The highly anticipated Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC is finally here, and somehow managed to exceed all sky-high expectations. While this follow-up to the 2022 Game of the Year-winning fantasy ARPG is technically an expansion, it’s the size of an entirely new game—and as I wrote in my review, it’s an amazing refinement of the base game’s concepts, complete with a denser, more organic open world and some of FromSoftware’s best boss fights ever. However, given its colossal size and brutal difficulty, it’s natural that many fans have questions about how best to tackle it, what to expect on the new map, and other topics.
We took to social media on launch day to see if you had any questions like these you’d like answered, and having now invested well over 60 hours into the Elden Ring DLC, I’m happy to give you some of them. Without further ado, here are (spoiler-free!) answers to your biggest questions about Shadow of the Erdtree.
Should you play the Elden Ring DLC in NG+?
Do you think it’s significantly easier on the first playthrough than the NG++ save like I’ve heard? I have both a standard and NG+ save ready. I haven’t started using it yet.21 June 2024
The biggest question players have had for us is whether it makes a big difference in how the DLC feels in New Game Plus (NG+) compared to a “first playthrough,” and whether it’s OK to play through it for the first time in an NG+ cycle. For those who don’t know, Elden Ring – like most other ARPGs and FromSoftware’s own Dark Souls titles – allows you to restart the game with your endgame character after defeating the final boss, giving you the opportunity to play through it again with enemies that have larger health bars and higher attack power. Each NG+ cycle you start with the same character will boost enemy health and damage even further, with this scaling capped once you reach NG+7.
As in the base game, enemies and bosses in Shadow of the Erdtree scale with NG+. However, as in the base game, I have found that NG+ – at least the first two cycles of it – does not enormously noticeable difference in the DLC’s difficulty. However, you’ll still have a tough time, as the expansion’s enemies generally do very high damage; it’s just that NG+ and NG+2 don’t do much more. For this reason, I’d say you can head to the Land of Shadows in one of these early NG+ cycles (remember, you’ll have to re-do the boss fights part of the Elden Ring DLC requirements).
Most players agree that scaling has a significant impact on the base game starting at NG+3. I personally don’t have any characters that are that far into NG+ yet, but I’ve heard the same is true for Shadow of the Erdtree, so if you’ve gotten past NG+2, you might want to create a new character for the DLC.
Are there new achievements in the Elden Ring DLC?
Some people also wanted to know if new achievements were added with Shadow of the Erdtree. After all, Elden Ring launched with achievements for defeating all of the major Remembrance bosses and some smaller ones as well, along with some for collecting all of the rarest and most unique pieces of gear in the game.
Unfortunately, I have bad news for the achievement hunters out there: the DLC doesn’t add any new achievements. The reason for this is unclear, but perhaps FromSoftware will reconsider its decision not to include them and add them at a later date.
New spells and weapons in the Elden Ring DLC
Are there any new spells that are considered OP? Just out of curiosity, no need to spoil the surprise and name them21 June 2024
We’ve also gotten a few questions about some of the new gear in Shadow of the Erdtree, including the new spells and incantations, as well as the new weapon types. In particular, we’ve been asked if there are any spells from the DLC that are considered “OP.” I’m not sure the magic itself will feel overpowered, but it will definitely be effective, and I expect many of the new spells – especially the incantations, although there are good spells as well – to be recognized as some of the best spells in the Elden Ring.
And which new weapon type do I think is the best? My favorites are probably light greatswords like Milady, as they have wonderfully versatile movesets that combine the best elements of greatswords, straight swords, and thrusting swords in one elegant package. In terms of pure damage output, however, backhand blades will compete fiercely with curved swords as one of the best Elden Ring weapons for quick skill or status effect-based builds. You also get an incredible Ash of War called Blind Spot, where you do a few quick sprints (with iframes!) to an enemy’s side before slashing them; this attack does excellent damage and ignores shields, making it very strong in PvP.
There are a few Backhand Blades in Shadow of the Erdtree, but the easiest one to get is actually next to a coffin located northeast of the Gravesite Plain Site of Grace, where the DLC begins. New spells, on the other hand, can be found all over the Land of Shadow (this interactive map of the Elden Ring DLC can help you track them down).
How to become “good” in the Elden Ring DLC
Would it be a FromSoftware release if it wasn’t so challenging? The Elden Ring DLC is hard – perhaps more difficult than anything else the studio has ever released – so I’m not surprised we were asked, “How do I stop dying?”
I explain this in more detail in a detailed article I wrote on the subject, but the best tip I can give you if you’re struggling is to play aggressively and stay close to the DLC’s enemies and bosses rather than trying to avoid them. Your instinct is naturally to dodge attacks, especially since the damage enemies deal in the Land of Shadow is brutal. However, the windows of time you can punish them after dodging their moves are very narrow, and you won’t have time to strike yourself if you have to keep getting close to them. By rolling through However, you can exploit openings to combat and counter their attacks.
Another thing I can’t stress enough is that Scadutree Fragments and Revered Spirit Ash – upgrade materials that, when used in a Place of Grace, improve damage and damage reduction for both you and your Spirit Ash – make a huge difference. Hunting these is essentially the expansion’s new “leveling” system, so if you’re struggling to stay alive or deal effective damage, consider seeking out more of them.
Could there be a balance patch due to the difficulty level?
Any hope for a balance patch? Everything I’ve heard about the difficulty makes me nervous.21 June 2024
Shadow of the Erdtree is so difficult that it was met with “mixed” reviews on Steam, and understandably some are curious to see if FromSoftware decides to release a balance patch that makes the DLC easier. Ultimately, it’s possible – the developer famously nerfed boss Starscourge Radahn after Elden Ring’s 2022 launch – but if adjustments Are were made, I would expect these to be only small adjustments and not major, comprehensive changes.
FromSoftware’s DLC expansions have always been the most difficult parts of the games they’re intended for, and were intentionally designed that way to provide players with a greater challenge. The developer could tweak aspects of Shadow of the Erdtree’s gameplay and boss battles if the player base finds them inappropriate or unfair, but I’d bet all my runes that the brutally difficult nature of the DLC will remain as it is.
Do you have any further questions? Write them below!
These are the big questions we’ve been asked, but if there’s anything else you’d like to know about Shadow of the Erdtree, leave a comment below and I’ll respond as soon as I can.
The Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC is finally here and makes it one of the best xbox games And best pc games ever, even better. It’s available now on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, and Windows PC for $39.99.