With many setting The Lands Between on fire as the Lord of Frenzied Flame, taking off to the stars as Ranni’s consort, or becoming the new Elden Lord in Elden Ring, many may be curious about any potential upcoming DLC. FromSoftware has not confirmed one way or another if DLC is in the works, but it stands to reason that there will be. After all, Elden Ring has set the gaming community on fire in ways few games have.
FromSoftware did recently confirm more Elden Ring updates were on the way, and while further quality of life changes and balance updates are likely, this could hint at bigger updates associated with DLC. That may also be wishful thinking, but either way, FromSoftware has a semi-solid pattern for DLC releases that may hint at a potential window for Elden Ring DLC.
FromSoftware DLC Pattern
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice received DLC, but the type of content that would line up closely with what fans want from Elden Ring. If looking at the Dark Souls trilogy and Bloodborne, the pattern is more clear. Artorias of the Abyss was released 11 months after Dark Souls, Crown of the Sunken King releases four months after Dark Souls 2 (but the Crown Trilogy would expand over the next few months), and Ashes of Ariandel would come out 7 months after Dark Souls 3. Bloodborne’s beloved Old Hunters DLC would release 8 months after the base game.
Boiling it down and factoring in how Dark Souls 2' s post-launch expansion was a trilogy of smaller DLCs, it would seem that most FromSoftware DLCs release around 7-8 months to a year after the base game. There is a caveat or two to consider though. First, Elden Ring is its biggest game to date and so it would likely fall near the end of the period, if not later. If it’s a small DLC, it could be relatively soon; if it’s a standard size DLC akin to Bloodborne’s Old Hunters, then 7-8 months sounds reasonable.
Elden Ring DLC
With Elden Ring releasing in February 2022, a small side DLC could come out at any time this summer. There are rumors of an Elden Ring Colosseum DLC that could fit into this, but it remains to be seen. If it gets an Old Hunters-style DLC, it could be as early as this October or as late as early next year.
There’s not a much better way to pin down the window and it is relatively loose, but it is a good way to adjust expectations. Elden Ring is one of those games that’s hard to follow up, but anyone hoping for DLC this summer should temper expectations—it’s small if it happens so soon, yet the likeliest scenario is that Elden Ring brings the year to an end in as strong of a manner as it began it.
Elden Ring is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.