Has this DLC Tarnished the legacy of Elden Ring?
I must begin by saying that I have never been very good at Souls games, in fact Elden Ring is the only one Iāve ever beaten. On the plus side of that, I did manage to nab the Platinum trophy which Iām quite pleased with. When I heard about a DLC for the game, I thought āOh well, there goes my 100% trophy completionā, but was there a twist in the tale?
Yesā¦For reasons unknown, Shadow of the Erdtree contains no additional trophies, so those like me who managed to grab that elusive Platinum trophy will have their 100% completion rate remain safe. I was really surprised considering FromSoftware have added DLC trophies to past games, the price point and the sheer size of content in Shadow of the Erdtree, you would have imagined it was inevitable. Still, regardless of if it makes you angry or happy I think itās time to move on to the actual contentā¦
For newcomers to the game, you will need to reach a certain point of the game before you can access the DLC. You will need to beat the boss Mohg, the Lord of Blood at the Mohgwyn Palace. Afterwards, you’ll be able to access the Shadow of the Erdtree area from the Mohgwyn Palace. If you are new, it will take a good while to reach this point and beyond that things get progressively tougher, regardless if you are new or a returning playerā¦
There is definitely a huge difficulty spike in the DLC, but to stand a chance youāll need to collect as many Scadutree Fragments as possible, they are 50 to grab with some in easy locations and others not so much. I did manage to overcome the trials of the DLC though I did rely on some online help on some of the latter battles, thanks to those who helped me in battle is all I can say!
The new area is impressive in both size and scope. Thereās plenty of content here and feels like a natural add-on to the game as opposed to being tacked on just for the sake of it. Bosses are well designed and unique in their appearance, while areas are nicely detailed and varied. The framerate has slightly improved since the gameās launch 2 years ago, but it still wonāt hit 60 FPS unless you are playing the PS4 version on PS5. Itās strange I know, but it still holds up well overall.
The Verdict
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is a great example of how DLC should be. It enhances the original experience without feeling like a needless add-on. Itās also entirely optional with no pressure on any who were worried their 100% record would be tarnished (Sorry, I couldnāt resist that one). Without a doubt, worth every penny for newcomers and returning players.