Summary
Despite being the long-awaited DLC expansion to FromSoftware’s latest ARPG and magnum opus,Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtreesurprisingly calls to mind the earlier highlights of the developer’s catalog. Owing an obvious debt of gratitude to the foundational pillars ofDemon’s Soulsand theDark Soulstrilogy,Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtreecombines aspects of the developer’s past and future, connectingElden Ringback to the games that walked so it could run. Specifically,Shadow of the Erdtreeshares much in common with the originalDark Soulsin terms of how its interior spaces and overworld map connect and intertwine with one another in surprising ways.
Theworld of Lordranwas a sprawling and interconnected place that felt all the more real and lived-in thanks to the myriad ways players could discover shortcuts leading back to previously ventured areas, andShadow of the Erdtree’s interior spaces, specifically, carry on its legacy. Hidden elevators, locked doors without corresponding keys, ledges just out of reach, and more all entice the player to comb every inch of the new interior spaces thoroughly in hopes of inadvertently discovering the traversal “loops” that were the bread and butter of enemy grinding and map learning fromDark Soulsand, later,Bloodborne.
Shadow of the Erdtree’s Legacy Dungeons Are Riddled With Shortcuts and Loops
There are technically only two Legacy Dungeons inElden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, but it’s clear that FromSoftware has put considerable thought into the design and interconnectivity of these spaces, in addition to their size. Like the Legacy Dungeons in thebase game ofElden Ring, Belurat Tower Settlement and the Shadow Keep are each considerably large in-game locations with multiple districts, branching paths, a huge number of secrets to uncover and items to obtain, and plenty of surprise shortcuts that end up connecting later parts of the area to their respective beginnings.
Similarly, though it’s not technically a Legacy Dungeon, Midra’s Manse is one of the other more pronounced interior spaces inElden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtreethat shares many of the same characteristics players would expect from a FromSoftware dungeon. Like both Belurat and the Shadow Keep, Midra’s Manse is a massive single location with multiple floors, sections, shortcuts, and loops, complete with a challenging boss encounter at its conclusion to tie everything together. And, like thebest dungeons inDark Souls, considerable thought has been poured into every aspect of its design and complexity.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree’s Map Size Lends Itself to Greater Interconnectivity
LikeDark Souls' Lordran before it,Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree’s Shadow Realm is a large enough area that it contains distinct biomes, but small enough that these biomes can connect to one another in surprising and novel ways. Few games sinceDark Soulshave been able to capture the initial feeling of uncovering an elevator or gate that brings the player back to an earlier traversed area, and given the sheersize of The Lands Between, it’s something that evenElden Ringfound itself lacking. Conversely,Shadow of the Erdtree’s smaller, yet still large, map size makes it an ideal middle ground between modern and classic FromSoftware.
Two of the best examples that players can come across in the outdoor spaces of the Shadow Realm are the rivers and underground pathways that connect two distinct regions of the map. It’s entirely possible to go exploring in the Gravesite Plain and wind up following the rivers and caverns to wind up on the Cerulean Coast. Similarly, a secret tunnel connects the throne ofthe Cathedral of Manus Metyrall the way to the Finger Ruins of Myir.Shadow of the Erdtree’s map size is still impressive, especially for a DLC, but its limited scale in comparison to the Lands Between lends itself to these surprising linkages reminiscent ofDark Souls' Lordran.
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.
