Shadow of the Erdtree Review

Shadow of the Erdtree is the latest expansion to the critically acclaimed and fan-favorite Elden Ring. But is it a worthy expansion to the highest selling Soulslike video game of all time? Can it meet the high expectations of From Software’s demanding fanbase? And does it answer any of the questions left unanswered by the original? Let’s find out.

We can look at the story of this expansion from two perspectives: 1) what the writers have written and 2) how the story is told. I am pleased to inform you that Shadow of the Erdtree answers more questions than it creates. If Marika’s background or Miquella’s motives to enter Shadow Lands were the thoughts that kept you awake at night, Shadow of the Erdtree is here to save your sleep schedule. However, as is generally the case with all From Software creations, there are enough questions left unanswered at the end of this expansion for those of you who want to stay awake still.

If you’ve been living under a rock for the past decade or so and have no idea how From Software likes to tell stories, here’s a quick rundown: you’re thrown into the world of the game, and that’s it! The game never stops to show you a highly cinematic cutscene. There are no scripted events, no predetermined story beats. No NPCs to dump a bunch of exposition onto you that you absolutely didn’t ask for. Well, there are NPCs, but they speak in the most inconvenient, cryptic manner. Elden Ring, and in extension Shadow of the Erdtree, tells its story only to those who want to hear it. Nothing is free in a From Software game. If you want to know what is going on, you have to work for it. So, “How in the world do they tell their story?” I hear you ask. Well, through the environment, enemy designs, NPCs, and item descriptions (yes, item descriptions). Every boss, building, room, or sword tells a story (if you look at it long enough). As you put these pieces together, the story (hopefully) starts to take shape before your eyes. “But I don’t want to work for the story,” I hear you complain. The beauty of all this is that you don’t have to. If you want to just explore the world and die over and over, ahem, I mean, overcome challenging obstacles, do it! No one can tell you it’s “nOt tHe rIghT wAy” to play Elden Ring.

Speaking of exploration, Shadow of the Erdtree’s map design follows the tested formula of Elden Ring – an open world map with several distinct biomes/domains. Don’t fix what’s not broken, right? But the developers have taken more care this time to make each biome feel more unique. They’ve used starkly different color palettes for different areas, making each area have more of a punch and feel more easily recognizable.

In terms of gameplay, Shadow of the Erdtree adds two new elements to the tested Soulslike formula, namely Scadutree and Revered Spirit Ash. Their items are scattered all throughout the world, encouraging players to explore every nook and cranny. But the rewards are well worth the effort. What Sacred Tree was to health and mana flasks, Scadutree and Revered Spirit Ash are to attack/defense and spirit summoning, respectively.

One minor criticism of Elden Ring was that most of its dungeons were copy-pasted versions of previous ones with minor tweaks here and there. Shadow of the Erdtree sees to it that most dungeons feel and play different. For example, there are dungeons that challenge you with environmental puzzles instead of boss battles. Even the classic dungeons with boss rooms at the end might surprise you with the arrangement of their rooms or the loot that is awaiting you at the end.

Speaking of loot, there was one thing about this expansion’s loot drops that I didn’t like. More often than not, items dropped by the enemies or found throughout the world are various grades of Smithing Stones or Somber Smithing Stones, which begs the question, “Why should an item that was easily accessible to the players in the base game be an exploration reward in its expansion?” And it’s not like there’s a shortage of items in Shadow of the Erdtree; on the contrary, this expansion is brimming with new, exciting items, materials, and cookbooks. So, finding Smithing Stones while knowing that all those other exciting possibilities exist is… just disappointing.

Completing Shadow of the Erdtree might take you somewhere between 40 to 60 hours. While everything in this expansion seems to have been… expanded (bu-dum-tss!), it’s not necessarily improved. Some areas just feel empty and seem to serve no purpose other than to pad out your playing time. For example, you might go through the trouble of following a long corridor in a remote part of a castle only to be disappointed by finding absolutely nothing (not even a single enemy to vent your frustration on).

Shadow of the Erdtree can be considered a slight visual improvement over the base game. But thanks to a patch released for the game at the same time as this expansion, the main game is enjoying some visual improvements as well. Overall, this expansion, just like Elden Ring, is a pleasing sight to look at.

I mean it in the most positive way when I say manipulating their audience’s emotions is probably the main pillar of all From Software games. The developers at this studio take advantage of every tool at their disposal to make the player feel a certain feeling at a certain time in a certain place. And music has always been an integral part of that. So, when I say Shadow of the Erdtree takes that to another level, it’s saying something. Without wanting to spoil anything, it’s unbelievable how some of the stories told in this expansion can take you through a roller coaster of emotions or even throw plot twists at you with just one single item and a piece of soundtrack (without even a single line of dialogue).

In terms of production value and the amount of content provided, it seems like Shadow of the Erdtree should’ve been the sequel to Elden Ring instead of an expansion for it. So, I think it’s safe to say that it has been able to meet the demands of a spoiled fanbase. It’s not only one of the best DLCs ever, but also one of the best video game releases of the past few years.

Rating: 95/100