It’s Time To Admit You Were Wrong About Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree (2024)

When Elden Ring's long-awaited DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree, finally dropped, it was not met with the reception FromSoftware and even fans were perhaps expecting. Instead of critical acclaim like the base game, the DLC was harshly criticized for being too difficult and, in some cases, unbeatable. Critics lamented that the boss fights were too challenging, with unpredictable attacks that required a ridiculous level of timing to beat.

However, while some of that criticism may have been valid, after being given a little time, it is clear that Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is not as hard as those initial reviews stated at launch. In fact, there are plenty of tools available for players to use in Shadow of the Erdtree, which makes it a far easier experience. While the DLC will definitely be challenging for those unprepared, Shadow of the Erdtree is not harder than most of FromSoftware's other titles.

Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree Is Difficult For Unprepared Players

Shadow of the Erdtree Introduces New Difficult Elements

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is absolutely a difficult experience. From start to finish, unprepared players will struggle, especially if they choose to rush into every boss fight and encounter. This is largely due to the more aggressive nature of bosses, who will frequently rush the player with a flurry of attacks that require strict timing in order to avoid or counter. For those who struggled through the base game, Shadow of the Erdtree will prove to be an almost impossible challenge.

It is also difficult because Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree doesn't introduce any seriously overpowered weapons. While there are several amazing weapons to collect in Shadow of the Erdtree, for the most part, FromSoftware has done an admirable job of making every weapon completely viable. As a result, it couldn't introduce a game-breaking weapon in the DLC that players could then take back into the base game, thus ruining the overall game flow and experience.

For those who haven't played Sekiro or the Dark Souls trilogy and whose first introduction to FromSoftware's game design is Elden Ring, Shadow of the Erdtree is going to feel impossible. This is especially true when faced with Shadow of the Erdtree's hardest boss, which even Dark Souls experts have found to be a challenge. This is because Shadow of the Erdtree is more akin to Dark Souls, and even Sekiro when it comes to difficulty, and offers less of the comforts that players enjoyed when progressing through the base Elden Ring experience.

Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree Is As Difficult As The Dark Souls Games

Players Grew Comfortable With Elden Ring's Open-World Gameplay

It is very likely that players who enjoyed Elden Ring's more relaxed game design went into Shadow of the Erdtree full of confidence. It can be all too tempting, especially for those who end up being overpowered for many of Elden Ring's bosses, to rush into Shadow of the Erdtree's boss fights. However, this is a huge mistake and likely the reason so many were quick to brand Shadow of the Erdtree as too difficult.

Unlike Elden Ring, Shadow of the Erdtree's boss fights are difficult across the board, meaning it's hard for players to go and find something else to fight before coming back, like they could in the base experience. Additionally, players were likely starting the DLC at seemingly high levels, although they were actually nowhere near Shadow of the Erdtree's new max level. In reality, players need to be upwards of level 120, at least, when starting Shadow of the Erdtree, otherwise they'll struggle with even the first boss.

However, the more aggressive boss fights and linear approach to boss design is nothing new for those who've even dabbled with the Dark Souls games, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, or Bloodborne. Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree has simply returned to their level of difficulty, offering players who found Elden Ring's relatively easy difficulty frustrating a more balanced and challenging experience. Naturally, this will seem impossible to those who have never played a Dark Souls game before.

Scadutree Fragments Are Incredibly Important In Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree

Players Must Collect Scadutree Fragments In Order To Beat Bosses

Fortunately, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree introduced a brand-new mechanic which is designed to make the entire experience easier: Scadutree Fragments. These are incredibly helpful consumables that buff both the damage players deal and the amount of damage they can defend against. The amount Scadutree Fragments buff and negate was even increased in the 1.12.2 calibration update, making the early game in Shadow the Erdtree significantly easier.

Players who don't bother to look for them, or only gather a handful, are missing out on a huge aspect of the DLC and a guaranteed way to make boss fights much easier. Fortunately, the Scadutree Fragments locations in Shadow of the Erdtree aren't too difficult to find, and are a great distraction from the early game bosses. For those looking to be as overpowered as they were in Elden Ring, collecting all of the Scadutree Fragments is paramount.

Grabbing just seven of the Scadutree Fragments in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, as of the 1.12.2 calibration update, will make the player deal 150% damage. While the increase in damage dealt and negated drops off significantly as players collect even more Fragments, they will still be dealing impressive amounts of damage by the time they've gotten them all. More importantly, however, they'll take much less damage, making trading blows with bosses a slightly more viable tactic.

Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree Requires Patience

Players Need To Adjust Their Expectations When Playing Shadow Of The Erdtree

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is definitely a difficult DLC and one that will challenge even FromSoft veterans. Its bosses are more aggressive, their attack patterns are harder to read, and they come with a whole wave of powerful and deadly attacks that can almost instantly wipe out players who haven't mastered the timing. Going into Shadow of the Erdtree is definitely not a walk in the park, and players should be prepared for that.

However, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is not as hard as some players were making it out to be at launch. This isn't simply because of the scaling improvements made in the calibration update, but rather because Shadow of the Erdtree gives players everything they need in order to beat it. In return, it expects that they come in at least a little prepared, at the right level, and with strong builds.

Players who pursue the Scadutree Fragments and take the time to learn these new bosses will find Shadow of the Erdtree to be a tough but rewarding experience. The DLC requires players to completely reevaluate their approach, as it amps up the difficulty significantly, but still respects the progress made in the base game. For those with the patience to grapple with Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree's approach to difficulty, they'll be in for another incredible experience.

Elden Ring

RPG

Action

Platform(s)

PS5 , Xbox One , PS4 , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S , PC

Released

February 25, 2022

Developer(s)

From Software

How Long To Beat

58 Hours

Metascore

96