Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree – 10 Things We Want

FromSoftware finally announced an expansion for Elden Ring with Shadow of the Erdtree. However, with only one piece of concept art and rumors claiming it will release after Armored Core 6, it could be a ways off. Nevertheless, there’s plenty of reason to get hyped, whether it’s looking forward to the new bosses or exploring new areas. Here are ten things we’d like to see in the expansion, regardless of how feasible they might be.

New Region

A new region seems a given, though how big that region should be is unknown. The concept art teased a twisted, dark Erdtree and some open fields, but there isn’t much more known beyond that. Some speculate that it takes place inside Miquella’s dreams, which would explain his inclusion. Regardless, here’s hoping for enough space to explore, a few new NPCs with interesting storylines, some new bosses, and maybe some backstory into his past if this proves true.

New Legacy Dungeon

Of course, we wouldn’t mind a new Legacy Dungeon. These were the “proper” dungeons of the base game, though their quality was a bit hit or miss – Stormveil Castle being the obvious favorite while Miquella’s Haligtree, ironically, is lower on the list. While a Legacy Dungeon needn’t stick too close to a castle-like architecture, something more tightly paced and structured with fewer platforming challenges would be ideal. Then again, FromSoftware could have something entirely different planned, so we’ll have to wait and see.

More Ashes of War

Ashes of War have had a rather interesting existence, with skills like Bloodhound’s Step and Seppuku causing uproar in PvP (before their inevitable nerfs). There’s also the fact that you can’t use an Ash of War on any weapon type – it has to be a certain Affinity, which keeps things balanced in its way.

We’d like to see new Ashes of War in the expansion, maybe some combinations – like an Ash of War that only activates when equipping two Greatswords or a Sword and Shield, regardless of the Affinity. Some passive Ashes of War, which are always active, wouldn’t be too bad, even if balancing them with all the other in-game buffs can be a pain. Either way, Ashes of War needs a bit of a shakeup in addition to new types to hunt.

New Weapons and Armor

It seems a given for any Souls-like expansion, but new weapons and armor are also mandatory. It’d be great if some weapon types like Heavy Thrusting Swords, Twinblades, Flails, Great Spears, Reapers, Whips, Claws, and so on received new weapons. Of course, a new weapon or two to keep the Katana crowd happy should also be fine.

Brand new tools and weapon types would also be great – perhaps a new ranged weapon type. Armor is a little tougher to pin down since there is so much potential to mix and match in the current game. At the very least, we can only hope for cool-looking sets with decent stats.

Transmog

Transmog has been one of the more highly requested features in Elden Ring. For all the amazing armor sets and looks in the game, players will gravitate towards those providing the right amount of damage reduction and weight. Everyone will figure out something that fits their overall play style, but Transmog allows them to experiment with their looks.

You can finally have the fashionably conscious Tarnished of your dreams without worrying about the mess of stats or not meeting the attribute requirements. Of course, some kind of loadout system for saving different armor sets and weapons with Transmog wouldn’t hurt either.

New Sorceries and Incantations

Sorceries and Incantations have had downs and ups since Elden Ring launched, with different buffs and changes to make them more viable for playing Caster builds. While a hybrid setup is probably still ideal, the sheer number of spells available is pretty nice (especially if you tear a boss down from 100 to zero with Comet Azur).

However, there’s still room to add more. Sorceries could use more Primeval, Aberrant and Crystalian varieties, while Incantations need more Bestial and Blood options. New types of Sorceries and Incantations could also be introduced, and one can only hope for something unlike what’s currently available.

New Spirit Ashes

Again, new Spirit Ashes are obvious, but they don’t have to be based on enemies in the expansion. There are plenty in the base game which lack Spirit Ashes, like the Carian Knight, Crucible Knights, Haligtree Knight and more. How awesome would it be to summon a Rune Bear that wreaks havoc on enemies?

It’s hard to speculate what new kinds of Spirit Ashes will be added since we know pretty much nothing about the expansion, but having some new modifiers, like becoming stronger but eventually turning hostile after some time, or self-destructing on an enemy, or increasing your attack at the cost of its max health while summoned would be nice. Of course, having some basic commands to give them could also add some new gameplay options.

Torrent Customization

For all the customization you could do to your character, the amount available for Torrent, your Spectral Steed, was pretty nonexistent. Everyone jokes about “horse armor” DLC and how we’ve come full circle, but having some armor and accessories to customize Torrent with would be cool.

Maybe some Trophies, like in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, that provide passive benefits. Less damage taken, a moderate damage increase when fighting against certain monster species, more materials scavenged, and so on while riding would be pretty neat.

Armor Recoloring

Another cool feature, though perhaps difficult to implement, would be armor recoloring. Having different options for dying armor, adding some patterns and adjusting the contrast and brightness, would provide even more cosmetic customization. There could even be a side quest in the new region that involves obtaining the tools necessary for dying your armor. Of course, how many color options there should be, and how it will interact with all the armor sets is a challenging problem for the developer.

Boss Rush Mode

Finally, above all, there needs to be a Boss Rush mode. There is no way to rematch bosses in the base game unless you use a mod or start a New Game Plus playthrough. Boss Rush would allow for fighting them again without breaking any story continuity. There are already Coliseums available where Boss Rush fights could be hosted, and there could be different tiers (like 10 bosses, 20 bosses and the highest having all the bosses, one after the other).

Having different modifiers, like extra health, additional damage and special fights where you take on all members of the Golden Order would also be great. But above all else, we’d love to see co-op support, allowing you to group with two friends or matchmake and take on all the game’s bosses for unique rewards.

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