Is Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree Harder Than The Base Game?

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has finally been released, and as expected of a FromSoftware game, it doesn't hold back when it comes to difficulty. At first glance, it's much harder than the base game, but there's a bit of nuance to this shift in difficulty. It has a different style from the base game, and the scaling is more similar to instead. But trying to compare the difficulty of the DLC to the base game isn't an easy task, considering that both the boss stats and scaling changed for the DLC.

brings the Tarnished to a new realm, the Land of Shadow, and that means that there are new buffs to help the Tarnished on their quest. Although a change in power boosts can make the game's difficulty feel easier or harder, that's not the only element that needs to be taken into consideration to compare the DLC to the base game. Other factors need to be addressed as well, such as boss fights in both areas and the items the Tarnished might come across during their journey.

Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree DLC is a victory lap for FromSoftware, bringing in elements from past games without losing what made it special.

Many of the Tarnished who undertake the new challenges brought by the Land of Shadow have already become Elden Lord. However, even these seasoned fighters find that the level of difficulty that comes with is tough to prepare for, despite being able to have the best gear from the base game. As a result, the DLC appears to be much more difficult than the base game, at least at first glance. But the actual answer is more nuanced than a simple yes or no, and that's due to the new blessing system in the Land of Shadow.

Although the difficulty spikes between the base game and, the DLC introduces a system that makes a massive difference in the Tarnished's survival ability in the Realm of Shadow: the Scadutree Blessing. The Scadutree Blessing is empowered by Scadutree Fragments, which are consumable items that the Tarnished comes across as they explore the Realm of Shadow. Once the Tarnished