Elden Ring has a large and incredibly detailed map, but a DLC could change the map by both unveiling brand-new areas and expanding known locations. These changes will certainly make the map bigger, but they will also help tell the DLC's story geographically, potentially revealing new lore that the base game did not tell.
It is customary in Soulborne games for DLCs to add new areas for players to explore. For example, Bloodborne’s DLC The Old Hunters introduced players to new locations, such as the Hunters Nightmare and Fishing Hamlet. If an Elden Ring DLC is released, it is expected that it will introduce new areas, but expanding known locations and adding new dungeons could be a new way for the open-world game to bring content for players to explore.
Elden Ring's map of the Lands Between has many interesting and mysterious locations above and below ground that can easily be expanded upon. When it comes to a DLC, there is a lot of potential to change the game’s map. After all, the creators of the game seem to have set out from the start to make a massive world that players can get lost in, so a DLC seems likely to follow suit.
Elden Ring DLC Potential Changes To The Map
One way that a DLC could change the map is by expanding on what's already there. In the middle of the map, positioned over the water just south of Leyndell and north of Elden Ring’s scarlet rot-covered Caelid, is a single expanse of cloud. Clouds surround the map, but this single spot looks suspicious, as if it's currently hiding something beneath it. When players first begin Elden Ring, much of the game’s map is hidden behind fog and becomes cleared up when the map pieces are found. It is not a stretch to imagine that something is hidden behind this cloud, perhaps a hidden island or another floating temple. Some fans have even noticed that this area seems to be equidistant from each of the game's Divine Towers, which surround it in a pattern, making it seem like the perfect place for DLC content.
Another potential change could be the addition of a new location that lies outside the main map. There are mentions in the game that Miquella is alive and dreaming in his cocoon, but waking him up is not advised. Perhaps entering his dream is possible, and maybe that could bring the player to an area that doesn't currently exist on the main map.
A final possibility is to expand the underground portion of the map. There are several underground cities and areas, like Elden Ring’s Mohgwyn Palace, that the Tarnished can explore, but these areas are limited and not as massive as the world above ground. However, the underground portions of the game were some of the coolest and most lore-heavy areas, so a potential DLC bringing the Tarnished back underground could be an interesting and enjoyable addition to Elden Ring's map.