Elden Ring Shadow Of The Erdtree Is A Whole Game Masked In The Name Of A DLC

When Elden Ring was released in 2022, I was hooked on the game because of its beautiful open world, its new game mechanics that FromSoftware’s previous titles lacked, and the sheer amount of content it offered.

Having spent more than 300 hours in the base game, I looked forward to Shadow of the Erdtree. The DLC shattered my expectations and left me in awe. It has so many things to offer that if you give this game to a new gamer to the series, they would think this is a whole new game instead of a DLC.

The Vastness Of Realm Of Shadow

Let’s dive directly into the contents of the DLC. When the game was announced, Miyazaki claimed that the area would have a scale as large as Limgrave, but Miyazaki lied. After completing the DLC and exploring most of the region, I can confidently state that the realm of shadows is bigger than Limgrave, Liurnia, and Caelid combined. This means that the sheer amount of world to explore is enough for this to be released as an Independent title.

More Than 50 Percent Of Main Bosses

The base game had 15 remembrance bosses, which tells you Elden Ring had an extensive pool of bosses. Keep in mind that Dark Souls had 13 main bosses. Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree has 10 remembrance bosses, meaning it already has over 50% of the main game bosses.

This is just the amount of bosses I’m talking about here. If I dive into the diversity, difficulty, and how beautifully crafted each boss is, you will be shocked. Every individual boss has a unique moveset and plays a massive role in the story. This DLC did not hold back on fan service and gave us the utmost depth in every game aspect.

Newly Designed Mini-Dungeons And Questlines

Elden Ring had two types of mini-dungeons: catacombs and caves. Catacombs are narrow pathways designed with traps and multiple layers where you would traverse vertically upwards or downwards. Caves, conversely, are more of a natural dungeon with very similar puzzles and a repetitive design that would get boring for the player after clearing a certain amount.

When playing the DLC, I was expecting the same old mini-dungeons and clearing them just to get the reward, not for the fun. However, Fromsoftware gave me a gift. New mini-dungeons are introduced, like the Erdtree Sanctuaries, for example. These sanctuaries simultaneously introduce new-level designs with vertical and horizontal exploration and many hidden nooks and crannies to explore.

Shadow of the Erdtree is Now the Highest-Rated DLC of All Time
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They also are filled with newer enemies, some mystical and some annoying; well, that’s FromSoftware being FromSoftware, and you cannot complain about it. If you are a completionist like me, you have an ick to complete all the questlines the game provides. Shadow of the Erdtree is filled with as many questlines as the base game, and none are repetitive. Each contributes to the lore and has a different approach, making the experience enjoyable.

New Weapon Types, New Perspective

Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree introduces eight new weapon types. This means how you have been playing Elden Ring has wholly changed. I have always loved using strength builds, but sometimes I felt that the weapons were maybe a little too slow; fret not because Shadow of the Erdtree has a weapon type called the Light Greatswords.

It feels raw and robust like the original ones; however, the player can wield them swiftly, changing the player’s course to approaching an enemy. These new weapon types introduce depth to the game because I believe every gamer has their signature style, and with these newer options, they can find and dive into theirs.

In the end, I would like to say that even if Miyazaki or FromSoftware decided to release this game as Elden Ring 2 and not a DLC, it would have been fair, and no one would bat an eye just because of the sheer amount of content they have provided.