Summary
WhenElden Ring’slong-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 thatElden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtreeis not ashard as those initial reviews statedat launch. In fact, there are plenty of tools available for players to use inShadow of the Erdtree, whichmakes it a far easier experience. While the DLC will definitely be challenging for those unprepared,Shadow of the Erdtreeis not harder than most of FromSoftware’s other titles.
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Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree Is Difficult For Unprepared Players
Shadow of the Erdtree Introduces New Difficult Elements
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtreeis 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 Erdtreewill prove to be an almost impossible challenge.
It is also difficult becauseElden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtreedoesn’t introduce any seriously overpowered weapons. While there are several amazingweapons to collect inShadow 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 playedSekiroor theDark Soulstrilogy and whose first introduction to FromSoftware’s game design isElden Ring,Shadow of the Erdtreeis going to feel impossible. This is especially true when faced withShadow of the Erdtree’shardest boss, which evenDark Soulsexperts have found to be a challenge. This is becauseShadow of the Erdtreeis more akin to Dark Souls, and evenSekirowhen it comes to difficulty, and offers less of the comforts that players enjoyed when progressing through the baseElden Ringexperience.
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 enjoyedElden Ring’smore relaxed game design went intoShadow of the Erdtreefull of confidence. It can be all too tempting, especially for those who end up being overpowered for many ofElden Ring’sbosses, to rush intoShadow of the Erdtree’sboss fights. However, this is a huge mistake and likely the reason so many were quick to brandShadow of the Erdtreeas too difficult.
UnlikeElden Ring,Shadow of the Erdtree’sboss 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 nearShadow of the Erdtree’snew max level. In reality,players need to be upwards of level 120, at least, when startingShadow of the Erdtree, otherwise they’ll struggle with even the first boss.
Players will have a far more balanced experience if they go intoShadow of the Erdtreeat level 150. While it is definitely beatable at level 120, the best starting level is around 150.
However,the more aggressive boss fights and linear approach to boss design is nothing new for those who’ve even dabbled with theDark Soulsgames,Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, orBloodborne.Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtreehas simply returned to their level of difficulty, offering players who foundElden Ring’srelatively easy difficulty frustrating a more balanced and challenging experience. Naturally, this will seem impossible to those who have never played aDark Soulsgame before.
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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 Erdtreeintroduced a brand-new mechanic which is designed to make the entire experience easier: Scadutree Fragments. These are incredibly helpful consumablesthat 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 inShadow the Erdtreesignificantly 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, theScadutree Fragments locations inShadow of the Erdtreearen’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 inElden Ring,collecting all of the Scadutree Fragments is paramount.
There are 50 Scadutree Fragments inElden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree. Collecting every single one of them will bring the player to the max Scadutree Blessing level of 20.
Grabbing just seven of the Scadutree Fragments inElden 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 Erdtreeis definitely a difficult DLCand 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 intoShadow of the Erdtreeis definitely not a walk in the park, and players should be prepared for that.
However,Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtreeis 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 becauseShadow of the Erdtreegives 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.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtreeis not as hard as some players were making it out to be at launch.
Players who pursue the Scadutree Fragments and take the time to learn these new bosses will findShadow of the Erdtreeto 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 withElden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree’sapproach to difficulty, they’ll be in for another incredible experience.
