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

screenrant.com:

Having played through the DLC, returning to the base game was something of a disappointment for me. 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 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: Shadow of the Erdtree finally makes good on what I originally assumed Elden Ring would be, a truly open-world rendition of Dark Souls.

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 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