Summary

  • Elden Ring DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree, sparks debate about boss weapons and spells being underpowered for players.
  • Boss weapons like Grafted Dragon, Rellana's Twin Moons, and Dragon Greatclaw Hammer face criticism for lack of equivalent scaling.

Elden Ring, one of the greatest games of all time, is so back. Shadow of the Erdtree has revitalized an already bustling player base as they search out secrets, fight new bosses and discover new weapons.

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Since the launch of the DLC, a debate has been raging, though. Which of the boss weapons or spells, either from the base game or Shadow of the Erdtree, are underpowered when used by the player? After dissecting hundreds of comments, we've found there's a pretty common consensus. It's probably all of them.

This article will contain some spoilers for bosses and their weapons, so if you've not completed the DLC yet, bookmark this page and come back later.

Give Us The Power Of The Bosses

Now, before I start, and in defence of the Elden Ring community, nobody is expecting the Rellana's Twin Moons to hit anywhere near as hard when used by The Tarnished as they are when used by Rellana. What they are expecting, though, is some kind of equivalent scaling, which they don't seem to think is there. It seems that, while bosses can hit like trucks, many of their weapons barely leave a mark on the opponent when used by us.

One of the most popular examples of this is the Grafted Dragon weapon, received by defeating demigod Godrick early on in the base game. When the Grafted Dragon is used by Godrick, fire spews from its mouth across a huge area, but, as a Reddit user has so eloquently put, when used by our Tarnished, it's nothing more than "a sock puppet that might be useful in lighting your BBQ burners." Another user added that the weapon is "Great for screenshots and fashion..." Before a third went on to say that "Godrick gets a whole ass dragon head for an arm, and we get this derpy knockoff perched on our arm."

There was a reason I mentioned Rellana's Twin Moons spell as my example in the first paragraph. The spell, which casts... well, two moons, is devastating when used by Rellana, and as I found out, so often led to defeat in a hard-fought battle. When the moons hit the floor, three huge AOE waves sweep across the arena and, unless perfectly dodged, will wipe out all but the strongest Tarnished. When used by the player, however, it spreads "3m, give or take," according to one Reddit user. Another added, "That's not even the worst part about it... When she uses it, she goes extremely high up. When you use it, even most humanoid enemies with weapons longer than a dagger can hit you and stagger you out of it."

The third most debated weapon was the Dragon Greatclaw Hammer. While its damage output didn't come into question, its Ash of War certainly did. The Dragon Greatclaw is burdened with the tepid-at-best Endure, a basic Ash of War that reads: "Assume an anchored stance to brace for incoming attacks, briefly boosting poise. Damage taken while using this skill is reduced." And, to make matters worse, as it's a unique weapon, its Ash of War can't be changed. Players believe the weapon should have been given a Lightning-based skill, much like the Draconic Tree Sentinel from which it's dropped. The Ash of War choice also made one commenter exclaim that "FromSoft giving unique weapons non-unique Ashes should be classified as a war crime."

Although those three were the most debated weapons and spells, you can guarantee that if it was something that a boss dropped, like Bayle's Incantations, the Sword of Milos, or the Hand of Malenia, it was called into question.

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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

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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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