Elden Ring Needs Nintendo-Exclusive Content on Switch 2

It was revealed during Nintendo’s Switch 2 Direct that Elden Ring will be receiving a port for the upcoming Switch 2. Elden Ring was released across most platforms in 2022, selling nearly 30 million copies worldwide, and has an extensive community of loyal fans dedicated to the franchise. All of this eluded loyal Nintendo Switch fans until this most recent announcement of Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition which is coming directly to the next-gen Nintendo console.

When porting a game between consoles, games that come later to Nintendo Switch audiences typically come with Nintendo exclusives to incentivize audiences and also utilize unique Nintendo features, like the amiibo, to create additional value. With Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition coming to Nintendo Switch 2, this same Nintendo-exclusive content that has been seen before with other games also needs to be present here.

With Elden Ring being a Soulslike action RPG, there is likely some Nintendo-branded collaborations that will never make it to the negotiating table. Here’s looking at you, Mario. But one Nintendo brand that would work very well with Elden Ring is the Zelda franchise. With both Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom receiving a remaster for Nintendo Switch 2, a collaboration with Elden Ring would make sense.

Previously, other titles have successfully been ported to the Nintendo Switch console with Zelda exclusive content. At the high-end, Diablo 3 partnered with Nintendo to create a limited edition Diablo 3-themed Nintendo Switch. The exclusives included a unique Diablo 3 Switch dock, a branded carrying case, and digital cosmetic items like the Ganondorf Transmog Armor set, Cucco companion, and more. On the lower-end, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim was also able to obtain Zelda exclusive items like The Master Sword, Hylian Shield, and The Champion’s Tunic for the Switch version of the game.

Given the nature and playstyle of Elden Ring, adding in new armor sets like Link’s tunic or Ganondorf’s armor is entirely feasible and on-brand. Armor inclusive for helms in the game could also be a great opportunity to shine a light on Majora’s Mask as an exclusive helm. Similarly, weapons are common loot drops in Elden Ring, which leaves room to include a plethora of iconic weapons. From the Zelda franchise, gear that can be incorporated into Elden Ring would be items like The Master Sword, Hylian Shield, Sword of the Six Sages, The Fierce Deity Sword, and many of the legendary weapons featured in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

A lot of the Nintendo exclusives are accessed via the amiibo function, which does leave consideration for another Nintendo amiibo. With the launch of the remastered Dark Souls for Nintendo Switch, an exclusive Solaire of Astora amiibo was made. The perfect opportunity is in play for a Nintendo amiibo based on a character from Elden Ring. Conversely, this Solaire of Astora amiibo could gain new functionality to work in tandem with Elden Ring on Switch 2. This could unlock Dark Souls exclusive gestures, or carry over gear from the Warrior of Sunlight into Elden Ring.

For now, Nintendo and FromSoftware haven’t confirmed if there will be crossover content of any sort in Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition. Adding content like this would surely convince many who have already played Elden Ring elsewhere to double-dip on this Switch 2 version. Only time will if this actually happens, but we should learn more soon as Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition is set to release later in 2025.