Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree DLC: A Difficulty Debate
The release of Elden Ring's highly anticipated Shadow of the Erdtree expansion sparked a heated online debate about its difficulty. Many players, both seasoned veterans and newcomers, voiced concerns about the challenging new bosses, some even suggesting they were overtuned. Johan Pilestedt, CCO of Arrowhead Game Studios (developers of Helldivers 2), weighed in on FromSoftware's design philosophy.
Pilestedt, also the creative director of Helldivers 2, publicly agreed with streamer Rurikhan's assessment that FromSoftware intentionally crafts difficult boss encounters to provide a significant challenge. He emphasized that effective game design prioritizes evoking strong emotional responses in players above all else. Addressing concerns that this approach limits the game's appeal, Pilestedt famously stated, "a game for everyone is a game for no one," underscoring the importance of focusing on the intended player base.
Elden Ring's Difficulty Design:
Even before the DLC's release, Elden Ring director Hidetaka Miyazaki cautioned players that Shadow of the Erdtree would present a formidable challenge, even for experienced players. He explained that boss balancing assumed players had already made significant progress in the main game. Furthermore, FromSoftware carefully considered player feedback from the base game, analyzing what aspects of boss encounters were enjoyable and which were frustrating.
The DLC introduced the Scadutree Blessing mechanic, boosting player damage and reducing incoming damage in the Land of Shadow. However, despite its explanation, many players seemed to overlook or forget this feature, leading to complaints about the difficulty. Publisher Bandai Namco even issued a reminder to players to level up their Scadutree Blessing.
Mixed Reception:
Despite achieving the highest rating for any video game DLC on OpenCritic, surpassing even The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt's Blood and Wine, Shadow of the Erdtree's reception on Steam is more mixed. Negative reviews frequently cite both the challenging difficulty and the introduction of new technical problems.
