The official Elden Ring manga has been put on hiatus as its creator has taken time off work to play expansion Shadow of the Erdtree.
As reported by Automaton, Nikiichi Tobita, the author of comedy manga Elden Ring: The Road to the Erdtree, announced on X/Twitter he’s skipping the July 19, 2024 release of the series so he can spend time playing Shadow of the Erdtree upon its June 21 release.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC Review Screenshots
Tobita shared a drawing of himself sleeping alongside the announcement, showing him dreaming of the “glowy worm boy” — a new beastie in the expansion that became an instant hit upon its reveal by developer FromSoftware.
He’s likely not the only Elden Ring fan taking time off work to play the expansion, which has been more than two years in the making.
Just like previous FromSoftware games Dark Souls and Bloodborne, however, accessing the DLC isn’t as simple as selecting it on a menu, as players must tick off a handful of obscure feats beforehand, including beating an optional boss. Thankfully, IGN has a guide on how to prepare for the Shadow of Erdtree DLC if you need to scramble ahead of the expansion’s release. And make sure to check out our Elden Ring interactive map to ensure you’re not missing any important collectibles.
Are You Ready to Play Shadow of the Erdtree?
Yes, both bosses already down!Nope, I’ve got Mohg, Lord of Blood left to defeatNope, I’ve got Starscourge Radahn left to defeatNope, I’ve got both bosses still left to defeat!AnswerSee Results
You can also check out IGN’s “How Long to Beat” for Shadow of the Erdtree and kill some time ahead of its imminent release by reading our extensive 10/10 review.
“Like the base game did before it, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree raises the bar for single player expansions,” we said. “It takes everything that made the base game such a landmark RPG, condenses it into a relatively compact 20-25 hour campaign, and provides fantastic new challenges for heavily invested fans to chew on.”