Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree DLC: A Difficult Reception

Despite critical acclaim and a high Metacritic score, Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree DLC has received mixed player reviews on Steam, primarily due to difficulty and performance issues.

A Challenging Experience

While praised for its challenging gameplay, many players find the DLC's combat excessively difficult and unbalanced compared to the base game. Criticisms include poorly designed enemy placement and bosses with excessively high health pools.

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Performance Problems Plague PC and Consoles

Performance issues further compound the negative reception. PC players report frequent crashes, micro-stuttering, and frame rate limitations, even on high-end systems. Frame rates below 30 FPS in crowded areas significantly impact gameplay. Similar frame rate drops during intense moments have been reported on PlayStation consoles.

The intensity of the battles is a major point of contention, with many players feeling the difficulty is disproportionate to the base game. Reddit threads and Steam reviews highlight these concerns, with comments suggesting rushed enemy placement and inflated boss health.

Mixed Reviews Across Platforms

As of Monday, Steam shows a "Mixed" overall rating for Shadow of the Erdtree, with 36% negative reviews. Metacritic displays a more positive "Generally Favorable" rating of 8.3/10 based on 570 user reviews. Game8 offers a contrasting 94/100 rating. This disparity highlights the significant difference between critical and player reception.