"Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree: Too Tough for Gamers?"

Despite receiving widespread critical acclaim, the Elden Ring DLC, *Shadow of the Erdtree*, has debuted to mixed reviews on Steam. Released on June 21, the expansion has been lauded for its challenging gameplay, yet it has also drawn significant criticism from players regarding its difficulty and performance issues across PC and consoles.

Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree Slaps Difficult, Harsh Realities onto Players

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree Debut Met with Mixed Reviews on Steam

Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree 'Too Difficult' for Players

Screenshot taken from Steam

Despite garnering critical acclaim and securing the top-rated Metacritic score for video games prior to its release, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree debuted to a wave of negative reviews from players on Steam. The Elden Ring DLC received praise for its challenging gameplay, but many players have expressed frustration over its strenuous combat, perceived difficulty balancing issues, as well as performance issues on PC and consoles.

Players Cite Performance Issues and Perceived Disproportionate Difficulty

Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree 'Too Difficult' for Players

Screenshot taken from Reddit

Many players cited the intensity of the expansion's battles as a key issue, stating that fights feel even more challenging and sometimes disproportionately difficult compared to the base game. Some players' reviews on Shadow of the Erdtree pointed out that enemy placements felt "rushed," in other words, not thoroughly designed, and that "bosses have overinflated health bars."

Players likewise reported performance problems, with numerous PC users reporting crashes, micro-stuttering, and capped frame rates. Some players, even those with powerful systems, reported frame rates dropping below 30 FPS in dense in-game areas, making the game difficult to play. Similar issues were also reported by players on PlayStation consoles wherein frame rates drop significantly during intense moments.

Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree 'Too Difficult' for Players

Screenshot taken from Metacritic

As of Monday, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree has an overall Mixed review on Steam, with 36% negative reviews. It is currently rated as 'Generally Favorable' with a score of 8.3/10 on Metacritic based on 570 user ratings. Meanwhile, Game8 has given Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree an overall rating of 94/100.