The Divisive Reception of Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree Expansion

FromSoftware is known for developing challenging games, but the release of Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree expansion has taken the difficulty to new heights. The expansion, which rivals the scope of a standalone game according to publisher Bandai Namco, has left players divided in their opinions. While the base game received glowing reviews, the newly released DLC has a ‘Mixed’ rating on Steam, with 38% of players expressing negative reactions based on over 12,000 reviews.

One common complaint among players is the arbitrarily inflated difficulty of the expansion. Many users have mentioned encountering bosses that deal one-shot kills, making it challenging to progress without resorting to specific strategies. Some players have even noted that the expansion forces them to abandon their usual playstyle in favor of cheese tactics to succeed. The performance issues and difficulty spikes have led to frustration among players, with some stating that the base game never felt as difficult as the new content.

Hidetaka Miyazaki, the president of FromSoftware and director of Dark Souls, had warned players about the increased difficulty of the expansion. He mentioned that the studio had pushed the envelope in terms of what they believed players could withstand, indicating that the challenges in Shadow of the Erdtree were intentional. Despite veteran players of Elden Ring getting stumped early on in the expansion, Miyazaki’s comments suggest that the difficulty level was a deliberate choice by the developers.

Future Updates

Player feedback regarding the difficulty and performance issues in Shadow of the Erdtree has prompted discussions about the need for balance patches and adjustments. Many users have called for a significant damage crunch and overall balancing to make the expansion more accessible to a wider range of players. As the development team at FromSoftware collects more feedback and monitors player experiences, it is possible that future updates will address some of the concerns raised by the community.

Overall, the release of Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree expansion has sparked a range of reactions among players, with some praising the new challenges and others expressing frustration at the increased difficulty level. As the gaming community continues to explore the expansion and provide feedback, it will be interesting to see how FromSoftware responds to the issues raised and whether adjustments will be made to address player concerns.