every Friday, av club The staff kicks off our weekly open thread to discuss game plans and recent gaming glories, but of course, the real action is in the comments, where we invite you to answer our eternal question: What will you play this weekend?
Earlier this week – and to moderately Annoyingly annoying to the game’s millions of fans, who were hoping to hear something anniversary of its releasenot two days – the creators Elden ring I officially announce it Last few years av club game of the year It was getting expanded. This was already an open secret, of course, ever since Elden ring It was a best-seller, and content creator From Software is known for its extensive efforts to extend the life of its games with these kinds of large-scale content packages. (Unless you’re poor, careless Sekiro. to cut Sekiro.)
The interesting part of the announcement, then, wasn’t just the presence of the DLC, but the small trail of breadcrumbs that accompanied it, which came in two parts: a title (Erdtree shadow) and one wallpaper-sized image, showing a blonde-haired character riding the game’s signature horse goat, Torrent, toward a tree that seems to overflow with the same energy that lends itself to the game’s titular Elden ring With its cosmic might. Internet investigators have already gone through this photo of a great, fine-toothed sword, noting things like the distinctive braiding in the knight’s hair, ghostly soldiers lurking in the tall grass, and even picked out that some of the architecture on the horizon looks similar to that found in deeply buried ruins. under the game world.
What this type of espionage does not answer, of course, is what Erdtree shadow It will actually be – or even what fans of the game want. It’s hard to imagine a piece of DLC holding more expectations than this, whenever it ends up being a thing; Elden ring push limits Evil spirits The shape (and sometimes patience of its players), as explorations of its vast world approach after the 100 hour mark), And Shade You have to live up to it, like it or not. So, what are those expectations? What do we really want Erdtree shadow?
More map
Mapping is an integral part Elden ringdesign; One of the primary functions of the game’s sweeping open world is to deliberately make players feel bewilderingly lost, push them to explore and find in-game maps and slowly build mastery of their environment. Although it would certainly be easier for From to just Structure Erdtree shadow As a series of (very good) dungeons for the game – which is past souls Games usually deal with their own DLCs – we’d be very surprised if the expansion didn’t come with a new part of the world for players to run and jump on. Regarding where It just might go on… well, it’s hard to imagine the game’s designers nailing its dizzying vistas by throwing another whole landmass into the horizon; We will most likely be transported somewhere else – perhaps even to some kind of dream world, both of which are) common souls A solution to this type of question and b) tightly linked to some of the characters suspected of appearing in the DLC – to start our new adventures.
More diverse multiplayer content
Although From continues to improve and expand the multiplayer aspect of Elden ringContent over the past year – most notably with Colosseum update, which opened up multiplayer arenas for Tarnished to conquer, in December of 2022—I kept the actual things you could do Do Its a pretty basic multiplayer game. (That is, you either invade another player’s world as a villain to kill them, or join them for a fun little co-op.) This is a bit disappointing, back in the day. souls Games have made consistent efforts to make interactions between players more elaborate, subtle, or just plain weird. we love Erdtree shadow To re-adopt this sort of thing, whether it’s another stab at the “call another player to serve as boss” mechanic that has been featured throughout the series, or some kind of trap-filled maze that players have to defend from each other. souls Multiplayer has always been an odd place, and it would be nice to see it Elden ring Embrace this quirkier part of the series’ legacy.
Close – but not also Lots of closure
Let’s be clear: there is no way Erdtree shadow He will answer every long-awaited question Elden ringNarration, a huge set of open quests that have been steadily piling up since long before the game’s release. Not only would that be impossible – because how could any piece of content answer everyone of our questions about what it looked and smelled like inside those mobile, talking jars — but it also runs counter to the game’s intent, which winds up promoting a lingering sense of mystery. We will definitely get some answers from you Shade, which, from that opening image, certainly seems to address the issue of Miquella, the only demigod in the game never directly encountered by the player during her original story. (As mentioned above, many observers have pointed out how the torrent-riding character is like the few glimpses of Mikaela we get throughout the game.) But we’re also sure to get more questions than answers, by the end — because that’s as much fun as Elden ring is to play, From knows it’s also fun to drive ourselves crazy and ask questions about obscure characters like The Three Fingers, The Loathsome Dung Eater, and The Gloam-Eyed Queen. (note for non-Elden ring Players: We make exactly zero percent of this shit. Thanks, George RR Martin!)
chase feeling
Most importantly, we are passionate about the idea of existence More Elden Ring. There were few things in this past year of gaming more exciting than climbing a hill in Lands Between, for little more reason than seeing what lurked across the horizon beyond. The original game was a remarkable feat of creating a world of horror and wonder. There is no reason to think Erdtree shadow It won’t be a worthy follow-up when it’s really over.