This could be Miquella or any number of figures, but I think that's a red herring. I think we're supposed to think Miquella based on the imagery, but he is the spitting image of his mother, and perhaps she wore her hair differently when she was young. Marika also makes the most sense based on the conflicting imagery of past and future, with the image of a young feminine figure on a saddle-less horse representing past, and all the ghostly gravestones representing the destructive future to come.

The image is perfectly crafted in a way you can find signs of whatever you looking for. I love you Miyazaki, never change my dude 😅

The fact that the sky is pitch black gives me a feeling like it might be a dream

Wraff pushing out an instant KZfaq video… is this real life? So excited for this. Imagine being able to touch the tree(like touching the paintings in past games) and go into the frenzy future and seeing the chaos in that timeline but also be in the past timeline.

Take a close look of the O in Shadow. That's the Death Rune. We last met Godwyn the Golden in a dreamscape, they cut a lot of content regarding a dream quest with Miquella. The tree looks like its being choked by dark branches of death root. The one riding Torrent looks young, and their multiple braids looks identical with Miquella. Marika wears her hair in a single braid.

Seeing the spirits rising around the character, Torrent, and the obviousness that this character is Torrent's previous owner; reminds me of the statue in Farum Azula of a young woman surrounded by three wolves. Oddly enough, Ranni gives us an ash to summon three wolves with the bell. To me, these connections make it clear that this character is a younger Marika.

I dreamt for so long. My flesh was dull gold and my brain rotted.

Right, Farum Azula is a floating city, but it's convoluted whether its always been that way. Liurnia has been sinking. The Eternal Cities used to look out on the night sky. There's a massive lake with probably the biggest land feature we can see up close, a massive waterfall flowing to the ocean, but who knows where all the water is coming from. Did the water drain away from Liurnia after a great earthquake or something? Or has the water been rising? There are the Badlands, the Land of Reeds, and part of the landscape has fallen away because the starting location used to be connected somehow to the mainland near Stormveil Castle. Calaid hasn't always been a shit show. And of course, there may be an inverse world where the spirits reside. There are maybe 8 or 9 gods or deity like figures that exist, and there was a beast like order before the golden order that the dragons ruled over. The Giants aren't all that independent, more like a lower class that seems to serve or support others. And what's up with all the massive bodies one can find in the landscape? I think there was an earthquake that caused massive cracks or something. Raya Lucaria may have been on an island only connected to the mainland by bridges, and that would explain how they fought off Lyndell. The earthquake threatened to sink Farum Azula so somehow, it rose up, breaking apart as it did, leaving a massive crater behind. It may have opened a sealed off place under the volcano, granting access to a god beneath it. The Eternal Cities don't have anywhere they would make sense to exist above ground, so maybe they fell into sinkholes and the land collapsed on top of them, only being protected by magic... gravity magic? Idk. Maybe the Elden Beast struck the ground so hard flying in from space, and the roots of the Erdtree spread so violently, that the entire continent shattered just like the Elden Ring much later.

I want it to be Miquella because I want to see him and Malenia

It could be Miquella after the Duskborn ending, since the enivronment is fog and greyish mist...which harkens to it. And the Tree is also spewing ash, signifying its death and upcoming age. Godwyn also nicely ties in to her reason to be awoken.

The shape of that tree is wrong for the Erdtree. It looks like a young Haligtree.

It is probably Miquela, check the image of Mogh carrying him on the game intro! The hair is exacly the same! - Also Ranni says that the summoning bell was from Torrent's former master - Miquela has the power to be loved by everyone, which makes sense that Spirit Ashes would help him! Also probably the DLC goes on the past, since there is no Leyndell anywhere around!

I was looking for your channel to get the Discord link to tell you, but instead I got this analysis. You never disappoint. That might either be Crucible that preceded the Erdtree, with the first root of the Erdtree coming down through it; or Miquella's Haligtree being killed by the Erdtree; or Helphen, the Tree of the Dead.

I think its the realm where things go to be reborn through the erdtree. Since the graves are ghostly.

This is the best birthday present I could have gotten. I’m so excited! And I completely agree I think its Queen Marika that’s riding Torrent in the image

I think you are right about the past because the landscape is so much more level, rather than how it looks after the shattering with all these jagged cliffs and different elevations.

Seeing all the ethereal figures, the golden landscape, the erdtree/haligtree/? In the distance and thinking that this is Miquella, this might be him dreaming either about his world of unalloyed gold OR remembering the past when the haligtree vas still growing. The more I think about it, the more the title "shadow of the erdtree" makes me think about Miquella, the haligtree and all the "misfits" he was willing to welcome

Tarnished archaeologist released just a video where he theorized the erdtree has burned before. At 3:00 you mention the golden sap, maybe after a cataclysm that destroyed the previous order, a young Marika finds the broken erdtree and thus begins the age of plenty. High level golden runes state that those who received grace early were the most rewarded, and if marika was the first of the new era, makes sense how she became god. And those lands look pretty bad, maybe Godfrey was leading a band of post apocalyptic war boys in the area lol. As the erdtree heals, the age of plenty comes to an end and then we get erdtree religion and golden order fundamentalism.

Doesn't have to be time can be the spirit world mentioned in the helphens steeple lore that trees probably the inverse of our own

its the crucible being struck by the greater will to become the erdtree

I get that its made to look like its in the middle of dry land, but honestly that looks more like the Haligtree than the Erdtree. Either that or maybe its the Crucible

Deathblight has fully corrupted Erdtree, and Lands Between are reduced into plains of withering shadows, stalked by those-who-live-in-dead. Spirits walk now unhindered. Torrent is a spirit yet corporeal enough to carry us. Melina is a spirit. No wonder why Miquella could also appear in spirit. Mohg only abused and mutated his body, while Miquella's spirit is still unmarred. Miquella's goal was to spear Godwyn through with Gold Needle, cutting off the influence of death. We might have to aid him now. After all, Haligtree was supposed to become next Erdtree unaligned to the previous one. "Though watered with Miquella's own blood since it was a sapling, the Haligtree ultimately failed to grow into an Erdtree." - Haligtree Surcoat

Does anyone think that the flora covering the land is wheat or some other kind of grain? It brings to mind the cut content of Miquella's age of abundance. I'm seeing the blood/blessing of the Erdtree spilling onto the land, causing a bounty of crops to grow, as far as the eye can see. It almost looks like the Erdtree has divested it's power back to the land. The colours in the title must be important. 'Elden Ring' is in the expected gold, symbolic or the greater will and it's grace. 'Shadow of the Erdtree' is in silver, which relates to the eternal cities, and to life forms not blessed by grace. Could be suggesting we will visit a time before the influence of the greater will, or after.

SO EXCITING WRAFF

Breaking news with Wraff The MVPizza! This is awesome, I'm so happy!

That crucifix looks like the ornamental straight sword.

I’m so happy rn 😭! They really thought I wouldn’t be up at 1 AM to see the dlc announcement at ground 0 huh? Hell nah I was here!

Not that it'll happen but, Elden Ring is large enough to accomodate more than one DLC. Multiple periodic DLC releases would greatly improve the game's longevity.

Ooh nice speculation on the Marika and Roderika connection!

I can’t help but notice the strange miasma around the tree in the distance looks like Deathblight.

I just can't wait!!!

I believe this is the future. The Erdtree has loose black dust falling from it and it's bleeding gold. So in an essence we have become Elden Lord of a dying land. The fields are a dull gold and the ghostly tombstones of those who were touched by death and now dead proper. We are seeing what could be the end of the Lands Between. Not sure who the figure on Torrent is but it might be a new NPC we find. I hope we have Miquella to fight as there is so much that was cut relating to him. Hopefully this is all the cut content they are using for this.

Plus look at the separate tree strangling around the erdtree

I am looking forward to this DLC

Saw a comment on another video and I thought it seems plausible for what this DLC could be about, here it is "I don't think this is set after the endings. The spectral gravestones give me the feeling that this is a kind of Afterlive that is mentioned in regards to the Helphen tree. Shadow is used only in one way in Elden Ring: To refer to Empyreans companions such as Blaidd and Maliketh. That could make the Helphen or whatever that tree is (it could very well be the Haligtree from the way it's twisted) the shadow of the Erdtree. The coloration of that tree with Black and Gold also connects it to Godwyn and with Miquella also presumably being dead, it would make sense that they are all in that afterlive. Who knows, maybe this is a part of Miquellas Plan and we do end up getting an Eclipse in the Elden Ring Overworld as well. That would make Farum Azula look very interesting." Now that I look at it, it does look like the Erdtree or whatever it may be is getting overtaken by what looks like a giant Death Root.

I also bet money on this being Marika. It's a sure thing. Same size profile as us when riding.

CAN'T WAIT

OMG OMG!!! Wraff doesn't sleep, confirmed. Ok, you have me hyped now.

so excited,lets go

idk how i am gonna sleep so hype

If this is the future, why indeed would Miquella not look like an abomination? You know, the one we saw partially revealed in Mohg's arena. Or perhaps he only looked like an abomination because his process of metamorphosis was interrupted? idk. Anyways, I think what we have to look at here is the Erdtree, for in the first place, the title and the imagery presented to us go hand in hand. I am teetering on the side that this is the past. This could be time where the Erdtree first came to the lands between. But why would it look like this? Like it has been damaged. This image looks like it is to be presented as a first encounter. The person in question is either in awe or wonder at what they are looking at. This too speaks to us, the players, seeing this announcement for the first time. What is also curious is that there is no Leyndell built around the tree. I know we are far away in this view but I don't think I can even make out even the ashen capital. Then there is the title, "Shadow of the Erdtree" oh man we could go different ways with this. Usually when something is "in the shadow" of something, it is eclipsed. Or to put it more plainly, "in a position of being unnoticed because all the attention is given to something else. The term "shadow" implies that there is a new threat emerging. This new threat is also is linked to the Erdtree somehow because it is the "shadow of" the Erdtree, which implies that the Erdtree is removed from being the main focus. I wonder if there is a point in using the term "shadow" to also signal what we know about Shadows in Elden Ring as a whole. Doesn't the greater will bestow shadows? Just like Malaketh is the shadow for Marika and Blaidd is the shadow for Ranni. Is there some linguistics at play here? This is Iji's dialogue about Blaidd and his "fate": "The Two Fingers gave Blaidd to Lady Ranni, as a faithful follower. Her very shadow, incapable of treachery. But if Lady Ranni, as an Empyrean, resists being an instrument of the Two Fingers, the shadow will go mad, transforming from a follower into a horrid curse. But such is his destiny. In such matters, Blaidd's own thoughts hold no weight. It pains me so, but he must be neutralised." Pushed a certain distance from the party line of the Greater Will and an Empyrean's shadow will attempt to kill that Empyrean to prevent further betrayal. I don't know how this would connect to the Erdtree at all tbh but I think it is worth contemplating. The term shadow can also be something that precedes the thing itself. Think of seeing a grotesque silhouette of a monster before the monster actually comes around the corner itself.

Could this be Godwyn? We know Godwyn has flowing golden locks, as we see in the trailer and some in-game statues. The black knifes, there’s and art image, that depicts Godwyn in his murdered stage. Could we be going back in time before the Erdtree over took the Great Tree? We see the golden sap trying to break through. Plus, Godwyn is always in the shadows. He is shadowed by his father, Godfrey, and Mother, Marika. He was killed too, and people must not think he is that strong if he got murdered. Plus Malenia and Radahn are known as the strongest demigods because it say that in the trailer. But, in the trailer it says they were the mightiest TO REMAIN. This excuses both him and Ranni as they “died” on the night of black knifes. So, could this truly be Godwyn the Golden?

I'm hyped for this. They had me worried for a bit that the PVP addition was the only content they add.

I'm so excited

I stick to release date announcement trailer to be in August. This picture is the same as Miyazaki confirming that they’re working on content. It’s just something tangible so people can stop asking about it.

I think you're right about it being Marika... no question about it and she is on torrent which was handed to the tarnished from her alleged daughter Melina...so good connection. I think is that was the Erdtree that had so little of life and the lands between which makes me think Lance forgotten when I think about lands between and she brought life back into the ER jury which in turn pumped life back into the lands between that's kind of what I think.

To commemorate this beautiful occasion and also because it's my birthday, can we talk about getting the rest of your playthrough uploaded here on YT again?

The sky clearly isn't pitch black, those are just clouds. The sun is barely peaking out from behind the tree over the horizon.

I believe this is the past. I interpret this as a young Marika looking up to the old Great Tree holding the crucible after it was struck by a golden meteor holding the Elden Beast. It looks to me as if the Erdtree is growing around, suffocating and taking over bringing the Reign of the Greater Will. This maybe explains the ghosts around the field? Now that death in the sense everyone knew up to that point no longer exists, with Erdtree Burial just coming into effect for the first time?

So my thoughts are Miquella woke up, after the Frenzied flame ending. Marika is completely like gone. If you look at the yellow embers from the tree. It’s the same as the Frienzied flame so that could mean it’s canon

It's either Marika or Miquella. In either case i think it will take place before or by the time the golden order was established as the ruling power. The ghostly gravestones invoke a feeling of an ill omen of the wars about to happen. My bet is that this will take place by the arrival of the Erdtree.

It may be the past, before people were able to offer their souls and bodies to the erdtree?

I think it might be in the past where the erdtree is still young and the person who’s in the pic is I’m lyndel

What if that tree in the background is not the Erd tree but in fact is the haligttree or even better or crazier some other unknown or unnamed tree that we have yet to see

The hair is the same as the pic where Mohg is holding Miquella. Couldn’t even speculate time.

To me that doesn't look like the Erdtree after the FF ending. To me it looks like the Erdtree before it got it's golden shade. Basically this is the Erdtree pre-golden order, pre-greater will. The Erdtree in the times where the misbegotten were venerated.

Some one found out that the air are the same as Miquella, and would be after burning the erdtree, mmm super confusing.

A couple of random thoughts: What if this isn't the lands between, but the lands that can be seen north of Elphael? Wheat = Abundance = Miquella? Light coming from behind the Tree, casting a shadow onto the lands in the foreground. This image seems curated to confuse us whether this is Miquella or Marika, what if, and I'm spitballing, Miquella.... is Marika?

My initial thoughts are clustery and confusing, but here is goes. Your sentiment that this image is "meant" to cause confusion or speculation feels correct. This could easily be Marika or Miquella, or maybe someone else: a certain beloved demigod who was slain, perhaps? I think nearly every single detail of this image almost forces you to blend/cross reference everything we "know" about the game. And it's difficult because this could, by my estimation, easily be Marika, Miquella and possibly Godwyn. I think this will be a dream/alternate world. My reasoning: Shadow. "In the Shadow of the Erdtree", a potential phrase. I don't think it's literal. I think it implies a veil or a Twilight/Dusk/Gloaming world. GLOAM, anyone? The Shadow, or veiled nature/reality, of the Erdtree. Elden Ring, thematically, deals with duality and multiplicity of forms, but also "nature" and "reality" buried/castigated/sectioned off from the perceivable world due to things like bigotry and/or protection, and this informs the world we journey through. From the personalities and motives/intentions of NPCs to the conditions and history of persecuted beings in the Lands Between(Nomads, Misbegotten, Those Who Live In Death, the Crucible, Omen, etc.), but also the very "nature" of The Erdtree and the Elden Ring itself. Also, the LotRs influence is very clear in this game. And where do people go when they wear the ring? A realm of Shadow. Twilight Realm in LoZ: Twilight Princess kind of thing? We know FromSoft are big LoZ fans as well. Bit of a stretch but I could see this sort of concept being explored in a uniquely FromSoft way.

I have just compared hairstyle of Miquella from game intro with character on this art and they are literaly the same. So I feel like it has to be Miquella (and I am so glad for it)

That seems a lot more like miquella than marika to me

It's miquella on the horse. 0 doubt look at the hair.

Hell of a turnaround time. I agree, with that being Torrent, I don't see how there's any other interpretation than "that's Marika." The whole thing seems to me to be a depiction of Marika confronting her failures, with all the spirit graves littering the landscape, so figure that might be the core theme of the DLC. Not sure what's going on with the tree. Afterthought: I supposed it could be PAST Miquella, before his transformation started. No way is he gonna look like that if he ever comes out of the coccoon.

Finally!!!! I think I stopped on new game +4. I wonder if the difficulty will stay the same.

It seems to be the Great tree shortly after it got parasitized by the Elden Beast. The gold flowing from it is the "grace" of the Elden Ring mutating it into the Erdtree. I think the DLC tells how Marika became Radagon.

If this is young Marika, then the tree in question may be the Crucible, the previous "Erdtree" that existed in the Lands Between before the Greater WIll came with it's shennanigans.

What do y'all think? Is this after ending or accessible early on? I'm still on my first playthrough, having just reached the final boss a week ago. This is perfect.

Classic Fromsoft move, hard baiting Miquella

Omfg I'm shaking!!!

Am I crazy? Because I see faces and bodies making up that tree. You have to really zoom in though to see it.

WRAFF OMG THIS IS HOW I FOUND I FOUND TYSM PLS LET THERE BE A NEW WHIP OMG

I just want some Miquella related dlc 😭😭

THE DLC IS REAL!!!!!

I am %90 sure that is Miquella. Look at the hair and compare it to the opening sequence. It’s almost a perfect match to Miquella. But the gown is what throws me off a little. And if it’s a endgame DLC, Miquella is the only imperian left alive. Also could be St. Trina. Miquella’s alter ego. Like Radagon is Marika’s alter ego.

The hair and stature matches Miquella. Compare the hair to the opening cutscene of Mohg holding him. Perfect match. The twisting shape of the tree in the distance i looks incredibly like the Haligtree (of course the Haligtree doesn't have the branches on top as it never fully formed).

What do you think is the canon ending? That looks like a burnt erdtree

My theory is that the DLC takes place in the far future, judging from what Mohg said as he was dying 'I can see clear as day, the coming of our dynasty'. I also think you're right, that the tree we see is the Great Tree and that is Miquella on Torrent who was cursed by the Greater Will (Erdtree) along with Melania for her parents sin of creating incestuous children. Now that the Erdtree has burned, he has been released from that curse and is going to take revenge on all who represent the Erdtree/Greater Will... And that'll be us as Elden Lord.

Is it maybe Marika heading to the Erdtree to shatter the Elden Ring?

The figure is definitely miquella , because if you zoom in to the hair...its the same style as the intro miquella , also the same dress...I think this is in the past (slightly sad if so , I would like a future DLC) and Miquella is probably heading to the tree to turn it into the haligtree by using his blood. Since that was how the haligtree was actually formed. Looks kinda burnt or death-blighted. Maybe we get save/fight Godwyn?

Maybe young marika Maybe dlc takes you back in time

❤

What if that is actually Zelda? 🤔

That could be Miquella, creating the Haligtree, laying in the "Shadow of the Erdtree". I'm so confused.. If it is in the present. it should be way more stoneruins of castles, Lyndell etc. If it is the past, the Erdtree was created after the Elden Ring was created, and then only the crubicle existed.. so who's ridning torrent??

This DLC won't be released before early 2024

I am sorry, but how can anyone think that that’s Marika?It’s definitely Miquella

I hate that this image teases both theories kinda. Like yeah this could be Marika in the past but at the same time it could be Miquella/St. Trina in a dream world??

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. Anyway, wtf? I feel like jumping. That mountain range doesn't exist on the main continent. This is in the past with a different Erdtree, the future after a seemingly canon ending, or somewhere else in the world because this landscape isn't present anywhere in the main game. I'm leaning towards the first option, but honestly... HONESTLY? I just want a different mount. Or at least make Torrent an actual character. That might be Marika before she became the vessel. Maybe when that past order becomes the Golden Order of the Erdtree. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, you da best.

I bet it drops this week. Anyone want to put money on it?

Miquella

It is very difficult for me to think that this erdtree isn’t born from Godwyn since it looks like a deathblight infested erdtree, you can see the deathblight black particles and characteristic twisted design, it almost looks like it wants to grow but keeps on withering. I don’t quite think it is the actual erdtree but rather a new tree.

100% not Marika

I still don’t believe in it!!

First

bloodborne is still better

🥲 yes it’s finally here and I can’t wait for this 👍