Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree's Rellana Fight is an Early Skill Check

Summary

Aside from the critical acclaim that has almost been customary for recent FromSoftware games, much of the other discourse surroundingElden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree concerns the expansion’s overall difficulty. Conversations about how tough the game is are nothing new for fans of the developer that created the likes ofDark SoulsandBloodborne, but this feels a little different. Perhaps a great example of this is Rellana, Twin Moon Knight. Encountered during the DLC’s opening hours, she blocks progress for those unaware of a hidden shortcut, and for players who may not have playedElden Ringfor over two years, she will likely be difficult to overcome.

Shadow of the Erdtree manages to recreate a huge part of what madeElden Ringso specialand instantly throws the player into a brand-new map, full of challenge and intrigue. Upon immediately entering the Land of Shadow, players will have two obvious directions they can go in, with both ultimately leading to a different legacy dungeon. One of these dungeons, Belurat, is a dead end (at least to begin with), which leaves most players forced to tackle Castle Ensis in order to progress to the next main area. Rellana awaits at the top of the castle though, and she is in no mood to let the player simply walk through.

Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree Tag Page Cover Art

Rellana Provides a Stern Early Test in Shadow of the Erdtree

Elden Ringplayers diving into the DLC fall into several categories. Some will occasionally have been returning to the game since its launch, perhaps attempting another playthrough or scouring the Lands Between for hidden secrets and bosses. Others have constantly played it without ever putting it down, experimenting with builds and different play styles. Then there’s the third category, that being players who played through the game in its entirety at launch, and never picked it back up. For this third group who will be shaking off the cobwebs,Shadow of the Erdtree is likely to be something of a baptism of fire, and Rellana encapsulates this perfectly.

Super quick, powerful, and able to use a combination of melee combos and magic AoE attacks, Rellana has more than a few tricks up her sleeve to keep players busy. Historically, some of FromSoftware’s most challenging and enjoyable fights pit the player against human-sized bosses who can match them stride for stride. Bosses likeDark Souls' Knight Artorias andDark Souls 3’s Slave Knight Gael, both also found in their respective games' DLC, push the player’s skills to the limit. Rellana is arguably just as challenging as either of these, but the key difference is that she can be encountered during the DLC’s opening hours, rather than its latter stages.

Players Who Struggle Have Options For Getting Past Rellana

Thankfully, in true FromSoftware style, those finding Rellana too difficult do have a couple of options. Firstly, they can always use Spirit Summons, which make pretty much every boss more manageable. There are also a couple of NPCs that can be summoned for the fight, depending on the player’s actions leading up to the encounter. Most interestingly, though, Rellana can be totally bypassed. Just like how ashortcut around Stormveil Castle allows players to skip Godrick the Graftedin the base game, a tough-to-find shortcut can take players around Castle Ensis entirely. Players can travel southeast from Castle Ensis' entrance, eventually finding and using a spirit spring to jump high above the cliffs to a small fortress called the Fort of Reprimand. This effectively bypasses both Castle Ensis and, more importantly, Rellana too.

With so many options afforded to the player, Rellana’s initial confrontation can be made a lot less painful, or even avoided altogether. However, many will want to face the challenge head-on, and there is plenty of value in doing so. Emerging victorious over Rellana will prepare the player to overcome the tougher challenges, such as Messmer the Impaler, that lie in wait duringElden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree’s later stages.