Elden Ring's much-awaited Shadow of the Erdtree DLC is currently being review-bombed on Steam as players complain about the new content being "too hard."
As of writing, the DLC currently has a "Mixed" rating out of all the 30,480 reviews players have made, a far difference from the "Very Positive" review the DLC received during its initial release.
Most of the negative reviews center around enemy bosses able to one-shot players easily along with enemy mobs and non-weapon item placements being locked behind high-difficulty areas.
Other complaints are about the game's performance issues on PC with constant huge FPS drops and audio glitches. This is not to mention players reporting their game being locked on 30 FPS despite adjusting the settings to 60 FPS.
FromSoftware, Elden Ring's developers, are notorious for releasing DLCs for its SoulsBorne games with high difficulty spikes and performance issues on its PC ports during launch.
And it seems like Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is no exception.
FromSoftware Would Not Decrease Shadow of the Erdtree Difficulty
Despite the growing negative reviews around the Elden Ring DLC, there is no indication that FromSoftware intends to reduce the difficulty spike in its games to accommodate more players.
In an interview with The Guardian during the Shadow of the Erdtree launch day, game director Hidetaka Miyazaki said lowering their games' difficulty "would break the game itself."
Miyazaki claimed that cranking down the difficulty would deprive many of the "sense of achievement that players gain from overcoming these hurdles is such a fundamental part of the experience."
The game director's philosophy has been consistent with other FromSoft games, particularly in the Dark Souls series, Bloodborne, and Sekiro, encouraging players to try again and "get good."
The game developer even stated that looking at game guides online and utilizing all game mechanics available is totally acceptable.
How to Fully Prepare for Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree?
For players who have yet to start their journey on the Land of the Shadows, there are several spoiler-free guides available online to help them prepare for the difficult DLC.
One common advice many guides include for the DLC is that no matter how much players think they are over-leveled in the base game, they would still need more for the DLC.
Shadow of the Erdtree also requires players to fully take advantage of the items and upgrades available in the new map, rather than relying on the weapons and skills obtained from the base game.
Of course, there is also the mental preparation that all bosses would be more aggressive and harder to defeat similar to the Orphan of Kos in Bloodborne and Darkeater Midir in Dark Souls 3.
