The long-awaited DLC for FromSoftware’s Elden Ring is finally here. We played it. Here are our thoughts.

In short, it’s outstanding! The story, the bosses, the design, it is all there. Some would say (me) that it is better than the actually main game. I say that for one main reason; Elden Ring has found it’s identity with this DLC.

The main game is structured like their previous games, go destroy a ton of bosses and become the big guy in charge. The bosses and encounters where also structured like their previous games, not taking advantage of the new features (like jumping, having a horse, etc.) and instead playing it safe.

Shadow of the Erdtree leans heavily into what separates Elden Ring apart from their previous titles. There are more boss fights on horseback, attacks that you need to jump over and not just dodge through, etc. It expands upon every aspect of the main game that we all wanted to be expanded upon, both in gameplay and in the story.

The gameplay is a blast. It’s challenging, rewarding, and incredibly cinematic. The boss fights are some of the best, most legendary fights in all of the FromSoftwares games. The new weapons and upgrades are a blast. The story is arguably one of the best out right now.

I could talk about this new DLC for hours, days, weeks, years even! But where’s the fun in that? Go out and play this game! Buy the DLC! It’s an absolute blast!