Shady leak purports Shadow of the Erdtree adds an entirely new layer to Elden Ring's map

FromSoftware has semi-officially confirmed that Shadow of the Erdtree, the first (and probably only) Elden Ring DLC, isn't coming anytime soon. It also likened it to one of the most iconic post-launch content the company has ever made, Bloodborne: The Old Hunters. Now, a sketchy leak divulges what Shadow of the Erdtree could have in store for us. It purports that Shadow of the Erdtree adds an entire "Bloodborne" worth of content to Elden Ring.

The leaker, an anonymous poster on the infamous imageboard 4chan, claims to be from a Singapore-based studio that is contracted to make environmental assets for Elden Ring (US$39.97 on Amazon). They claim that Shadow of the Erdtree will split the map into two "realms", regular and shadow. Players can traverse between them via portals, similar to what one can do in the latest Lords of the Fallen game. Shadow of the Erdtree will also fragment some of the map sections in the shadow realm.

It essentially adds a second, entirely new map on top (or below) the Lands Between. FromSoftware planned to launch Shadow of the Erdtree in two parts but decided to combine them, which could explain why it is taking so long to launch. As always, the information is an unsubstantiated rumour and should be treated as such, more so because of where it comes from.

Looking at a map of The Lands Between, only one area strikes out as a potential DLC location: the ominous-looking cloud at the centre. A developer of FromtSoftware's calibre can undoubtedly fill it to the brim with content, but an entire map's worth of new content seems far more appealing.