Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree – an expansion that’s better than some full-price games

There it is again. That feeling of entering a world full of danger and adventure. Only a few open-world games manage to trigger this unbridled urge to explore in me. Although I was never a fan of the notoriously difficult Souls series, Elden Ring gripped me like few other games. Now the first and only DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree, is available. Let’s get straight to the point: what From Software is selling here as an expansion is easily on a par with most full-price games.

A world of possibilities

Shadow of the Erdtree sends you to the land of shadows. To gain access to the DLC, you must have defeated the two bosses Radahn and Mohg in the main game. The latter hides an entrance to the new area. You can then travel back and forth between the worlds as you’re used to. According to Elden Ring creator Hidetaka Miyazaki, the Shadowlands are roughly the same size as Limgrave, the starting area of the main game. But that’s only half the truth – the DLC is much denser. It’s hardly worth saddling Torrent, my faithful mount. Every few metres, the next adventure beckons in the form of a ruin, a cave or a scary boss. It’s almost as if they just put a complete Dark Souls into Elden Ring.

And wow, it all looks so good! The world of Shadow of the Erdtree is one hell of a treat. Although the game is rather modest in technical terms, I’m always amazed at how From Software manages to create such visually stunning backdrops. A majestic fortress sits enthroned on a rocky cliff, golden rays of sunshine break through the gloomy cloud cover and in the centre, the gigantic Erdtree rises into the sky full of meaning. Visually, the game is an absolute stunner. The whole thing is accompanied by a soundtrack that’s sometimes melancholic, sometimes martial and always slightly menacing. I never really feel safe when crossing the Shadowlands.

New monstrosities

This is partly down to the many new opponents. There are huge leeches with arms that want to suck on my head, and disgusting lumps of flesh that attack me with tentacles. And, of course, the fire giants familiar from the trailer, who throw glowing rocks at my head if I even come near them. So far, I’ve been cutting my teeth on them in vain. Apart from that, I find the DLC just as challenging as the main game. Many comments online on Steam and the like sound different. I crossed over into the Shadowlands at level 150, after about 90 hours with the main game. Coincidentally, this corresponds exactly to the level at which previewers were able to try out the game in advance.

However, there’s an additional level system in the DLC in the form of Scadutree fragments. I can use them to give myself a lasting boost around the campfire. I can also upgrade Torrent and the summonable spirits with a new currency. They all only work in the Shadowlands. It’s supposed to prevent you from marching through the main game like a god when you return.

To help you deal with the numerous new threats, From Software has a whole host of new murder tools up its sleeve. The more than 100 new weapons include backward-facing swords, giant katanas and even perfume bottles. I haven’t yet been able to part with my faithful Bloodhound’s Fang, but it’s about time for something new.

Oh yes, Shadow of the Erdtree also tells a new story about some heavenly creature called Miquella. But just like in the main game, the few dialogue options go in one ear and out the other. It all sounds important and threatening, but with all those fantasy terms and theatrical language, it rarely sticks with me. I’ve been told the story’s actually really exciting. But I find the world fascinating, even without the cryptic story.

However, you shouldn’t expect any surprises in terms of gameplay. Shadow of the Erdtree offers no new mechanics. Still, the many creative new bosses will make you sweat.

Performance struggles

In terms of content, Elden Ring shines on all levels. PC performance, on the other hand, is inadequate. Two years after the launch, I can still only play the game at 60 frames per second. Mods could help, but you run the risk of being banned online. The same applies if you manually implement upscaling technologies such as DLSS or FSR. Both are absent in the base game too. But they’re urgently needed if you want to play the game with ray tracing effects. This makes Elden Ring look even prettier, but even my RTX 4090 can’t manage a stable 60 fps in 4K resolution. That simply won’t do. From Software should finally make improvements here – but as the past has shown, this’ll probably never happen.

On the positive side, it runs at a solid 40 fps on Steam Deck and still looks great. Without ray tracing, of course.

Verdict: a DLC could hardly get any better

What more can I say? I’ve only put a little over 15 hours into the DLC, but it’s already clear that this expansion is a milestone. What From Software delivers here in terms of content and quality is impressive. The Shadowlands are bursting with secrets, breathtaking locations and grotesque monsters. In a perfect world, I’d explore all directions at the same time.

I can only think of CD Projekt Red, who achieved a similar feat with Phantom Liberty for Cyberpunk 2077 and Blood and Wine for The Witcher 3. The latter held the record for the highest-rated expansion on Metacritic for eight years. Now, this honour belongs to Shadow of Erdtree.

If you love Elden Ring, you’ll devour this expansion just as much as you’ll be devoured by the new fire giant if you’re not careful.

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is available for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series. The game was provided to me by From Software. I tested the PC version.

Video games

Bandai Namco Elden Ring - Shadow of the Erdtree Edition

PS5, Multilingual

3

Video games

EUR84,45

Bandai Namco Elden Ring - Shadow of the Erdtree Edition

Xbox Series X, Multilingual

1

Video games

EUR204,12

Bandai Namco Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree - Collector's Edition

PS5, EN

2