Elden Ring’s DLC Just Got Easier

The key art for Shadow of the Erdtree shows a character sitting on a throne with a giant tree behind it.

Elden Ring’s newly released Shadow of the Erdtree DLC is notoriously difficult, even for the most seasoned veterans of FromSoftware’s RPG. It’s so divisive among players that some have taken to review bombing the DLC to express their dissatisfaction. But now, FromSoftware is releasing a patch that will tip the scales in players’ favor a bit—we’ll see if it makes the expansion easier.

The patch notes aren’t very long, but they outline changes being made to the Shadow Realm Blessings, a. new mechanic introduced in the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC that lets you buff your character’s attack and defense after finding special items within the new map. Scadutree Blessings (which affect attack and defense stars) are found at Miquella’s crosses, while Revered Spirit Ash Blessings (which bolster your Spirit summons) are placed on Miquella statues. Both are required to level up these stats at Sites of Grace, and much of the DLC is scaled to Blessings. As such, FromSoftware is bumping up the stat increases for the first half of the maximum amount in order to give players an edge in the opening hours. They will then level out as you go, so if you’re already deep into the DLC, it’s unlikely you’ll notice any tan3gible difference.

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The patch notes also mention a bug on the PC version that automatically enabled raytracing if you load saved data from previous versions of the game from old patches, with instructions on how to fix it in-game. The full patch notes read as follows:

Calibration Update 1.12.2 change list

Attack and damage negation curve scaling of the Shadow Realm Blessings has been revised.

• The attack and damage negation has been increased for the first half of the maximum amount of Blessing enhancements, and the second half will now be more gradual.
• The attack and damage negation granted by the final level of Blessing enhancements has been slightly increased.

The calibration update can be applied by logging into the multiplayer server.

If the Calibration Ver. listed at the bottom right of the title menu is not “1.12.2", then select LOGIN and apply the latest regulations before enjoying the game.

About graphics settings (PC version only)

We have confirmed a bug where the raytracing settings are automatically enabled if you have previously loaded saved data from previous game versions.

If your framerate is unstable, please check in the ‘SYSTEM’ > ‘Graphics Settings’ > ‘Raytracing Quality’ settings from the title menu or in-game menu to check if it has been unintentionally set to ‘ON’. Once set to ‘OFF’, Ray Tracing will no longer be automatically enabled.

Other balance adjustments as well as bug fixes are also planned for a future patch.

Hopefully that will help folks who have having trouble with the opening hours of Shadow of the Erdtree. If you’re having trouble with specific sections or bosses, be sure to check out our Tips & Guides section where we’ve got a ton of guides to help you through FromSoftware’s latest.

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