Rumor: Elden Ring Shadow Of The Erdtree Is For “Seasoned” Players

With the release of the new Elden Ring Shadow of The Erdtree DLC drawing closer, many fans have started speculating about the story and gameplay elements players might encounter. With all this in mind, Lance Mcdonald, a reliable FromSoftware insider, reveals the true nature of the DLC and the surprising truth of its difficulty scaling.

The Difficulty Spike Of The DLC

Lance reveals that the game’s difficulty is catered to “seasoned players,” which would force newer players to be unable to play in a more casual manner. Lance specifically states that the difficulty will be so exponential that the DLC would be beyond accessibility to casual players, making the DLC follow the exact same roots earlier FromSoftware games took.

Not quite. I said "Bandai Namco staff told me lol, they specifically said they target DLC towards seasoned players and are open to making it difficult beyond accessibility to new players."

They were speaking about Fromsoftware DLC in general. Not just Elden Ring. pic.twitter.com/0dh55Es2lV

— Lance McDonald (@manfightdragon) March 6, 2024

Lance does clarify and says that this statement isn’t just for Shadow Of The Erdtree, but rather every game in general. If we take a look at what Dark Souls III and Bloodborne did with their expansions, it doesn’t seem too far-fetched. Lance also specifically mentions his questioning the staff but received a very vague answer to the question. 

As speculation regarding this topic is still fairly prevalent, Since Lance has very specifically given us information about the nature of what the DLC may be, further details can be derived from this. Although Elden Ring was initially considered one of the easier souls games, it would make sense in Fromsoft’s nature to take a 90-degree turn and revamp the DLC.

On a side note, Elden Ring has jumped back onto the most-played charts on Steam following the initial trailer for the DLC and is sure to keep up this momentum leading up to and after the release of the Shadow Of The Erdtree expansion.

In Other News: 

• 5 Details You Missed From The Elden Ring Shadow Of The Erdtree Trailer
• Elden Ring’s Shadow Of The Erdtree DLC Should Take A Leaf Out Of The Old Hunters’ Book
• An Elden Ring Mobile Version Is Reportedly In Development By Tencent

Elden Ring came out on February 25, 2022, for the PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC, earning a 5/5 in our review and getting titled “The Greatest Soulsborne Game Ever.”