Elden Ring DLC is surely a case of when not if at this stage. What form that takes exactly remains to be seen – FromSoftware and Bandai Namco are keeping their tarot cards close to their chests for now – but the meteoric success the action-RPG has endured since launch in late February makes future added content seem all but inevitable.
As detailed in our Elden Ring DLC roundup, concrete details are scant, but the developer and publisher have both spoken regularly about the game exceeding expectations, and their plans to continue "expanding the brand beyond the game itself, and into everyone's daily life". In June, this saw the launch of a pretty bizarre live-action trailer starring UFC fighter Israel Adesanya; while game director Hidetaka Miyizaki assured players "updates to Elden Ring will continue to be made" into the future. To the latter end, we expect to see more of the technical nips and tucks we've seen applied over the last several months in due course – but what might a fully-fledged premium DLC look like? Here, our DLC wishlist for Elden Ring gathers 10 things we'd love to see rolled out into the Lands Between.
New areas that explore existing lore
As with any of FromSoftware's previous outings, the most exciting thing about each game's DLC is its scope for exploring new locations. Often, these expansions are an extension of their source material's lore and narrative – sometimes tying up loose ends and putting long-standing questions to bed; other times unraveling new ones, leaving us with more unanswered queries than ever before. With Elden Ring, I'd love to see something that explores Miquella's story properly. The cursed brother of Melania plays a pretty integral role to, well, pretty much everything in Elden Ring, yet we actually don't know all that much about him. Unused Miquella dialogue was unearthed by dataminers not long after launch, so this could be something we actually do see.
Otherwise, I'd love to see something really outlandish. Cosmic horror underpins so much of Elden Ring, and I'd love to see something Lovecraftian – something that blends the most twisted elements of the Lands Between with the final third of Bloodborne. And speaking of twisted, while I do have areas I prefer over others in Elden Ring, I don't have one I absolutely loathe. There isn't an area that kicks my arse every time I set foot in it, one that I love to hate and hate to love. Give me something like Sen's Fortress, an equivalent of Blighttown, or, dare I say it, Dark Souls 2's The Gutter.
A new timeline, perhaps
Maybe the first portion of Elden Ring DLC could exist in the same setting, but explore a different timeline? What would the Lands Between look like before the Tarnished's blood-spilling adventure as we know it, and what sort of enemies might we come against? I'd love to see more on dragons generally, but wouldn't it be cool to face-off against the almighty Gransax – a colossal beast said to be bigger than Placidusax – or to fight Greyoll in her prime, you know, before she could be cheesed by spam-bleed-attacking her tail. Or by simply killing her children and letting her die from the resulting grief.
Cut content locations
And while we're switching up what already exists, I'd love to see some of Elden Ring's cut content locations restored – chiefly that uber-cool-looking colosseum first uncovered by prolific dataminer and modder, Lance Macdonald, just a few weeks after the game launched. As detailed in a subsequent video by Sekiro Dubi, the Lands Between boasts three inactive (and, at present, inaccessible) colosseums, located in Leyndell, Limgrave, and Caelid. Whether these Roman era-aping arenas are simply cut content or planned future DLC locations remains to be seen, but each one of the amphitheatres look cool in their own right. As with any FromSoftware game, it's difficult to picture distinct open spaces like these without also thinking of the towering beasts that might fill them.
Dedicated PvP arenas
Dark Souls has Darkroot Garden. Dark Souls 2 has the bridge before Iron Keep. Dark Souls 3 has the mezzanine at the rear of Pontiff Sulyvahn's chambers. And while none of these locations were necessarily explicitly designed for PvP, the modestly sized maps of the Dark Souls series has meant players have eventually settled in these areas to lock horns with other folk online. Elden Ring, on the other hand, is so flat and big and sprawling, that there isn't really a dedicated single location for PvP enthusiasts to gather and fight to the death. The best location, for my money, is situated within the end-game locale, Mountaintops of the Giants, but something new and designated by way of DLC would be much welcomed.
A Painted World?
FromSoftware does snow levels well. In fact, FromSoftware does snow levels so well that the Painted World of Ariamis, and the Painted World of Ariandel, are among my favorite locations in any of the developer's meticulously-crafted worlds. The former is an optional area in the original Dark Souls, accessed via the giant painting on the bottom floor of the chapel in Anor Londo; while the latter is the setting for the first slice of paid-for DLC for Dark Souls 3. As realms that exist to house bad folk banished from the normal world as we know it, I reckon a Lands Between-accessed Painted World would fit well with Elden Ring and its overarching narrative. Godfrey would be a prime candidate for Painted World residency, and, truth be told, I genuinely expected one or two of his castle paintings to act as a gateway to an Elden Ring equivalent.
Seamless co-op
Inventive modders have already taken up the mantle here, but something official that extends to console players too would be ideal. Removing multiplayer boundaries as they stand – such as faffing about with Furled Fingers and summoning signs, losing connection should one of you die, and being forced to disconnect once a boss is felled – would make the Elden Ring co-op experience more fluid, more realistic and, crucially, much more enjoyable. PC modder LukeYui's mod lets players join forces from Elden Ring's tutorial right through its final boss – the same here would be a great addition to the existing formula.
Repeat bosses
One of my all-time favorite things about Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice – FromSoftware's 2019 samurai-themed action-RPG that preceded Elden Ring – is 'Reflections of Strength'. In essence, Reflections of Strength is a game mode that lets players challenge previously defeated bosses for a rematch – an eventuality absent from the likes of Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Demon's Souls. Not only does beating a particularly challenging boss more than once do wonders for your ego, it also helps players improve on the fundamentals that unpin games like Elden Ring, not least timing, rhythm, and movement in attack and defence. Being able to replay bosses would be another welcome addition in any Elden Ring DLC.
Give Torrent some love
Torrent, the player's loyal ethereal steed, is a formidable companion in Elden Ring's early game. Without scope to upgrade, to apply armour, or even cosmetics, Torrent quickly becomes a bit of a whipping boy – the point whereby they're essentially a hindrance by the late game stage. Something expansive with mounts in mind would be great – I'd love to see something PvP-focused; jousting, anyone? – but I'd just as happy settle for the most straightforward of updates that might allow Torrent to hold their own against some of Elden Ring's more capable enemies towards the game's end.
More customisation, please
And while we're giving Torrent an upgrade, let's look inward too. On the most superficial of terms, I'd love to see more customisation options put forward in any upcoming Elden Ring DLC. At the most basic end, the chance to dye our armour and weapons would be lovely – while at the other end of the spectrum, I would love to be able to create our own Ashes of War in-line with some of the game world's more esoteric characters. Along similar lines, the ability to craft custom followers from the ground-up, using the same character creation model players use to create their own version of the Tarnished would also be wonderful.
Balancing and bug fixes
In FromSoftware's defence, the developer has been meticulous and consistent with Elden Ring bug fixes and quality of life adjustments since launch. But, as time wears on, and as more and more players push the action-RPG's bounds in new and interesting ways, in New Game+ and beyond, more things worth repairing continue to surface. This is, of course, expected of such a sprawling open-world sandbox with so many moving parts, but with every weapon nerf or magic buff, new knock-on effects appear to pop up like Whack-a-Mole. I still rage at collison placement glitches – when, in attempting to drop-attack an enemy on a lower platform, I'm instead shunted metres forward and dropped into the abyss.
One last Site of Grace...
Consider the following extras a mini slice of DLC for this very article. Here are three additional things that didn't quite make our top 10 Elden Ring DLC wishlist roundup that we'd nonetheless love to see at some point down the line.
Official survival mode support
Grimrukh's Elden Ring survival mod for PC is so good that I'd love to see FromSoftware do something similar on an official basis. With hunger, thirst, temperature effects, and being plunged into total darkness at night are among the hurdles players must overcome simply to, like, not die in the Lands Between. It's gruesome but brilliant.
More pyromancies
I love pyromancy in video games, and am especially fond of how they work across Dark Souls and Dark Souls 3. In Elden Ring, though, they feel a bit basic. I love playing with fire, but would love some more variety in this particular corner of the dark arts.
Covenants
As it stands, Elden Ring does not have Covenants – or at least not as they exist in the likes of Dark Souls. What Elden Ring has are Accords, which are, in essence, informal NPC factions. By choosing to help out specific groups, the player pledges their allegiance to said group at that moment. And while this helps the player bond with the groups in question, the player can form the same ties with multiple groups simultaneously. As per Dark Souls of old, I'd love to see Covenants that make you popular with one group, while simultaneously being hunted by another rival faction.
Want more action-role-playing in your life beyond the Lands Between? Check out the best games like Elden Ring out now.
