Elden Ring DLC Preview: Dev Insights into Difficulty

Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree DLC: A Difficulty Debate

The release of Elden Ring's highly anticipated Shadow of the Erdtree expansion sparked a heated online discussion about its difficulty. Many players, both seasoned veterans and newcomers, voiced concerns that the DLC's bosses were excessively challenging, even overtuned. Johan Pilestedt, CCO of Arrowhead Game Studios (developers of Helldivers 2), weighed in on FromSoftware's design philosophy.

Pilestedt, also the creative director of Helldivers 2, publicly agreed with streamer Rurikhan's assessment that FromSoftware intentionally creates difficult boss encounters to foster a sense of challenge and evoke strong player emotions. He argued that impactful game design prioritizes emotional engagement above all else. Addressing concerns that this approach limits the game's appeal, Pilestedt famously stated, "a game for everyone is a game for no one," emphasizing the importance of focusing on the intended player base.

Elden Ring's Difficulty Design Philosophy

Prior to the DLC's launch, Hidetaka Miyazaki, Elden Ring's director and FromSoftware president, had already warned players to expect a significant challenge, even for experienced players. He explained that the DLC's boss balancing assumed players had substantial progress in the base game. FromSoftware also carefully considered player feedback on enjoyable and stressful aspects of the original game's boss fights.

Shadow of the Erdtree introduced the Scadutree Blessing mechanic, boosting player damage and reducing damage taken in the Land of Shadow. Despite this in-game explanation, many players seemingly overlooked or forgot this crucial mechanic, prompting Bandai Namco to issue a reminder to utilize and level up their Blessing amidst the difficulty complaints.

Mixed Reception

While Shadow of the Erdtree achieved the highest rating of any video game DLC on OpenCritic, surpassing even The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt's Blood and Wine, Steam reviews revealed a more mixed reception. Negative reviews frequently cited both the high difficulty and the introduction of technical issues.