Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is exactly what I wanted: more Elden Ring

My first steps in Elden Ring‘is new Shadow of the Erdtree expansion feels like coming home again. After traveling there, by touching a withered arm I step into a grassy plain and see a crumbling giant tree in the distance. The land is littered with intangible gravestones and ghost versions of enemies I’ve faced before: dogs and wandering nobles. But it isn’t long before I encounter something terrifying in this new region, the Land of Shadow, in the form of a giant walking iron brazier filled with embers and burning prisoners.

As I try to defeat that thirty-foot monstrosity, I quickly discover that even the highly qualified, generously equipped knight I was given to play as part of a three-hour preview of the DLC is no match for it. It kicks huge, unavoidable piles of flaming debris at me as I try to run away. A handful of other unknown monsters – Gravebirds, smaller cousins ​​of the Death Rite Birds from Elden Ringand lithe humanoids with ash-colored skin, armed with two circular blades – pile in and crush my poor knight.

Even at a high level, I am not prepared for what awaits you in the Land of Shadow. But there’s a new kind of power-up scattered across the Gravesite Plain and in nearby dungeons: Scadutree Fragments. These new consumables are splinters from the world version of the Erdtree. They grant Scadutree Blessing to my knight, which improves almost all of his stats. Shadow of the Erdtree Players will have to hunt for these fragments to battle the mighty enemies here. In my three hours of playtime I found half a dozen with relative ease. I also found a lot of the DLC’s other new power-up, Revered Spirit Ash, an item that makes my Spirit Ashes and my steed, Torrent, stronger.

Scadutree Fragments and Revered Spirit Ashes can be used at places of grace in the Land of Shadow to become stronger, similar to how players use Golden Seeds and Sacred Tears to make their vials stronger Elden Ring. The blessings of these new power-ups are immediately apparent, but they only give my character a boost while he’s in the Land of Shadow. (While in that land, you’ll see your stats improve with the color yellow. Back in the Lands Between, they’ll turn white again.)

Reaching the Land of Shadow requires two major achievements Elden Ring. You must defeat Starscourge Radahn at Redmane Castle and Mohg, Lord of Blood at Mohgwyn Palace. Once you’ve done that, you can move to this strange new land with the help of a knight, one of Miquella’s many minions encountered throughout Shadow of the Erdtree‘s adventure.

As I met Miquella’s followers, all of whom call the mysterious brother of the swordsman Malenia “kind” or “tender,” I was struck by another difference here in the Land of Shadow: a sense of hope. Unlike the despair that pervades the Lands Between in the main story of Elden Ringthe people you meet in the Land of Shadow all seem happy.

I met a handful of Miquella’s followers at stations known as Three-Path Crosses, said to be the footprints of Miquella on his journey through this country. At these golden, glowing crosses I met new NPCs and merchants, some of whom gave me items to use or quests to undertake. One, named Freyja, said she was a former ally of General Radahn. Another claimed to be a servant of Mohg. A Miquella enthusiast, Moore was a simple merchant. Unlike many of the confused and downtrodden NPCs typical of FromSoftware’s games, Miquella’s followers all seem extremely happy. They all seem to support you in your mission here, despite your status as Tainted. (Why they object to that is not entirely clear, based on my playing time.)

Image: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco

Beyond the Gravesite Plain is a handful of ancient dungeons, catacombs, and strongholds. The largest thing I saw was Belurat, a huge castle settlement with labyrinthine paths patrolled by new types of enemies. I fought scorpions of quite large and frighteningly large sizes, nasty spellcasters and humanoid giants.

At the end of my journey through Belurat I came across the Divine Dancing Lion of the Beast, a mess of human limbs, dust and a lion’s head, previously seen in Shadow of the Erdtree‘s first trailer. The Dancing Lion attacked with a chaotic rhythm, performing freeze and lightning attacks as I tried to keep up with his frenzied dance. My powerful pre-built knight and a few summons (two of Miquella’s minions) made the battle relatively easy (it certainly won’t be that easy with my Elden Ring character). After I killed it, the Dancing Lion dropped its own head, which I proceeded to wear like a comically oversized helmet. That new armor increased my knight’s strength and agility, but reduced the effectiveness of my stocks.

Before going to Belurat Castle, I came across a prison beneath it, where I discovered the most horrible thing I have ever seen. Elden Ring yet. Belurat Prison, a catacomb-style dungeon, is full of Living Jars residing there. But here’s the bad part: the chunks of meat that players normally get from smashing those pots are still very much alive in this place. For the first time, we see what lives inside the jars: a glittering, tumor-like monstrosity that will attack you with their own guts and launch itself to pin you down. No matter how disgusting they may be, these people with meat in the pot still manage to stick to it Elden Ring Director Hidetaka Miyazaki’s famous quote about not relying on “the gross factor” to unnerve players. They are both disgusting and sad to look at.

Image: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco

The other region available during my hands-on time with the expansion is known as Castle Ensis. It’s a medium-sized dungeon guarded by a new type of giant troll; this one can use magic, a harbinger of things to come (i.e., many wizards). While exploring Castle Ensis, I came across a knight with a giant hammer who, as he beat me to death with that hammer, indicated that I was not ready to face him. Bandai Namco representatives suggested to the attendees that if we were faced with such a challenge, we should look for additional Scadutree fragments to become competitive.

I rejected that advice and chose the other option Elden Ring: run past everything. Sprinting through Ensis, I successfully made my way to the boss, Rellana, Twin Moon Knight. She is a former Carian princess and the younger sister of Elden Ring boss Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon. Like Rennala, Rellana can throw magical moons at you Also dual wielding a pair of long blades that deal magic and fire damage. Like the Dancing Lion, I managed to defeat her, but only with the help of several summoned allies who helped me break her balance and stagger her several times.

My victory can also be attributed to a brand new weapon in the game: my fast but powerful, balance-breaking, light greatsword called – of all things – Milady. Light Greatsword is a new weapon class Shadow of the Erdtree. Other new additions include the Backhand Blade, a curved sword held at a backward angle that performs thrust attacks and slashes to the flanks of enemies; Dryleaf Arts, one of the new martial arts weapons that is not really a weapon, but a style of hand-to-hand combat; and the Red Bear’s Claw, an actual severed bear paw modified with steel claws.

Image: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco

New weapon types that I didn’t really get to spend much time with are the previously revealed bump shields, which are shields with pointed ends; throwing knives, a variation on existing throwing knives that can be equipped as a primary weapon; perfume bottles, now also a primary weapon option; and the large katana, which is, well, a larger version of a standard katana. Bandai Namco and FromSoftware promise 100 new weapons Shadow of the Erdtreewith the handful of new additions I tested, it already felt like fun new variations on existing fighting styles.

During my three hours with the game, I feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface Shadow of the Erdtree will add Elden Ring. I’ve already discovered some fascinating new characters and lore, intimidating new challenges and intriguing atmosphere. Whether the hopeful tenor of Miquella’s followers is authentic or some kind of deception before things go horribly wrong, we will all have to discover when Shadow of the Erdtree will be released on June 21.

(Disclosure: This article is based on a Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree preview event held by publisher Bandai Namco in Los Angeles on May 24. Bandai Namco provided Polygon’s travel and accommodations for the event. You can find Additional information about Polygon’s ethics policy can be found here.)