Discover the ultimate review of Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree. Explore its gameplay, storyline, graphics, and player experience in this in-depth analysis.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree Review
The Elden Ring DLC improves on the main game’s formula and is proof that From Software is a level above the rest. A masterpiece that shines with its own light and promises a very promising future for fans of the Elden Ring formula.
Elden Ring is one of the best games ever made. In that regard, there is no doubt. From Software games in general, and Souls in particular, offer an experience that is hardly comparable to other titles. The feeling of personal achievement that comes from defeating a boss , learning certain mechanics or completing some of its dungeons is not found in many other titles. Despite popular belief, Souls are not difficult games per se, since in each and every one the game offers the necessary tools to achieve any objective, no matter how difficult it may seem the first time.
In 2022, From Software changed the formula with Elden Ring: an open-world game that kept all the essence of Souls but was much more accessible than Sekiro or Dark Souls 3 (better not to mention the second). A huge journey of more than 100 hours through one of the most complex maps in terms of scenarios and hidden areas and with one of the most impressive art directions remembered in a video game. A formula, that of Souls, raised to its maximum power. With its buts, which it also had, Elden Ring not only captivated the unconditional fans of the saga, it was also the gateway for many players who had not dared to immerse themselves in this type of game.
That’s why the announcement of its DLC was one of the most anticipated news. Now it’s here, and in a way, it’s unfair to call Shadow of Erdtree a simple DLC. Even though the expansion draws on the original game, it expands not only its Lore, but also its mechanics and possibilities. And it’s massive. Not as big as the original game, but enough to lose yourself another 60 hours in its lands if you’re looking for that completionist point.
Now, just like with the rest of the Souls DLCs, From Software has upped the difficulty of the expansion. Not only do you have to defeat an optional boss from the main game to access it. Its entrance is in a hidden area of the map that is accessed through a quest that is not easy to understand , or through a portal in an area that is also optional. Logically, its creators knew that the vast majority of players came to the DLC with a min/max build , so they decided to stop them cold.
A unique progression system for Shadow of the Erdtree
Shadow of the Erdtree has its own “leveling” system, and while the main levels are still fundamental, it introduces a new mechanic with tree fragments (scattered around the map) that help mitigate damage and increase our attack power (and another type for summons). They are scattered around the map and, without scaling properly with these fragments, the game’s difficulty is certainly impressive : the enemies, not just the bosses, are fast and do a lot of damage. And some of the bosses, with carefully studied builds and well-leveled, are capable of killing you in one hit if you are missing a single HP of life (phase two of a certain main boss , I’m looking at you).
Again, the game offers all kinds of tools to overcome any challenge, and in this sense, with patience and a little exploration, anything can be achieved. And studying the bosses in a few attempts is commendable for any player. In fact, the game offers, in its usual opaque way, many clues. For example, before one of the most difficult bosses in the DLC, one of the enemies drops a shield. That is the necessary clue to know that, in that boss , perhaps the most interesting strategy is to use that shield to protect yourself 100% from its attacks.
It also works the other way around. The game offers certain quests to have NPCs help you with the final boss , but the truth is that if we summon these NPCs, even though we think they are going to help us, the truth is that it only increases the difficulty. Something usual, the scaling in the life of the bosses , depending on the number of players, but in this case it is much easier to pass it alone than with help.
So far, beyond the new weapons and bosses, Shadow of the Erdtree offers an experience similar to Elden Ring, perhaps with a little more Lore from the NPCs, more conversations about the new area and some surprises for those who have understood “something” of the history of the Elden Ring.
One of the most complex maps that most rewards exploration.
But what’s most surprising about Shadow of the Erdtree , being an expansion, is the complexity of its map and the level and scale of its different scenarios. Its navigation, through the variety of areas, is even more complex than in the main game and a much more impressive experience when it comes to simply exploring. Yes, it still has many very empty areas, such as the vastness of the Cerulean Coast, but in all of them, as in the main game, there is something to do.
Shadow of the Erdtree not only rewards this exploration with new items and new areas, but like in the main game, some of the most spectacular areas are hidden behind certain quests in the game , whose access is tremendously convoluted. And not only in terms of actions and paths to get to them, and even, some others depend on using elements of the game in very specific areas, such as gestures, which to get them you have to have reached another remote area in the middle of nowhere. Logically, Shadow of the Erdtree gives clues in its objects of everything that has to be done and, in a certain way, everything has indications, although like the rest of the Souls, it is quite opaque and requires special patience.
On the downside, there is perhaps the repetition of certain minibosses in some areas of the game and, without a doubt, the repetition of the dungeon system, which, once you’ve seen one, you’ve actually seen them all. Yes, they’re more complex to navigate and there are more interesting things in them, but they’re actually identical to those in the main game: maze-enemies-boss-return to the main entrance . Only two of them serve to access two optional (and spectacular) areas in the south of the map, and they’re, in fact, the best of all. Shadow of the Erdtree does introduce the nameless mausoleums, which are areas with direct fights with a mini-boss similar to the prisons in the main game, straight to the point and with a good challenge. There are 4 in total, and 2 of them require a certain mini-puzzle in the form of an exploration-navigation route to reach them.
All in all, From Software has put the cherry on the cake with Shadow of the Erdtree . Like the main game , it’s a masterpiece that shines with its own light, and without a doubt, a perfect excuse to dive back into its world. A massive expansion, which will give you your 20-30 hours of gameplay depending on how much you want to complete it and which, once finished, will not have been enough and will leave you wanting more. Who knows if, in time, we will see a new expansion or if it will be the end of a game that has forever changed the Souls formula at a level that no other title can reach.