Even after multiple patches and changes to the game’s mechanics, Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree expansion remains one of the most challenging gaming experiences FromSoftware has ever produced.
Well, as it turns out, the expansion may not have been as difficult for some when playing through it for the first time. FromSoftware, now finally aware of the cons of adding a DLC years after a game’s release, has implemented a countermeasure to ensure a fair challenge for all players.
Elden Ring’s Community Has Discovered a Secret Difficulty Modifier for Shadow of the Erdtree
As the game’s latest “Will no longer stagger as easily” patch both pleases and annoys people, one fellow Tarnished took it upon themselves to finally figure out what the deal is with the hidden mechanic known within the community as “DLC+.”
First figured out by Fextralife allegedly, the mechanic, in theory, is essentially a massive accessibility feature that tunes the difficulty of Shadow of the Erdtree in a way that prevents it from becoming a masochist’s wet dream.
Reddit user Spleenczar, in a two-part post, explained that the mechanic does, in fact, exist within the game and is actively helping players who are already on NG+ and beyond, sharing their discoveries with the rest of the community.
PSA: There is a hidden difficulty modifier for the DLC on top of NG+! (“DLC+”)
byu/Spleenczar inEldenring
Although the OP explained it pretty well, here’s the gist of it: if you’re on NG+ and above and starting your very first run of this humongous Elden Ring DLC, the game will automatically adjust the health and damage scaling so that it does not feel unbearably punishing.
At the same time, the DLC will scale in alignment with the NG level if you’ve already beaten Consort Radahn once in a previous base game run.
Reading through the thread, it’s clear that many people were previously unaware of the mechanic and finally figured out why their experience across different saves felt somewhat strange.
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While we’re at it, let’s not forget that this is quite an unprecedented situation. After all, Hidetaka Miyazaki and his team have never been the ones to make their games accessible with such mechanics. Could the constant controversies with their DLCs and past games finally get to them?
FromSoftware and Hidetaka Miyazaki Have Never Added Accessibility Features Before Elden Ring
Now, Elden Ring and its expansion aren’t without their fair share of enemies and bosses that can only be described as absolute bonkers, but never would have one imagined that FromSoftware would actually add mechanics that would make our time with them a little easier.
Before this, all of its games’ DLCs were scaled according to whatever NG+ level players were at. Considering these expansions usually took a year or two to come, they would often come across as extra hard due to players having started their subsequent journeys.
The best FromSoftware has done before this is simply “add” ways to make the game more challenging, as seen by the Demon Bell and Kuro’s Charm of Sekiro.
So, while it’s admittedly pleasant to see them focusing a bit more on accessibility, at least for first-time playthroughs, what would be more interesting is to see whether this little secret mechanic evolves into something more significant in its future titles.
With that said, what are your thoughts on whole Shadow of the Erdtree difficulty debate? Did you know about the DLC+ mechanic before? Let us know in the comments below.
