FromSoftware ready
The industry in the West may be going through truly complicated times full of uncertainty, but it seems that for the majority of developers in Japan, the crisis is something completely unrelated. Nintendo is stronger than ever. Capcom releases hit after hit and for its part, Bandai Namco has been able to take great advantage of the franchises it has and the important alliances it has forged over the years with large studios such as FromSoftware. After the monumental success in every sense that it had Elden Ring When it was launched in February 2022, the parents of Dark Souls are ready to expand the already massive experience with a complete expansion, which promises to be one of their most ambitious and important works in their entire brilliant history. Of course, the hype is through the roof.
A few days ago we had the great opportunity to be at the previous event of Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree held in the heart of Hollywood, California, where together with several members of the international press, we were able to spend just over three hours with the impressive DLC of FromSoftware. This first encounter with the anticipated expansion has been truly impressive, as we were able to see part of the gigantic scale it will have, as well as some of the new features it introduces to the intricate open world of the RPG. Just as we expected, the study of Hidetaka Miyazaki remains at the top of his game, making it clear that all these years building his legacy and renown have not been in vain. We are facing one of the most important additional contents in the history of the medium.
The kingdom of shadows
Let’s go straight to what we can already confirm about what it represents Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree and of course, more than what we learned after having spent just over three hours in the Realm of Shadows constantly dying because in fact, its content is designed for advanced players who have already spent dozens, if not hundreds of hours in the title. Yes, the DLC is considerably challenging, that was agreed upon by all of us who were able to be present at the event.
At the outset I can tell you to prepare a fairly experienced character. For this test, we were given access to a level 150 character, which I felt was barely enough to survive all the dangers of Shadow of the Erdtree. Getting to each of the Sites of Grace felt like a true feat. From the moment you appear in this new area and begin to walk through it, a flaming giant greets you to tear you to pieces as soon as you approach it. Same case of the couple of bosses that we were able to face, which, by the way, were really difficult to reach due to their also ruthless dungeons. In case your character is considerably below that level we mentioned, we wish you the best of luck, because you are going to need it.
Where do you access Realm of Shadows and everything it is? Shadow of the Erdtree? Well, just as suspected since the first preview of the expansion was shown, the chosen place is Mohgwyn Palace, guarded by the imposing Mohg, Lord of Blood, whom of course, you must have defeated first to be able to enter everything. the new. Just as usually happens with FromSoftware DLC, here a considerably high standard is once again set for those who want to consume it. No, there is no kind of help or quick shortcut in case you haven’t reached this point in Elden Ring, so I would advise you to prepare properly if you have plans to enter the expansion. It is clear that it is endgame content totally designed for advanced players, just as I mentioned at the beginning of this content.
Speaking of all this matter, I tell you that the story will precisely follow a bit of the lore of this Demigod, who has kidnapped Miquella to lock her in a kind of cocoon or egg. To discover precisely why this has happened and, of course, the consequences it will have throughout the world, we enter the realm of shadows. As you can surely imagine, talking about the history of this DLC is just as happens with all of Hidetaka Miyazaki’s works; That is to say, once again we have an extremely cryptic narrative that is difficult to follow due to the strong ambiguity and strange concepts that are used. This is a position that I have never fully shared in FromSoftware’s works, but I also perfectly understand that this is part of its charm.
Another issue that there were doubts about was the integration of this new area into the open world of Elden Ring. I tell you that once you touch Miquella’s bloody arm that sticks out of the cocoon in which she is captive, you are automatically transported to the map of Shadow of the Erdtree, which, we could say, works independently and not connected to the rest of the areas. Regarding its size, we were told that it is a little larger in size than West Limgrave, the first area we visited in the main game. The interesting thing here is that this area is guarded by more than 10 bosses, as well as several completely new enemies who will be eager to kill you as soon as you get a little careless.
Something that caught my attention is that for this test we were given the choice between using a warrior, a knight, or a magician, none of the new classes, although we were confirmed that Martial Fighting and Dueling Shields arrive as two of the greatest news. In addition to the above, more than 100 weapons will be introduced. We were able to see a little of this, for example, a huge hammer that had the power to be thrown from a distance like a projectile. Undoubtedly, one of the best parts we could try of Shadow of the Erdtree. In addition, we use a sword of great agility, as well as a bear claw. Yes, one of the new weapons in the expansion is a bear claw.
This is not all, since the expansion is also accompanied by dozens of completely new items, some of them that are for exclusive use of the Realm of Shadows. For example, we have the Scadutree Fragments, which serve to improve our defense and attack considerably, in addition to the Revered Spirit Ash, which make our summons much more effective in combat. I repeat, these improvements only have an effect within the expansion map and I suspect that their main objective is to help us a little with the high difficulty that the additional content presents, but without breaking the main game.
Of course, these first hours with Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree They only let us see the tip of the iceberg that represents this enormous expansion that will surely end up stealing a lot of our playing time in which, obviously we are going to discover more of its secrets and everything it holds for those who are eager to return to this wonderful world.
Massive, spectacular
I think the best way to describe this first meeting with Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is using the words: massive and spectacular. I have been truly overwhelmed with everything it offers and how it is presented, effectively making those two years in development noticeable. We are undoubtedly facing the most ambitious DLC in the entire history of FromSoftware, which of course, we cannot say lightly if we take into account what they have done in this section in their past games. There is simply nothing to worry about, parents of Dark Souls They will be delivering a fabulous experience that will leave everyone who gives it a chance extremely satisfied and, I would even dare to say, some will put it as a candidate for game of the year. Is it worth nominating an expansion to GOTY?
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree It is scheduled to be released on June 21 on all platforms for which the original game was released, that is, you can enjoy it on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PC. By the way, for this test curiously we used the PC version that we remember, it was originally plagued with technical problems, which seem to have been overcome, because I can tell you that in general terms it behaved in a good way. It seems that the expansion is finished and ready to hit the market in a timely manner.
#Hands #Elden #Ring #Shadow #Erdtree #Atomix
