Why Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree Has Brought Back Difficulty Discourse

Why Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree Has Brought Back Difficulty Discourse

• Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree has received mixed reviews on Steam largely due to its challenging difficulty.
• The DLC's difficulty comes from its new progression system and boss battles, requiring players to adapt their strategies.
• Some players find the expansion too hard, leading to a more polarizing reception compared to the base game.

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree dropped last week and, to no one's surprise, it's very difficult. What is surprising, though, is how this has been received by the playerbase: Shadow of the Erdtree hit mixed reviews on Steam, making it perhaps the most divisive FromSoftware game since Dark Souls 2. After the overwhelming success of the base game, and the positive critical response of the DLC ahead of its launch, this is unexpected.

The most consistent criticism of the DLC has to do with difficulty, with many players arguing that it is more frustrating than fun. This has always been a common subject of debate surrounding FromSoftware games, as their obtuse, unforgiving nature can be antithetical to what some look for in a gaming experience. FromSoftware's games are inaccessible in many ways, with so-called 'easy mode' modifiers like summons, magic, and co-op only making them nominally less difficult. What is interesting about Shadow of the Erdtree's reception is that this is not a fringe opinion—it seems that many players, even long-time FromSoftware veterans, are disparaging the expansion for its difficulty.

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Why Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree Is so Controversial

Shadow of the Erdtree Is Hard, Without a Doubt

Shadow of the Erdtree is definitely challenging. The DLC elevates the difficulty of the base game by several degrees, as The Land of Shadow scales to the player's level. What this means is that, even if a player has poured hundreds of hours into their character, and has found a build that's broken in the base game, they will not be able to breeze through the expansion. Shadow of the Erdtree also has some rather dramatic NG+ difficulty scaling.

But aggressive character scaling isn't the only reason why some are finding the expansion too hard. Shadow of the Erdtree's boss battles are a big step up in difficulty, specifically as it pertains to enemy behavior and damage output. Bosses will often attack players as soon as they step into the arena, leaving little to no time for summoning or applying buffs. Additionally, bosses have extremely quick, extended chain attacks that do a lot of damage, making many tried-and-true strategies from the base game virtually worthless. For example, tanking hits with a shield is usually not viable playstyle in the DLC, nor is hitting bosses with ranged magic attacks. The long attack chains also demand near-perfect dodge sequences from players.

In Defense of Shadow of the Erdtree's Difficulty

Shadow of the Erdree's new progression system is the driving force behind the aggressive scaling. Players are meant to explore The Land of Shadow and collect Scadutree Fragments and Revered Spirit Ashes, which can be used to grow more powerful. FromSoftware's intention here was to have the DLC recapture the base game's sense of progression and improvement, coming by way of open-world discovery. If players try to push through the DLC without engaging with this new system, at least a little bit, things will be considerably harder for them, and that's by design.

As for the boss battles, players who have relied on specific builds, such as tanks or battle-mages, will have to take a different approach in the expansion. Again, this is done to make Shadow of the Erdtree feel distinct from the base game, encouraging players to experiment with the new gear of the DLC. FromSoftware wants players to use these new weapons, spells, et cetera, rather than sticking to their old reliables.

Of course, none of these points are meant to invalidate player concerns. At the end of the day, Shadow of the Erdtree is incredibly hard, and often in ways that the base game isn't, making it a fundamentally different experience. If players don't gel with this different experience, then that's completely understandable. At the same time, things may not be as simple as 'bad game design,' which is an accusation leveled by some players.

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree

Base Game Elden RingPlatform Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, PS5, PS4, PC, Xbox OneReleased June 21, 2024Developer(s) FromSoftwarePublisher(s) FromSoftware, Bandai Namco EntertainmentGenre Soulslike, RPGMultiplayer Online Co-Op, Online MultiplayerESRB M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence See at Official SiteSee at Playstation StoreSee at SteamSee at Xbox Games Store