Saying that DLC for Elden Ring has been a long time coming is something of an understatement. The game launched to massive acclaim in February of 2022, and despite it becoming possibly the biggest game in the world for a few months, additions to the game have not exactly been swift.
Thankfully, while the gaming world's eye has moved elsewhere, the Elden Ring fanbase's enthusiasm hasn't cooled, and their perseverance has been rewarded with some new content. Due to drop in June 2024 (over two years after launch), the DLC will center around Miquella, brother of Malenia, and will see Tarnished venturing into the Land of Shadow.
Speculation was set ablaze recently, thanks to comments from FromSoftware's CEO and creative director, Hidetaka Miyazaki. Ahead of the DLC's launch, MIyazaki has been doing the interview circuit, and recently made the statement that there is still "a small element that I feel has not yet been discovered."
Lore in Elden Ring and games like Dark Souls is primarily available through snippets attached to item descriptions, and as such, it tends to attract the sort of player who enjoys a virtual scavenger hunt. As a result, games like Elden Ring have been pored over with a fine tooth comb, and Miyazaki's statement that some element has been missed set the game's audience into a furore.
But it seems as if that small snippet of lore has finally been dug up, and it seems that it hinted towards the content of the DLC from the very launch of the game. Found behind an illusory wall in the Sage's Cave section of the game, the item in question is an otherwise unremarkable wooden shield. The description reads:
"A tall, medium-sized wooden shield. Light for its size, and easy to handle.
"Thought to represent a surreptitious prophecy of cardinal sin, the lit candle-tree design was forbidden."
The second section is the important part, as it seems to refer to the sign of Messmer, ruler of the Land of Shadow, and possibly a major antagonist within the DLC. If this item has been here since the game launched, it's clear the breadcrumbs were there for the DLC from the very beginning.