Shadow of the Erdtree review roundup: 'Recaptures all of the magic of playing Elden Ring for the first time'

GamesRPGElden Ring: Shadow of the ErdtreeShadow of the Erdtree review roundup: ‘Recaptures all of the magic of playing Elden Ring for the first time’When 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: FromSoftware, Bandai Namco)

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree preview

While we’re still two days out from Shadow of the Erdtree and a mass of eager Tarnished being unleashed to chase Miquella beyond the Lands Between, we’ve got advanced reports from critics who’ve gone in ahead to survey the scene. Erdtree reviews started hitting this morning, and you’re never going to believe this: People are pretty into Elden Ring.

There are a lot of perfect and near-perfect scores in the mix, and we’ve added our own mark to the tally. PC Gamer’sShadow of the Erdtree reviewis already up, and our Tyler Colp had plenty of praise to share for Elden Ring’s last hurrah, ensuring its place as “one of the most creative and satisfying action RPGs ever made.” Here’s a roundup of reviews from critics elsewhere.

“Variety is the spice of life, and Erdtree is one hot dish.”

IGN: 10/10

For Mitchell Saltzman at IGN, Shadow of the Erdtree basically manages to deliver all the hard-won satisfaction of an entire Elden Ring playthrough in a convenient, fun-sized DLC form factor—if a few dozen hours can qualify as fun-sized. “Shadow of the Erdtree may not do anything radically different from the base game,” Saltzman writes, but its array of new bosses, new equipment, and new areas to explore “somehow feels like a scaled-down version of that same experience that recaptures all of the magic of playing Elden Ring for the first time.”

“Shadow of the Erdtree has stuck the landing.”

GamesRadar+: 5/5

Over at our sister site GamesRadar+, Joel Franey found a lot to love in Shadow of the Erdtree, which shares the base game’s ability to deliver beautiful landscapes, stunning bosses and encounters, and interesting gear to work into your builds. “At this point,” Franey writes, “it’s almost getting boring praisingFromSoftwareevery time.”

“A point at which this becomes one-dimensional.”

Eurogamer: 3/5

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals

Amidst the sea of unhesitating praise for Erdtree, it’s encouraging to see a critic voice their criticisms about the current object of industry-wide hype. Alexis Ong at Eurogamer still has plenty of good to say about the DLC, particularly in an excellent art history-informed survey of the expansion’s visuals. “Everything is still exquisitely beautiful,” Ong writes, later saying that “Shadow still has its share of Elden Ring’s brilliance—weird little dudes and obscure secrets and goofy cheesing and all.”

Where Shadow of the Erdtree stumbles for Ong is its departure from the base game’s mostly-implied storytelling and instruction. To Ong, Elden Ring was “a living text to be read and learned, and ambiently, lovingly communicated,” while the DLC “undermines the hallmarks of its own genre through unnecessary signposting.”

“Shadow of the Erdtree doesn’t outclass the primary campaign but expands it.”

Game Informer: 9.75/10

“A staggering achievement.”

GameSpot: 10/10

Tamoor Hussain at GameSpot sees Shadow of the Erdtree as a final, crowning piece to FromSoft’s dark fantasy: a summative final chapter that puts Elden Ring in a league with Kentaro Miura’s Berserk. With Shadow of the Erdtree, Hussain says FromSoft again proves its “peerless” reputation for “creating worlds that feel as dangerous and unnerving to be in as they are satisfying to conquer.”

“Some of the most rewarding game content in all of Elden Ring.”

Polygon: Unscored

At Polygon, Michael McWhertor finds Shadow of the Erdtree a celebration of player perseverance. If your main draw for Souls games is challenge, it sounds like you’ll find plenty: “Everything in the expansion,” McWhertor writes, “is stronger and more deadly than anything you’ve met in Elden Ring.” But thanks to a healthy supply of new tools, weapons, and fighting styles, McWhertor says it’s rewarding enough that he’s “looking forward to going back and starting it all over at some point.”

“Though my expectations were high, Shadow of the Erdtree still managed to exceed them.”

Destructoid: 9.5/10

While Destructoid’s summary for its Shadow of the Erdtree review says “there may be flaws” responsible for its not-quite-perfect score, those flaws aren’t presented for us to see. Chris Carter and Steven Mills deliver a duo review for Shadow of the Erdtree, and they offer their enthusiasm without restraint. Calling Erdtree “a gigantic single sandbox to play around in,” Carter says it’s one of his “single favorite areas in From Software history.” It’s a sentiment Mills shares, saying that FromSoft is once again “exceeding my expectations in pretty much every way imaginable.”

TOPICSFromSoftwareBandai Namco

TOPICS

More about rpgElden Ring: Nightreign is getting a closed network test, and I’m totally not fuming because PC players aren’t invited to the party, or anything20 hours in, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is a mad, systems-driven sandbox that captures some of the best parts of games like StalkerLatestMarvel Rivals’ latest update quietly killed the game’s burgeoning mod sceneSee more latest►

More about rpg

Elden Ring: Nightreign is getting a closed network test, and I’m totally not fuming because PC players aren’t invited to the party, or anything20 hours in, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is a mad, systems-driven sandbox that captures some of the best parts of games like Stalker

Nightreign knight holds his fist in menacing fashion

Elden Ring: Nightreign is getting a closed network test, and I’m totally not fuming because PC players aren’t invited to the party, or anything

Henry chokes out a farmer while wearing absurd spectacles.

20 hours in, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is a mad, systems-driven sandbox that captures some of the best parts of games like Stalker

LatestMarvel Rivals' latest update quietly killed the game’s burgeoning mod sceneSee more latest►

Latest

Marvel Rivals' latest update quietly killed the game’s burgeoning mod scene

Marvel Rivals tier list - Wolverine

Marvel Rivals' latest update quietly killed the game’s burgeoning mod scene

See more latest►

Most Popular

‘It’s simply impossible to make a difficulty level that’s just right for all players’: How Final Fantasy 14’s lead battle designer has been playing a precarious balancing game for Dawntrail’s dungeons and raids

Please join me in getting super excited for all the cool looking survival games coming in 2025 (and beyond)

Competitive shooters are at a crucial crossroads in 2025: ‘sweaty’ teamplay vs. casual fun

Call of Duty’s $28 Squid Game skins are the perfect crossover for our capitalist dystopia, and Activision knows exactly what it’s doing

These are the 14 biggest upcoming RPGs of 2025—get ready for another amazing year for the genre

Five new Steam games you probably missed (January 6, 2025)

I’ve seen enough: No more forcing singleplayer studios to make mediocre live service games

6 games that could be bigger hits than you’re expecting in 2025

What are your 2025 gaming resolutions?

The FBI put a $5 million bounty on the ‘Cryptoqueen’ last year but still hasn’t found her, so take your pick: Russia, South Africa, or murdered on a yacht in 2018

HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review4Ikea Utespelare desk review5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS

1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

A bunch of the best Steam Deck accessories on a blue background.

1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop

Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop

3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most

Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most

4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands

Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands

5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested

Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested

1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits

Thank Goodness You’re Here review

1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits

Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits

2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback

Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback

3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review

WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review

4Ikea Utespelare desk review

Ikea Utespelare desk review

5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

“Variety is the spice of life, and Erdtree is one hot dish.”#

“Shadow of the Erdtree has stuck the landing.”#

“A point at which this becomes one-dimensional.”#

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals#

“Shadow of the Erdtree doesn’t outclass the primary campaign but expands it.”#

“A staggering achievement.”#

“Some of the most rewarding game content in all of Elden Ring.”#

“Though my expectations were high, Shadow of the Erdtree still managed to exceed them.”#