Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree Analysis: A Masterpiece

Elden Ring is one of the best games of all time. There is no doubt about this. From Software games in general, and Souls in particular, offer an experience that can hardly be matched by other games. The feeling of personal improvement that comes with finishing boss, learning certain mechanics or completing certain dungeons is missing from many other games. Despite popular belief, the Souls themselves are not difficult games, as in each of them the game offers the necessary tools to achieve any goal, no matter how difficult it may seem at first.

In 2022, From Software changed up the formula with Elden Ring: an open-world game that retains all the essence of Souls, but is much more accessible than Sekiro or Dark Souls 3 (both of which are best left unsaid). A massive journey of over 100 hours across one of the most complex maps in terms of settings and hidden areas, and with some of the most impressive art direction ever seen in a video game. Formula of the Soul that has reached maximum strength. Elden Ring, with its “buts” that it also had, not only charmed fans of the saga, but also became a gateway for many players who did not dare to dive into games of this type.

Therefore, the announcement of its DLC became one of the most anticipated news. Now it’s here and in some ways it’s unfair to call it Shadow of Airdtree like a simple DLC. Although the expansion is based on the original game, it expands not only its lore, but also its mechanics and capabilities. And that’s huge. Not as big as the original game, but enough to lose another 60 hours in its lands if you’re looking for that completion point.

However. Just like the rest of the Souls DLC. From Software has increased the difficulty of the expansion. To access it, you need to not only defeat the optional boss from the main game. This is your entry It is located in a hidden area of ​​the map, accessible through quest not easy to understandor through the zone portal, which is also optional. It’s logical that its creators knew that the vast majority of players came to the DLC with build min/maxso they decided to stop them.

Exclusive development system Shadow of the Erdtree.

Shadow of the Erdtree has its own “tier” system, and while the main tiers are still important, it introduces new mechanics: tree fragments (scattered around the map), which help mitigate the effects of the year and increase our attack power (and another type of summon). They are scattered across the map and, without a doubt, Without proper scaling with these pieces, the game’s difficulty is impressive.: enemies, not only bosses They are fast and do a lot of damage. And some of the bosses, with builds studied down to the millimeter and more than leveled, they are capable of killing you in one hit if you lack one H.P. life (the second phase of a certain boss most importantly, I’m looking at you).

Again, the game offers all kinds of tools to solve any problem, and in this sense, with patience and a little research, anything can be achieved. And studying bosses in a few attempts, This is commendable for any player. In fact, the game, in its usual opaque form, offers plenty of clues. For example, before one of bosses The most difficult of the DLC: one of the enemies throws a shield at you. This is a necessary key to understanding what is in it bossperhaps the most interesting strategy is to use this shield to 100% protect yourself from their attacks.

This also works in reverse. The game offers certain quest have NPCs who will help you boss Finally, but the truth is that if we call on said NPCs, even if we think they will help us, The truth is that this only increases the complexity. Something ordinary, an aggravation in life bossesdepending on the number of players, but in this case it is much easier to do it alone than with outside help.

So far, in addition to new weapons and bosses, Shadow of Airdtree It offers an experience similar to Elden Ring, perhaps with a little more knowledge from NPCs, more talk about the new area, and the occasional surprise for those who understand “some” details of Elden Ring’s story.

One of the most challenging maps that rewards exploration the most.

But despite all this, what is most surprising about Shadow of AirdtreeBeing an expansion is the complexity of its map, as well as the level and scale of the different scenarios. Its navigation, due to the variety of areas, is even more difficult than in the main game. and a much more impressive experience when it comes to simple exploration. Yes, it still suffers from a lot of very empty areas, like the vast Cerulean Coast, but all of them, like the main game, have something to do.

Shadow of Airdtree Not only does it always reward this exploration with new items and new locations, but, like the main game, some of the most impressive places are hidden behind certain quest games, which is extremely confusing to access. And not just in terms of actions and paths to them, and even some others depend on the use of game elements in very specific areas, such as gestures that require you to reach another remote area in the middle of nowhere to achieve. Logically, Shadow of Airdtree She gives hints in her objects about everything that needs to be done and, in a sense, everything has instructions, although, like other Souls, she is quite opaque and requires special patience.

On the negative side, it is possible to repeat some minibosses in some places of the game and, without a doubt, a repetition of the dungeon system that one saw, saw everything in reality. Yes, they are more difficult to navigate and more interesting, but in essence they are identical to the main game: maze-enemies-boss-return to entrance main. Only two of these serve to access two additional (and impressive) areas in the south of the map, and they are essentially the best of the bunch. Shadow of Airdtree It features untitled mausoleums that are straight up mini-boss fight areas similar to the prisons in the main game, straight to the point and a good challenge. There are 4 in total, and getting to 2 of them requires a mini-puzzle in the form of a breadcrumb trail.

In general, from the software was able to put the cherry on the cake with Shadow of Airdtree. Same as in the main game, is a masterpiece that shines with its own light, and without a doubt the perfect excuse to dive back into its world. A massive expansion that will give you 20-30 hours of play depending on how long you want to play it, and that once you finish it will be enough for you and leave you wanting more. Who knows if we’ll eventually see a new expansion or if this will be the end of the game that forever changed the Souls formula to a level that no other game can achieve.