Lands Between, getting your shit rocked by that asshole on the horse, but my mind hasn’t left the game’s first menus. Though the many classes present a paralyzing wealth of options, it’s not the question of what class to play that has me stuck. It’s the character creator. I’m stymied by the bizarrely incongruous system that allows for an unprecedented level of control of every minute detail of facial feature but only has one kinky hair option.
Read Article >I didn’t expect much from Elden Ring’s character creator. FromSoftware games have a bit of a reputation for being kinda bad at character creation, especially regarding skin. In Bloodborne, skin colors and textures were distinctly unnatural-looking. My character was this orangey-looking mess of a human, and there were precisely zero kinky hair options.
Feb 25, 2022
Elden Ring PSA: Bandai Namco warns of PS5 save bug
As Elden Ring rockets up the charts, amassing some of the most glowing reviews this side of Breath of the Wild, Bandai Namco has issued a PSA letting players know it’s working on ironing out some of the day-one kinks.
Read Article >In the PSA, Bandai Namco said it’s working on correcting some issues related to mouse over-sensitivity, PC anti-cheat bugs, and frame rate / game performance issues that, somewhat annoyingly, cause the game to stutter at random moments.
Feb 23, 2022
Elden Ring is a sprawling fantasy epic so good I don’t want it to end
When I was a kid, I would look at paperback fantasy novels and dream. I was too young to read these tales of sex and violence, but those hand-painted covers, full of dragons and swords and ancient ruins, held a promise of adventure that captivated me. It’s a feeling I continued to chase when I went on my own fantasy quests in games dating back to the original Legend of Zelda. Few have been able to match my paperback-inspired imagination; they’re often too restrictive or linear to create that sense of freedom I craved. None have gotten as close to that feeling as Elden Ring.
Read Article >The latest release from Bloodborne and Sekiro developer FromSoftware, Elden Ring is, at its most basic, an attempt to merge the studio’s distinctive action-RPG formula with an expansive open world. Think of it like Dark Souls meets Breath of the Wild, and you’re close. It’s an ambitious premise, but it’s also one Elden Ring more than lives up to. It has everything you’d expect from the developer — deep and challenging combat, complex systems, lore that’s equal parts beautiful and sad — and fuses it with an absolutely gigantic world that you can explore however you like.