Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree – First Impressions of the Big DLC

ign.com:

There was something magical about that first playthrough of Elden Ring – when everything was new and there was a prevailing sense of discovery and awe as I rode through The Lands Between, stumbling upon the horrors of Caelid, the beautiful vistas of Limgrave and Liurnia, and the treasures that awaited after a challenging dungeon. Which is why my three hours with Elden Ring’s DLC: Shadow of the Erdtree was so exciting, because it felt like I was playing Elden Ring again for the first time, in a brand new realm to explore, with new discoveries, new surprises, new gear, and you’d better believe new challenges, even despite my provided level 150 character with end-game level gear.

My three hour play session began at the Cocoon of the Empyrean Site of Grace, which is where you do battle with the optional boss Mohg: The Lord of Blood. But this time, instead of an empty boss room, there was an NPC named Leda there as well, who asked me if I too was beckoned by Miquella. By examining the cocoon with Miquella’s withered arm ominously hanging out, I was whisked away to the Realm of Shadow.

It’s hard to get a sense for just how big the Realm of Shadow actually is, but I will say that my first steps out into it were definitely reminiscent of the first time I emerged from the elevator and opened the doors into Limgrave. There were obvious areas of interest right from the get-go for me to explore, like a crypt that was directly to my left, some scorched ruins directly up ahead, a large castle far off in the distance, and the towering flaming brazier enemy from the trailer roaming around just on the horizon.

Of course, in true Elden Ring fashion, the very first enemy I encountered ended up murdering me, as if to reassure me that despite my level 150 character with a +25 strength scaled axe, along with 80 points allocated to strength, this DLC wasn’t going to be a cake walk for people with end game builds that have run out of things to challenge them in the base game. It wasn’t