With less than three weeks until the release of Shadow of the Erdtree, fans are clamoring for information on the expansion. The one and only DLC for FromSoftware’s award-winning action RPG Elden Ring is the big release of the summer, dropping on June 21. While we’ve had a couple of teases of the expansion’s new gameplay and story in the lead up to release, the DLC is still shrouded in mystery. Thankfully, a handful of previews just dropped to give us a peak behind the curtain.
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With previews out, we now know more details of what will await us within the new mystery realm of the Land of Shadow. Previewers say that the DLC is a worthy follow-up to the base game in every way. Eurogamer’s Emma Kent writes that it, “brings further depth and grandeur to FromSoftware’s masterpiece.” Mechanically, new items and a new addition to the leveling system in the form of Scadutree Blessings sound like they will make Shadow of the Erdtree an equally complex and enjoyable challenge for even veteran players.
Some concrete details include the length of the DLC, which will be around 30-40 hours, and that there will be at least ten main bosses, as well as additional side bosses. Shadow of the Erdtree also includes around 100 new weapons, with some falling into eight new weapon types. The size of the DLC sounds massive, roughly equivalent to the base game’s Limgrave, Weeping Peninsula, and a part of Caelid combined. And as in past FromSoft DLCs, enemies here will be more dangerous and faster.
Here’s what previews have to say about Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdrtree:
IGN
It’s hard to get a sense for just how big the Realm of Shadow actually is, but I will say that my first steps out into it were definitely reminiscent of the first time I emerged from the elevator and opened the doors into Limgrave. There were obvious areas of interest right from the get-go for me to explore, like a crypt that was directly to my left, some scorched ruins directly up ahead, a large castle far off in the distance, and the towering flaming brazier enemy from the trailer roaming around just on the horizon.
Of course, in true Elden Ring fashion, the very first enemy I encountered ended up murdering me, as if to reassure me that despite my level 150 character with a +25 strength scaled axe, along with 80 points allocated to strength, this DLC wasn’t going to be a cake walk for people with end game builds that have run out of things to challenge them in the base game. It wasn’t even a boss, it was just a random enemy that decided to drop down from above while I was exploring some ruins, with its dual-wielded chakrams that kept me tumbling backwards as I tried to dodge its twirling dance that never seemed to end.
Eurogamer
One thing that’s certain, however, is Shadow of the Erdtree already has the look and feel of an absolute epic. With its sombre atmosphere, intricate worldbuilding and cheeky level design, it has all the ingredients required for an additional chapter of Elden Ring’s sprawling narrative. Since putting down my controller at the end of the preview session, my mind keeps wandering back to the Land of Shadow to consider what could be hidden within its craggy cliffs and hills. There are few games that can conjure up a feeling of such vast mystery and potential. When the DLC releases in just a few weeks, I look forward to re-experiencing the trepidation of setting forth into these tantalising, unknown lands. And, of course, being stomped on once again. You’ve got to be realistic about these things.
Game Informer
My biggest takeaway from Shadow of the Erdtree is that – surprise – it’s more Elden Ring. It’s the most unexciting take imaginable, but outside of the intriguing yet not immediately noticeable wrinkle added by the Scadutree upgrades, it’s a new excuse to revisit a world I love. It’s tough to get a sense of the expansion’s narrative implications and to be honest, that’s the last thing I care about in this game, as interesting as its lore is on the surface. All I want is to experience a new gauntlet of trials and surprises, and Shadow of the Erdtree seems poised to deliver that and then some.
GameSpot
So, yes, Shadow of the Erdtree is more of the same Elden Ring gameplay you know with new weapons, items, and areas to enjoy. But that is something that no other game has offered and no other developer has delivered. If Shadow of the Erdtree’s quality as a whole is consistent with what I played, From Software is on the cusp of reaffirming Elden Ring as one of the greatest open-world games ever made.
Game Rant
Elden Ring is a Game of the Year award winner, a rousing sales success, and it was a conversation piece for almost all of 2022. So, for most people, the promise of more content is tempting enough. Many players, present company included, are even amid new playthroughs to either get ready for the DLC, reacquaint themselves with the world and the controls, or both. Jumping back into the boots of the Tarnished was exciting and regardless of how brief my time in the Land of Shadow, it was a reminder of just how incredible Elden Ring is. There is no developer out there that can do what FromSoftware does, and Shadow of the Erdtree looks to prove that the developers are pushing themselves just as hard for the DLC as they did for the main game. If the first few hours of pain and punishment are just as exhilarating as the finished product, Elden Ring fans are in for another unforgettable ride.
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