Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree Steam Review Drops To Mixed Due To Difficulty And Performance

With the recent release of Elden Ring's DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree, players have experienced the myriad offerings of the Land of Shadow. While the reviews are largely positive, the reception on Steam has recently dipped to "mixed." The reasons for this are multifaceted, but according to reviews, it primarily boils down to difficulty and performance issues.

Let's delve into the details of why this is the case and explore why, despite being arguably one of the best DLCs of all time, it is struggling to resonate with all players, resulting in its mixed reception.

Shadow of the Erdtree Steam Reviews Are Mixed Due To Difficulty And Performance

Recent reviews for Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree DLC on Steam have been mixed, largely due to two primary issues: the DLC's punishing difficulty and performance problems since the latest patch.

Regarding the difficulty, it's important to acknowledge that the DLC is indeed challenging, particularly for casual players who aren't seasoned Souls veterans. The developers have scaled enemies and the player in a way that makes the Land of Shadow particularly tough.

However, it's not without its fairness. Players can reduce the overall difficulty by finding Scadutree Fragments scattered throughout the Land of Shadow. These fragments increase the damage dealt and decrease the damage taken.

While this process is tedious, and even with the maximum number of Scadutree Fragments, the DLC remains challenging, it's not insurmountable. We suggest taking your time, leveling up where possible, and collecting as many Scadutree Fragments as you can. The DLC is difficult, but not unbeatable.

On the performance side, there's no silver lining. Many reviews on Steam mention significant PC performance issues: "Constant micro-stuttering and frame drops, freezes, as well as increased loading times, make it difficult to enjoy and play the game."

Another player notes, "First off, the DLC is amazing. The only problem is that ever since this patch, I haven’t been able to run it without extremely low FPS drops and audio glitches almost every second. I have tried every fix known to man. I hope that I’m not the only one having this problem. I REALLY WANT TO PLAY THIS GAME." My personal experiences of stuttering issues in both the DLC and the main game echo these sentiments, making the experience somewhat soured.

Despite these issues, players are not giving up on the DLC. They're simply pointing out that it currently has significant problems that affect the playing experience. These issues will likely be resolved soon as FromSoftware implements bug fixes and quality-of-life changes. But for now, it's understandable why reviews for Shadow of the Erdtree are mixed.

Ultimately, this doesn't mean the DLC is unplayable or of poor quality. Many players who complain about difficulty and performance also acknowledge that it is a great DLC overall. So we recommend waiting for the much-needed patch to fix performance issues and using the Scadutree system to manage the difficulty as we all venture forth in the Land of Shadow.