Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree (2024)

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree feels like the natural continuation of Elden Ring. Rather than reinventing the formula, it refines and expands it where necessary. The result is remarkably cohesive.

What stands out most is the world design and visual direction. At times, it feels like moving through a living Hieronymus Bosch painting—grotesque, surreal, and strangely beautiful. The environmental density and artistic ambition are extraordinary. From beginning to end, it delivers a consistently grand experience.

The difficulty remains part of the equation. Toward the final stretch, it became overwhelming for me, and I did not complete every challenge. That does not diminish the achievement. As a combined work, Elden Ring and its expansion secure a lasting place in gaming history.

It is also worth noting the scope of what was added relative to its price. The amount of meaningful content stands in sharp contrast to many contemporary expansions. As a package, Elden Ring alone is excellent; with Shadow of the Erdtree, it becomes something exceptional.

Shadow of the Erdtree is already the highest rated game of 2024 on both Metacritic and OpenCritic.

We might see mainstream award shows seriously grapple with the idea of can a DLC qualify for game of the year for the first time this year. Elden Ring is just so fucking popular and beloved it wouldn't surprise me if it prompts that conversation. Early reviewers have said it's about as long as Dark Souls 3. Thas a whole ass game!

Personally I'm torn on whether it should qualify or not. I never consider DLC, expansions, or re-releases on new platforms in my personal GOTY picks. I don't know if I have a good reason for that other than it just feels wrong.

What do you guys think?

Wow, I lost a third of a day's worth of time to this DLC already, holy shit. Very fun so far, though some of the more powerful new enemies suffer from the same poise-heavy attack-spammy issues that some later enemies did in the base game, which is a bit disappointing.

The map is massive, as I expected, and I'm having a really great time digging through every nook and cranny to find the new gear and items. So far the area and dungeon design is totally on point and the visuals are basically the original game on steroids. There are some truly breathtaking vistas to appreciate and I spent way too much time with my jaw on the floor while staring at some of them.

Here are a couple neat screenshots I took. Not really spoilery, but it does expose some of the landscape, so they're tagged just in case.

This really looks like fun, and I've beaten Elden Ring twice now (all bosses including Malenia, though that took every ounce of my patience; Used new characters for both playthroughs, so no new game plus)...but I'm concerned about the difficulty and that it will be another FromSoftware DLC I'll end up putting down due to the challenge.

8 years later, I've still not managed to fully beat the Ringed City or Old Hunters DLC from Dark Souls III and Bloodborne, though not for lack of effort.

Some reviewers have implied the challenge is on par with the end bosses for the main game, but is that really the case or does it go through the roof?

If it's really that tough, maybe I'm better off waiting for it to come on sale before trying it out.