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Tag: Elden

  • Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree — Player Sentiment After 6 Months

    Six Months Later: How the Community Feels About the DLC

    Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree launched in June 2024 to massive hype. It was the first major DLC for 2022’s Game of the Year, promising new areas, bosses, and weapons. Six months later, the initial excitement has faded, and the real player sentiment is emerging. I analyzed thousands of Reddit posts, Steam reviews, and X threads to find out: does the community still love it?

    The Honeymoon Phase (June-August 2024)

    At launch, sentiment was overwhelmingly positive. Steam reviews were 92% positive, Reddit was flooded with “best DLC ever” posts, and X was full of clips of players beating Messmer the Impaler. The new area (the Realm of Shadow) was praised for its scale, the bosses for their difficulty, and the weapons for their balance.

    But there were early complaints: “The DLC is too hard, even for Souls veterans.” “The map is confusing, no clear path.” “Some bosses feel unfair (looking at you, Promised Consort Radahn).” These were minority voices at first—but they grew louder over time.

    The Turning Point (September-November 2024)

    By fall 2024, the narrative shifted. Players had beaten the DLC, and the post-game sentiment started to sour. Reddit threads like “Shadow of the Erdtree is overrated” gained thousands of upvotes. Steam reviews dipped to 87% positive. What changed?

    Three main complaints emerged:

    1. Boss Difficulty Spikes: Promised Consort Radahn was universally hated. Players called him “the worst Souls boss ever”—too fast, too much health, too many one-shot attacks. Even experienced players struggled for 50+ hours.

    2. Map Design: The Realm of Shadow was criticized as “bloated”—too many empty areas, confusing paths, and invisible walls. Players missed the interconnectedness of the base game’s map.

    3. Lack of New Mechanics: The DLC added new weapons and spells, but no new core mechanics. Players wanted something fresh—like the horse combat in the base game, but for the DLC.

    Current Sentiment (December 2024-May 2026)

    Today, sentiment has stabilized into three camps:

    The Die-Hard Fans (35%): “It’s still the best DLC ever. The difficulty is fair, the bosses are masterpieces, and the lore is deep.” These players have beaten Radahn and love the challenge.

    The Disappointed (40%): “It’s good, not great. The base game was better. Radahn ruined it for me.” This is the largest group—they enjoyed the DLC but feel it didn’t live up to the hype.

    The Haters (25%): “Worst Souls content ever. Radahn is a meme, the map is trash, and I regret buying it.” These players quit before finishing, frustrated by the difficulty spikes.

    Sentiment by Platform

    – Reddit (r/EldenRing): Most critical. Threads regularly hit 5k+ upvotes criticizing Radahn or the map.
    – Steam: Mixed. Recent reviews are 78% positive (down from 92%).
    – X (Twitter): Most positive. Content creators love the DLC for clips and guides.
    – Discord Servers: Split. Casual players hate it, hardcore players love it.

    Conclusion: Is It Worth Buying?

    The internet says: yes, but with caveats. If you’re a Souls veteran who loves a challenge, it’s a must-buy. If you’re a casual player who struggled with the base game, skip it—Radahn will make you quit.

    Overall sentiment: 65% positive, 35% negative. Not the masterpiece everyone hoped for, but still a solid DLC. Just don’t expect to beat it in a weekend.

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  • Elden Ring: How to Beat Malenia (Actual Strategy Guide)

    Preparing for the Blade of Miquella

    Malenia, Blade of Miquella, is widely considered the hardest boss in Elden Ring. This guide provides a proven strategy to defeat her without summons, using accessible gear available to most players.

    Recommended Level and Gear

    Enter the fight at level 120+ with a weapon upgraded to +22/+8 or higher. The Bloodhound’s Fang (drop from Bloodhound Knights) is excellent for this fight due to its bleed buildup and natural reach.

    Armor: Any medium set with good poise (20+). The Radahn Soldier set or Banished Knight set works well. Talismans: Radagon Soreseal, Green Turtle Talisman (stamina regen), Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman (damage negation), and your choice of offensive talisman (Ritual Sword, Shard of Alexander, etc.).

    The Strategy: Poke and Roll

    Malenia’s biggest weakness is her limited reach on certain attacks. Use a weapon with range (halberd, colossal sword, or Bloodhound’s Fang) to poke her when she overextends.

    Phase 1 Key Attacks:

    Waterfowl Dance: Her most dangerous move. When she leaps back and glows, immediately sprint AWAY and dodge the first flurry. For the second flurry, run under her and dodge at the last second. Many players use the Rivers of Blood katana’s Corpse Piler to interrupt this attack entirely.

    Scarlet Aeonia (Butterflies): She leaps into the air and explodes into butterflies. Sprint away immediately—this attack has massive range. After the explosion, she’ll be on the ground briefly for punish.

    Kick and Sword Combo: Dodge the kick (it breaks guard), then dodge the follow-up slash. Don’t get greedy—poke once or twice max.

    Phase 2: Scarlet Aeonia Form

    At 50% HP, she grows wings and gains scarlet rot aura. The arena shrinks as rot builds up. Use Flame, Grant Me Strength or Golden Vow before phase 2 begins.

    Key Phase 2 Attacks:

    Phantom Spirits: She summons butterfly spirits. Ignore them and focus on her—they die when she dies. Use area-of-effect attacks if they pile up.

    Divebomb: She flies up and crashes down. Roll INTO the attack (toward her) as she lands to avoid the shockwave.

    Enhanced Waterfowl: Now covers more range. Same dodge strategy but be ready for 3 flurries instead of 2.

    Recommended Spells/Ashes

    Melee Builds: Mimic Tear ashes (preferably with similar weapon), Black Knife Tiche (for Bleed buildup), or Ogha (heavy poise damage).

    Mage Builds: Comet Azur spam from distance, Rock Sling for poise damage, or Loretta’s Mastery for long-range harassment.

    Faith Builds: Elden Stars (her AI struggles with tracking), Black Flame’s Protection buff, and Gurranq’s Beast Claw.

    Pharmacy and Buffs

    Flask of Wondrous Physick: Opaline Hardtear + Spiked Cracked Tear (or Greenburst Crystal Tear for stamina). Eat a Boiled Crab (defense) or Exalted Flesh (attack) before entering.

    Buffs to apply: Golden Vow (damage+defense), Flame Grant Me Strength (physical damage), and Bloodboon (if Bleed build). Apply buffs BEFORE entering the arena to avoid wasting time.

    With patience, proper positioning, and learning her attack patterns, Malenia will fall. Remember: don’t get greedy, manage your stamina, and dodge INTO her dive attacks.

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  • Elden Ring: How to Beat Every Boss in Limgrave (Complete Guide)

    Limgrave is your introduction to Elden Ring’s open world, and it’s packed with bosses that range from trivial to terrifying. Here’s how to beat every one of them.

    Beastman of Farum Azula (Groveside Cave): This is your tutorial boss. Stay close, dodge his three-hit combo, and punish during recovery frames. R1 spam works if you’re aggressive. If you’re a mage, keep distance and spam Glintstone Pebble. Drops a decent talisman early.

    Key Elden Insights

    Tree Sentinel (First Step): The classic “you’re not ready” boss. Come back after leveling to 25+. On Torrent, ride in circles and punish his charge attacks. On foot, hug his shield side — his attacks have blind spots there. Drops a powerful halberd.

    Margit, the Fell Omen: The first real skill check. Phase 1: Learn his jump attack timing — dodge INTO it, not away. Phase 2: He pulls out a holy hammer. Stay aggressive. The NPC summon (Rogier) draws aggro. Use it. Recommended level: 25-35 with +3 weapon minimum.

    Godrick the Grafted: Phase 1 is manageable — dodge his axe swings and punish the ground slam. Phase 2 (dragon arm) is where it gets spicy. His fire breath has a huge telegraph — run laterally. Stay behind him during combos. Summon Nepheli Loux for help. Drops his Great Rune (equip at a site of grace, activate at Divine Tower).

    Crucible Knight (Stormhill Evergaol): Optional but worth it. This enemy teaches you to parry. His attacks are telegraphed but hit HARD. Parry his sword swings for massive riposte damage. If you can’t parry, wait for his shield bash — it’s slow and punishable. Don’t get greedy — hit once or twice, then reset.

    Dragon Agheel (Dragon-Burnt Ruins): Torrent is essential. Ride under him and hack at his legs. When he flies up for fire breath, ride perpendicular to his path. His tail sweep has surprising range — stay near his chest, not his tail. Drops a dragon heart (trade at Cathedral of Dragon Communion).

    General tips for Limgrave bosses: Level Vigor first (aim for 25+). Upgrade your weapon to +3 before Margit. Craft fire pots for the Tree Sentinel. And remember: you can always leave, level up, and come back. That’s the beauty of open-world design.

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  • Gaming Sentiment: How Elden Ring’s DLC Divided the Community

    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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