Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree Review – Perfecting What’s Perfect

Whenever I think about some of the most influential video game studios of these past decades, I can’t help but think about FromSoftware. Besides its contributions to one of the most enjoyable genres ever, it is one of the few studios that raise the bar with every product it launches. Whether it is a gothic city full of horrors, a war-torn Japanese setting, or the most intricate open world to navigate, each game gets better and better. When I thought nothing could top Elden Ring, here comes Shadow of the Erdtree, creating a new standard of what we players should expect from any DLC moving forward.

Shadow of the Erdtree isn’t just additional content for Elden Ring. It is a contained 40-hour adventure that could very well be a standalone release. You know you’re on a new adventure from the moment you step into the Land of Shadow. Despite the familiarity some enemies might give you, everything is new and a breath of fresh air. That’s where I think Shadow of the Erdtree succeeds. It evokes the same feeling of discovery we all got in 2022, making this the best and most memorable experience of the year.

In Miquella’s Footsteps

The life cycle of a soulsborne player regarding a game’s story goes as follows: do as many quests as possible, understand nothing about the lore, watch someone who explains the lore on YouTube, and brag about how you finally understand 10% of it. I don’t mean this in a bad way. But let’s face it: Elden Ring‘s story was as ambitious as it was ambiguous. Miraculously, Shadow of the Erdtree makes its plot a bit easier to understand. I use the word easy a bit leniently here because you still have to go on several scavenger hunts and face NPCs who only speak poetic English. Still, Shadow of the Erdtree‘s story answers many of the burning questions we had in the base game.

While I didn’t mind the presentation of Elden Ring‘s narrative, Shadow of the Erdtree makes the process of starting questlines much easier. It guides you through different stages without taking the sense of discovery away. Take the Dragon-focused questline, for example. It starts in the middle of a road and then takes you to a dangerous dungeon, which becomes a boss gauntlet. It is the perfect balance between holding your hand for a bit before throwing you into a pit full of enemies.

However, the true winner is the new lore details. Each one explains many things that were absent in the base game. Did you ever wonder how everyone at Jarbug was created? Prepare for the shocking revelation here. Did you think the Frenzied Village was the worst place in the Lands Between? Hold on to your runes because it only gets worse in the Land of Shadow. In a sense, Shadow of the Erdtree brings a true sense of closure to the 2022 release. It ties all loose ends from the Lands Between and gives meaning to many highly ambiguous things back in the day.

A Weapon for Every Enemy

If Shadow of the Erdtree had included only the weapons we got in Elden Ring, I would’ve accepted that. Yet, Miyazaki and his team decided to give us many ways to defeat new ungodly creations. There are eight new weapon categories, all of which feel impactful in and outside Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree. Furthermore, each new weapon category expanded upon certain character archetypes that were a bit lacking. For example, those with Dragon incantations didn’t have a lot of options in the base game, but Erdtree expands the possibilities for those who want to make a full draconic build.

Beyond that, each added armament opens the door for fun new builds or even roleplaying options. The new backhand blades will make you feel like you are straight out of Prince of Persia, while the Dryleaf Arts will allow you to fulfill the dream of punching a dragon in the face. Every new item enhances every part of the expansion and the base game in unimaginable ways. While I would love to access the DLC faster to get items, I can understand why we have to wait a bit. Still, nothing stops players from heading into NG+ and trying a new build with all these weapons.

In addition, Shadow of the Erdtree features many new enemies that’ll ruin your day in seconds. While you have a few copy/paste cases, most of the new foes felt original. Do you remember the Fanged Imps? There’s a new annoying variant. The expansion even brings an enemy that is more erratic than the Ulcerated Tree Spirit. And yes, it is a mandatory boss. Speaking of which, bosses are amazing. Love them or hate them, each fight is visually stunning with challenging new mechanics. Sadly, the clunky camera angles add an unnecessary layer of difficulty, which can lead to an imminent death.

Last but not least, if you thought your build was optimized for the expansion, forget about that. You can be level 200 and have overpowered weapons, and a dancing creature with chakrams will kill you in two hits. Shadow of the Erdtree features a separate leveling mechanic. By finding Scadutree Fragments, you can increase the damage you do and reduce the damage you take. Thanks to this, scouring for these fragments becomes paramount, thus making exploration even more rewarding than ever.

As Above, So Below

At a glance, Shadow of the Erdtree might seem much smaller than Elden Ring‘s overworld map. But it isn’t. FromSoftware uses one element perfectly: verticality. The Land of Shadow is an intricate maze with several layers that house dungeons, caves, and many more mysteries. For instance, one specific dungeon has almost four floors and leads to the deepest area of the DLC. Inside that area, you have a legacy dungeon, mini-bosses, and a place so scary that Torrent won’t even show up.

Frankly, and after playing almost every soulsborne out there, I can say that Shadow of the Erdtree has the best level design the company has ever made. It isn’t just the contrasting visuals of black and gold that accompany the expansion. It is much more than that. Every single place you step in has a new gimmick to explore. One of the first dungeons you find features a platforming session above jars to reach the end. In another one, you must light the way before delving deeper, as not even your lantern is enough to illuminate its dark halls.

Every single detail in all locations was perfectly crafted to make it an explorer’s dream. However, my only complaint about it is the performance. I reviewed the game on a PC with more than the recommended specs and found it hard to reach 60 fps. After two years in the oven, I hoped that the initial performance issues would be ironed out. Sadly, that wasn’t the case. You will encounter many frame drops and stutters in the worst possible moments. One of the most challenging optional bosses becomes more difficult because the frame rate drops seem to be another mechanic of the fight. Still, this only happens in specific areas, and after many hours, you start ignoring the issues because everything else is flawless.

A New Standard for Video Game Expansions

After the nearly 40-hour adventure packed with almost 80 bosses and dozens of weapons, I only found two issues: camera angles and performance. Why do I begin with the problems? Because there are so few. The excellence of everything else overshadows the tiny flaws this expansion has. The level design, the enemy mechanics, and the superb sense of exploration make Shadow of the Erdtree the most enjoyable gaming experience of the year. Even if we have full games coming in the next months, I don’t see any other reaching the heights Elden Ring‘s first and only expansion did.

Hopefully, this will usher in a new era for DLC content standards. After Elden Ring‘s launch, we saw how much one studio can push an open-world design. With Edtree, it is clear that expansions should hold a certain quality moving forward. While saying goodbye to the Lands Between is bittersweet, I know Miyazaki will keep surprising us. Because one thing’s for sure: FromSoftware never settles with what it does. It sees its games, learns from them, and tries to make its following product the “best one ever.” That, for me, is one studio that will never stop pursuing excellence.

Review copy provided by Publisher.