Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree Reviews
Much of Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is more of the same gruelling beauty - but a shift to explict storytelling and signposting means its essence as a living, evolving shared text is lost.
Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree builds upon Elden Ring's narrative to weave new mysteries for players to uncover.
Elden Ring's big expansion just adds more beautiful brutality and action RPGing carnage to its already-tough base. Shadow of the Erdtree is meant to test the mettle of the game's hardcore audience and isn't going to let up soon. This isn't going to change your mind about From Software's approach to its dungeon crawlers: it's either "get good" or go home and it intends to keep the messaging that way with its Shadow of the Erdtree expansion. The expansion's new offerings and updates, as well as epic boss fights, are still as grand and challenging as ever to the point that you may see optional boss Malenia (both versions) from the base game as a "walk in the park".
I find myself wishing Shadow of the Erdtree had a continuation from one of the endings of Elden Ring, or ventured back to explore the Shattering itself. Instead, it feels like a filler episode in Naruto. Sure, the fights are cool, and there's a new progression system to work through, but what is the point if nobody is going to acknowledge it again for the rest of the series. But hey, at least the Convergence Mod team will have a field day with all of this new stuff to play with.
The base game still holds up wonderfully and the expansion offers what is essentially much more of the same sort of experience with a few caveats. Performance woes and overly difficult boss encounters aside, Shadow of the Erdtree should be a must-buy for anybody that enjoyed the base game experience who craves more.
The adventure is satisfying and full of combat and exploration - in a larger size and scale than many "full" titles and the lore offers new information and surprises to those who pay enough attention to it.
Review in Greek | Read full review
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is the lore and gameplay continuation that we all needed. The new challenges and a feeling of nostalgia help propel this DLC into the stratosphere.
Shadow of the Erdtree delivers more of the same style of content you loved two years ago rather than introducing new ways to engage. That's enough to consider it a fantastic expansion, though it's hard not to feel like you're just going through the motions again. With a new land to explore, a fresh set of bosses to fight, and extra lore to consume, it's so much more Elden Ring.
I'm both happy and sad that Shadow of the Erdtree is the first and last expansion for Elden Ring. On one hand, it's a masterfully woven experience that expands on the contents of the base game, whereas on the other it leaves much more to be desired with its disappointing final boss. That being said, it's still very much worth your time if you're craving some more Elden Ring.
Shadow of the Erdtree is a successful attempt to recapture the emotions and surprises you had already experienced in Elden Ring. This is a game that in terms of both exploration and difficulty, aims at hardcore audiences and wants you to have a more intense experience than the base game. The more complex structure of the map and the way the bosses are designed are proof that FromSoftware expects you to spend time on their gigantic expansion. However, in the way of surpassing the base game and enhancing its strengths, some bad habits inherent in the base game are also repeated with greater intensity, which cannot be ignored. Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree portrays FromSoftware a bit fiery, hot-tempered, out-of-control in aspects like boss design and scale. Still, this is an essential experience for fans of the base game that gives more meaning to the main game.
Review in Persian | Read full review
Renowned for its ruthlessness, Shadow of the Erdtree might not be for every Elden Ring player, but it offers a fantastic adventure with its diverse content and epic boss battles.
Review in Turkish | Read full review
In short, it's no surprise that Shadow of the Erdtree has received mixed reviews and I've had mixed experiences with it. Shadow of the Erd Tree is a double dose of everything that's good about Elden Ring, plus a dose of FromSoftware isn't-so-great stuff. And 25 hours of play is clearly not enough for me to form an impression of such a contrasting gaming experience. The game is interesting, exciting, but I think that we already need something new.
The Shadow of The Erdtree expansion is a wonderful addition to the Elden Ring content. The expansion presents a new world that is very fun to explore, distinctive in the way it is designed, and very beautiful and diverse in its environments, while maintaining the epic boss fights found in all FromSoftware games, and the presence of many Surprises for Elden Ring Lore fans, and this is why Shadow of The Erdtree is an unmissable addition to anyone who loves the Elden Ring experience
Review in Arabic | Read full review
Shadow of the Erdtree recreates the exact feelings that made me fall in love with the FromSoft formula, but is this success built on the breathing corpse of the studio's identity worth the price?
If you love Elden Ring it's hard not to recommend Shadow of the Erdtree. New NPCs, items, questlines, enemies (fans of Jarburg, brace yourselves), and everything else you'd expect from a FromSoftware expansion are all to be found here. The $40 price tag seems steep but feels fair when considering the amount of content on offer and I know for a fact that, despite the frankly unhealthy number of hours I've put into the game already, there's still a lot more I have not found yet. Shadow of the Erdtree is an excellent expansion of Elden Ring's world - just turn off ray tracing before hopping in.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is a magnificent farewell to the saga of the Tainted One and the demigods. Even if FromSoftware made a bit of a mistake in balancing the bosses, there is enough content to last an entire game and anyone who enjoyed the base will have a lot to enjoy here, especially when exploring the paths and secrets to discover the intricate verticality of the world. open.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
The daunting challenges ahead, the spirit of adventure and discovery that defines Elden Ring is ever-present, urging the Tarnished to rise again. With its intricate design and immersive storytelling, “Shadow of the Erdtree” reminds us of the enduring allure of Elden Ring, promising countless hours of enthralling gameplay.
An already near-perfect game gets a 30-hour expansion with this DLC. Adding a wealth of new stories within its mysterious world, 'Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree' will also challenge you with its formidable difficulty. The newly added equipment further enhances the enjoyment of the base game.
Review in Korean | Read full review
Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree DLC has more meat on the bones than many full releases, and if you miss the beauty and punishment of the base game then the Shadow Realm beckons.
Shadow of the Erdtree is the perfect swan song to Elden Ring. It gives you all the challenge, the loot, and the lore of the base game in a smaller chunk. Prepare to lose yourself to its siren call yet again.