Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree Is Hard, But It’s Not FromSoftware’s Most Difficult Game

FromSoftware games are known for their difficulty and is no exception, being considerably harder than the base game. Some players have taken issue with this increase in difficulty, especially with the damage that the foes of the Land of Shadow do. Luckily, with its nature as an open-world RPG with character creation and different builds, there are built-in ways to deal with this, whether that is Spirit Ashes, consumables, or DLC-specific upgrade items.

In a recent interview, Miyazaki stated that he uses when talking about, and that he struggled through.

follows the trend with FromSoftware titles having expansions more difficult than the base game. Although some of the optional, base game bosses can arguably be the hardest in their respective titles, like The Nameless King in or mascot, Malenia, Blade of Miquella, the general difficulty of DLC with their new areas and enemies is usually a step above. Having said that, ironically, the most difficult game made by FromSoftware is one of their few titles without an expansion:

In Elden Ring, Scadu Atlus is the secondary region in the Shadow Realm, with many Grace Sites that players can activate, gaining more rest points.

is a more niche title than, despite winning 2019's Game of the Year award. This could be attributed to it being quite different to the typical Soulsborne formula, with more overt storytelling and diverging paths leading to different endings, rather than players being able to do everything then choosing their ending after beating the final boss. That, and the game's incredible difficulty, likely turned off many onlookers curious about the game.

Unlike and its DLC,there isn't the option of builds, summons, and outside of stealth, which wouldn't work for most bosses. is much more linear with both its gameplay and story, meaning that the only way to get past a boss is to be good enough to beat that boss in close combat. The tight, deflection, and poise system is amazing but provides fewer ways to deal