Elden Ring and its highly-anticipated expansion, Shadow of the Erdtree, are in hot waters right now, with much criticism towards the latter’s difficulty being thrown from all directions.
At the same time, many fans are also defending the expansion, trying to justify the point and make people understand that it is more than difficult for difficulty’s sake. Now, we have a new champion of these ardent defenders—Johan Pilestedt of Helldivers 2 fame.
According to Johan Pilestedt, Shadow of the Erdtree’s Difficulty Is a Part of Good Game Design
Now that it’s finally here, Shadow of the Erdtree remains mired in endless debates and discussions, from lore speculations to rants about the expansion’s difficulty.
Much of that latter bit stems from the game’s enemy design. Featuring combo-heavy bosses and mob enemies that seemingly punish aggressive play at all times and push all players away from creative builds, it’s no wonder the discussion on difficulty has peaked so incredibly with Erdtree.
However, many fans continue to defend FromSoftware’s decisions and how the difficulty is interlinked with the sense of accomplishment one gets from overcoming insurmountable odds.
The latest among them is Johan Pilestedt, the man behind Helldivers 2, who, in a reply post to a user’s take on the difficulty, said the following on X/Twitter:
Adding to this, he also stated how the bosses only require you to spend some time learning their moves and how to counter everything they throw at you effectively:
Now, this is admittedly a fair take on the matter. FromSoftware has upped the ante on what players can handle in the game and expects them to react to the obstacle thrown their way accordingly. However, the difficulty seems to be the least of the problems in Erdtree, as players have begun noticing something else that is off with the whole deal.
Beyond the Difficulty, Some People Are Also Criticising Shadow of the Erdtree’s Lore and Narrative
In what can only be considered a first for FromSoftware, some of the criticisms thrown at the game also mention the topic of the expansion’s lore and narrative.
The main argument is how the Shadow of the Erdtree has seemingly scrapped many set pieces of lore in favor of fan service, with the most significant point of contention being the expansion’s final boss.
To avoid spoiling what the final battle entails, many within the community are now speculating as to what led to Hidetaka Miyazaki and FromSoftware marking the return of a fan-favorite character for a second match in place of a someone who was seemingly “meant” for this exact narrative surrounding Miquella.
No matter the situation, though, whether the developer’s choices with Shadow of the Erdtree were intentional or not, only time will tell. For now, let us enjoy what the rest of the expansion offers, which will undoubtedly go down as one of FromSoftware’s most significant accomplishments.
With that said, what are your thoughts on the Erdtree’s difficulty? Would you also like to share some thoughts on the game’s narrative? Let us know in the comments below!
