Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC Review - IGN (2024)

When I gave Elden Ring a 10 two years ago, I did so not just because it’s an incredible game, but because it also raised the bar for open-world games as a whole. The way it encourages exploration, rewards curiosity, and challenges you to find your own individual solutions to difficult combat encounters by including tons of different viable weapons, spells, and other build options is absolutely exemplary. Now, FromSoftware is back to raise the bar on everyone yet again, this time when it comes to what you’d expect from a "simple" DLC. Shadow of the Erdtree may not do anything radically different from the base game, but this expansion somehow feels like a scaled-down version of that same experience that recaptures all of the magic of playing Elden Ring for the first time, with more content packed within than many fully priced games. Its unexpectedly large realm is filled with new secrets, new discoveries, a ton of new build options to experiment with, as well as some of the most challenging and unforgettable boss battles Souls fans will have ever seen.

I strolled into Shadow of the Erdtree thinking I was some kind of Elden Lord badass, having defeated Malenia, Mohg, Placidusax, the Elden Beast, and every other big threat around. My level 150 character was armed with fully upgraded gear and the maximum number of flasks… but let me tell you, it did not take very long for the Realm of Shadow to humble me. Even though the only requirement to access the new areas is to beat Radahn and Mohg – which, granted, is no small feat – you’re going to want to over prepare before stepping foot into this new arena, because it is brutal. FromSoftware definitely skirts the line between fair and unfair with some of the later boss designs in particular, perhaps getting closer than ever. But crucially, it never actually crosses that threshold, and that masterful tightrope walk – along with some truly spectacular boss design – results in some of the most thrilling and satisfying bosses Elden Ring, and the entire Soulslike genre, has to offer.

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC Review Screenshots

It’s not just the quality of those fights, either: Erdtree has them in quantity, too. According to our count, there are more than 40 bosses, with 10 of those being the big, showstopper fights that reward you with a Remembrance upon defeat. Compare that to the more than 100 in the base game, and it’s a significant chunk.

According to our count, there are more than 40 bosses.

When you bring up the map, it may not seem like The Realm of Shadow is that big, but it is incredibly dense because it’s stacked in layers. Paths lead upwards toward ruins suspended in the sky, others delve deep beneath the surface, and some even pull you in directions you might not have believed you could even be pulled. You might find a hidden ladder tucked away in the far corner of a castle rampart, only to follow that trail for an hour before it eventually spills out into a totally new, otherwise-inaccessible area.

But even with all of the discoveries to be made, I never felt lost or unsure of where I could or should go next. The main goal of this DLC is to follow the footsteps of the demigod Miquella, who left his flesh behind and fled to the Realm of Shadow. These footsteps are marked by large crosses that elegantly serve as subtle signposts to let you know when you’re in the vicinity of a plot-critical path, without it ever feeling like your hand is being held as you’re nudged in one explicit direction.

Apart from the main quest, there’s a whole host of new NPCs, including seven followers of Miquella that you’ll encounter at various points in the journey. Each of them have their own small questline that ties into the main story, and those can even have an effect on some of the latter boss battles, depending on your actions. And while I consider myself a fairly casual enjoyer of Elden Ring’s extensive lore compared to some of the scholars out there, even my limited knowledge of the deeper plot let me appreciate some pretty fantastic, eye-opening revelations towards the end of this story that are well worth the effort of getting to.

Shadow of the Erdtree is essentially a full Elden Ring adventure made miniature.

It took me about 25 hours or so to beat the final boss of Shadow of the Erdtree, but I could easily see myself putting in another 15 or 20 on just this one playthrough. I still have a handful of optional bosses I need to go back and cross off my list, areas on my map I haven’t fully explored, weapons and skills I haven’t gotten to play around with yet, and sidequests I still want to follow to completion. That’s pretty much exactly like when I completed my review of the base game after about 80 hours, which makes sense because Shadow of the Erdtree is essentially a full Elden Ring adventure made miniature. It condenses the whole experience down to something comparatively compact, all of it satisfyingly tuned specifically for end-game characters who thought they’d seen it all.

Weapons of Choice

While I haven’t had any “holy ****” moments of awe like the first time I took the elevator down to the Siofra River, exploration and discovery throughout the Realm of Shadow is still a delight thanks to its stellar art design, a great variety in the areas you get to explore, and the tantalizing rewards pretty much everywhere you turn. There are eight brand-new weapon types, ranging from throwing knives to beast claws to giant odachi samurai swords. My favorite of the new arsenal, though, is the light greatsword, specifically the Milady. True to its name, the Milady has a very regal-looking moveset with combos that flow nicely into each other and hit hard, but are also relatively fast compared to actual greatswords. For me, it’s a sweet spot. I actually swapped off of my powerful dual Bandit Curved Sword bleed build (albeit, minus the White Mask, which I ruined my chance to get) to instead rock a Strength/Dexterity-focused build using one of these and found great success for the majority of the DLC.

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9NiohTeam Ninja
10Dark Souls IIFromSoftware

I experimented with a couple of other weapons as well, something that is possible thanks to the ample opportunities to collect a bunch more Ancient Dragon Smithing Stones of both the standard and Somber varieties. However, in all my travels I found that while the new weapon types are fun – there’s certainly an appeal to going hand-to-hand against an army of hands – none of them ultimately measured up to the strength of the weapons that I carried over from the base game. It’s totally possible that there are some talismans I was missing to really make the new ones sing, but I was hoping to go through the entirety of Erdtree with a brand-new build. Instead, I found myself swapping back to my bread-and-butter bleed build to get the kind of damage I needed when the going got tough – but hey, that build did have two years to get optimized through the original endgame.

There are so many promising new builds that I couldn't help but wish Larval Tears were more plentiful.

Besides, variety is the spice of life, and Erdtree is one hot dish. Not only are there a ton of new weapons, there are also plenty of new spells, Ashes of War, Spirit Ash summons, and talismans to cover an enormous range of different playstyles. There’s now a talisman that enhances two-handed attacks; one that decreases spellcasting time dramatically, but causes you to take increased damage; another that increases the damage of abilities that involve stances; and another still that increases your damage every time you defeat an enemy. Yes, there are also plenty that are just better versions of very useful talismans you probably already have, and there’s no shame in sticking to what works. There are so many promising new builds that I couldn’t help but wish Larval Tears were more plentiful so I could respec my character a little more freely, as I started to run out by the time I finished Erdtree’s campaign. I still have a ton of different builds I want to try, and I’m already happily onto my second playthrough to see them.

The Joy of Freedom

The journey through The Realm of Shadow is structured very similarly to The Lands Between, in that the map is split up into a number of different regions. Right from the get-go, you’re able to head anywhere you want to: you could follow the initial Miquella Cross to the first big “legacy dungeon,” called Belurat, and deal with the new horrific scorpion enemies; or head across a bridge to the east and work your way over to the magic filled Castle Ensis where you have to deal with this jerk (where you have go up against one of the most challenging bosses of the DLC right away), or find a way to bypass the need to go through either of those and get straight to the Scadu Altus, which largely serves as the central hub of the Realm of Shadow. Then you could head directly toward the Shadow Keep fighting your way to the top of it in order to take on one of the major bosses, or going through one of its other exits to explore otherwise inaccessible parts of the map. It’s a liberating sense of freedom, and the same masterclass level of open-world design as the base game, just on a scale that isn’t quite so vast.

Of course, whether or not you should make a mad dash towards the Shadow Keep is another question entirely. Even though this is endgame content and you probably won’t be leveling up quite as fast as you did in the original campaign, there’s a separate power-scaling system that only works while you’re within the Realm of Shadow. Scattered throughout the lands are Scadutree Fragments that you can collect and turn in at Sites of Grace to increase your overall damage and resistances. Likewise, you can also find Revered Spirit Ash blessings to increase the damage and survivability of your Spirit Ash Summons. These are two very smart inclusions as they add a much-needed sense of progression, a valuable reward for exploration, and something else to hunt for if you’re getting wrecked by a boss and need to come back when you’re stronger – all while cleverly preserving some of the original endgame’s balance if you’re bravely tackling this DLC before circling back to beat it.

Where to Buy

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC Review - IGN (16)

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree Edition

Originally posted:

Jun 18, 2024 2:00 pm

Verdict

FromSoftware says Shadow of the Erdtree is the only expansion Elden Ring will get, so it’s fortunate that it’s hard to imagine a better DLC than this – as long as you’re not hoping for it to do anything radically outside the box. Everything I loved about the original has been condensed into an incredibly tight package – one that’s the size of many standalone games all on its own, and can only be considered “small” in comparison to the absolutely massive world of Elden Ring itself. Erdtree’s absolutely jam-packed with secrets, valuable treasures, challenging boss battles, and horrific monstrosities to face off against, as well as cool new weapons, spells, Ashes of War, Spirit Ashes, talismans, and more to play around with and use to find even more novel ways to tackle its memorably brutal battles. Add on some very interesting lore revelations, not to mention the same spectacular visual design and stellar music that accompanies its larger-than-life bosses, and you’ve got what is certainly one of the best DLC expansions I’ve ever played.

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC Review  - IGN (2024)

FAQs

Is Shadow of the Erdtree worth it? ›

Although Shadow of the Erdtree doesn't significantly alter the core game, it does feel, in some ways, like a condensed version of the same experience that captures the magic of playing Elden Ring for the first time, with more content than many expensive games.

How hard is Shadow of the Erdtree? ›

It's easy to characterise some of that backlash as naivety. It is entirely unsurprising that Shadow of the Erdtree is difficult. Elden Ring is difficult, and so this DLC – locked behind two of the base game's most challenging bosses – was bound to be a hurdle designed for the most dedicated fans.

Does Shadow of the Erdtree add anything to the base game? ›

Summary. Shadow of the Erdtree adds new lore through item descriptions and boss placements. The DLC adds a new ending cutscene after defeating the final boss. While players can't choose new options as Elden Lord, the expansion follows FromSoftware's tradition of not adding new endings to base games.

Is Shadow of the Erdtree the last DLC? ›

An Elden Ring challenge runner has just managed to do the unthinkable: one-shot the final — and arguably most difficult — boss of the Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC.

How long does it take to beat Shadow of the Erdtree? ›

When focusing on the main objectives, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is about 24 Hours in length. If you're a gamer that strives to see all aspects of the game, you are likely to spend around 48½ Hours to obtain 100% completion.

Is beating the Tree Sentinel worth it? ›

Upon defeating the Tree Sentinel, players will receive a reward fitting for such a feat, 3600 Runes and his Golden Halberd itself. Players can use this surplus of Runes to level up or obtain better gear, bolstering their character for future battles. However, the most worthwhile reward is the Golden Halberd.

What level should I be for Shadow of the Erdtree? ›

They'll want to enter the DLC with the most powerful character possible. As such, it's recommended that your character be at Level 150 for the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. Why 150? Well, that recommendation is largely based on the ways that Elden Ring's level cap and stat cap systems work.

What is the hardest boss in all of Elden Ring? ›

Malenia (329 million attempts) – It couldn't be anyone else and the enormous difference with respect to the second in the classification makes it clear. Malenia is the most difficult boss in Elden Ring, as simple as that.

Who will be the final boss in Shadow of the Erdtree? ›

As busted as Radahn's fight at the end of Shadow of the Erdtree is—and for the record, it's really broken and not in your favor—it's almost been worth it to see how players like Ainrun craft builds to meet the challenge.

Who is the final boss in Elden Ring DLC? ›

Spoilers follow.

The boss in question is Promised Consort Radahn who, in the second phase, is mounted by Miquella to become Radahn, Consort of Miquella.

Should you take Melina to Erdtree? ›

You have to accept Melina's accord in Elden Ring if you want to level up and get your horse. While suspicion is wise in a FromSoftware game, you really have to say yes here. Because without her, you'll be cut off from some crucial tools.

How big will Shadow of the Erdtree DLC be? ›

As for the map size, Pirat_Nation said it's “around the size of Caelid, Liurnia, Mountain Top of Giants (Yes, it's that big)”. Of course, take this with a pinch of salt, as we only know for sure once the DLC officially releases, but judging from what we've seen in the trailer it's not hard to believe it'll be massive.

Is Manus the last DLC boss? ›

Manus is the final boss of the Artorias of the Abyss DLC. He is encountered in the Chasm of the Abyss. It is possible to summon the past version of Great Gray Wolf Sif to aid in the battle. Sif's summon sign is found in the arena where the player fights Manus, inside the fog door.

What do you get after defeating tree sentinel? ›

For defeating the Tree Sentinel in Elden Ring, you'll get 3200 Runes and his own Golden Halberd. Obviously it's much for you than it was for him, but it's still incredibly weighty, with minimum Attribute requirements of 30 in Strength, 14 in Dexterity, and 12 in Faith.

Is the Erdtree seal the best in the game? ›

Though it starts at a paltry 60 Incantation scaling stat, one that only goes up to around 240 at +10, its Faith scaling is what raises the Erdtree Seal to be the best Sacred Seal in Elden Ring. It begins S scaling with Faith starting at just +5, though it can't be found until relatively deep into the game.

How many bosses are in Shadow of the Erdtree? ›

However, if you include named NPC enemies and invasions, then there are 55 bosses in the DLC; and if you include repeated bosses and other boss-like enemies such as Furnace Golems, Hippopotamus, Ulcerated Tree Spirits, and so on, then there's a grand total of 80 bosses in Shadow Of The Erdtree.

References

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