Shadow of the Erdtree does not surpass the main campaign, but expands it with a new entertaining and fascinating zone in the shadow realm. With fun new dungeons, a challenging new roster of bosses, and a clever new way of progressing, Shadow of the Erdtree gives fans of the Eldenring more of everything that worked in the main game, and is a fantastic excuse to endure its many perils once again.

From Software’s expansions are known for being exceptionally harder than the base game. Shadow of the Earth tree is generally more difficult, but the level of difficulty, of course, varies depending on the character you bring. Since defeating Radahn and Mohg is the only requirement for the expansion to start, and Shadow of the Erdtree requires possession of the base game, players will probably use after or new game+ characters. For context, I started the expansion with my endgame character (level 165), a single player who proved to be more than ready to deal with the new threats, at least for a while.

Due to these circumstances, it is likely that your character will need an exorbitant amount of runes to level up. From Software clearly took this into account and introduced new intelligent progress elements, which are called Scadutree fragments and revered ash fragments. Scattered all over the map, spending these items at checkpoints improves overall damage and stamina: Scadutree for you and Reverted Ash for your Spirit Ash (although the effect only applies in the expansion). This is an excellent and simplified method of strengthening your character, and I love not to rely only on grinding to collect tens of thousands of runes just to level up once. This is also great for maximally strengthening Spirit Ashes, so I can roll with my favorites after they reach their peak in the base game. These shards will not suddenly turn your tarnished into an unstoppable monster, but there is a noticeable, albeit small difference that does not upset the balance of the game.

Without being too specific, Shadow of the Erdtree is also doing its best to provide a surplus of blacksmiths to improve the abundance of new weapons of the expansion (which you can use in the base game). This strongly speaks in favor of withdrawing old favorites in favor of using something new. For the first few hours I stubbornly clung to the burden that success in the main game brought me. Finally, I discovered numerous cool and powerful weapons, armor sets, spells, enchantments and enchantments that forced me to finally create new and powerful charges. Shadow of the Erdtree encourages experimentation just as much as the main game, if not more, thanks to its roster of intimidating, grotesque, and in some cases downright strange new enemies.

Needless to say, Shadow of the Erdtree is not a walk in the park. An imposing new class of armored enemies that would probably be considered mini-bosses in the base game are now roaming the map like regular enemy types. They are strong enough that I was surprised to see them reappear after spending a lot of time and effort to defeat them once. The basket-shaped fire giants trampling the map can also carry signs saying “Screw up and find out” because they are so obscenely powerful and resistant. The new experiences with creative bosses offer fresh – and annoying – evidence that made me scream with agony about the defeat and jump with joy about the victory. I’m not going to spoil any of them, but a couple of enemies in particular can take on Malenia in trouble. It’s fun to beat them all, and just like in the main game, the pain of defeat can often be remedied by just moving on somewhere else.

The Shadow Realm may be smaller overall, but it’s still huge and offers several postcard-worthy locations, some of which are hard to get to. Do not be surprised to spend dozens of hours unpacking the map, because From Software makes good use of the verticality of the shadow realm to hide layers of important routes and openings. I appreciate how this layered cake approach to world design makes exploring the shadow realm significantly different from wandering through the countries in between. Ascent or descent is usually the answer to most navigation puzzles, as the former often offers beautiful views of the landscape, and the latter takes players through underground paths, revealing hidden ruins, villages and more. Despite the greater challenge of finding the next way, the thrill of discovery is still a powerful motivator after more than 40 hours of gameplay, and my curiosity was usually rewarded with a cool place, a useful item, or a scary enemy.

New dungeons, including repeatable ones like foundry forges and underground cage, want to be explored in depth thanks to some ingenious and sneaky secrets, which are other excellent examples of From’s extraordinary level design. While it’s hard to beat breathtaking discoveries like the underground cities in the main game, some landmarks gave me a break to admire them and have unique visual identities. To experience the strange and questionably reliable faces that occupy these zones is his own pleasure. Even if you don’t quite understand (or don’t care) what’s going on with Miquella and her followers, characters like a shady wizard asking for favors or getting involved with strange, benevolent bug warriors add to the captivating yet seductive charm of the expansion.