Game review 18 June 2024, 07:00

author: Maciej Bogusz

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree Review - Gem Hidden Under the Veil

The Shadow of the Erdtree expansion is an awesome complement to the Elden Ring. FromSoftware did it again and provided us with a DLC of the highest possible level.

The review is based on the PC version. It's also relevant to PS5, XSX, XONE, PS4 version(s).

When I first played Elden Ring in 2022 I was thrilled. This game had everything I dreamed of; a great combat system, a challenge, and, most importantly, a superbly designed exploration. I liked it so much that I decided to visit every corner of the world created by FromSoftware, and I absolutely didn't regret it. When I learned about the expansion I was delighted again, because Miyazaki decided to give players another opportunity to explore a truly amazing universe, which begs to tell (or add) another story.

Of course, the highlight for me is still the combat and exploration that I hoped to experience in the DLC. And oh boy, I wasn't disappointed because Shadow of the Erdtree has everything I was looking for. But one thing at a time, let's first start with the most important thing, which is how I found myself in the Land of Shadow in the first place.

Following in Miquella's footsteps

To get to the Land of Shadow, it's necessary to defeat two bosses present in the base game, that is Starscourge Radahn and Mohg, Lord of Blood. There are opinions on the Internet that blocking access behind such powerful bosses isn't a correct move on the part of the Japanese developer. In my opinion, such an approach was intended to test the player, as the DLC was designed to provide an interesting challenge (I'll talk more about this in a moment). For now, let's get back to how to walk the trail paved long ago by Miquella, the Kind. After defeating Mohg, a mysterious woman appears in Mohgwyn Palace, near the Site of Grace, who in equally enigmatic words invites us to the Land of Shadow, all we have to do is touch Miquella's hand sticking out of the cocoon. Having done so, without any cinematic interlude, we are transported to a dark cave. After leaving it, a new land appears before our eyes waiting to be discovered.

When I first saw Land of Shadow, I was overwhelmed with sadness. Because the whole new location was sort of covered with a veil. The thought of grief immediately came to my mind, as if someone was crying for someone, or regretting something deeply. The NPCs and the story itself presented in Elden Ring was definitely melancholic, and sad. The game reminded us of this from time to time through music or the dialogues. I have the impression that in the expansion this sadness was further emphasized and highlighted, which definitely agreed with the narrative of the whole. Nevertheless, I don't want to give away the whole story here, as I believe that one of the greatest strengths of FromSoftware's games is the freedom to interpret what's happening on screen.

New Realm

The new location instantly amazed me with its openness and spaciousness. It made me feel the same as in 2022 when I fired up Elden Ring for the first time and didn't know which way to go and what to see. Now, with the DLC, however, I managed to recover from the shock more quickly and decided to go to the first Legacy Dungeon visible practically from the threshold of the already mentioned cave. Near the gate leading to this dungeon, I met Miquella's followers, who explained to me that I was in the Land of Shadow and they would be greatly pleased if I followed in the footsteps of Malenia's brother. Right next to the NPCs, I noticed a cross sticking out of the ground. When I approached it, an inscription appeared that said: "I abandon here the first of the flesh of my body." Many questions immediately popped into my head: what was Miquella doing here? Why did he abandon his body? What was his purpose? There were many questions, and the following answers, as is usual in games of this type, didn't answer them. So I had to find out everything from short dialogue lines and descriptions of items. It may seem like I'm complaining here, but nothing could be further from the truth, because I love discovering what the world developed by Miyazaki so meticulously hides (I also love watching lore videos, which make me realize how many things I've missed).

In the area of the cross, I also found a Scadurtree Fragment. After reading a short tutorial I learned that this fragment provides a blessing that increases the attack power and all the damage resistance of my character. Soon after, I also came across Revered Spirit Ashes, responsible for strengthening my Spirit Steed and the Spirit Ashes. These blessings only apply to the new area, so even if we return to Limgrave, which we can do at any time, the buffs will stop working.

I liked the trick with the item directly affecting the stats, a lot. It gave me a new excuse to explore the Shadow Realm (although I don't think I needed that excuse at all). For the moment, however, I decided to leave the Legacy Dungeon to do a little bit more exploring. I wanted to get stronger and to look for new types of weapons, of which there are as many as eight. I didn't have to look long, because I immediately found the first type - Reverse-hand Swords. The two inverted grip swords appealed to me. After upgrading my new swords to the maximum level, I moved on. I quickly noticed that even the most ordinary opponents gave me big problems, which led me to conclude that the expansion would be very challenging. I wanted to test my theory on one of the bosses present in Shadow of the Erdtree.

So, I went back to searching for Miquella crosses, because I knew that in this way I would find more powerful opponents who would be worthy of getting chopped with my blades. And that's how I ended up with the first main boss - Divine Beast Dancing Lion. It quickly became clear that I would come to face not only powerful bosses but also the camera. FromSoftware is already rather well-known for the fact that the camera in their games isn't quite as polished as it should be. This is especially evident in the new expansion. Dancing Lion is very fast, aggressive, big, and has elemental attacks that momentarily deplete the health bar. In general, it's very important to watch the movements of this boss, because our attack windows are very narrow, and a moment of inattention can cost you your life. On top of that, there is also the "operation" of the camera, not coping with such a large and mobile opponent. The key to victory turned out to be staying in the middle of the arena and a little patience in observing the enemy's movements. The camera positioning problems were by no means a one-off. I was repeatedly forced to find the right spot so that the camera didn't play tricks on me and I could freely focus on fighting my enemies. I hope Miyazaki and his team, with their next game, will pay more attention to this because it's really becoming a problem that is starting to annoy even veterans of the genre.

Miyazaki's biggest hits

One of Shadow of the Erdtree's greatest assets is its boss designs. I'll even be tempted to say that these are the most interesting bosses created by FromSoftware yet. Practically everything related to them has been done to the highest level (except for that unfortunate camera); music, moveset, voice acting, and lore. Such a turn of events may be the result of the fact that the developers had more time to better polish and balance these powerful opponents. In the DLC, we will meet 10 main bosses and about 30 side bosses. Some of the side bosses looked quite familiar, as they already appeared in the basic version of the game. Others were designed completely from scratch and are unique to this expansion. Of course, the main bosses deserve special attention, as they are some of the toughest opponents I've fought in FromSoftware games. When confronting the final boss, for a while I even had the feeling that I was defeated and wouldn't be able to beat it before the embargo of this review comes down. I even thought about a respec. Fortunately, after numerous attempts and with a large dose of patience, I finally managed to win.

Speaking of exploring, I have to touch on exploration, because this aspect changed slightly from the basic version of the game. Land of Shadow is roughly the size of Limgrave, Weeping Peninsula, and a piece of Caelid. Except that the new region is sort of more densely filled with ruins, Sites of Grace, and interesting locations to visit. Entering some of the hidden areas is a puzzle in itself. More than once, I had to think hard about how to get to a particular place. Specific locations have also been changed a lot compared to the base version of the game. Some dungeons indeed look as if we have already visited them before, but they are much more complex, and more treacherous which forces caution.

In Shadow of the Erdtree, I was very surprised by the variety of biomes I could enter - meadows full of flowers, ancient ruins, or forests straight out of horror movies (strong Bloodborne vibes). All this is nothing new, of course, and we've already seen it many times in previous FromSoftware games. What surprises, however, is the graphics and atmosphere. Land of Shadow looks very good, and while exploring some places that were really beautiful (not gray and dark), I had the impression that I was playing a completely different game. The music is also at the highest possible level, especially when it comes to maintaining the sad tone of the Shadow Realm and the main boss themes. I'll briefly mention a bit more about how the game performs on PC. I played on the highest possible graphics settings. The game ran very stably and never once did it crash for me. As far as this aspect is concerned, this is another reason to praise Hidetaka Miyazaki's game.

Final words

Shadow of the Erdtree is an expansion that perfectly complements Elden Ring, adding new things, but at the same time sticking to the good old developed recipe. For fans of the genre, there is a great reason to return to the game, just to explore the beautifully created world and face the biggest challenge yet. Learning about the new lore is fascinating, although those looking for amazing fireworks may be mildly disappointed. Interestingly, I was able to determine that in terms of story, the DLC doesn't affect the plot and characters known from the base game. Knowing the ending of the DLC, I understand why, but it still left me unsatisfied.

After almost 30 hours spent with the DLC, I still want more. I wish to enter this world once again, experience the amazing storyline again, learn the stories of the enigmatic NPCs, and, most importantly, explore a little longer. I think such desires reflect well what an amazing game Elden Ring is and what a great complement Shadow of the Erdtree is. I look forward to seeing what FromSoftware has in store for us in the future because I know that I won't be disappointed 99% of the time and will find in their games what I'm looking for - interesting lore and incredibly engaging gameplay.