Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree‘s expansion has been the talk of the town for a while now, and with good reason. FromSoftware has knocked it out of the park with this DLC, creating what can only be described as an entirely new game that slots in perfectly into the base game.
But not everyone has been singing praise for the expansion. While die-hard Soulsborne fans are reveling in the challenge, Shadow of the Erdtree is proving too much for many people. It seems FromSoftware has heard the feedback and implemented a fix that should, ideally, make everyone happy!
The New Patch Aims to Balance Elden Ring’s DLC Experience
When studios release patches to balance out gameplay, it’s met with some degree of trepidation. The goal should be to allow more people to enjoy the game without reducing the difficulty for those who enjoy a challenge. This is not the first patch for the game that has tweaked difficulty, but it has done so in a much more agreeable manner.
The previous instance was the patch, which reduced the difficulty of General Radahn. That fix was met with mixed reviews, with some people agreeing it was necessary while others saying it dampened the experience. The newest patch for Shadow of the Erdtree has also reworked how players will experience the DLC, but the best part about it is that it is entirely optional.
Patch 1.12.2 states it has improved the attack power and damage negation curve of the Shadow Realm Blessings, received by collecting Scadutree Fragments and Revered Spirit Ashes. The effects of these Blessings have been increased for the first half of the maximum amount obtainable, with the latter half climbing more gradually.
Now, some are going to think this is too much hand-holding, and all players need to do is “git gud.” But the good thing is that this is entirely optional. Not only does a player not have to invoke the Blessings at all, but they can also scale the difficulty by invoking only a certain amount, thereby keeping the game challenging without it feeling like a constant death spiral.
Enemies and Bosses Remain Just As Ruthless and Deadly
Those enjoying the challenge the DLC has introduced can go about their business in the Land of Shadow without using these Blessings. There are also a ton of new weapons and spells to find, or a combination of the two, such as a sword found in Castle Ensis, which you can play around with to improve your odds of survival in the Land of Shadow.
Even those who wish to access the Blessings and make things easier will encounter some challenges. Finding these Fragments is no easy task, as they are spread out across the map, and reaching them requires taking down some enemies and bosses before becoming OP.
A patch like this wouldn’t have been possible had FromSoftware not implemented the Shadow Realm Blessing feature. It could be possible that FromSoftware foresaw many people complaining about the DLC and kept this in their back pocket if that feedback was widespread.
What do you think of the new patch implementation? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
