Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree expansion: A challenging but rewarding experience?

The release of Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree DLC sparked a heated debate online, with many players, both seasoned veterans and newcomers, voicing concerns about its demanding difficulty. Criticism largely centered on the new bosses, deemed by some to be excessively challenging. Johan Pilestedt, CCO of Arrowhead Game Studios (developers of Helldivers 2), weighed in on FromSoftware's design philosophy.

Pilestedt, also the creative director of Helldivers 2, publicly agreed with streamer Rurikhan's assessment that FromSoftware intentionally crafts difficult boss encounters to push players' limits. He emphasized that effective game design prioritizes evoking strong emotional responses above all else. Addressing concerns that this approach limits the game's appeal, Pilestedt succinctly stated, "a game for everyone is a game for no one," advocating for developers to remain true to their target audience.

Elden Ring DLC Difficulty: A Delicate Balance

FromSoftware's Hidetaka Miyazaki had already preempted this criticism, warning players in pre-release interviews that Shadow of the Erdtree would present a significant challenge, even for experienced players. He explained that boss balancing assumed players had substantial progress in the base game. Furthermore, FromSoftware carefully considered player feedback regarding enjoyable and frustrating aspects of the original game's boss fights when designing the DLC.

The DLC introduced the Scadutree Blessing mechanic, boosting player damage and mitigating incoming damage in the Land of Shadow. However, despite in-game explanations, many players apparently overlooked or disregarded this feature, prompting Bandai Namco to issue a reminder to utilize and level up the Blessing.

Despite the mixed player reception on Steam, highlighted by negative reviews citing difficulty and technical issues, Shadow of the Erdtree achieved a remarkable feat: it became the highest-rated video game DLC on OpenCritic, surpassing even The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt's acclaimed Blood and Wine expansion. This underscores the polarizing yet impactful design choices employed by FromSoftware.