Wake up, Tarnished. It’s time to visit the Shadow of the Erdtree.

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.

In 2023, FromSoftware confirmed the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC was in development. No release date was given at the time, and FromSoftware went radio silent afterward, as we’ve had no significant updates on the DLC since its announcement almost exactly a year ago. But now, we know we can return to the Lands Between on June 21st.

It’s really hard to imagine that Elden Ring only came out in February 2022. So much has happened between then and now that it feels Elden Ring has been around for five years rather than a mere two. At any rate, this misperception of time is a good thing. It means that because it feels so long since Elden Ring proper, I am ridiculously excited to return to it in DLC and will have the opportunity to look at the game with fresh eyes again.