Shadow of the Erdtree Reignites Elden Ring‘s Familiar Fire

It can’t be stated enough just how thrilling it was to play Elden Ring for the first time. Even as a player well versed in developer FromSoftware’s slate of genre-defining Souls games like Dark Souls and Bloodborne, Elden Ring was truly the one that made the “live, die, repeat” gameplay loop simply riveting as it immersed players into an open world that became more daunting and massive in scope as it went on.

Even two years after its release, and revisiting the game recently to see how my memories of playing Elden Ring matched reality, I still can’t believe I put 150 hours into such a sprawling game that’s so punishing. But I also can’t get enough of it, and thankfully, the long-teased expansion, Shadow of the Erdtree, is just around the corner.

Just ahead of the release, I played the opening of the massive expansion, focusing on the early dungeons and open fields of the new zone. They’re both incredibly eerie and stunning to see in action. Even with all those long hours under my belt, I still ran straight into the infamous Souls-like difficulty that’s crushing but so satisfying to overcome after dedication.

In Shadow of the Erdtree, we see The Tarnished venture to a new land known as the Realm of Shadow, a region long obscured by the massive world tree looming throughout the original game. Following the defeat of both Starscourge Radahn and Mogh, Lord of Blood, the mysterious Miquella reveals a path to the otherworldly Realm of Shadow, where other characters have made the trek to amass power and make contact with the enigmatic brother to the infamous Malenia who seeks a new lord to rule over the land.

As an expansion, Shadow of the Erdtree upgrades the base game to include a new storyline, more unnerving challenges, and many new weapons to acquire in your pursuit of more power. According to the developers at FromSoftware, Shadow of the Erdtree is the largest expansion they have ever made—with Bloodborne‘s The Old Hunters and Dark Souls III‘s DLC series standing as previous high points.

In about equal size to Limgrave from the original game, the expansion’s new zone features a set of legacy and mid-sized dungeons, as well as optional trials focusing on dungeon runs and boss fights. Moreover, the expansion also freshens up the core combat with new weapon types, including the light greatsword, the reverse hand sword, and my favorite, the martial arts fighting style that turned my Tarnished into a high-powered monk that could brutalize foes of all sizes.

The Realm of Shadow immediately struck me as a visually striking location that looks caught between the living and spiritual planes. It is a zone filled with imposing castles, derelict ruins, and corrupted figures lurking about—including a large, flaming wicker man-style giant. It complements the base game’s dungeons, feeling like a mix of the greenery of Limgrave with the bright, heavenly-looking corruption of Altus Plateau. Where the Realm of Shadow differs, however, is in its approach to storytelling and challenge. For starters, Miquella is a constant presence throughout, and across the map, you can find glyphs that reveal details about his back story and beliefs in the Realm of Shadow.

What I found most pleasing about the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion as a whole is that it’s built with the expectation of experienced players with two years of playtime and decked-out characters to come rolling in. During the hands-on, we played with level 150 characters with well-balanced stats and gear, yet I still got hammered by the many new foes. That was because the Realm of Shadow zone has its own new upgrade system to go along with the character level and equipment. Like Sekiro‘s upgrade system, items known as Scadutree Fragments are scattered throughout the zone, boosting your character’s general abilities within the realm.

I generally made good progress in the Realm of Shadow, but I certainly felt the new resistance and challenge baked into Shadow of the Erdtree—enough for me to bail on some areas to try again later. I especially felt this in the castle dungeon known as Belurat, which was filled with gargoyle-like enemies and powerful knights. The castle felt like going into a more derelict version of the Holy Capital from the main game, but far more unnerving with the amount of danger lurking about in the sewers and undercity. This dungeon was capped off with a stunning fight against a boss known as the Divine Beast Dancing Line, which captured that Souls-style boss vibe that’s visually captivating and incredibly tense.

Based on my lengthy hands-on with Shadow of the Erdtree, it definitely felt like more of the Elden Ring experience. It did feel a bit safe in its approach, but I’m honestly fine with that—and I’m sure that is what fans of the game will want. I was so taken in by the new zone and its fantastic atmosphere, and I found that it added a new layer to Elden Ring‘s world that gave its already dense lore some added pathos to its characters. I’m sure lore hounds and fans of the original game will no doubt devour it once it launches, and I’m certainly keen to be among them heading back into the game to test my might in a new realm. This time, I’ll be taking my decked-out character on another adventure, and I’m prepared to die, over and over again, on my revisit to this captivating world once more.

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is set for release on June 21, 2024 for PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One

Alessandro Fillari is a freelance writer and content creator living in the San Francisco Bay Area. You can follow him on Twitter.