"Shadow of the Erdtree": "Elden Ring" DLC with mixed user ratings
The "Elden Ring" DLC "Shadow of the Erdtree" faces moderate reception on PC due to performance issues and its challenging difficulty level.
"Shadow of the Erdtree" is currently only receiving a mixed reception on Steam.
(Image: FromSoftware)
92 percent of Steam users recommend "Elden Ring", only 64 percent recommend the new DLC "Shadow of the Erdtree": The expansion released at the end of last week has been mediocrely received by PC players so far.
One of the most frequent points of criticism is the high level of difficulty: In contrast to the main game, developer FromSoftware has increased the abilities of the enemies even further. "We've really pushed the limits of what we think the player can take," said lead developer Hidetaka Miyazaki in an interview with The Verge. Even "Elden Ring" veterans sometimes find the new difficulty level "unfair" or "unbalanced", as the Steam reviews show.
Performance complaints
The tough difficulty level is a trademark of the Japanese development studio. Another: shaky performance on PC and consoles. While FromSoftware has largely brought the performance of the main game under control after several patches, stuttering and frame rate drops in the DLC are among the biggest points of criticism. In addition, some Steam users criticize that the game world feels too empty. According to FromSoftware, "Shadow of the Erdtree" is the most extensive DLC in the history of the cult developer.
It can be assumed that the user score on Steam will increase over time, as happened with the main game. FromSoftware could not only improve performance with patches, but also tweak the balancing.
95 percent at Metacritic
Professional critics have a much more positive view of "Shadow of the Erdtree": On Metacritic, the "Elden Ring" DLC has an outstanding rating of 93 to 95 points, depending on the platform. Users also award it 8.3 out of a possible 10 points on Metacritic. Heise online was not sampled by publisher Bandai Namco before release.
"Elden Ring" came onto the market in February 2022 and took the gaming world by storm. With its relentless battles and intricate dungeons, 'Elden Ring' retains the core elements that made FromSoftware's previous 'Dark Souls' games successful. At the same time, the open game world with its numerous opportunities for discovery and alternative progression paths made the title much more accessible than the previous "Souls" games.
(dahe)