Shadow of the Erdtree shows that modern FromSoft's concept of 'a challenge' relies too heavily on boss fights

GamesRPGElden Ring: Shadow of the ErdtreeShadow of the Erdtree shows that modern FromSoft’s concept of ‘a challenge’ relies too heavily on boss fightsWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

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(Image credit: The Good General / FromSoftware)

Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree dragon boss named Bayle the Dread summoning lightning from the sky in a red and black arena

It took me 10 hours in the Land of Shadow before I begrudgingly faced the Dancing Lion. That 10 hours was spent exploring the new world as thoroughly as I could, finding all but one map fragment, diving shallowly into various dungeons, and feeling that unique joy that comes with exploring a FromSoft world for the first time. The magnitude of the panorama seen after beating Rellana was lost on me, because I had already discovered that part of the world in reverse. Elsewhere, I had already explored most of Shadow Keep before hitting the back door of the Golden Hippopotamus. If we’re to take Elden Ring’s bosses as the main course—which I think increasingly they are—then I had basically nibbled around the chocolate chips of the cookie.

Then I had to start beating the bosses. Let me be clear: I don’t have a problem with Shadow of the Erdtree’s difficulty and I find the conversation around it tiring. I agree with Miyazaki when he says that overcoming insurmountable challenges is a huge part of the appeal of his games. But as I entered the yellow mist for my umpteenth attempt at the Dancing Lion, I wasn’t feeling challenged: I was feeling bored. I was rolling my eyes. I wondered whether FromSoft has come to rely too heavily on bosses. Can we imagine a FromSoft game with fewer bosses or, dare I say, none at all?

This is the thing I’ve been doing in From games since 2011, only the bosses nowadays are blindingly fast and I’m 13 years older.

Grandiose fights against breathtaking foes is a core part of the Soulslike identity, but it’s increasingly the weakest link for me. Shadow of the Erdtree brought that into stark relief. Moment-to-moment exploration is an exquisite balance of meditative travel and unutterable stress. Bolting down the Cerulean Coast Torrent-top gave me shivers, and stumbling across the barren Shaman Village was brilliantly perplexing. The giant finger monster jump scares rival any survival horror I’ve played. Exploring the gaols, slowly penetrating the dungeons, picking away at ruins for lost treasures… this is one of the few games that capture my attention so thoroughly that I won’t even pick up my phone. The landscape unfolds so artfully, weaves around and into itself so elegantly: no one makes worlds like FromSoft.

(Image credit: FromSoftware)

Elden Ring character in Drake Knight armor gesturing in front of Gravesite Plain in Shadow of the Erdtree

There are tough areas in Shadow of the Erdtree, but with the exception of one well-hidden locale—which is an overall highlight of the game in my opinion—you can usually just Torrent away from any stress. The dungeons and gaols are meant to offset this, offering a return to the zen-like, slowly-slowly approach that FromSoft does best, forcing me to check every corner and ceiling twice. But in SOTE they’re a little rote, a little predictable, and as a result, not much of a challenge. That is, until you get to the boss at the end, who can one-shot you before you can lock on. The same holds true for the Shadow Keep. While gorgeous, moving through it won’t alarm anyone who’s played base Elden Ring let alone all the other Soulslikes. The boss at the end, though? We hope you have days to spare.

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My contention: FromSoft’s approach to challenging design nowadays relies too heavily on increasingly relentless boss fights. If it weren’t for them, Shadow of the Erdtree would flounder in the difficulty stakes. Fewer bosses, and more exquisitely cruel ways of applying tension to exploration and dungeon-crawling is what I want.

Erdtree map fragments: Uncover the Land of ShadowScadutree fragments: How to level up in ErdtreeErdtree bosses: A full hit list for the DLCLeda quest: Track the Erdtree main questSir Ansbach quest: Help the former servant of MohgHornsent quest: Complete the quest for vengeance

Erdtree map fragmentsScadutree fragmentsErdtree bossesLeda questSir Ansbach questHornsent quest

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