Summary

  • Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree has come under fire from fans for being too difficult.
  • Twitch streamer Kai Cenat, who only got into the game last month, says that it's a "skill issue".

Last month, Twitch streamer Kai Cenat decided to give his first FromSoftware game a try with Elden Ring. Despite over 1,700 deaths throughout his 166-hour playthrough - even being brought to tears - he fell in love with the game, so much so that Bandai Namco sent him a Malenia statue.

Shadow of the Erdtree has proven incredibly difficult even for diehard fans to the point that its overall Steam score has dropped to 'Mixed', but Cenat doesn't agree with the consensus. As reported by GamesRadar, even after over 400 deaths, he's loving the expansion.

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"I'm getting through these motherfu--ers, it's a skill issue," Cenat said, referencing the gauntlet of bosses he was about to undertake. "I'm a-- and you're a--. But you're a-- though, because you really say it's too hard. Put your big boy pants on, go out there, and go fight.

"This is the first major release since the actual game two years ago. If you went through all that hassle two years ago, why the fu-- would they make a DLC for you to breeze past and be done with in a day or two? Make it make sense."

FromSoftware DLC Has Always Been Difficult, But Shadow Of The Erdtree Has A Solution

I reviewed Shadow of the Erdtree for TheGamer (scoring it 5/5) and managed to get through it pretty easily even on New Game Plus. I'm not the most skilled Soulsborne player, but Rennala and Messmer only took a couple of tries at most. And that's because I explored and found a bunch of Scadutree Fragments scattered across The Land of Shadow.

Without any guides - given that I played in the pre-release period - I got to +17 and that was more than enough to beat not just the expansion but optional bosses like Bayle.

This new exclusive levelling system addresses a major problem Soulsborne expansions have always had—because they start at the endgame, you're normally at such a high level that it's impossible to feel any sense of growth which isn't just unsatisfying, it can make hitting a wall with bosses feel insurmountable. That's finally changed, as now you can go away, find fragments, and come back even stronger.

That does mean going in at high levels won't be as effective, so those who ground for Runes in the base game to prepare are on a similar playing field to those who didn't. That's where a lot of the frustration comes from, but as Cenat says, you've waited two years for this DLC. Did you really want it to be a cakewalk? Go explore, soak it in, don't rush it.

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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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WHERE TO PLAY

DIGITAL

Shadow of the Erdtree is the first and only DLC expansion for FromSoftware's groundbreaking Elden Ring. It takes players to a whole new region, the Land of Shadow, where a new story awaits the Tarnished.

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