After a wait that seemed endless to fans, we’re finally here: the DLC Of Elden Ring, Shadow of the Erdtree, has finally arrived. This new content brings players not only a large map, with attached secrets to find, but also new narrated events linked to the Dear Miquella, new items, new weapons, and of course new terrible enemies to defeat. Are you ready for new challenges?
To access the contents of the Elden Ring DLC, you will first need to have defeated two bosses in the base game, namely Radahn to Caelid, e Mohg in the underground area dedicated to him. Once done, right in front of the cocoon in the area of the second bossfight mentioned, the first new NPC we will encounter will appear: the enigmatic Ledawho will invite us to join her and her compatriots at follow in the footsteps of Gentil Miquellaacross the Shadow Realm. It will be enough to interact with the cocoon, and thus reach this new large area, full of new dangers.
Balancing? Danger averted
Let’s start by saying that the structure of this DLC was thought out in a very particular way: unlike other FromSoftware titles, Elden Ring is very dispersive, and has its own character progression; it goes without saying that creating a DLC for the game, to be placed not at the end of the basic experience, would have entailed a huge risk to say the least both for the balancingand for the rest of the progression when the adventure in the shadowlands would be over.
To overcome this possible obstacle, the team used two types of tricks: the first is theadjust the level of challenge of the new area in a certain way, and the second is to insert some enhancement objects collectibles (as happened with the Golden Seeds) that will increase our strength within the Shadow Realmfrom the blessings valid only in these new territories. Such objects will increase our statistics in percentage to our current values, so “classic” levels will also be important. In short, a technique that, better than we expected, has allowed us to insert new frontiers into the already vast Elden Ring.
These are the Blessing of the Shadow Treewhich we can increase by collecting Shadow Tree Fragmentsand the Blessing ashes of spirit veneratedwho will level up by collecting the venerated ashes of spirit. The latter will be used to enhance your Summoning Ashesthe same way you will be empowered by tree fragments.
Try to proceed in the game without these, it’s practically madness, given that the damage we will inflict will be less, and the damage we will suffer will be even greater. Balancing is all about this.
From the grace points we will be able to use these objects to enhance the blessing, and in the menu status we will be able to see our values enhanced, with a yellow color. Little side note, know that you can teleport at will into the Interregnum at any time you want, and then continue any quests or activities you had left pending.
On Miquella’s trail
As already mentioned, we will access the Kingdom of Shadow under the cordial invitation of the warrior Leda, who together with her companions is ready to follow in the footsteps of Miquella, who has left several traces of her passage in these lands. These are the Miquella’s Golden Crosses, 12 points scattered throughout the Kingdom, where the divinity tells in a few words what he has left, and where every now and then we will see some of the members of Leda’s company meet up. The Shadow Kingdom is a strange dimension (or plan), unknown and forbidden, and it is not immediately clear “what” it really is, but one thing is certain: The Shadow Tree is the dark reflection of the Mother Treea bit as if it were the “negative”.
We can’t go into too much detail about the plot and narrative, but know that your wanderings within the new areas will many surprises, some more welcome than others. In fact, we are talking about character encounters, new monsters to defeat, the return of some types of enemies that caused us to be damned in the base game, and the usual secret passages to be found everywhere. If you are waiting for information on historyon the pantheon, on the loreand maybe some nice ones plot twist… you will not be disappointed.
New (terrible) Enemies, and more
Were we led to these lands by Miquella like the other warriors or not? Whatever the answer, once you enter, it’s time to dance. As anticipated, there are many new features. The first you will see will be the enemies, some decidedly flashier than others. In fact, let’s immediately mention the “very nice” furnace golemwhich are about ten scattered around the game world, which will truly be a thorn in your side to throw down, but which will give you the gift of Tears to be used in mixtures of Wonderful Balm. Trust me, it will be worth it, because some of these have pretty good effects. Without going into the specifics of the boss instead, we can tell you that clashes that you will face will be epic, which will culminate in a jaw-dropping final battle. Much more than some enemies in the base game, the intentions of the important enemies you will encounter in Shadow of the Erdtree will be clear, which will lead you to immerse yourself even more in the story.
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The new areas proposals will be very largedespite in some places sin of one emptiness a little embarrassing of objects or contents. In total you will find well 5 map pieces, which will at least give you an idea of what you need to look for, and where. However, we must admit that one of the most fun parts of the DLC was trying to reach certain inaccessible areas by finding the various modes, such as performing gestures, using dungeons as passages, or finding levers or secret access points. What we have gained from it is always been more than satisfying.
The number of dungeons and catacombs that we came across (exploring the map REALLY well) was not very high, and despite everything, apart from a couple, we didn’t find them memorable. However, we appreciated several things, such as the fact that they were not an end in themselves, that there did not necessarily have to be a boss at the end, the positioning of several statues of Marika in some key points of them, and also the various rewards that we got from it.
The flagship instead they are i legacy dungeon inserted: constructed in an excellent way (and yes, they also reminded us of some areas that we have seen in other titles, ed.), and which are not unnecessarily long, but with hidden areas and various outlets to discover that to define as satisfying is an understatement. There challenge that they offer is not always very high, but they will take care of that boss…
L’exploration she was therefore promoted without too much infamy and with some praise, but with a Excellent level design which once again tilts the bar largely in the right direction. Yes, because despite the smallness of some areas, they are worth seeing really beautifuland the intricate network of passages and connections also makes them a decent one challenge within the challenge.
Let’s also say that a particular area, however, may result extremely difficult, uncomfortable and hateful. We won’t reveal it to you in advance, but we bet you will agree with us. Probably, given the way and the way to discover it, it will be the last one you reach.
Full pockets, and even more
Shadow of the Erdtree is also though important additionsadded at the level of equipment and related, which really enrich this additional content. In fact, we are talking about different ones new weapons with gods really interesting patternswhich give space to create incredible new builds, some even body to body or situational. We’re not just referring to weapons from the categories we’ve come to appreciate, but also brand new types of weapons, like claws, large katanas or bottles non-consumables (yeah, finally the actual perfumer build can be created). Some of these new weapons can be obtained right at the beginning of your wanderings in the Shadow Realm, and we strongly recommend that you give him a chancebecause in some cases they could prove devastating to your tactics.
Even the rest of the equipment that you will find will be joy for your builds, with complete sets that can be found in specific points of the map, and others that you can obtain defeating certain enemies. The more particular areas, or heroic actions of some kind, can also reward you with gods new Talismans: some will be ones you already know, clearly enhanced, while others will be completely new, and very powerful.
Clearly also the war ashes that you will find will have their why, as will the new ones evocation ashes (some dedicated to the new enemies you will encounter, such as bloodthirsty demons), and clearly the new very powerful ones spells And witchcraft. In particular, you will also have to deal with gods new elements previously absent, which will also open up brand new paths to victory for caster builds. For example, there are thorn spells, ghostly flame, and more.
Last but not least, the objects consumablesi recipe books, and key and/or situational objects. Without going into detail, some will be gods very useful artifacts to exploit in gameplay, while others… well, they could change your appearance in a very particular way.
Appreciate the Shadow
Coming to the conclusion, we want to underline how the voyage in this Shadow Realm he was Very particular for us, and controversial at times. It will be important for players to try to don’t miss anything right from the start, carefully analyzing objects and places, paying attention to the dialogues, and knowing the proposed NPCs. This is because, above all if you are looking for a certain type of involvement, are all essential features for complete immersion in the adventure. There lore what this DLC hides is massive, and the connections with the information from the base game are really important. Otherwise, you may not appreciate this DLC as it deserves, assimilating its value only partially, and that would be a real shame. Just know that the power of this content has even managed to make us question our actions, something that never happened during the base game. Do yourself a favor, e.g let yourself be rocked slowly from the Shadow.
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