GamesMalenia was only the beginning: Shadow of the Erdtree will have optional bosses ‘tuned in a similar way’ to Elden Ring’s toughest foeWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

GamesMalenia was only the beginning: Shadow of the Erdtree will have optional bosses ‘tuned in a similar way’ to Elden Ring’s toughest foeWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Tyler C. / FromSoftware)

Elden Ring Malenia

In the upcomingShadow of the Erdtree DLC, we’re probably going to need Let Me Solo Her once again. Speaking toIGN, director Hidetaka Miyazaki said players will “find optional bosses who have been tuned in a similar way to the likes of Malenia.”

Battle-hardenedFromSoftwarefans won’t even blink at the news though. The Dark Souls series has always slipped its hardest boss fights into the DLC. Dark Souls 1 has Artorias and Manus, Dark Souls 2 has Fume Knight, and Dark Souls 3 has Sister Friede. Because many of the DLCs take place near the end of the games, the fights are designed to challenge high-level characters. We don’t know exactly when you can access Shadow of the Erdtree in a typical Elden Ring playthrough, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s meant to be played in the second half.

Notably, Miyazaki says “optionalbosses,” plural. Are the memes of aGodskin duo duobased on one of the most annoying fights in Elden Ring going to end up being real? Only thispoison-swamp-loving manknows.

“We want to create a challenging experience that tests the players and that gives them a feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment when they get through these struggles,” Miyazaki says of Shadow of the Erdtree’s difficulty. “However, we do want to stress that there’s still a freedom of approach and a breadth of strategy to these encounters. And that means both how you approach them if you want to face these challenges or come back to them later and circumvent them and find another way around and come back when you’re ready.”

ELDEN RING Shadow of the Erdtree | Official Gameplay Reveal Trailer - YouTubeWatch On

ELDEN RING Shadow of the Erdtree | Official Gameplay Reveal Trailer - YouTube

ELDEN RING Shadow of the Erdtree | Official Gameplay Reveal Trailer - YouTube

ELDEN RING Shadow of the Erdtree | Official Gameplay Reveal Trailer - YouTube

The threat–or challenge, depending on who you are—has officially been made. Bring a shield and as many healing flasks as you can on June 21 when Shadow of the Erdtree is set to release.

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