Elden Ring Colosseum Update coming tomorrow looks like a PvP dream

Surprise! A big Elden Ring Colosseum Update is launching tomorrow, December 7, and it looks like a dream for PvP enthusiasts.

A short trailer for the Colosseum Update shows players duking it out in familiar arenas, with fights ranging from 1v1 to 3v3 battles which also include NPC summons. "Battle for glory in new PvP modes," the trailer taunts. It's unclear how that glory may translate into in-game rewards or prestige.

The YouTube description for the trailer tells us a little more about what's technically the first bit of Elden Ring DLC. "The Colosseums of Limgrave, Leyndell and Caelid will open their gates, allowing players to engage in battles such as duels, free-for-alls and team fights," it reads, confirming that this update contains multiple PvP arenas at the recognised Elden Ring Colosseum locations. It's possible each arena will feature different game modes, which would help filter the population for each.

The Colosseum Update sounds like a refined version of the Hollow Arena from Dark Souls 3, which itself expanded on the Battle of Stoicism introduced in Dark Souls' Artorias of the Abyss DLC. This arena also featured multiple modes, namely duels and brawls, allowing for sudden-death matches or time-based slug-fests where the victor was the one with the most kills. Different Hollow Arena modes granted players different types and amounts of Estus to recover health and/or mana, and while we can see players chugging flasks in the trailer for the Elden Ring Colosseum Update, it's unclear how these PvP arenas may dictate which consumables are available.

For its swing at PvP, Elden Ring seems to be investing a bit more into team battles. The opening shots of the trailer also focus on summoned phantoms aiding a host against bosses out in the game world, which could suggest that other multiplayer changes are coming in the update – though that could just as easily be setting up a little narrative for the PvP-focused trailer and patch.

Elden Ring fans have been asking for a dedicated PvP hotspot for a while, having essentially made their own fight clubs in the meantime. The aptly named Colosseum Update also seems to address a bit of seemingly cut content centered around an enigmatic colosseum, which has confounded data miners for some time.

In October, developer FromSoftware introduced a way to adjust Elden Ring's myriad equipment and spells independently for PvE and PvP, committing to PvP balance for the long-term. It seems the update was indeed laying the groundwork for a PvP-focused update, and it's out tomorrow.

The Colosseum explains a lot, and you can find out where to expect it at our Elden Ring Colosseum release time page, but Elden Ring fans can smell more DLC – though data miners say the hype is complicated.

Austin has been a game journalist for 12 years, having freelanced for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree. He's been with GamesRadar+ since 2019. They've yet to realize his position is a cover for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he's kept the ruse going with a lot of news and the occasional feature, all while playing as many roguelikes as possible.