Banished to the Shadow Realm
A week ago I decided (rather impulsively) that I had waited long enough. It seemed apparent that From Software and(/or?) Bandai Namco had no intention of putting the Elden Ring DLC on sale any time soon. I swallowed my pride and paid full price for it.
I don’t have an issue with giving From Software money. They tend to make things that I enjoy. In principle, however, I try to have patience with the thought that waiting long enough will inevitably enable me to buy a game at a discount. It usually works out.
It should be noted that I have not played Elden Ring Nightreign. I don’t think I will, either.
In previous From Software games, I’ve found the DLC levels to be less important than the base game. The Painted World of Ariendel in Dark Souls III is a favourite. The areas in the Bloodborne DLC are also pretty cool. As much as I adore Dark Souls II, I don’t really like the DLC areas all that much.
From Software tends to make DLC in a way that players can tackle it at almost any point. Do you clear the base game first, then head into the DLC? Head into the DLC as soon as you can? From Software lets you play it at your leisure. Most of the time they expect players to enter the DLC at relatively high level, which makes sense. Most players who have already beaten the rest of the game are hoping for new challenges, treasures, and places to explore.
Yet how do you make new weapons, spells, and items feel unique and powerful? How do you ensure that the areas are fun to explore and have interesting challenges that the players haven’t see before? If a player has already cleared out the base game, will they find anything in the DLC that they actually want or need? DLC can frequently feel like the developers are just going through the motions.
The areas in Shadow of the Erdtree are interesting. I’m still stopping occasionally to snap screenshots of the sights. That’s a good sign. If the landscape had been boring, I don’t know how much enjoyment I would get out of the entire package. One of Elden Ring’s biggest strengths is its gorgeous world.
The level design is still as strong as ever. There are plenty of hidden passages and multiple, branching paths to explore. I was stumped at Fort Ensis for quite some time, unable to figure out how to get the gate open. After reaching Scadu Atlus, I managed to find a vantage point from which I could drop down into a part of Fort Ensis I was unable to reach with the gate closed. It enabled me to reach the lever and open the gate. Mission accomplished! Even more impressive, I explored the fort a bit more and found an alternative path that I could have used to reach the lever without going to Scadu Atlus. This type of level design is hard to pull off, and it’s wonderful to see it.
So far, I have defeated Divine Beast Dancing Lion, Rellana Twin Moon Knight, Golden Hippopotamus, and Blackgaol Knight. I have three parts of the map for the DLC area. I found enough Scadutree Fragments to reach level 7.
The Scadutree Fragments are an interesting design choice. When players first enter the Shadow Realm, they’ll notice the enemies hit hard and the player character’s attacks don’t. Scadutree Fragments are used at a Site of Grace to boost a player’s defence and attack power in the Shadow Realm. In other words, the benefits from using the Scadutree Fragments are completely absent in the base game areas.
Scadutree Fragments are an answer to the question: “How to encourage players to explore the open world in the DLC?” By placing these items on the surface, players will seek them out to have a better chance of surviving the challenges in the DLC. Simultaneously, From Software didn’t want the powers to trivialize the base game. It’s a compromise, but I don’t mind it. Gives me an immediate goal for exploring and tracking all the fragments down that I can find.
The new NPCs are quirky. It’s a nice touch that they’re all under a charm spell cast by Miquella when first met. I’m not exactly sure what causes the spell to be broken, but it happened after I approached a castle.
Rellana’s Twin Moon spell has proven useful for my own character. It’s powerful against the common mobs. Have yet to try it against a proper boss.
It’s a little disappointing that there is no underground map. With that said, I would rather have the developers focus on making the included levels great rather than stress about feeling obliged to include too much.
I’m hoping that there’s a strategy for defeating the Furnace Golems wandering around. I’ve died many times foolishly trying to fight them.
I should probably try fighting the bosses a few more times before summoning Mimic Tear. Or maybe looking into which other Spirit Ashes are helpful and level those ones up. Mimic Tear is great, but tends to virtually guarantee a victory.
I’m unfortunately reminded that the only From Software game that let you re-fight bosses from the menu was Sekiro. After practicing against a boss fight many times, I would like to be able to fight it again whenever without having to play the whole game again.
I’m having fun with Shadow of the Erdtree. Admittedly I’m also looking forward to trying it with another character build that I have, just to see whether it fares any differently than the magic-user I’m playing now.