Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC Review – Step into the Flawless Add-On to FromSoftware’s Magnum Opus 

Hollow not my fellow Tarnished – after a lengthy wait, Shadow of the Erdtree DLC for Elden Ring is finally upon us! If you are a fan of FromSoftware, you would probably have a similar expectation as us, because the studio does not miss when it comes to DLC – always adding and expanding the already wonderful base game with even more surprises, from The Old Hunters for Bloodborne to The Ringed City for Dark Souls 3. Even with high expectations marching forth into the Shadow Realm, Shadow of the Erdtree still ambushed us in ways unexpected, dominating and leaving us in awe as we continued to make surprise discoveries.

Go forth into the Land of Shadow, a forgotten land veiled in the Shadow of the Erdtree. This a friendly reminder that to access the DLC, you must first defeat both Starscourge Radahn in Caelid and Mohg, the Lord of Blood in the rather hidden Mohgwyn Palace. Upon defeating Mohg in the Mohgwyn Dynasty Mausoleum, not the fake one in the Leyndell Sewers, you will be greeted by the enigmatic Leda when you approach the giant cocoon with the hanging withered arm. Leda invites you to join her compatriots to trace Miquella’s footsteps in the Land of Shadow, in hopes of ascertaining the missing demigod’s fate. Simply touching the arm, as all typical Souls protagonists would do, will transport you into the Shadow Realm.

Land of Shadow

You will spawn in a cave the moment you first enter the Shadow Realm, where you slowly walk toward the light, exiting the dimly lit tunnel, and feasting your eyes on the vista of the eerie withering Scadutree standing proudly in the distance. The initial locale is called Gravesite Plain, a field much like Limgrave, but covered in ghostly tombstones and sings an atmosphere one could only describe as somber and haunting. This is where the Land of Shadow contrasts the Lands Between, where the former feels purely desolate, while the latter still has rays of golden grace illuminating its grounds – giving at least some bits of gentle hope even after Elden Ring shattered. Beyond the Gravesite Plain exists what you would expect, plenty of places to get lost in as relentless enemies pursue you to the end, such as legacy dungeons, labyrinthine catacombs, castles, woods, and FromSoftware’s signature dish – poisonous swamps.

The map of the DLC isn’t very huge, roughly the size of Limgrave and Caelid combined, but more densely packed with intriguing elements. Terrains now come in varied elevations with cliffs and steep areas that make exploration more interesting – requiring certain maneuver techniques to reach places otherwise difficult to access. Progression wise, the DLC is relatively more linear compared to the base game, but it is still an open world with plenty of exploration opportunities. Interestingly, Spiritsprings are sealed in the Land of Shadow, requiring you to find keys to unseal them before being able to updraft to high places with Torrent.

Further decorating across the Land of Shadow is Miquella’s Crosses, glowing golden runic signs with a crescent patterned at the top. These runes mark the spots where Miquella discarded his corporeal form or other aspects of himself that bind him to the Golden Order. They are landmarks that serve as clues to his whereabouts, giving you messages on which of Miquella’s aspects was left there. You would also typically find a Miquella’s follower near one, along with the rare Scadutree Fragments item and other crafting materials. 

Scadutree Blessing and Fancy New Toys 

Speaking of Scadutree Fragments, which along with Revered Spirit Ashes, are new items that can impart benefits to you while you are in the Shadow Realm, existing alongside the traditional means of strengthening yourself through leveling. With one of these in your inventory, you can rest at a Site of Grace to access the new “Shadow Realm Blessing” option to receive their benefits. They practically work similar to how you would upgrade your Flask, requiring more as you level up.

Scadutree Fragments are used for bolstering the Scadutree Blessing – increasing both the damage negation values of your character as well as your Attack Power, resulting in you taking less damage from enemies but dealing more damage with your own. The increase is applied as a percentage on top of your base values, so it is a huge bump in survivability and damage output regardless of your current gear. Adjusted values are highlighted in yellow on the Status menu.  Similarly, the Revered Spirit Ash blessing is to Spirit Ashes what the Scadutree Blessing is to your character. Note that these benefits are only active while you are in the Shadow Realm, and you gain none of the blessings while exploring in the Lands Between.

One of the most exciting highlights for the expansion is no doubt the new weapon types that come with fresh cool moveset. There are a total of 8 brand-new weapon types and around a hundred new armaments to scour and collect. The new weapon types are – beast claws, great katanas, hand-to-hand arts, light greatswords, perfume bottles, reverse-hand swords, throwing weapons, and thrusting shields.

These are fascinating additions to the game, not just for the sweaty PvPers that want to diversify their weaponry from Rivers of Blood spams and double great spears for once, but also for solo players seeking new builds to freshen up their playthrough in the DLC. Hand-to-hand arts, for instance, give the dull fists a fresh coat of awesomeness, with its stylish kicks, palm strikes, and flurry of punches.

Another cool addition is the light greatswords, which ended up being my favorite new weapon type to play for the majority of the expansion. It strikes a balance between the heavy hitters and the swift agile dexterity weapons. Don’t fancy the usual melee armaments? Perhaps become a perfumer with perfume bottles or toss dangerous objects around with the throwing weapons. Fret not about consuming FP, because these act like regular weapons and simply only consume stamina as you use – making them great options for those wanting to use projectiles, but don’t want to manage the consumables, especially when it comes to collecting their materials.

Weapons aside, the DLC also features a lot of new and unique Ashes of War, spells, Talismans, and also Spirit Ashes to collect and expand your armory. Spells are absolutely cool, ranging from “shadow” versions of certain existing spells to more holy ones for Faith users. Furthermore, the DLC also introduces special craftable items designed to counter certain enemies, such as the Hefty Furnace Pot, which makes dealing with the Furnace Golem much easier.

Messmer Be Impaling

We all know Messmer is the big bad of this DLC – the poster boy heavily featured in the marketing with even a statue of him as part of the Collector’s Edition. Well, he plays a big part in the story as the Land of Shadow is largely divided into his faction and Miquella’s followers. The wonders of FromSoftware titles have always been the hazy and mysterious nature of the story, with everyone having their own versions of the overarching lore, pieced together with scattered information. As such, we will not delve deep into the story because there is so much surprise that awaits here – unexpected characters showing up, surprise name drops, and hints that alter what stories we previously believed.

Difficulty is always subjective and opinions vary from player to player. From my experience, Shadow of the Erdtree is no doubt going to give you a hard time, or a fun time, depending on your skill. The Divine Beast Dancing Lion boss, for example, despite being your first major boss in the DLC with a lumbering appearance – is agile and ferocious, aggressively bombarding you with bludgeoning strikes with its body and unleashing elemental attacks. Meanwhile, Messmer the poster boy is one intimidating boss – able to decimate you with fiery combos. Hopping into the Shadow Realm, you can already feel the difficulty jump right away – even normal mobs can be a nuisance as they hit like trucks and are far more aggressive.

For real, the Land of Shadow, while bleak, is breathtaking, no matter which corner – with many exciting new sights that make it so different compared to the Lands Between. That said, everything that the expansion has to offer is not entirely new. Disappointingly, you may find some enemies or bosses recycled from the base game – which is already a common complaint about base Elden Ring. 

While the overall structure of the game remains Elden Ring that we know and love, the sense of familiarity is what lingers and elevates the playthrough in Shadow of the Erdtree. It does not revolutionize the formula, and it doesn’t really push to be “Elden Ring 2“, but it certainly plays on the game’s strength with all its new content.

It’s Elden Ring and More

The base Elden Ring is already FromSoftware’s magnum opus – truly one of the most memorable and wonderful adventures crafted after years of amazing Soulslike releases and Shadow of the Erdtree somehow elevates that level of awesomeness beyond. The scope of the DLC is truly impeccable and almost feels like a slightly smaller version of Elden Ring.

Every new element added in Shadow of the Erdtree is thoughtfully considered – every gear, Talismans, sorceries and incantations, Ashes of War, Spirit Ashes, and any lore bomb will no doubt give fans another unforgettable experience.  Every major boss is creatively designed, with diverse attack patterns and skills that will surely rank themselves as some of FromSoftware’s best.

As a fan of Soulslike and a fan of Elden Ring, Shadow of the Erdtree is almost a flawless add-on – every bit of it is just satisfying and awesome.

Shadow of the Erdtree DLC for Elden Ring will launch for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC via Steam on June 21, 2024.

Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree was reviewed on the PlayStation 5. Review code provided by Bandai Namco Asia.

Elden Ring

Publisher: Bandai Namco Entertainment

Developer: From Software

Release Date: 2022-02-25

PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Steam, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S

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