Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree Faces Mixed Reviews Amid Difficulty and Performance Concerns

The much-anticipated Elden Ring DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree, has garnered critical acclaim and secured the highest Metacritic score for video games prior to its release. However, its debut on June 21 has been met with mixed reviews on Steam, as players voice their frustrations over the expansion's challenging gameplay and performance issues on both PC and consoles.

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is NOT What Players Expected

While the DLC has been praised for its demanding combat, many players feel that the difficulty has been ramped up excessively, leading to a wave of negative feedback. Players have highlighted that battles in Shadow of the Erdtree feel more intense and sometimes disproportionately challenging compared to the base game. Criticisms include enemy placements that seem "rushed" and bosses with "overinflated health bars," suggesting a perceived imbalance in the game's difficulty.

Performance Issues Plague Players

In addition to the difficulty, performance issues have been a significant point of contention. On PC, users have reported various problems such as crashes, micro-stuttering, and capped frame rates. Even those with high-end systems have experienced frame rates dropping below 30 FPS in dense in-game areas, severely impacting playability. Similarly, PlayStation console players have noted significant frame rate drops during intense gameplay moments.

Community Feedback and Ratings

As of Monday, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree holds an overall 'Mixed' review rating on Steam, with 36% of reviews being negative. On Metacritic, the DLC is rated as 'Generally Favorable' with a score of 8.3/10 based on 570 user ratings. Meanwhile, Game8 has given the expansion a high rating of 94/100, indicating a strong positive reception from some quarters despite the criticisms.

For a visual representation of the community's feedback, see the screenshots below: