The hype for Elden Ring’s expansion was palpable on the morning of Feb. 21 when FromSoftware finally revealed gameplay and a release date for it, with players everywhere rushing to pre-order.
Not long after the Shadow of the Erdtree trailer went live, the game began popping up on digital stores and retail websites. The $39.99 price came as a shock to many, but the Elden Ring community seems to be in agreement that the somewhat steep price tag for a DLC will be worth it.
A Feb. 21 Reddit thread discussing the DLC’s price, and how some have reacted negatively to it, was met with many players shrugging their shoulders and saying they’d gladly pay that much for more Elden Ring.
“That’s definitely on the pricey side, but given the quality of DLC that FromSoftware has given us in the past, and the sheer diversity of stuff they showed us in the trailer,” one reply said. “I’ll say that it’s probably worth it. I’m wary of most developers these days, but FromSoftware has never disappointed, and I don’t think they’re about to start doing so now. Their DLC, especially, has always been spectacular. Usually better than the base game.”
FromSoftware does have a very strong track record with expansions. Everything from Dark Souls’ Artorias of the Abyss DLC to Dark Souls 3’s Ashes of Ariandel and The Ringed City, to especially Bloodborne’s The Old Hunters expansion, has been met with praise from fans.
“Considering the time passed, this is probably a The Old Hunters situation, where they should have made two-plus DLCs and just slammed all together,” another player said.
With a $40 price tag and a $50 Premium Edition that includes a digital artbook and soundtrack, the DLC is the same price as a full game such as the recent smash hit Helldivers 2.
“Even though $40 is pretty steep for a DLC, it’s basically a whole new game’s worth of content, and I will happily lap up anything FromSoftware makes,” said one fan.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is scheduled to release on June 21 for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC.
