The newly released Shadow of the Erdtree expansion for Elden Ring has sparked a divisive fan reaction, particularly among PC players on Steam. The expansion currently holds a ‘Mixed’ rating on the platform, based on over 12,000 user reviews. This indicates that 38% of players had a negative experience with the DLC, a stark contrast to the base game’s overwhelmingly positive 93% reception from 627,000 reviews.
Despite only being released two days ago, publisher Bandai Namco claims that Shadow of the Erdtree rivals the scope of a standalone game. Gamesradar+ estimates that the DLC takes 20-30 hours to complete, excluding additional boss encounters. The high level of content may explain why some players are still engaged in playing the expansion rather than leaving reviews on Steam, which could be skewing the ratings.
Among the negative reviews, players frequently mentioned issues with performance and an excessive difficulty level. Many users have criticized the expansion for featuring bosses that can eliminate players with one hit, even if they had previously powerful character builds. The attack patterns of these bosses are described as deliberately hard to anticipate and react to, making progression frustrating for some players.
One Steam user, Chanddy, highlighted the need for significant adjustments to the expansion, stating that players are forced to adopt specific strategies to defeat bosses rather than utilizing their preferred playstyles. Another reviewer, Ravaaga, pointed out that the base game of Elden Ring did not present the same level of challenge and frustration as the expansion, indicating a noticeable shift in difficulty.
The president of FromSoftware, Hidetaka Miyazaki, and the renowned director of Dark Souls, had warned players about the challenging nature of the expansion. Miyazaki mentioned that the studio had pushed the boundaries of player endurance with Shadow of the Erdtree, hinting at a punishing experience. Even seasoned Elden Ring players found themselves struggling mere minutes into the expansion, emphasizing the significant increase in difficulty levels.
Overall, the release of Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree expansion has divided the gaming community, with some players praising its ambitious scope and challenging gameplay, while others criticize its abrupt difficulty spikes and performance issues. As players continue to explore the new content and provide feedback, it remains to be seen how FromSoftware will address the concerns raised by the community and whether adjustments will be made to improve the overall player experience.
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