Elden Ring‘s DLC Shadow of the Erdtree finally has a release date and received a new trailer alongside the announcement. In true FromSoftware fashion, there are a lot of hidden details and new enemies in the trailer. But that also means there’s plenty of room for speculation while waiting for the DLC to fully release.
The trailer begins with a look at an unknown character’s feet, then shows Miquella’s cocoon with his arm sticking out of its crack. Then, the new area is shown, which the Tarnished can reach once they touch Miquella’s arm. And from that point, hidden details and mysteries begin piling up with everything shown in this trailer.
Elden Ring Review: Hands Across America
Elden Ring is a staggeringly large, nearly perfect culmination of everything FromSoftware has developed since the release of Demon’s Souls.
10 The Land Of Shadow
Where The DLC Is Set
It’s necessary to start with the location of the DLC itself: the Land of Shadow. So far, details about this location and visuals from the trailer show a place that’s quite literally in the shadow of the Erdtree, shown by the drooping shrouds of shadow in the sky, particularly around the new tree at the center of this DLC. Since Miquella is in this realm, the shadow of the Erdtree could refer to the Haligtree, which he attempted to create to replace the Erdtree and its Golden Order.
9 The New Tree
Possibly The Haligtree
Unlike the Erdtree, the tree in the Land of Shadow is twisted, gnarled, and the only light it gives off is an eerie red glow at a few spots. With Miquella’s presence, it again makes sense for this to be the Haligtree, especially since Miquella grew it with his own blood, which could be the source of the red spots. However, it could also be an inversion of the Erdtree, which is a glowing symbol of the Lands Between, that’s instead twisted and dull in the Land of Shadow.
8 First Narrator Line
Messmer Or Miquella
The first line in the trailer says, “Pure and radiant, he wields love to shrive clean the hearts of men.” And that line seems to be fitting for both Messmer and Miquella, leaving it ambiguous as to whom it’s referring to. Miquella has the ability to make others love him, and Messmer is known to be cleaning the hearts of men through a brutal and deadly purification process. As such, this hidden detail implies that the abilities of Messmer and Miquella are more closely related than previously suspected.
7 Gravestones
Possibly Fallen Tarnished
When the trailer cuts to the first views of the Land of Shadow, there’s a field full of gravestones, which likely ties into the narrator’s previous line. To shrive means to punish a sinner to absolve their sins. If that refers to the new villain, Messmer, then it’s likely that his absolution comes in the form of death, and though gravestones could indicate just how many people he’s killed.
6 New Runes
Seemingly Great Runes
The trailer includes a shot of the back of a character, who could be the Tarnished, looking at what seems to be a Great Rune. Its shape and color line up with other Great Runes, and it would fit on the Elden Ring if it were overlaid on top of it. This could imply that there are more runes that have somehow ended up in the Land of Shadow or that the Land of Shadow could have its own form of Elden Ring since it’s not clear how it’s connected to the Lands Between or what the rules of this area are.
How Big Elden Ring DLC’s Map Is Compared To Limgrave & The Lands Between
More details about the size of the map in the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC for Elden Ring have been revealed, including the number of new bosses.
5 A Bloodborne-Like Church
Messmer Could Have A Religion
The image of a vestibule with somebody sitting on a throne that seems similar to what a pope might use shows a location in disarray, although not in ruins. Although difficult to see, there are wooden benches and standing candelabras that are reminiscent of classical churches. Since Messmer seems to dole out absolution to sinners, this could’ve been the site of violence, and it’s likely that the person sitting on the single chair at the front is one of his underlings. The entire area is reminiscent of Bloodborne locations, which ties in heavily with religious themes.
4 New Grafted Scion
Possibly An Omen
The image of a creature composed of multiple bodies looks a lot like a Grafted Scion, but this one also has a beastly face and horns that resemble those that Omens have. Not only that, but this creature has blonde hair with a braided style, which is an iconic symbol of Marika, who had two known Omen children. As such, this creature could be related to Marika, and by extension, Miquella.
3 Abundant Horned Creatures
Increased Presence Of Omen
Elden Ring’s Margit has Omen, which is a curse that appears in the form of inhuman features, most notably as horns. And even without including the lion creature that looks like a Grafted Scion, the presence of people and creatures with horns is abundant in the Land of Shadow. This could imply that the land is truly cursed, and that part of that is the Omen curse. Or it could be another way to show how this land is almost an inverted version of the Lands Between.
2 Messmer’s Name
Luring Tarnished To Him
Several lines indicate that the Tarnished end up dying in the Land of Shadow, and it seems that Messmer could be luring them there. If he’s the character who wields love to shrive clean the hearts of men, then it could mean that his name shows his ability to do that. Messmer as a term has the same root as mesmerize, which is the ability to hold somebody’s attention to the point that they don’t notice anything else. He could use love to mesmerize the Tarnished, and then cleanse them with his fire abilities.
1 Messmer Is A Demigod
Likely A Child Of Marika
Aside from the official art putting Messmer on the demigod throne that all the children of Marika and Radagon had, there are several other hints to Messmer being part of this royal family. His abilities are on the level of a demigod and seem very similar to Miquella, which could indicate that he’s a piece of Miquella, like Marika and Radagon, who are two pieces of a whole. But he could be another child entirely, sporting the red hair of Radagon and snakes similar to Rykard. His name starts with “M,” like the other children that Marika and Radagon had together.
Elden Ring DLC Theory: Who Messmer The Impaler Is & How He’s Related To Miquella
The first trailer for Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree introduced Messmer the Impaler, who may have a very close connection to Miquella.
The trailer for Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree offers a lot of information to unpack. However, this isn’t surprising coming from FromSoftware, which loves to hide lore in the smallest details included in its games. It seems like there are enough mysteries contained in the trailer to keep all the Tarnished speculating until the June 21, 2024 release of Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree.
Elden Ring
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 4 , Xbox One , PlayStation 5 , Xbox Series X/S , PC
- Released
- February 25, 2022
- Developer(s)
- FromSoftware
- Publisher(s)
- Bandai Namco Entertainment
- Genre(s)
- Action , RPG
- ESRB
- M
