Summary

  • Shadow of the Erdtree expansion is massive with dozens of new areas to explore, featuring glorious meadows, castles, and dangerous swamps.
  • Reddit players debated the worst area in the DLC, with Finger Ruins being called disappointing and empty by many due to lackluster experiences.
  • The Abyssal Woods and Charo's Hidden Grave were also criticized for being boring, tedious, and undercooked, lacking depth and excitement.

Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree expansion is massive. The Land of Shadow contains dozens of new areas, big and small (but mostly big), for players to explore. The landscape features glorious meadows, gigantic castles, and dangerous swamps, some of which have become instant classics and others that have been panned.

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Posts

A new discussion that's taken place on Reddit has seen players debate which area they feel is truly the worst in the Elden Ring DLC, and there are a few solid candidates.

Warning: This post contains minor spoilers for Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree. If you've not finished the game and want to avoid all spoilers, bookmark this page and come back later.

The Finger Ruins Of Rhia And Dheo

The Finger Ruins of Rhia and Dheo came up multiple times in the discussion. They were called "disappointing", "anticlimactic", and "empty" by players.

One commenter described being in "absolute awe" when spotting the ruins from the game's giant unnamed dragon; however, when they got there, it turned out to be "the emptiest and most disappointing region in the entire damn game."

This was a sentiment that was widely echoed. "You get to the center and blow a horn, and nothing," one comment said. "Each horn should have been a mini boss battle", another replied, adding that the area "just feels like a LOT of map space for essentially two beacons."

While the Ruins' emptiness was a major turn-off for some players, others had a different gripe. "I just got repeatedly stun-locked by the stupid lampreys," one player lamented, with others quick to share similar experiences.

The one positive that players did find of the Finger Ruins is that they are vital for Ymir, Mother of Fingers' quest, and they do culminate in another epic Shadow of the Erdtree boss fight, but outside of that, they're unanimously considered a pretty bad experience.

The Abyssal Woods

It's safe to say that players didn't like The Finger Ruins, but one area that was a bit more contentious was The Abyssal Woods.

The area was lauded for its "creepy tone", too creepy for Torrent, but it was generally described as "boring" and "tedious".

One player said that they liked "the idea of the Abyssal Woods" but ultimately said it ended in "tedium." The general consensus is that the area was just too large and that it could be "half the size," which "would double the tension." It was also suggested that it could just have been "more linear" because "all of those junctions are so unnecessary."

Another common feeling in The Abyssal Woods discussion is that the area was "undercooked", meaning that something which "should be terrifying ends up boring."

Charo's Hidden Grave

A further section of Shadow of the Erdtree that players felt was undercooked was Charo's Hidden Grave.

The area, which may be hiding a secret to the Tibia Mariner's identity, was considered "pointless" during discussions. For an area that's notoriously tricky to find, it sadly had "little incident", with just a single boss, a Death-Rite Bird, and a catacomb.

What made the area more frustrating to players was that although it was called "Charo's Hidden Grave," there was no mention of Charo or any "interesting lore stuff."

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Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree

Released June 21, 2024 ESRB M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence Base Game Elden Ring Developer(s) FromSoftware Publisher(s) Bandai Namco Entertainment, FromSoftware Multiplayer Online Co-Op, Online Multiplayer Engine Proprietary
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