Summary
Despite making history as the best-reviewed video game DLC ever made,Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC has faced an uphill battle regarding its difficulty, as many believe it is far more challenging than anything in the base game ever was. To be fair, it is a cut above the rest in terms of difficulty, but this was done by FromSoftware on purpose to emphasize the importance ofElden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree’s new Shadow Realm Blessings progression system. Instead of relying on their character’s stats, players are encouraged to seek out Scadutree Fragments and Revered Spirit Ash to improve their damage output and negation. Unfortunately, despite the sense this makes, it might not matter in the long run.
In affirmation of those who claim it,Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC is incredibly difficult, with some of its optional bosses even giving the main bosses a run for their money. The fight with Messmer the Impaler can be even more challenging thanElden Ring’s infamous Malenia fight. While many hardcoreElden Ringplayers may run to greet the challenge head-on without thinking twice, Shadow of the Erdtree’s increased difficulty nevertheless exposes an underlying issue that could potentially result in a massive shakeup for FromSoftware, should it continue down this road.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree’s Difficulty May Shape FromSoftware’s Future
FromSoftware Games Are Known for Leaning Heavily Into Player Agency and Role-Playing Elements
One of the best qualities of almost anyFromSoftware gameis the freedom they allow players to mold and shape their character, not necessarily from a moral standpoint but from a playstyle standpoint. Most of a FromSoftware game’s biggest battles demand skill more than anything else, as each game is typically designed to make players feel insignificant anyway and therefore prevents them from ever feeling too powerful.
This ultimately results in players being allowed to equip any armor or weapon they want to face the battle in front of them, even if it means disrobing like the immensely popularElden Ringplayer,Let Me Solo Her. This has long been a point of praise for FromSoftware’s best titles, but Shadow of the Erdtree’s infamous difficulty may be a sign of that trend coming to an end.
Players Are Often Encouraged to Swap Builds or Cheese Bosses in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
While it certainly isn’t required for every boss inElden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, players are sometimes encouraged to swap to a different build just to take down a specific boss. In instances where players may not want to swap builds just to take down a boss, they might be inclined to cheese the boss instead, which is generally frowned upon by FromSoftware fans.
Some might not see the harm in this, but what it means is that these boss fights don’t come down to a player’s skill and instead come down to what gear they have equipped or what exploit they’ve discovered, thus relieving these particular battles of their emphasis on RPG elements and player agency. For example, the fight with Commander Gaius, who guards the Scaduview area in theRealm of Shadow, all but demands players to either equip a shield or force the boss to get stuck in the corner of a nearby wall where they can defeat him or at least get an edge in the fight.
If FromSoftware continues this trend of making each subsequent experience more difficult than the last, it could find itself at a crossroads where it will need to determine whether to continue down the RPG path that prioritizes player skill or veer more toward gear progression and unrealistically demanding encounters.Future FromSoftware gamesshould therefore ensure they do what’s necessary to preserve RPG gameplay while simultaneously making everything challenging enough for increasingly familiar audiences.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
WHERE TO PLAY
Shadow of the Erdtree is the first and only DLC expansion for FromSoftware’s groundbreaking Elden Ring. It takes players to a whole new region, the Land of Shadow, where a new story awaits the Tarnished.
