Elden Ring Adventurers Face 'Too Difficult' Shadow of the Erdtree

Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree DLC: A Double-Edged Sword of Difficulty and Praise

While Shadow of the Erdtree has received critical acclaim, its Steam reception is decidedly mixed, with players voicing concerns about difficulty and performance.

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Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree - Falling Short of Expectations?

Steam Reviews Reveal a Divided Playerbase

Despite pre-release accolades and a high Metacritic score, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree launched to a wave of negative player reviews on Steam. Released June 21st, the DLC's challenging gameplay, while praised by some, has left many frustrated by its demanding combat encounters, perceived imbalance, and performance issues across PC and consoles.

Performance and Difficulty: Major Points of Contention

A significant portion of the negative feedback centers on the increased combat difficulty. Players describe battles as excessively challenging and disproportionate to the base game, citing poorly designed enemy placement and excessively high boss health pools.

Performance problems further exacerbate the negative experience. PC users report frequent crashes, stuttering, and frame rate limitations, with even high-end systems struggling to maintain a smooth 30 FPS in crowded areas. Similar frame rate drops during intense moments have been reported on PlayStation consoles.

As of Monday, Steam shows a "Mixed" overall rating for Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, with 36% negative reviews. Metacritic presents a more favorable "Generally Favorable" rating of 8.3/10 based on 570 user reviews. Game8 offers a contrasting perspective with a 94/100 rating.