Elden Ring Director Comments on Shadow of the Erdtree’s Difficulty: “Challenge experienced players and push even veteran Soulslike fans to the limit”

Elden Ring director Hidetaka Miyazaki assured fans the upcoming Shadow of the Erdtree expansion will pose a challenge even for experienced players. Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is one of the most highly anticipated DLCs in recent memory and played no small part in revitalizing the gaming community’s interest in FromSoftware’s critically open-world Soulslike. But while many fans are likely focused on discovering the many wonders waiting inside of the expansion, Miyazaki cautioned players on the dangers hidden within the Land of Shadows.

Since its release in 2022, Elden Ring has garnered a reputation for its brutal difficulty, with the game often finding creative ways to punish the unprepared Tarnished. Countless players have fallen victim to the many dangers of the Lands Between. From poisonous swamps to unforgiving boss battles, the open world of Elden Ring is as deadly as it is beautiful. So when FromSoftware unveiled the first trailer for Shadow of the Erdtree, a sizable number of fans wondered if the hours they spent navigating the hazards of the base game might have unintentionally provided them with an advantage for their playthrough of the DLC.

Story spoilers for Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree begin to leak ahead of its imminent release, prompting FromSoftware to issue a statement.

However, Miyazaki was less confident in their chances at a deathless run. During an interview with CNET, the FromSoftware director explained how Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree was balanced around the assumption that players had cleared most if not all of the base game’s content. Regarding the bosses of the Elden Ring DLC, Miyazaki revealed they varied in terms of difficulty but certain enemies had been specifically designed to challenge experienced players and push even veteran Soulslike fans to the limit. The Elden Ring director additionally claimed the optional bosses for Shadow of the Erdtree were especially dangerous and hinted some of them will likely enamor the community in the days following the DLC’s release.

The Weapons of Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree Are Balanced

Miyazaki also touched upon the expansive array of weaponry that will be added with Shadow of the Erdtree. When asked whether some of the new gear might trivialize the bosses from the base game, he claimed that was not the intention. The director explained that the DLC weapons were not necessarily meant to be stronger than the older armaments and should not impact the game’s difficulty curve outside of providing new Elden Ring builds to try and clever strategies to implement.

While Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree has not been released to the general public at the time of writing, early reviews for the Elden Ring DLC are promising. With an average rating of 94, many critics have praised the expansion for the sheer breadth of its content and have lauded it as a worthy conclusion to the story of Elden Ring.