After months of waiting, it’s finally time for Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC to hit consoles and PC. The massive new expansion – which is said to add tens of hours of content to the game – has a June 21 release date on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and PC. The good news for fans is that the Elden Ring expansion will largely be available at midnight local time in all regions, particularly on console. Indeed, UK PlayStation and Xbox users can start playing at midnight, while PC users can play from 11pm BST UK time on June 20. It’s even better news for North American fans, who can start playing at 9pm PDT on consoles and 3pm PDT on PC (both on June 20). To ensure you can start playing the moment the game goes live, PS5 and PlayStation 4 pre-order customers can pre-load the game now. Xbox and PC users will have to wait until launch in order to download the DLC.
Of course, if you do want to get stuck into the action as soon as possible, then there are one or two things you’ll need to do before launch.
For starters, you’ll need to download the day-one Shadow of the Erdtree update on Thursday morning.
The update will be available alongside a period of server maintenance from 8am BST UK time on the morning of June 20.
Downtime is scheduled to run until 11am BST UK time, during which time you can download and install the update.
According to developer FromSoftware, the update will make a variety of bug fixes and balance adjustments, all the while adding new features like extra hair styles, menu tabs and more.
Once you’ve downloaded and installed the update, you should be good to go… assuming, of course, you’ve defeated two of the hardest bosses within the main Elden Ring campaign.
This includes Starscourge Radahn, who can only be accessed after reaching the Altus Plateau, or by progressing through Ranni’s questline.
If that wasn’t difficult enough, you’ll also need to defeat Mohg, Lord of Blood, who can be found in Mohgwyn Palace.
Reaching Mohg is a tough task in and of itself. Probably the quickest and easiest way is to advance White Mask Varré’s questline.
White Mask Varré will eventually give players the Pureblood Knight’s Medal, which can be used to teleport to Mohgwyn Palace, specifically near the Dynasty Mausoleum Entrance Site of Grace.
Once there, make your way towards Mohg and defeat the Demigod in order to access Miquella’s Cocoon and travel to the Land of Shadow. You can also reach Mohgwyn Palace by using a gateway teleporter in the Consecrated Snowfield.
Speaking of requirements, you can check out the minimum and recommended PC requirements for playing the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion below.
Game director Hidetaka Miyazaki recently said that the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion takes place in an area that’s even bigger than Limgrave from the main game.
In a follow-up interview, Miyazaki said that the expansion will add more verticality to the game, so expect some fantastic dungeon design full of hidden shortcuts.
Developer FromSoftware explains more: “Discover uncharted territories, face formidable adversaries, and revel in the satisfying triumph of victory.
“Dive into the riveting interplay of characters, where drama and intrigue intertwine, that create an immersive experience to savor and enjoy.”