Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC Ruined The Base Game For Me

Summary Elden Ring's base game feels too easy after the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, making bosses underwhelming.

Playing the DLC improved some gameplay skills, causing base game bosses to fall easily.

Upcoming bosses in the base game may be disappointing, leading to mixed feelings about even completing the game.

Having played through the Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, returning to the base game was something of a disappointment for me. Shadow of the Erdtree expands the award-winning RPG by FromSoftware significantly, adding an entirely new map, as well as dungeons, challenges, and, of course, new bosses to face. Upon release, the DLC was met with appraise from critics and players alike, even if there were mentions that its contents were exceedingly challenging – something that I did not agree with, despite the acknowledgment that it did, indeed, feel tougher than the base game itself.

Of course, one of my flaws going into the DLC was playing Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree while underleveled, despite spending months preparing for its arrival. I was a few dozen levels under the recommended level and that took a toll on my performance, especially against tough bosses like Messmer the Impaler . I did, however, level up via the DLC and met a satisfactory balance between challenge and success, without ever feeling I was underpowered or overpowered. The later portions of the DLC are fairly tough and, having concluded them, I returned to the base game to conclude my playthrough.

Elden Ring’s Base Game Feels Too Easy After Shadow Of The Erdtree

Bosses I Was Expecting To Be Challenging Fell Too Easily

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I picked up the base game exactly where I had meticulously stopped: Crumbling Farum Azula . When stopping for the DLC, I figured that would be a great place to stop progressing, as I would still have the liberty to tie up loose ends, such as completing Dung Eater ’s questline before the destruction of the capital. As such, I did that and progressed through Crumbling Farum Azula. The place, where I had initially been met with challenges from the beastmen roaming around was smooth to run through. Then, I reached the final Site of Grace in the Elden Ring area.

From there, I decided to face Dragonlord Placidusax , a boss that I knew little about and was very enthusiastic about facing, especially after the memorable encounter with Bayle the Dread in the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. Seeing Bayle was the one drake that challenged Placidusax and was capable of harming it, I was looking forward to yet another memorable dragon-based boss fight. What I got, however, was underwhelming and, therefore, extremely disappointing. The fight with Placidusax in Elden Ring was all too easy, and it only took me three attempts to get used to its attacks and beat it.

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Having gone in expecting another fight of the same magnitude and challenge as Bayle’s I was somewhat torn, especially after having heard so much about the Dragonlord. Nevertheless, I progressed, now toward the end of Crumbling Farum Azula . Despite the improved skill set, the Tree Sentinel between the Site of Grace and the arena where you can face Maliketh fell easily, without any major challenges – a surprise, considering I had grown used to the Tree Sentinels in the Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, which felt a lot more menacing. This one felt like a basic enemy.

Still, I had high hopes for the encounter against Beast Clergyman and Maliketh, the Black Blade . This was Marika’s shadow and considered one of the most aggressive bosses in the game alongside Malenia, Blade of Miquella . Seeing that Malenia is one of my favorite bosses of all time due to how aggressive she is in combat, I was looking forward to adding a companion for her to that list. Once again, I felt extremely overpowered, and it only took me two attempts to beat Maliketh in Elden Ring.

Related Elden Ring: How To Get Maliketh's Black Blade Maliketh's Black Blade is a Colossal Sword that players can earn in Elden Ring, but only after they defeat the boss and trade the reward in.

Of course, beating these tough bosses with only a few attempts is magnificent. There is a sense of power and skill is thrilling, but there’s something about continuously and frustratingly dying to bosses in soulslike games that I genuinely enjoy. For me, bosses are the pillar of these games, and spending time with them, memorizing their moves, and getting their soundtracks stuck in my head has always been part of the satisfying experience in titles like Dark Souls or Bloodborne, for example.

I remember getting stuck on Ludwig, The Holy Blade in The Old Hunters DLC for Bloodborne, yet he turned out to be one of my favorite bosses of all time, too.

Weirdly enough, bosses in soulslike games tend to feel like friends after spending so much time with them. That was somewhat taken away from me when I returned to the base game after having concluded Shadow of the Erdtree. I’m not sure if the DLC made me over-leveled for the base game’s contents or if it simply fine-tuned my gameplay style to be exceedingly cautious and, overall, a better player, equipped to face these challenges. It does feel, however, like the experience is lacking something that has always been important to me: challenging bosses in Elden Ring.

Related Elden Ring Player One Shots Erdtree Boss With Perfectly Timed Abilities, But Not How You Think A practiced Elden Ring player demonstrates perfect timing against Shadow of the Erdtree's final boss but not in the form of a parry or dodge.

I’m Feeling Discouraged To Continue The Elden Ring Base Game After Shadow Of The Erdtree

I’m Afraid The Last Few Bosses Will Also Be Underwhelming

Now, I feel discouraged to even go through with the completion of the base game’s campaign. I still need to face a few bosses along the way, including Hoarah Loux, Warrior and Elden Beast , but I’m terrified about the possibility of feeling disappointed. Like the bosses from Crumbling Farum Azula, I created some great expectations for the bosses in the final portion of the base game, and if they are as easy as the two aforementioned ones, my whole view of Elden Ring may change in a negative way.

I am also excited about facing Sir Gideon Ofnir, The All-Knowing in Leyndell, Ashen Capital , especially after all those friendly interactions within the Roundtable.

This is not to say I won’t proceed and conclude the game. After all, I invested a lot of time and effort into Ranni’s questline, and I really want to finish the campaign on a high note, with the best of endings. I am, however, shifting my perspective and trying to manage my expectations going into Leyndell, Ashen Capital following my previous disappointment within Crumbling Farum Azula. Hopefully, I get the chance to get destroyed by the last bosses in Elden Ring, finishing the game with a full sense of accomplishment and not feeling like it was an easy endeavor.