Summary
The surprisingly contentiousElden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtreehas made waves in the gaming community thanks to its elevated challenge over the base game, which is hard enough as it is. But while thedebate aboutShadow of the Erdtree’s difficulty rages on, it’s worth taking a look at how the expansion, andElden Ringas a whole, actually signifies FromSoftware becoming more accessible.
Nearly everyone who has beaten a FromSoftware game will admit that the studio doesn’t hold back when it comes to difficulty. Back in the early days ofDark Souls, this brutal, unforgiving challenge was essentially all that the franchise was known for outside its core playerbase. Indeed, FromSoftware’s games, for all their strengths, have never been mass-appeal products, accessible to everyone. This madeElden Ring’s outstanding success all the more surprising, as audiences who were previously apprehensive of FromSoftware’s games were now jumping into a Souls game head-first. Crucial toElden Ring’s sweeping popularity is its accessibility compared to previous titles, and this is something thatShadow of the Erdtreebuilds on.
Shadow of the Erdtree Continues to Make Elden Ring More Accessible
Elden Ring Takes Surprising Steps Toward Accessibility
It may seemstrange to callElden Ringaccessible, as it has received a good bit of criticism for being just the opposite, but it’s a fair assessment when comparing it to earlier FromSoftware games. It’s still brutally difficult, but features like the non-linear progression of its open-world, spirit ash summons, and more powerful, easy-to-obtain magic abilities allow players to modulate its challenge level in a way they couldn’t with previous titles.
Additionally,Elden Ringis far less obtuse than something likeDark Souls, with fewer frustrating and inconvenient elements. A prime example of this isElden Ring’s level design, which shies away from theannoying composition of certainDark Soulsareaslike Lost Izalith, Tomb of the Giants, and Blighttown, instead focusing on beauty, scale, and environmental storytelling. Quality-of-life features like Statues of Marika also keep the game from being as punishing as its predecessors, which could have egregiously long boss runbacks. These changes can be seen as FromSoftware’s response to critcism of frustrating environment design, cheap challenge, and needlessly unforgiving mechanics.
Shadow of the Erdtree Doubles Down On Accessibility Features
Elden Ringbecomes even more accessible with its DLC, but only in certain ways. For one thing,Shadow of the Erdtree’s story is much easier to followcompared to other FromSoftware games, which are defined by their aloof narrative presentation.
In the same spirit of transparency, the DLC introduces a number of small, but no less impactful, quality-of-life features, such as a special notation for new gear and a recently acquired items tab, which makes the overall loot collection experience far easier. The DLC update also changes how collectible runes (the ones that can be stored and redeemed later) communicate their info, actually specifically stating how many runes they will reward—a hugebreak in tradition for FromSoftware.
Then there’s FromSoftware’s response to the recent difficulty controversy. Many players have lamented what they perceive to be an expansion that is simply too difficult to be fun, and instead of ignoring these criticisms,FromSoftware issued aShadow of the Erdtreeupdatethat bolsters progression, making the DLC easier overall. This echoes the developer’s response to complaints about the base game’s scaling back in 2022: FromSoftware patched bosses likeStarscourge Radahn, who was considered to be an unfair challenge by many players. This motion by FromSoftware, coupled with the aforementioned design choices and quality-of-life features, indicate that the company is moving in a more accessible direction, shrewdly heeding player feedback during the development process.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
WHERE TO PLAY
Shadow of the Erdtree is the first and only DLC expansion for FromSoftware’s groundbreaking Elden Ring. It takes players to a whole new region, the Land of Shadow, where a new story awaits the Tarnished.
