Announced in February last year, a few days before the first anniversary of Elden Ring, Shadow of the Erdtree promises to be the biggest expansion From Software has ever released, more than suitable to crown the run of one of the best soulslikes ever to hit the market. Given the premises, you can therefore imagine our excitement at the prospect of being able to preview content arriving on June 21st, moreover in the setting of a splendid Gothic basilica in the heart of Parisin which a two meter tall Messmer towered imposingly.
Nothing at all, in short. Despite the level of oozing from our prehensile appendages, we still managed to get done a fruitful tour of the Shadowlandswhich gave us some more heart failure but also a lot of satisfaction.
Let’s talk about.
In the Shadowlands
Before starting our journey in the shadow of the Mother Tree, we want to specify that in this article we will avoid offering you too many details on the narrative framework of Shadow of the Erdtree, as well as ruminations forged starting from the clues disseminated by From Software between descriptions, dialogue fragments and marginal notes.
This is not to say that Miyazaki’s team was unusually generous in defining the story at the center of the content, not at all, but we believe that for fans of the title it is preferable face the adventure without particular suggestions, even more so given that at this stage any indication could be completely misleading. So let’s start from what we know for sure, that is, a detail already confirmed last February by Miyazaki himself: to access Shadow of the Erdtree content it will be necessary to have already defeated Radahn the Celestial Scourge and the Blood Lord Mohgthe latter lined up in front of the cocoon containing the remains of Gentil Miquella.
As expected, the gates of the Shadow Lands will be opened precisely by contact with the shriveled hand of the Empyrean, a more than central figure in the lore of the expansion as well as one of the most enigmatic entities in the Elden Ring universe. Immediately after leaving behind the vermilion reverberations of Mohgwyn’s Palace, we will find ourselves at the bottom of a narrow rocky gorge, in front of a staircase that will soon lead us towards a view that is nothing short of persuasive, heralded by the bronze reflections of a twilight full of melancholy nuances.
The impact of this glorious apparition brought to mind the sensations we felt after leaving the Cave of Knowledge for the first time, disconcerted in front of the dark splendor of Sepolcride. On the other hand, the initial area of Shadow of the Erdtree closely resembles the ruined profile of the first region of the Interregnum, although the scenario appears in this case darker and more mournful: dimly illuminated by the opaque glow of a veiled sky – literally – we found a huge expanse of ghostly tombstones welcoming us, a sinister and bewitching warning silhouetted against the background of a misty valley, bristling with crooked monumental arches and twisted trees.
Just to dispel a doubt that no one had, we can confirm that the first hours in the company of Shadow of the Erdtree have vigorously reiterated From Software’s artistic talentmatrix of a kaleidoscope of extraordinarily evocative settings, consistent with the general style of the work but also endowed with a strong and distinctive identity.
While respecting the Gothic canons of the Interregnum, the fortified settlement of Belurat shows, for example, pleasantly new characteristics, in a riot of twisted colonnades, portals covered in bas-reliefs and majestic mausoleums wrapped in purple drapes: all legacies of now forgotten splendors, darkened by shadow of an atrocious conflict. An aspect inherited from From Software’s work is undoubtedly the verticality of many scenarios, as well as the care instilled in a level design which, at least for the moment, does not show significant roughness, even with regards to secondary dungeons and underground areas of all kinds. In this regard, not yet having the tools to fully confirm the promises of the Japanese team, we had the impression that Shadow of the Erdtree is actually a truly impressive piece of content, which along the way will lead users to compete with around ten bosses” major” leveraging a significantly expanded arsenal, with approx 100 brand new items and 8 new categories of equipment.
The Blessings of the Lightless
Before delving into the paraphernalia available to players in the Shadowlands, it is worth specifying a point that is perhaps obvious but still worthy of confirmation: Shadow of the Erdtree is decidedly unforgiving content, characterized by a high level of challenge even by Elden Ring standards. This is not only because enemies are capable of inflicting large amounts of damage, but also due to the notable aggressiveness of their attack patterns, combined with an extraordinary determination to relentlessly pursue players.
To save the rind it is therefore necessary to combine skill and cold blood, with the addition of a good dose of strategy and mastery of the game systems. To reduce the risk of running into excesses of frustration with sacrilegious declamations attached, the developer has included a secondary progression system in the package useful for re-establishing – at least partially – the balance of forces on the field. Scadutree Blessing and Revered Spirit Ash Blessing they are permanent enhancements capable of significantly altering a character’s statistics: in general, the former increase the damage inflicted by the Senzaluce and reduce the damage suffered, while the latter have the same function but in relation to the summons, and in addition they increase the vitality of Torrente as well as the strength of mounted assaults.
The effects of the blessings (valid only in the Shadow Lands) can be increased by accumulating special fragments, the search for which constitutes a further incentive for exploration. As significant as these bonuses are, we confirm that during the test we did not perceive significant declines in the gameplay balance, and this made us suspect that it is a mechanic designed to ensure that, regardless of one’s level, users can have similar experiences within the framework of the DLC.
Basically, we assume that the extent of the benefits conferred by the Blessings depends on the character’s parameters, so that the proposal can be enjoyable (read “adequately difficult”) whether you show up at Miquella with a Senzaluce at level 80, or touching her hand after having exceeded 150. We reiterate that this is speculation still devoid of solid foundations, but we wouldn’t be surprised if this were exactly the case. In any case, as mentioned, we do not expect the Blessings to affect the degree of challenge of Shadow of the Erdtree much, although it is still early to establish their specific weight in the framework of the offer. For what it’s worth, with a character at 150 and three levels of Blessings on our backs, we have accumulated a good dose of deaths, both at the hands of basic enemies (including completely new abominations and others clearly inspired by old acquaintances) and by the harassment of the two main bosses present in the trial version. Despite sharing a decidedly valuable design, both in aesthetic terms and in terms of their lethal movements, the two have imposed very different challenges on us, and it is likely that this variety is destined to increase along the way.
The only problem we encountered on this specific side concerns more than anything else the first boss, that is the Leonine Omen already seen in the DLC trailer: the rather generous dimensions of the creature, combined with the impetuosity of its movements, they put camera management to the test, all in the face of a “tracking” of the shots that is a little too strong. Hiccups which, incidentally, we did not encounter with the second boss, on which we prefer not to give further details. More generally, our first taste of Shadow of the Erdtree content did not highlight any real critical issuesbut only a handful of slight distortions that could disappear in time for the launch, mostly attributable to the balancing of the proposal.
An arsenal never so rich
Speaking of possible imbalances, perhaps with a relative weight in the gameplay balance, some of the new weapons included in the package they surprised us with the brutal effectiveness of their movesets, sometimes offering us deadly abilities that are nothing short of spectacular. An epithet, the latter, which we feel like extending to a good part of the “samples” present in the tested build, among throwing knives, clawed offshoots and bandages capable of giving the Senzaluce the aptitude of an expert puncher.
Considering how difficult it is to do justice to martial combinations in any action game, we admit that we were amazed by the effectiveness of this particular moveset, also with regards to the physicality of the blows. Likewise, we appreciated the willingness of the team at broaden your combat patterns with a wide range of medium-range attackssometimes associated with weapons that are only apparently unsuitable for the purpose, such as heavy axes to be thrown forcefully at the unfortunate person in question.
If Elden Ring already offers a full range of warlike solutions (which can also be customized with War Ashes and different types of “scaling”), Shadow of the Erdtree promises to further extend, and with great generosity, the spectrum of variables within the combat system.
It is worth pointing out that in the demo there were tools designed to adapt to very different builds, both in terms of parameters and approach, as well as a fair number of new spells, between homing projectiles, loadable mystical blasts and new “forms”. Also tantalizing is the inclusion of accessories with cumulative effects, such as amulets capable of strengthening the attack based on the number of critical hits scored in a given period of time. All pieces of a multi-faceted and stimulating mosaic of content, with which the team aims to renew an already monumental offer. It goes without saying that it is not yet the time to sum up the value of the numerous additions developed by From Software, but it is already clear that Shadow of the Erdtree aspires to the throne of best additional content ever developed by the Japanese teamand has all it takes to wear the crown.
