Fresh from its release date announcement, Dark Souls 3: Ashes of Ariandel has released an enigmatic trailer that showcases a cold, dangerous new area of the world.

After some speculation and some very obvious hints, the first downloadable content for Dark Souls 3 was announced yesterday with little more than a title and a release date. Ashes of Ariandel was a bit of a mystery until an article on Japanese site Hachima (translated by Siliconera) revealed some of the DLC's contents, which includes new weapons, new spells, and an entirely new PvP map. The bulk of the story surrounding the DLC is still vague, as is the way of the franchise, but a new trailer released today sheds a bit more light on what players can expect in the darkness to come in Dark Souls 3.

Ashes of Ariandel takes place in a frigid, desolate area blanketed by snow. This might not seem like the series is treading on new territory, because it's not. This area will be familiar to Dark Souls veterans who recall the Painted World of Ariamis from the original game. Ariamis is a chilly hellscape that exists within a painting and is home to Priscilla, a dragon-human crossbreed with tremendous power. She was a non-aggressive boss whose defeat wasn't even required to leave Ariamis until a player roused her ire. Then it was necessary. While it is unconfirmed that Ariamis is where the DLC will take place, it seems likely. Plus, it's hard not to see the similarities between Ariandel and Ariamis. Are they the same, different? Time will tell.

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Strewn throughout the trailer are familiar and unfamiliar scenes, such as a fight with an unknown enemy in Nordic-looking armor with moose antlers, and a short selection of scenes featuring bosses from the main game. Perhaps they're simply alluding to the continuation of the story through the DLC by flashing back or maybe they just really like showing off some of their fantastic boss fights -- it does add a touch more excitement to the trailer, after all.

There are a few short clips showing off what looks to be the new spells and weapons mentioned above, including an ice spell that seems frivolous considering the setting. The trailer also features wolves, and given the snowy landscape they inhabit it's practically impossible to not think about Destiny: Rise of Iron -- though these particular wolves appear entirely hostile as exampled by a scene where a player is shown fending off a pack of them. The upcoming PvP combat map, Immortal Competition, said to be included in the DLC is completely absent from the trailer, as it is instead taking a backseat to the main features of the new content.

While the DLC will not arrive until October -- a perfect time of year to launch an addition to this spooky series -- fans are likely already grinding to prepare for it. Other players are just trying to pass the time, curbing their ennui by getting creative and challenging themselves to beat bosses without taking a hit or finish the game using only a dance pad.

Even though no sufficient details can confirm the DLC's actual length, Dark Souls 3: Ashes of Ariandel appears to be packed with a generous amount of content. New spells, weapons, armor, and bosses should keep the collective Dark Souls community busy in any case, but given the quality of the series as a whole and the massive amounts of content already available, expectations should be high.

The trailer is likely packed with minute details that escape many, but eagle-eyed fans are surely poring over it at this very moment, discovering clues as to what they can expect when the DLC is released. We at Game Rant will do our part as well and will update readers if anything new is revealed.

Dark Souls 3 is out now and available for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One while Ashes of Ariandel will release October 25, 2016.

Source: From Software - YouTube