What if the Elden Ring DLC wasn't actually open world
Fans of FromSoftware's latest, Elden Ring, are hungry for more content in the content-heavy game, but the expansion will likely return to more linear roots.
Fans of Elden Ring eagerly await additional story content to be developed, but FromSoftware can make interesting tweaks to any expansion they release. Ever since the explosive release and immediate success of Elden Ring, players have been wanting more content and bizarre characters to discover and investigate. It's unlikely that Elden Ring's massively expanded new chapter will release long after the game ends, but with FromSoftware's latest release being almost a year old, it's prime time to get players back into the game with the promise of new content.
Shortly before The Game Awards 2022, FromSoftware released a PvP-focused update with rebalancing and systems to speed up multiplayer progress in Elden Ring. While it greatly enhances multiplayer content, the Elden Ring Colosseum DLC's strengths don't include support for single-player content, lore, or worlds. Now that balance and multiplayer have been tweaked, players are expecting some news of the long-awaited single-player expansion to lands in between and beyond.
Elden Ring DLC Could Return To Linear Souls Level Design
Despite the great success of Elden Ring's open-world design, single-player expansions may fall back to closed but intricate levels. "Linear" is not exactly A perfect term to describe the Souls games' sprawling, tight interconnected levels, but within the confines of Elden Ring, the level design is definitely more like an expanded dungeon in the vein of Raya Lucaria's academy.
Linear Level Design May Lead To More Focused Story And Gameplay
Many confusing story elements (such as Hoarah Loux murdering his Elden Ring lion regent) may have been avoided by a more contained and immediate progression in the game world, which players can see in the linear DLC pack. Exploring every nook and cranny in Elden Ring in a single playthrough, especially a player's first playthrough, is extremely difficult, so a lot of important lore can be lost in missed dungeons and outposts. Also, if this were brought into fixed points in the world of Elden Ring, the game could be more accurately planned around the player's abilities and gear.
FromSoftware ignores the possibility that Elden Ring will introduce open world elements into its formula in favor of the massive success of the classic design is ultimately impossible. While new areas the size of the secret-filled Limgrave and Caelid in the Elden Ring are sure to please fans, it's worth thinking about how inclusive traditional areas like Leyndell and Academy of Raya are Lucaria has just as many impact and memorable moments. Whatever form Elden Ring's anticipated single-player expansion takes, players can trust FromSoftware to deliver another excellent addition to its latest endeavor.
More: We (probably) haven't seen the end of the Elden Ring DLC yet
