Up to now couple of years, builders have tried to reclaim the time period “enlargement”. Arguing there is a distinction between conventional DLC and fully-fledged add-ons, the likes of Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty and Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores have been used as poster childs for the motion. Whether or not there actually is a distinction between the 2 is up for debate, but when battle strains needed to be drawn, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree would snicker off claims it’s “only a little bit of DLC”.
FromSoftware has returned to its open world masterpiece with a huge add-on that borrows the Andrea True Connection hit as its prime descriptor: “Extra, Extra, Extra.” Shadow of the Erdtree doubles down on all of the hallmarks of the 2022 base sport in a brand new location, full with further boss fights, recent NPCs and quests, and a lot extra gear. It is an extension within the 15 to 20-hour vary if you happen to stick purely to the primary path, however set within the Realm of Shadow — the place half the whole map kinds optionally available content material — important development solely scratches the floor.
Having fulfilled the necessities to enter the brand new space, you may be introduced with a landmass on roughly the identical scale as Limgrave, the Weeping Peninsula, and a little bit of Caelid mixed. It is a sizeable enlargement of the world that brings again the identical construction as the unique title: choose Websites of Grace direct you alongside the primary path, Legacy Dungeons characterize grand places to discover off to the aspect, and additional optionally available catacombs, caves, and pits densify the map. It is extra Elden Ring, which is each a unbelievable and ever so barely anticlimactic factor. Magnificent within the sense you’ve the prospect to return to one of many PS5’s all-time greats with new content material, however it’s arduous to not shake the very fact you are simply going by means of the motions once more.
New places are what thwart that unlucky feeling more often than not. Following within the footsteps of Miquella, the DLC spans towering castles, lush historical ruins, sinister woodland, menacing mountains, and extra. It manages to supply far more visible selection in a smaller house than the bottom sport does, making every zone distinct in each appear and feel. A few of the most enthralling locations within the Realm of Shadow are fully optionally available and take appreciable effort to even attain, so venturing off the core narrative path will show simply as rewarding as overcoming any mainline boss battle.
And what a set of boss fights awaits. FromSoftware has dialled its encounter design as much as 11 in Shadow of the Erdtree, with new shape-shifting villains to get rid of alongside a recent set of accomplices that populate the aspect dungeons. The brutal issue returns — Shadow of the Erdtree could be very a lot endgame content material regardless of the very fact you possibly can entry it earlier than slaying the Elden Beast — coupled with new issues to contemplate like elemental shifts and projections. Whilst you’ll have a greater understanding of how the sport performs based mostly on years of expertise at this level, the DLC makes up for it within the sheer harm numbers these bosses can produce.
One technique to increase your personal stats past regular level-ups is to interact with a brand new characteristic launched within the enlargement: the Shadow Realm Blessing. By amassing Scadutree Fragments and Revered Spirit Ash throughout the open world, you possibly can enhance your assault energy and harm negation with the previous and enhance your spirit summons with the latter. The upgrades type a important a part of upgrading your character past their regular means as the usual levelling system will solely offer essentially the most minute of enhancements when you’re able to enter the DLC space.
The system works effectively, offering cause to completely discover new locations. Nevertheless, it is also emblematic of the enlargement as a complete: Shadow of the Erdtree supplies appreciable quantities of visible newness, however by no means does it change the best way the general bundle truly performs. Whereas there are new weapon sorts to experiment with, your construct from the bottom sport will stay greater than viable from the begin to the very finish of the DLC. Solely a single new armour set proved objectively higher than what we had outfitted going into Shadow of the Erdtree, and our Lordsworn Greatsword was by no means bettered.
After all, gear acquisition in Elden Ring is about greater than sheer stat developments; you possibly can spec in direction of a sure harm sort, grow to be essentially the most trendy Tarnished doable, or customise for a sure weight load. Nevertheless, such is the sense of familiarity coursing by means of the enlargement that you just by no means actually really feel the necessity to change issues up or strategy the sport in a brand new approach. It is nonetheless the identical Elden Ring of 2022 in a giant new playground. That is going to be music to the ears of some returning followers, however it’s troublesome to not really feel such as you’re merely doing the identical issues over once more. Whereas there may be a lot for the eyes to see, your button presses by no means differ. It simply feels a bit too acquainted, particularly coming greater than two years after the bottom sport.
That sense of familiarity considerably carries over into a couple of small technical drawbacks. Texture pop-in is as soon as once more a slight drawback — notably for grass out within the open world — whereas, somewhat unusually, it is extremely troublesome to see generally when the in-game clock is ready to nighttime. It is robust to say whether or not this can be a glitch or intentional, however among the visible backdrops (throughout the Scadu Altus particularly) merely aren’t there whenever you go away a Website of Grace. But they are going to be if you happen to quick journey some place else throughout the identical time of day.
Conclusion
By doubling down on what made the bottom sport so elegant, FromSoftware has crafted an Elden Ring enlargement that is simply as nice as it’s acquainted. Shadow of the Erdtree delivers extra of the identical type of content material you really liked two years in the past somewhat than introducing new methods to interact. That is sufficient to contemplate it a unbelievable enlargement, although it is arduous to not really feel such as you’re simply going by means of the motions once more. With a brand new land to discover, a recent set of bosses to battle, and further lore to devour, it is a lot extra Elden Ring.
