Elden Ring is easily one of the best games of 2022. But if you bought the game when it launched in February, you’ve probably already finished it by now — maybe more than once. While the base game is a huge and rich experience, the developers haven’t provided much incentive for returning players.
That should all change tomorrow (Dec. 7), when Elden Ring’s Free Colosseum Update goes live.
The Free Colosseum Update is precisely what it sounds like: a free piece of downloadable content (DLC) that adds a player-versus-player Colosseum mode to the game. Publisher Bandai Namco posted a minute-long trailer for the update today on its official YouTube channel, which we’ve embedded below:
Like Elden Ring itself, the trailer is atmospheric and laconic. The publisher did provide a little more information in the description, however:
“The Colosseums of Limgrave, Leyndell and Caelid will open their gates, allowing players to engage in battles such as duels, free-for-alls and team fights.”
In other words, Elden Ring players will be able to explore three different Colosseum areas and hone their PvP skills with other willing combatants. The update is free, as its name suggests, and represents version 1.08 of the game. The only thing we don’t know is exactly when the patch will go live, but if you boot up Elden Ring at some point tomorrow, it should download automatically.
At present, Elden Ring already has a thriving PvP community, thanks to robust multiplayer options and a fan base that’s active on social media. Still, the Colosseum mode will formalize the whole process, helping to differentiate players who want to duel, from players who want to engage in team fights, from players who want to invade other worlds for the thrill of the hunt.
As befits Elden Ring, Bandai Namco did not specify exactly how the Colosseum modes will work, or what each different location will offer. Players will have to try things out for themselves and share notes — and based on what we know about the Elden Ring community, they’ll be happy to do just that. If you want to know exactly how the Colosseum mode works, there should be a pretty good breakdown by next week. Or you could just dive in yourself and see how far you get.
If you want more stories about Elden Ring, you can also learn about why the game’s director tries not to listen to fan feedback.
