Pros & Cons Of Elden Ring DLC Leaving The Lands Between

Taking the Tarnished out of the Lands Between could spell either disaster or success for future Elden Ring DLCs. FromSoftware has proven it has an interest in further exploring what the Lands Between has to offer with the Colosseum update. However, past rumors and leaks suggest that the developer has ambitions to venture outside the mysterious island to other locations in the Elden Ring world. Such a bold direction would be fitting for a game about a Tarnished fighting immortal demigods, but with such a risk comes potential consequences that could hurt Elden Ring‘s legacy.

The Barbarians of the Badlands DLC rumor has already had such an effect. In July 2022, a ransomware attack on Bandai Namco claimed to leak Elden Ring’s upcoming story DLC, which was going to take place in the Badlands where the Tarnished were exiled after losing Grace. FromSoftware’s masterwork ended with so many pressing questions, and leaving them and the Lands Between behind in the rumored DLC made the game’s future sound unfocused. Luckily, this leak ended up being proven false (at least for the time being) with the release of the Colosseum update. However, Barbarians of the Badlands serves as a jumping off point for potential consequences of leaving the Lands Between.

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Introducing A New Elden Ring Setting Has Benefits & Risks

Leaving the Lands Between could be very exciting for Elden Ring. Many of the game’s devoted fans have already journeyed through the map numerous times during their playthroughs. Given that it has already been 10 months since Elden Ring‘s final release in February and that a lot of players have exhausted the game’s content, it is perhaps time FromSoftware takes the risk of venturing beyond the mists that enshroud the Lands Between. But before it does so, the company should consider the consequences of such DLC as well its benefits.

Elden Ring’s Lore Would Expand Outside The Lands Between

Leaving the Lands Between is the most effective way to continue building Elden Ring’s lore. Though the stories and myths contained within the island’s history are plenty enough to mull over, the Lands Between can begin to feel insular after a few playthroughs. After all, most of its inhabitants were banished long ago, and those who got to stay have since disconnected from the rest of Elden Ring’s world. Thus, exploring outside the Lands Between would help flesh out the lore the game already has by grounding it in a more concrete world.

Indeed, there are numerous civilizations that Elden Ring speaks about in abstract but gives few details on. The Badlands is now among the most popular of these because of Elden Ring’s Barbarians of the Badlands DLC leak, but there are other places that are even more mysterious. The Land of the Reeds, for instance, is the home of Elden Ring’s samurai-themed characters; their armor often notes that the area is stuck in a bloody civil war. Similarly, the home of Elemer of the Briar and the Bell Bearing Hunters – called Eochaid – has very few descriptions. Despite this, it’s the origin of one of Elden Ring’s best weapons arts, Eochaid’s Dancing Blade. There’s so much to be discovered about these areas that the base game barely touches, so DLCs that take players to these places would help bring Elden Ring’s larger world to life.

Similarly, the races and classes of Elden Ring could be further investigated should DLCs take players out of the Lands Between. Class armor like the Hero’s make reference to the Badlands and Hoarah Loux’s importance there, but because the Badlands are only discussed in item descriptions, there’s no concrete material to connect these references to. Players can also make their Tarnished a Numen like Marika, but the significance of being a Numen in Elden Ring has little value beyond that in the game’s current state. Answering questions about the Badlands and the Numen by exploring outside the Lands Between in DLCs would bring the most out of Elden Ring’s preexisting, often hidden lore.

Expanding Elden Ring’s scope beyond the Lands Between with DLCs would also help protect important storylines for its potential sequel. Many of Elden Ring’s branching stories are left only semi-concluded by their completion, namely with the Empyreans Miquella and Malenia. These characters will make for the most fruitful sequels to Elden Ring because of their power and mystique. Consequently, having a DLC inside the Lands Between that resolves their storylines could spoil potential sequels.

Related: Elden Ring’s Colosseum Update Is Only Missing One Thing

Elden Ring’s Best & Only Stories Are Still In The Lands Between

If Elden Ring explored beyond the Lands Between in future DLCs, it would be leaving its most pertinent plot lines behind. While the Land of the Reeds and Eochaid are certainly interesting, the Lands Between is replete with unfulfilled stories. Players will arguably have more questions than answers regarding lore by Elden Ring‘s ending than at its beginning, so ignoring them by leaving the game’s main setting would be a mistake.

Indeed, there are several storylines Elden Ring should tackle before moving beyond the Lands Between. Miquella’s fate is perhaps the most important of these. Miquella is a figure that is involved in most of Elden Ring’s mysteries, but in the base game, players only get to see him in his cocoon after he is abducted by Mogh, the Lord of Blood. A DLC that centers Miquella’s journey after being freed by the Tarnished would thus make for more fulfilling storytelling experience than anything outside Elden Ring‘s Lands Between.

Miquella is to return to the Haligtree where he will find his sister, Malenia, experiencing her third Scarlet Aeonia; this event signals her ascension into godhood, something the siblings have been trying to prevent. Miquella will consequently be put into a difficult situation that the person who freed him – the Tarnished – is responsible for. The tension in this story is built upon player experience and lore, and neither of these two things can be found outside the Lands Between.

The Lands Between also has certain areas that are begging for updates to bring additional content to them. Elden Ring‘s free Colosseum DLC proves that FromSoftware is somewhat aware of this – the Lands Between is filled with spaces that could be expanded or utilized in new ways. The Eternal Cities are among the most apt for DLC. Both Nokron and Nokstella are beautiful locations with tons of backstory and lore, but compared to other locations in the Lands Between, they feel quite small and quickly flow into new areas like the Siofra River. Having DLCs dedicated to further fleshing out locations like the Eternal Cities would help them become as expansive as the lore connected to them.

All in all, the pros and cons of leaving the Lands Between are fairly equal. Departing from Elden Ring‘s Erdtree-shrouded setting opens up new stories that could further inform players’ experiences in the main game. Alternatively, the Lands Between has unfinished stories that would be rewarding to complete. At the very least, FromSoftware seems interested in further exploring the world of Elden Ring, which is a promising sign for the game’s future regardless of whether its inside or outside the Lands Between.

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