Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree 'Too Difficult' for Players

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC – A Double-Edged Sword of Difficulty and Praise

While lauded by critics, Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree DLC has sparked a divided player response on Steam and other platforms. The expansion's challenging gameplay, while appreciated by some, has also drawn significant criticism for its difficulty and performance issues across PC and consoles.

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Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree - Exceeding Expectations?

Harsh Realities and Mixed Reception

Despite achieving a top Metacritic score pre-release, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree's June 21st launch was met with a wave of negative player reviews on Steam. The intense combat, deemed by many as excessively challenging and unbalanced compared to the base game, is a primary source of frustration. Concerns have also been raised regarding seemingly rushed enemy placement and inflated boss health pools.

Performance Problems Add to the Challenge

Adding to the difficulty, numerous players reported performance issues. PC users experienced crashes, micro-stuttering, and frame rate limitations, with some high-end systems struggling to maintain 30 FPS in crowded areas. Similar frame rate drops during intense gameplay were also reported on PlayStation consoles.

The Verdict: A Mixed Bag

As of Monday, Steam reviews for Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree show a mixed reception, with 36% negative ratings. Metacritic reflects a more positive, yet still divided, user score of 8.3/10 (Generally Favorable) based on 570 ratings. In contrast, Game8 awarded the DLC a significantly higher rating of 94/100.