When FromSoftware announced the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC for Elden Ring, the internet erupted in hype. When it launched, the internet erupted again — but this time, the sentiment was deeply divided.
The positive camp praised the DLC’s ambition. Reddit threads on r/EldenRing were filled with screenshots of the new Land of Shadow, a vast map that rivals the base game in size. “This is the best content FromSoftware has ever made,” one highly-upvoted post declared. The new weapons, spells, and boss encounters were called “genre-defining” by multiple reviewers.
The negative camp had a different experience entirely. The DLC’s difficulty spike became a lightning rod for criticism. Steam reviews show a clear split: players with 200+ hours in the base game calling it “artificially difficult” and “unfair.” The Scadutree Blessing system — a mandatory power-scaling mechanic unique to the DLC — frustrated players who felt it invalidated their carefully crafted builds.
Metacritic user scores tell the story: Critic scores sit at a comfortable 94/100, while user scores hover around 7.2 — a massive gap that’s unusual for a FromSoftware release.
Twitter/X sentiment analysis reveals three camps:
- 40% positive: “Masterpiece, FromSoft does it again”
- 35% negative: “Overtuned, not fun, artificially hard”
- 25% nuanced: “Great world, frustrating balance”
The interesting pattern is that the negativity isn’t about quality — it’s about accessibility. Even players who love Elden Ring’s base game feel the DLC crosses a line. It’s a fascinating case study in how difficulty can simultaneously be a selling point and a dealbreaker.
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