Elden Ring, released in 2022, features an open world with abundant loot that rewards exploration, a hallmark of open-world games. Many players intentionally used guides to find the most powerful builds and subsequently complained that it was the easiest game by FromSoftware, which is rather unfortunate.
We played the game blindfolded, without guides, and we found it challenging because the open world of Elden Ring is designed to be explored without guidance, fostering a sense of discovery. However, the new DLC disregards your entire build, compelling you to figuratively start from scratch, only to realize that the game has become excessively difficult. It feels quite dishonest and unfair.
Ultimately, From’s games are renowned for their forthrightness. When a boss can send you flying with just two hits, you’re compelled to learn and repeatedly fail against their attacks. Meanwhile, gamers clear the map, grumbling despite the generous rewards they receive. Yet, if imbued weapons were not included, dissatisfaction would be equally prevalent.
Many users believe that the add-on developers have excessively inflated the bosses’ health and damage, introducing “endless” attacks and devastating hits that can eliminate the main character even at full HP.
All the bosses I met turned out to be just a misunderstanding without adequate attack patterns with a huge amount of damage and health.
Steam user
Came to the boss with 0 blessings? Congratulations! You will not do any damage to him and will die from two attacks. Did you come to the boss with 10 blessings? Congratulations! You will not do any damage to him and will die from two attacks.
Steam user
I wanted honest difficulty, but I got endless stuffiness in combat, where to kill bosses you need to hit them 100 times, perfectly dodging all attacks so as not to fly off in one combo. And the camera at this time shows everything except the character and the boss.
Steam user
Another frequent critique of the add-on pertains to technical issues. Users report experiencing intermittent freezes, crashes, and drops in frames per second (FPS), particularly during boss battles. A user mentioned that with an RTX 4080 graphics card, the frame rate plummets to 40-50 FPS, and adjusting the graphics settings seems to have no impact on this metric.
The optimization in the DLC is so disgusting that you can’t even get visual pleasure from the design of the locations. Terrible FPS drops out of the blue. At the moment, the add-on is unplayable, as for me.
Steam user
The add-on Shadow of the Erdtree has been criticized for its limited new content. FromSoftware had promised a vast area comparable to Elden Ring’s Graveyard, but players report that the DLC’s biome feels barren, offering scant new content and sparse rewards in certain areas.
The open world of the main game was empty, and apparently the feedback from the community didn’t help. Therefore, in the DLC, the location has become even emptier. The situation when you walk two kilometers to eventually come to a dead end with several mobs, where there is nothing, is a common thing. Some useless recipes and ingredients for the same useless crafting were added to the chests.
Beautiful locations are good, but is it possible to fill them with content so that there is at least some sense in the research?
Steam user
Shadow of the Erdtree has faced criticism from numerous users for reusing enemies, items, and locations from the original game. Some gamers firmly believe that the developers simply introduced “pre-packaged” items and enemies into the expansion, merely altering their names and colors.
75% of the enemies in Shadow of the Erdtree are stolen not only from the base game, but even from Dark Souls 3. They even added locations [from the original game]. Apparently, stealing from yourself does not count, because the battle with one boss takes place exactly like in the arena of Midir. Only the place is repainted in a different color.
Steam user
Despite the criticism, many users have given a positive assessment of “Shadow of the Erdtree.” Gamers are optimistic that the developers will address most of the issues identified in the add-on soon.
Initially, the half-empty starting location and unbalanced bosses seem crazy, but over time, you accept the new rules of the game and move on. And now, you are already in cool castles and dungeons, mastering the damage of opponents, collecting lore piece by piece. As a result, you are back in the best game of 2022 with its signature atmosphere, memorable boss battles, and the best community.
Steam user
It’s understandable when newcomers who haven’t played the classic FromSoftware games make such claims. However, it’s baffling when a self-proclaimed “old-souls veteran” struggles with the bosses in the DLC and complains about their failures. It makes one ponder whether humanity is indeed declining and stubbornly denying it.
The gaming industry’s crisis is widely acknowledged, not just by the uninformed. Ironically, it’s during such times that the most difficult-to-satisfy individuals become increasingly vocal. Their dissatisfaction stems not from a lack of knowledge, but from a reluctance to delve deeper. They find it simpler to criticize a game’s balance or a creator’s talent than to engage with the game’s intricacies.
Surprisingly, these critics often receive more support than those who have a profound understanding of the game’s mechanics and boss strategies. We won’t touch the topic of community toxicity; it’s evident that the gaming community has been mired in negativity for some time. What is perplexing is the direction we’re heading. Is this the new norm for us?
