Elden Ring’s DLC is proving to be exceptionally challenging, even for experienced players.
Even the most seasoned Elden Ring players are struggling with the DLC. Elden Ring, and more generally, all FromSoft games, have always been known for difficulty. This applies not only to hard-won boss battles, but also to diabolical enemy placement, obtuse quest lines, and deadly environmental hazards (poison swamps, anyone?). Elden Ring is more of the same, with new challenges in the form of narrow platforming sections and
But still, players like Reddit user No-Bodybuilder9273 are finding Elden Ring‘s DLC way too hard, admitting that, while they knew they were in for a challenge, what they got soared over and above their expectations. Most enemies, even the basic ones who dot the fields, are able to kill them in just one or two shots. The bosses, meanwhile, are some of the most difficult enemies they’ve ever encountered, pairing equivalent attack power with complicated combos and inscrutable attack ranges.
Why Elden Ring’s DLC Is So Hard
Shadow Of The Erdtree Doesn’t Pull Any Punches
There are many reasons why players may find Elden Ring‘s DLC harder than ever. For one thing, many players have been away from the game for several months, if not a year or more. Many players did return to Elden Ring to level up their characters or clear up unfinished side content before the DLC’s release, but not everyone did. That time away leaves plenty of room to forget just how difficult Elden Ring can be and find oneself staggered by seemingly impossible bosses on their return.
Others, like Reddit users Dramatic-Lie-3024 and happylubricant, ascribe the DLC’s difficulty to their New Game Plus status. Elden Ring does have a feature that allows players to bring their characters, equipment, and stats into multiple playthroughs. But unlike similar games that offer this feature, Elden Ring scales up the difficulty each time to pose a continuous challenge, sometimes even surpassing the Tarnished’s level. Players on multiple charges of NG+ may find the DLC impossibly hard as a result.
Note: Elden Ring allows for up to eight consecutive playthroughs with a single character.
Thankfully, players who find Elden Ring‘s DLC do have a few avenues of recourse. For one thing, there are two new, unique DLC items – Scadutree Fragments and Revered Spirit Ashes – that can be used to upgrade both the Tarnished’s and their summons’ stats. These bonuses are semi-permanent, working everywhere in the DLC, but temporarily disappearing when the player returns to a base game area. Farming for additional levels is always an option, as is returning to the base game to respec using a Larval Tear .
Ultimately, it’s just a simple fact that Shadow of the Erdtree is crushingly difficult from its very first moments. It doesn’t even attempt to ease players back into the Elden Ring swing – it throws tough enemies with massive attack ranges and impossible combos at the player as soon as they enter the DLC proper. It poses a challenge for all players, whether they just beat the base game yesterday or have hundreds of hours invested in Elden Ring – and that’s exactly the point.
