This review contains spoilers
After two long years Elden Rings massive DLC is out and in many ways surpasses the base game. If you liked Elden Ring you'll absolutely enjoy what Shadow Of The Erdtree has to offer. All that being said it still has some of the main games issues alongside some of its own quirks.
If I had to say what SOTE does best its definitely the map. Trading away the sheer size of the base game for a more compact design allows the exploration to feel much more focused and easier to navigate. Mix this with some of the best art direction in a Fromsoft game and you have one of the best designed hubs in Soulsborne history. Another improvement that shocked me was just how great the Legacy Dungeons were, with each and every one being a marked improvement over any in the base game (especially the Shadow Keep). Lastly, the new Mausoleums and Forges are wonderful dungeon types that manage to shake up the already impressive diversity of Elden Ring.
Sadly its not all perfect and SOTE has some very annoying issues. First and foremost is just how much of the open world content feels blatantly recycled from the main game, with many of the same bosses you fought (mostly Dragons) showing up and having little diversity from their base game counterpart. As for actual new bosses the only real one is that of the Wickerman, who are the WORST overworld bosses that take ages to kill and are just not fun or engaging at all. Moving on to the subject of the actual bosses and this one is another mixed bag. On one hand I absolutely loved the main story bosses and would consider them some of ERs best, with bosses like Messmer and especially Radahn feeling like true spectacles. On the other hand most of the optional fights feel the exact opposite, with them suffering from either terrible design choices or just feeling unfun to fight (fuck the Scadutree Avatar). A more interesting mechanic introduced to the DLC area exclusively is that of the Scadutree/Revered Spirit Ash system which allow for more offense & defense for both the player and whatever ashes are used. The mechanic is fine in theory but the execution could've been better, as I feel like it forces exploration in a pretty inorganic way and can make some of the later fights feel a bit fake in difficulty because of just how good the later upgrades are. Last but not least is the technical aspect, and From did not disappoint in the slightest. Not only is the launch stutter back but you'll also experience awful frame drops and instances of enemies just clipping through the world (this happened with every Ulcerated Tree Spirit I found and it was very frustrating).
Despite all that I still came out of Shadow Of The Erdtree with a positive outlook and would consider this one of the better Fromsoft DLCs. While not absolute peak (Old Hunters and Ringed City carry that honor) I'd still absolutely recommend playing this as it is the best of what Elden Ring has to offer. Also whoever designed the stealth section in the Madness area needs to be fired what the fuck Miyazaki.
8/10
If I had to say what SOTE does best its definitely the map. Trading away the sheer size of the base game for a more compact design allows the exploration to feel much more focused and easier to navigate. Mix this with some of the best art direction in a Fromsoft game and you have one of the best designed hubs in Soulsborne history. Another improvement that shocked me was just how great the Legacy Dungeons were, with each and every one being a marked improvement over any in the base game (especially the Shadow Keep). Lastly, the new Mausoleums and Forges are wonderful dungeon types that manage to shake up the already impressive diversity of Elden Ring.
Sadly its not all perfect and SOTE has some very annoying issues. First and foremost is just how much of the open world content feels blatantly recycled from the main game, with many of the same bosses you fought (mostly Dragons) showing up and having little diversity from their base game counterpart. As for actual new bosses the only real one is that of the Wickerman, who are the WORST overworld bosses that take ages to kill and are just not fun or engaging at all. Moving on to the subject of the actual bosses and this one is another mixed bag. On one hand I absolutely loved the main story bosses and would consider them some of ERs best, with bosses like Messmer and especially Radahn feeling like true spectacles. On the other hand most of the optional fights feel the exact opposite, with them suffering from either terrible design choices or just feeling unfun to fight (fuck the Scadutree Avatar). A more interesting mechanic introduced to the DLC area exclusively is that of the Scadutree/Revered Spirit Ash system which allow for more offense & defense for both the player and whatever ashes are used. The mechanic is fine in theory but the execution could've been better, as I feel like it forces exploration in a pretty inorganic way and can make some of the later fights feel a bit fake in difficulty because of just how good the later upgrades are. Last but not least is the technical aspect, and From did not disappoint in the slightest. Not only is the launch stutter back but you'll also experience awful frame drops and instances of enemies just clipping through the world (this happened with every Ulcerated Tree Spirit I found and it was very frustrating).
Despite all that I still came out of Shadow Of The Erdtree with a positive outlook and would consider this one of the better Fromsoft DLCs. While not absolute peak (Old Hunters and Ringed City carry that honor) I'd still absolutely recommend playing this as it is the best of what Elden Ring has to offer. Also whoever designed the stealth section in the Madness area needs to be fired what the fuck Miyazaki.
8/10