Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree Review (Preator)
"Those stripped of grace of gold shall all meet death. In the embrace of Messmer's flame."
Introduction
I don’t normally review DLC content as it’s usually incorporated in the full review, but considering how substantial this one is and how much I adore Elden Ring as a whole, I feel like it’s a necessary evil and one I am genuinely excited to share with you. This won’t be as large as my usual reviews, as much of the game is the same as the base content but there are some things I want to touch on that have received praise and flak in the media recently. So let’s dive back in Elden Lords and discover what lies waiting in the Shadow of the Erdtree.
🟩 Positives
🟥 Negatives
🟩 A brand new open-world map to explore, riddled with new dungeons, bosses and items to discover.
🟩 Probably one of the best boss lineups I’ve seen in a FromSoftware game in a long time.
🟩 The world is absolutely gorgeous to say the very least. So much so, that I actually prefer the DLC map to the original one.
🟩 A stunning soundtrack to back the entire experience.
🟥 The new scaling system does require some getting used to, as it largely makes you feel like all your hard work leading to the DLC was in vain as it sets you back to what seems like zero.
🟥 Some generic reskins and general filler content has migrated over from the base game which is to be expected but still kind of disappointing to see.
Story
You follow Miquella, the cursed brother to the infamous Malenia, to the Realm of Shadow, to uncover what has led him to divulge himself of his body and his emotions on the journey to Godhood.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3275631914
A whole new cast of characters and a new world to explore, essentially means that the world is brimming with stories and lore for you to uncover as you venture across it. The DLC for me didn’t really unravel much of the main plot, but the side stories really enthralled me for the most part and I had a lot of fun just uncovering secrets hidden in hard to reach places and reading the plethora of story detail the developers have put into the weapon and item descriptions.
Gameplay Analysis
A new scaling for those who mastered the original.
FromSoftware had a clear motivation in adding a new scaling system to the DLC. Those of us who finished the base game content were incredibly overpowered, either through levelling or by using builds that were essentially game breaking. So the mindset is clear that they wanted to level the playing field so the new content would be a challenge, even for those who made it to the end of the original game.
Unfortunately, with this mindset, all the hard work that was put in to develop these game breaking builds or to level up enormously feels entirely diminished with the new scaling system, which essentially brings you back down to low stats.
I’m not against the idea entirely as I still had an extraordinary time with Shadow of the Erdtree, but I feel like it was perhaps badly designed for a game with its own immense levelling system already in place.
Diversity is key.
SotE expands on the idea of boss content in a way that I haven’t seen yet in the previous games by FromSoftware. Bosses are more complex machines now that require more from you as a player, they aren’t simply big enemies that will swing and leave openings for you to counter, they are different here, they are vicious and unrelenting in a way that gives you very little space to breath, let alone get in your own counters. This is an interesting space to be in as now there’s more strategizing fights than there was before, you have to plan your build, your weapons and the armour you wear to really navigate the arena’s better to have a chance at defeating these foes.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3275631587
Audio and Visual
The DLC offers a gorgeous open world to explore that is literally brimming with passion and story to a point where every zone you go to is going to be an entirely new experience compared to the last, and even brand new to the genre, blending seamlessly multiple regions masterfully through tiering and spacial awareness.
The audio is also largely amazing. One thing I always hold to the highest standards with FromSoftware games is the soundtrack quality which never seems to fail. Most of the general audio is recycled from the base game, but the new voice actors and zone types help diversify the palette.
PC Performance and Specifications
With the release of the Shadow of the Erdtree there have been some performance issues that weren’t present in the original game. These will likely be ironed out rather quickly but it’s something to be aware of prior to purchasing the game.
If you’re interested in the original performance of the base game, you can check out my review here.
Elden Ring Review
RAM: 32GB 3200GHz G-Skill (DDR4)
CPU: i9 10900KA 3.70GHz
GPU: MSI Ventus RTX 3080
Final Thoughts - Very Good
Review chart here.
Shadow of the Erdtree attempts to do a few things that weren’t really prominent in the original game, especially with the implementation of a new scaling system that isn’t really intuitive and sort of makes it feel like your hard work isn’t rewarded, but it’s not all bad as people have been resounding. It’s actually quite an amazing DLC filled with amazing new content, interesting locations, and genuinely fun to fight bosses. If you were a fan of the base game, you will be a fan of the DLC, but be aware the difficulty scale will drop you back so don’t expect to traipse through the content easily.
You rose to the rank of Elden Lord, but now as the shadows begin to coalesce once more, you must head to Hell, Purgatory and Paradise to unravel the secrets before you.