Last updated: 31 August 2026

Elden Ring Tarnished Edition & Tarnished Pack Explained

Bandai Namco confirmed two related but distinct releases for Elden Ring in August 2026: a full Nintendo Switch 2 port called Tarnished Edition, and a small paid DLC called the Tarnished Pack that brings the same new cosmetic content to players who already own the game elsewhere. It's easy to mix the two up, so here's exactly what each one is, what's in it, and who needs which.

01Tarnished Edition: The Switch 2 Release

Tarnished Edition is Elden Ring's first release on Nintendo Switch 2, released August 28, 2026. It bundles the 2022 base game together with the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion in a single package, so it's a complete, up-to-date copy of the game rather than a base-game-only port.

On top of the base game and DLC, Tarnished Edition adds new content exclusive to this bundle at launch: two new starting classes, four new armor sets, and new cosmetic customization options for Torrent, the player's spectral steed. None of this new content changes existing bosses, areas, or the story — it's new character-creation and cosmetic options layered on top of the same world.

02Tarnished Pack: The Same New Content, Sold Separately

Players who already own Elden Ring on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, or PC don't need to buy Tarnished Edition to get the new content — Bandai Namco also released it as a standalone paid DLC called the Tarnished Pack, on the same date, August 28, 2026.

The Tarnished Pack is priced at €4.99 in Europe; check your platform's storefront for the exact price in your local currency, since regional USD pricing has varied between early listings. It requires the base game (and, for some content, Shadow of the Erdtree) already installed — it isn't a standalone product. Bringing in the new content required a free update, Patch 1.17, which shipped the same day and is mandatory for online play regardless of whether you buy the paid DLC.

03What's Actually in the New Content

Both Tarnished Edition and the Tarnished Pack add the same pieces of new content:

• Two new starting classes. Heavy Knight (Level 10) has the highest Endurance of any class (17) plus high Strength (15) and solid Vigor (14) — it starts with a Hefty Scimitar and a full Steel Armor Set, built around slow, hard-hitting melee pressure. Idus Knight (Level 7) is Dexterity-leaning (15) but with unusually high Faith (11) for a dex class, starting with the Idus Sword, a Silver Grooved Shield, and the matching Silver Grooved armor set. Both classes' starting gear can also be bought from merchants or found in the world, so you aren't locked out of it by picking a different class.
• Four new armor sets, each paired with a matching melee weapon, available to any character — not locked to the two new classes.
• Three new Torrent customization skins — the first time Torrent's appearance has been customizable since the game launched in 2022. They are the Tree Sentinel Spectral Steed Attire (found in Stormveil Castle), the Silver of Caria Spectral Steed Attire (Liurnia of the Lakes), and the Funereal Night Spectral Steed Attire (Altus Plateau); once obtained, you switch Torrent's look from any Site of Grace.
• Two new NPC invasion events, one in Caelid and one in Leyndell, Royal Capital (the Leyndell invasion becomes unavailable once the area transforms into Leyndell, Ashen Capital).

There are no new bosses, areas, quests, or story beats in either release. If you're looking for genuinely new content to fight through, that's still exclusive to the paid Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, not this update. Patch 1.17, which shipped the same day, separately rebalanced a number of shields and reduced post-Parry recovery time for Daggers, Curved Swords, and Small Shields — see our parry guide for details.

04Which One Do You Need?

If you're playing on Nintendo Switch 2 for the first time, buy Tarnished Edition — it's the only way to get Elden Ring on that platform, and it includes everything (base game, Shadow of the Erdtree, and the new content) in one purchase.

If you already own Elden Ring and Shadow of the Erdtree on PS4, PS5, Xbox, or PC, you don't need to buy anything new to keep playing what you have — the Tarnished Pack is purely optional and only adds the two classes, four armor sets, and Torrent skins listed above. Skipping it changes nothing about the core game.