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Shadow of the Erdtree Steam user reviews slip to Mixed over difficulty & performance

Bandai Namco has politely reminded players to level up their Scadutree Blessings.
TJ Denzer
TJ Denzer
2

It has been an interesting weekend for Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree. The expansion came out last Friday to high praise from reviewers, myself included. However, as the world has dipped into the Land of Shadow, they’ve found it to be more difficult than expected. Some have taken that frustration to Steam where they’ve panned the game and reduced its user rating to Mixed. Included in the complaints have been issues with the difficulty, as well as some performance issues on PC.

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree’s Steam Review rating slipped to Mixed over this last weekend. Some of the reviews cite issues with the expansion affecting the entire game’s framerate, with claims of FPS dips outside the DLC and on lower graphics settings. Others are far more concerned over being one-shot by most of the Land of Shadow’s denizens or having to gather Scadutree Fragments to offset that starting weakness to just about everything. It’s a fact that Bandai Namco went out of its way to stress over the weekend.

It's true that Scadutree Fragments and Revered Spirit Ashes are ridiculously important in Shadow of the Erdtree. Until you get your blessings up, bosses like the Blackgaol Knight and even open world creatures like the Furnace Golems are going to shellack you. A look at Elden Ring posts over the weekend confirms many did get their socks rocked by these creatures. Late game enemies don’t let up either. Creatures like Bayle the Dread, the Putrescent Knight, and even Messmer the Impaler himself are relentless fights that, while incredibly cool, will test the patience of the unprepared. As for performance issues, hopefully that’s something that FromSoftware is able to iron out in short order so players can get back to arguing over dying and getting good again.

I stand by our praise of the DLC, calling it one of FromSoftware’s best expansions yet, but it is very, very hard to beat. If you’re having issues with progression, certain enemies, or where to find certain items, then be sure to check out our Elden Ring topic for guides on various aspects, quests, weapons, and enemy strategies in the expansion.

Senior News Editor
Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.

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