The base Elden Rig game is great and Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is the continuation of that greatness. The base game was good and deserved the review that it got. Not only did it raise the bar for souls-like games but open-world games in general as well.
It encouraged exploration and the idea of reward around the corner. At the same time, it pushed players to find solutions to difficult combat scenarios on their own. The inclusion of a large number of weapons, build options, and the idea of finding solutions to the problem made it exciting. It pushed players to find the solution to the problem the way they see fit.
Once again, From Software is back to raising the bar and goes beyond what many would expect from a simple DLC. Even though it does not do something extremely different than the base game, it still feels like an amazing experience that made the base game such a great deal.
It gives you the feeling of playing Elden Ring for the first time with a lot more content than some stand-alone games. Its amazing world is full of discoveries, secrets, quests, and a lot of different builds to use. Players will get to experience some of the most intense souls-like boss experiences that will stick in memory for a long time. All this makes you wonder, Is Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree worth it? Let’s find out.
Premise
The main goal is to follow in the footsteps of the Demi-God known as Miquella and take him down. Miquella has left his body behind and has fled to the realm of Shadow. These footsteps are marked by large crosses so, you have to follow these crosses. Seeing the cross means that you are in an important area of the plot. It does not feel like you are being pulled in one direction due to the sense of freedom that Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree offers.
Apart from the main quests, there are new NPCs including seven followers of Miquella that you will meet throughout your journey. Each of the followers has their own brief questlines that are tied to the main story. These quests can even have an effect on the boss fights later on depending on the action you take. Even if you have limited knowledge of the Elden Ring lore, you will still appreciate the amazing revelations towards the end of the story.
The Challenge
Stepping into the DLC is a challenge in itself because you can’t take it lightly. Even if you have played the base game and are maxed out on everything, don’t expect a forgiving experience. The brutal combat of Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree will destroy you if you are not prepared. Even though you only need to defeat some of the initial two bosses to get Erdtree, you still need to prepare a lot before starting the DLC because it is intense.
There is a fine line between unfair and fair combat, and the game sticks to that middle line, especially in some of the later bosses. It does not cross that threshold. Sticking to that middle ground and not becoming impossibly hard is what the game is good at. The combination of that tight walk and amazing boss design creates some of the best bosses in Elden Ring and souls-like games in general.
It is not just the quality of these fights but the quantity as well. There are more than 40 boss fights and 10 of them are major bosses but all of these boss fights are of high quality. When you compare it to more than 100 in the base game, there are quite a few of them for a DLC.
The Map Has Multiple Layers
The map might not seem that big but there are multiple layers to the map. Some paths lead to floating islands while some to deep underground locations. There are tunnels that lead to entirely different locations. Hidden areas are everywhere which adds an extra layer of depth to the map. You have to consider this extra layer when looking at the map of Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree since the map is multilayer. There is so much stuff that you would never feel lost or unsure of what to do.
Exploration and a sense of discovery are still as prominent despite not hitting you as hard as the base game. Its amazing art design and the rewards you get from different activities can make exploration worth your while.
Not Compact
It can take you 25 hours before you defeat the final boss. If you are defeating other mini-bosses and doing side stuff you can add another 20 to 25 hours or more depending on how much stuff you have done in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree. If you want to complete all of it then it can take you more than 80 hours to do so.
Think of it like a mini Elden Ring that condenses the whole experience into a compact form. All of it shows another layer of gameplay to end-game players who thought that they were done with Elden Ring.
Weapons
There are eight new types of weapons, ranging from throwing knives and beat claws to odachi samurai swords and light great swords. Finding a weapon, liking it, and then sticking to it till the end is a possibility. You can experiment with different swords as well thanks to more opportunities to collect more Ancient Fragon Smitting Stones of both normal and Somber verity.
Even though the new weapons are great, they still don’t match up to my maxed-out weapon from the base game. Maybe I did not have enough stuff to make my new build better but that’s how it was. Still, verity is good and there is quite a bit of it in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree.
Not only are there new weapons but new spells, Spirit Ash Summons, Talisman, and Ashes of War as well, that cater to different types of playstyles. There were a lot of new builds to try, making me wish that there were more Larval Tears so that I could respec more often. You can run out of it by the time you finish the campaign even when you have many builds to try out.
The Freedom
The journey across the realm of the shadow is similar to the one in the base game’s Lands Between. The map is split into different regions. From the beginning, you can go to any location you want to. You can just follow the initial Miquella’s Cross to the first dungeon or work your way to another area. It’s the same level of freedom and open-world design that made the base game such a good experience.
Even though the leveling system is still here and you are in the end game, leveling up is slow. There is a separate power scaling system that only works when you are in the Realm of Shadow. Throughout the land, you will find Scadutree Fragments. You can collect Scadutree fragments and turn them in at the Sights of Grace to increase your damage and resistance.
You can also find revered Spirit Ash blessings to increase the resistance and damage of your summons. These two are major inclusions. It adds a sense of progression and rewards for exploration. It can also be something to look for and get stronger if you are getting wrecked by a boss in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree.
Verdict (Is Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree Worth It?)
From Software has made it clear that Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is the only DLC for Elden Ring. It is one of the reasons that the DLC is so good and it’s hard to imagine a better DLC if you want the game to remain the same. It is not like you can change the genre of a game with DLC and Elden Ring knows that all too well. It’s everything you liked about the original in a more compact form. It smartly adds things without making it too saturated. The DLC is compact if you are comparing it with the base game. As a standalone experience, it is longer than many full-priced games.
Shadow of the Erdtree is full of secrets to be discovered and become better as you progress. The challenging boss battles and the heinous enemies that face up against make the experience better. The addition of new weapons, spells, Ashes of War, Spirit Ashes, and more makes the experience even better. All of it gives you more reason to explore the world and find out more about it. The combination of new lore, amazing art design, and music, delivers an amazing experience. If you are coming at it as a non-souls-like fan then the outcome can be different for you.
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