Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree DLC: A Difficult but Highly Rated Expansion

The recent release of Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree expansion has sparked considerable debate online, with many players, both seasoned and new, voicing concerns about its challenging difficulty. Criticism has largely centered on the new bosses, deemed by some to be excessively difficult. Johan Pilestedt, CCO of Arrowhead Game Studios (developers of Helldivers 2), recently weighed in on FromSoftware's design philosophy.

Pilestedt, also the creative director of Helldivers 2, publicly agreed with streamer Rurikhan's assessment that FromSoftware intentionally designs challenging bosses to push players. He emphasized that effective game design prioritizes evoking strong emotional responses. Addressing concerns that this approach limits the game's appeal, Pilestedt stated, "a game for everyone is a game for no one," advocating for developers to remain true to their target audience.

Developer Perspectives on Difficulty

Prior to the DLC's launch, Elden Ring director Hidetaka Miyazaki cautioned players that Shadow of the Erdtree would present a significant challenge, even for veteran players. He explained that boss balancing assumed players had substantial progress in the base game. FromSoftware also considered player feedback on enjoyable and frustrating aspects of the base game's boss encounters when designing the DLC.

The expansion introduced the Scadutree Blessing mechanic, boosting player damage and reducing damage taken in the Land of Shadow. However, despite in-game explanations, many players apparently overlooked or forgot this mechanic, prompting Bandai Namco to remind players to utilize it amidst the difficulty complaints.

Mixed Reception

Despite achieving the highest rating of any video game DLC on OpenCritic, surpassing even The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt's Blood and Wine, Shadow of the Erdtree's reception on Steam is more mixed. Negative reviews frequently cite both the high difficulty and the introduction of technical problems.