Elden Ring DLC speculation kicks off again after one player finds a big hint buried in a shield that everyone forgot, and it might be the RPG's best-kept secret

Mar. 5, 2024

Could this be the undiscovered “small element” Miyazaki teased?

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Elden Ring DLCspeculation is heating up once again now that a player has discovered an item that seemingly ties into the upcoming Shadow of the Erdtree expansion.

See, the recentElden Ring DLC trailershows that the “lit candle-tree design” featured on the face of the newly resurfaced shield is actually the symbol representing Messmer’s faction - Messmer being the malevolent boss of the Lands of Shadow, the completely new area being introduced in Shadow of the Erdtree. The footage in the trailer shows troops under Messmer’s command bearing weapons and armor with the same candle-tree symbol.

Naturally, this opens up all sorts of burning questions. How long has FromSoftware been planning the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, and how does it connect to the world originally envisioned by A Song of Ice and Fire author George R.R. Martin? The shield’s seemingly been chilling out behind its illusory wall since launch; it’s just that no one’s paid any mind to it until now because it just isn’t very valuable at surface level.

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In the meantime, here’s the story ofone brave Elden Ring player who’s died at least 2,333 times across “2-3 months,” beating the RPG at level 1 even though “I’m terrible at these games.”

After scoring a degree in English from ASU, I worked as a copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. Now, as GamesRadar’s west coast Staff Writer, I’m responsible for managing the site’s western regional executive branch, AKA my apartment, and writing about whatever horror game I’m too afraid to finish.

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