It’s no secret that FromSoftware games are notoriously challenging, but the newly released Shadow of the Erdtree expansion for Elden Ring may have taken that difficulty to a whole new level, sparking a mixed reaction among fans.
Currently, on Steam, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree has a ‘Mixed’ rating based on over 12,000 user reviews. This means that 38% of players on PC have had a negative experience with the expansion, a stark contrast to the base game’s overwhelmingly positive 93% rating based on 627,000 reviews.
The expansion, which was released just two days ago, has been described as rivaling the scope of a standalone game by publisher Bandai Namco. According to Gamesradar+, completing the Elden Ring DLC can take 20-30 hours, excluding optional boss battles, which may explain why some players who are enjoying the expansion have not yet left reviews on Steam.
However, many user reviews have highlighted issues with performance and the difficulty level of the expansion, with some players finding boss battles to be unfairly challenging and hard to predict. Some players have even called for a balance patch to address the difficulty spike in the DLC.
Warnings from FromSoftware president Hidetaka Miyazaki about pushing the limits of player endurance should have prepared us for the tough challenges in the expansion. Even experienced Elden Ring players have found themselves struggling against the new content.
In a lighter note, Miyazaki joked that despite his role as president of FromSoftware, the majority of his time is still dedicated to directing games.