FromSoftware fans have been champing at the bit for a few months now, waiting for Shadow of the Erdtree, the expansion to the formidable Elden Ring, which will be released on June 21st. Through a few interviews and two trailers that made our mouths water, Hidetaka Miyazaki and his troops promised us an incredibly ambitious DLC with tons of additional content, and it was with great excitement that we had the privilege of being able to taste this mouth-watering menu during a preview organized by the studio in Paris; Here are our first impressions of Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, just under three weeks away from release.
Our hands-on experience began in the palace of Mohg, the abominable Blood Lord. This is where the famous egg resides, from which emerges the emaciated arm of the Empyrean Miquella, brother of Malenia, creator of the Haligtree and central figure of this expansion. We didn't have the chance to tackle the introductory quest that unlocks access to the DLC, but as everyone expected, it is from this entry point that your character will be able to begin their new adventure.
A first-class bestiary in a superb setting
Once the barrier was crossed, we were immediately greeted by a grandiose landscape that immediately put us in the mood. We expected nothing less from the artists at FromSoftware, whose sense of staging is no longer in doubt. Despite some stylistic similarities, notably with the omnipresence of chiaroscuro characteristic of Elden Ring, the atmosphere is clearly darker than in the Underdark; but the DNA of the studio is undeniably present.
These first steps were an opportunity to meet the first enemies of the expansion. Obviously, during these three hours with the controller in hand, we were only able to meet a small sample of the bestiary that resides in the corrupted plains of the Kingdom of Shadows. But these few sinister creatures have already made a strong impression on us. From traditional armored fighters to strange ethereal worms, rotting birds, deformed felines waiting in ambush, a good old dragon and the immense fiery colossus that had already been presented to us in the trailers, we have already been able to rub shoulders with a wide variety of fearsome and original enemies, and we are already eager to see what the next zones have in store for us.
Already memorable bosses
On the outskirts of this central zone, we were able to visit a handful of generic dungeons, without much surprise so far. All players who have already scoured the various catacombs scattered throughout Entreterre already know what to expect in terms of structure: a few corridors dotted with ambushes, and a mini-boss at the end. The real attractions of this preview were hidden in the two major points of interest of this introduction, namely the castles of Belurat and Ensis. These are two remarkably artistically worked dungeons which, of course, each have their own atmosphere.
The first is a relatively decrepit structure all in verticality where fearsome beasts and more traditional armored fighters roam, obviously armed to the teeth and with a clear penchant for dense and brutal waves of attacks. After wandering through these alleys, climbing a few ladders and stairs, we find a boss full of personality that you may already know, not because he existed in the base game, but because he was already presented in the gameplay trailer three months ago (see the video below at 1:20).
This strange entity halfway between the demon, the lion and the dragon is a formidable opponent, with a spectacular second phase that will put your sense of positioning (and your ability to manage the camera, the true final boss of all FromSoftware games) to the test.
On the other side of this region is Ensis Castle, a magical structure that will undoubtedly remind you of another memorable area from the base game… and that goes for the excellent boss as well, whose name is a more explicit reference to a character you already know very well.
A cryptic lore as we like them
The combat is intense, dynamic and very satisfying overall; but we will however refrain from saying more about Ensis and its residents despite the presence of the spoiler banner, because we had the distinct impression that this place was full of clues about the nature of the Shadow Realm and, by extension, about the quest of Miquella, the announced figurehead of the expansion.
On this subject, even if we did not have time to delve into the descriptions of the objects and the various manuscripts to begin to untangle the threads of the story and that neither Miquella nor Messmer have shown the tip of their noses for the moment, it is already obvious that FromSoftware has concocted a narrative framework with little onions in the purest tradition of Dark Souls and Elden Ring, with a good dose of nebulous details and open to interpretation that promise to delight fans of abstruse and esoteric lore. Even though the introduction was quite light in terms of lore, we're salivating in advance.
Tons of new deadly toys
As for gameplay, we also had a lot of fun discovering the new weapon classes introduced by the expansion. We started our run with double curved blades with reverse grip, with their moveset based on liveliness and mobility that will delight fans of dexterity-based builds. If you prefer large weapons, you can turn to the new Great Katanas or choose the new class of light longswords, two excellent intermediaries between the iconic longsword and the greatswords that need no introduction. In both cases, the sensations are there, and brilliantly succeed in modernizing these archetypes without distorting them.
But the most exciting additions at this level were probably the new, more exotic weapon classes. We can mention the perfumer's bottle that veterans have already encountered several times, or even real dedicated throwing weapons that are no longer just consumables. Two examples that will undoubtedly allow you to compose particularly original builds. But the prize for innovation probably goes to the claws, very short-range melee weapons that allow your avatar to express all their bestiality with their ultra-mobile and brutal moveset. Not easy to get to grips with, but quite enjoyable.
And to top it all off, we also have a pair of straps that transform your No-Brightness into a martial arts specialist, capable of massaging his opponent with supersonic sequences embellished with oh-so-impactful dropkicks. If you've ever wanted to play a monk archetype in a FromSoftware game, these weapons are for you! And this is just a small sample. We've barely had time to get to grips with the alternative spears, the new bows, or the shields with menacing spikes that we've seen in the trailers. A dream for seasoned experimenters who love to imagine crazy but effective builds... and that won't be too much to get to the end of the adventure.
Serious challenges ahead
As a reminder, FromSoftware has promised us some formidable enemies of the caliber of Malenia, the merciless goddess of putrefaction who has carved out quite a reputation for herself in the community, and for good reason: she is undoubtedly the most difficult challenge in the studio's history. And based on these first encounters with these two bosses, far from insurmountable, but not trivial either, Miyazaki and his troops apparently did not joke at this level: the challenge promises to be tough.
In hindsight, we also see a fairly clear trend emerging in the design of the fights. In line with the last sequences of Elden Ring, the overall pace is particularly high, with enemies who like to unleash merciless avalanches of blows and force the player to carefully calculate the slightest action. The clumsy enemies with slow patterns and akin to Dark Souls 1/2 are officially over for good; FromSoft has clearly bet everything on its new design philosophy that gives pride of place to intensity — both in bosses and in ordinary enemies. Excellent news for those who loved sweating profusely in front of Maliketh, Radagon and Malenia; a little less for the others.
But don't panic, because FromSoftware has also implemented a mechanic that can lighten this burden a little. These are the Scadutree Fragments (French translation still unknown), objects scattered all over the map like golden seeds. Like the latter, the fragments can be used at a grace site. But instead of boosting the flask that allows you to regenerate, they increase almost all the statistics uniformly, and this only in the DLC area. This mechanic makes the fights a little more approachable, and on the other hand, masochists looking for an XXL challenge can also choose to do without it completely.
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