Elden Ring fans continue to embrace their nature by working themselves into a frenzy over a tiny Steam database update

The signs that Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree DLC is coming soon are everywhere and nowhere all at once. Fans are latching onto anything and everything they can find to prove FromSoftware is about to drop the release date. This week's clue comes from a tiny Steam update labeled as DLC, and, while it is slightly more credible than a date from a controller manufacturer, it's still mighty thin.

Earlier this week, a new DLC app identification number was added to Elden Ring on Steam (via SteamDB), suggesting that FromSoft is preparing to list Shadows of the Erdtree on the store page. Naturally, Elden Ring fans saw this and immediately started constructing a theory that starts with an announcement at tomorrow's Xbox Developer Direct.

It's not as big of a leap as it may seem: Elden Ring was originally announced at Microsoft's Xbox E3 2019 press conference. I wouldn't be surprised to see it at an Xbox show again, but not one that seems to be entirely focused on games published by Microsoft, whose lineup has already been revealed (we're going to see the new Indiana Jones game and Obsidian's Avowed, most notably)

The devout Elden Ring fan would point me to the recent teaser for an Elden Ring figure from PureArts coming next month, but I'd say that's a reach. And the whole thing where controller manufacturer Thrustmaster dropped a February 2024 date for the DLC and hinted at a second DLC for 2025 (before removing it all) feels the same to me. FromSoft announces stuff when it feels like it, and that might be a random Tuesday or at a big event—you never know.

Despite the implausibility, Elden Ring fans continue to believe that we're days away from the big announcement. Soulslike YouTuber Ziostorm mentioned that Dark Souls 2 and 3 updated their Steam pages around two months before their DLC announcements and then again a day or two before their releases. It's been more than a day since the update for Elden Ring, however, and we've heard nothing.

"Oh, is this the real Chapel of Anticipation this time?" Reddit user Auri_L wrote in reference to the name of the opening area.

In the same thread, which has over 500 comments, someone brought up the person who recently theorized that the truth could be found in the lyrics of Taylor Swift's "Ivy". Their post is tagged with "humor" but they still wrote several paragraphs trying to convince everyone that the pop star knew the DLC date two years before the game even came out. At this point, it might be a safety concern for FromSoft to not announce a date soon.

On X, people are posting all sorts of gifs and videos in excitement over the tiny update, including a video of a Bloodborne boss who cradles a magical sword that was ultimately his undoing. The irony is so strong that I don't care if the poster is aware of it or not. Let Me Solo Her poked his head into the conversation to drop the "I can't. Not again. I'm… not strong enough" meme from The Incredibles. Everyone is replying to him with words of encouragement, probably because they know FromSoft always puts the hardest fights in its DLCs, so we're going to need him.

The last official thing we heard about Shadow of the Erdtree is that it's "a little ways off, but progress is going well" from producer Yasuhiro Kitao in December. And with no hint of it at this year's Game Awards, an imminent announcement seems just as likely as it was at any time last year. Until FromSoft swoops in and drops a png on X or something, everyone will have to restrain themselves and wait patiently.

Elden Ring guide: Conquer the Lands Between
Elden Ring bosses: How to beat them
Elden Ring map fragments: Reveal the world
Elden Ring weapons: Arm yourself
Elden Ring armor: The best sets