Summary
Early reviews forElden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtreeare showering the DLC with praise, cementing its status as a worthy expansion of developer FromSoftware’s hit open-world Soulslike. Many fans were likely disappointed when FromSoftware boss Hidetaka Miyazaki announced thatElden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtreewould be the first and only DLC. Fortunately for fans, all signs indicate thatShadow of the Erdtreewill deliver all that they could have ever wished for from an expansion.
Though the launch ofElden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtreeis still a few days off, the excitement surrounding the DLC has sparked an influx of new and old fans of the open-world Soulslike. Notably, this led to a spike in the base game’s sales and player base. Developer FromSoftware announced that it had sold over25 million copies ofElden Ringas of June 12, further cementing its place as the highest-earning FromSoftware title to date. A third-party Steam database additionally revealedElden Ringhad reached nearly 175,000 concurrent users on June 16, which was notably comparable to the game’s headcount in the months following its release.
Many fans expect those numbers will only rise onceShadow of the Erdtreedrops on June 21, and the scores gathered by thereview aggregator site OpenCriticalso support their speculations. At the time of writing, theone and onlyElden RingDLCboasts a top critic average score of 94 and a recommendation rate of 98 percent from a total of 59 critic reviews. This notably also earnedShadow of the Erdtreethe “Mighty” OpenCritic rating, which placed it in the top 10 percent of all game ratings and signified universal critical acclaim.
Shadow of the Erdtree Is A Worthy Conclusion For Elden Ring
Many of the reviews forShadow of the Erdtreeclaimed the DLC was a respectable final chapter for what fans believe is one of the best games of the decade. Critics stated the expansion delivered more ofwhat madeElden Ringsuch a massive hit, with enough grueling boss fights, unique explorable areas, and hidden secrets to satisfy even the most hardcore fan. Several additionally praised the DLC for the sheer depth of its content and its subtle evolution of FromSoftware’s Soulslike formula.
WithElden Ring:Shadow of the Erdtreescheduled for release on June 21, fans won’t have to wait much longer before they can experience the expansion for themselves. However, new players ought to know that theElden RingDLC can only be accessedby defeating the optional bossesMohg, Lord of BloodandStarscourge Radahn, meaning they’ll have to clear quite a bit of the base game before entering the Land of Shadow.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
WHERE TO PLAY
Shadow of the Erdtree is the first and only DLC expansion for FromSoftware’s groundbreaking Elden Ring. It takes players to a whole new region, the Land of Shadow, where a new story awaits the Tarnished.
