Elden Ring publisher Bandai Namco has finally released a player guide for the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC as a growing number of players complain about its difficulty spike.
The player guide is specifically directed at leveling up "Shadow Realm Blessings," the new in-game feature exclusive to the DLC, allowing players to keep up with stronger and more aggressive enemies.
The DLC guide detailed the locations for the "Scadutree Fragments," "Revered Spirit Ash," and the DLC-exclusive resources needed to strengthen these blessings.
The player guide was issued shortly after Elden Ring received an update to strengthen "Shadow Realm Blessings," reduce enemy bosses' damage, and fix performance issues.
Players have previously review-bombed the DLC on Steam amid growing complaints of the new expansion being "too hard" compared to the base game.
The Shadow of the Erdtree expansion currently has a "Mixed" rating on its Steam page despite the initial high reviews during the launch.
Elden Ring Creator: Player Guides are Perfectly Valid
While many players may be hesitant in opting for game guides, Elden Ring creator and FromSoftware head Hidetaka Miyazaki assured that using guides is still a "perfectly valid playstyle."
FromSoftware games have been long notorious for their hard and difficult-to-navigate games, forcing players to die and backtrack multiple times to overcome challenges.
Due to how much story content and items are often hidden in these games, player guides on Souls-like games have become common as more players are introduced to the genre.
At the same time, a large part of its die-hard community has begun discouraging new players from becoming dependent on game guides to make them "fully experience" the game itself.
The release of more official game guides is expected to lessen this stigma, especially with FromSoft finally reaching mass appeal since Elden Ring was released.
Spoiler-Free Guides for Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC
For players that have yet to start their journey into the Land of the Shadow, here are some spoiler-free advice to consider before entering the DLC:
With the DLC featuring more humanoid enemies, it is important to master the parrying and dodging mechanics to counter more aggressive attacks.
Leveling up Vigor to 60 and higher is also recommended as many boss and mob enemies can easily one-shot the Tarnished.
For people who have yet to play other FromSoft games, playing the DLC before finishing the base game is important as the New Game+ would increase all enemies' damage and health.
