We had 3 writers play Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree: Here are 9 things one of us found but the others didn't

GamesRPGWe had 3 writers play Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree: Here are 9 things one of us found but the others didn’tWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

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(Image credit: FromSoftware)

Elden Ring vista

The PC Gamer team haven’t just played Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree—we’ve played it on three continents, sitting down with the expansion to our 2022 Game of the Year in Los Angeles, Sydney and Tokyo. We’vetried out its new weapon types,explored as much of the new mapas we possibly could, and even spoken withFromSoftwarepresident Hidetaka Miyazaki forthe cover story of our next magazine. With all that hands-on time with the game, we had more to share than we could fit into those stories, so we’ve collected a range of anecdotes and observations below. Here’s a bit more insight into the new Land of Shadow and what you can expect to encounter there.

Scadutree upgrades will require two fragments for a good while

Wes Fenlon:Shadow of the Erdtree’s independent leveling system has you collecting “Scadutree Blessings” to raise your power level just within the Land of Shadow. Your first upgrade costs only a single fragment, which you’ll likely find quite quickly—the upgrades are scattered throughout the new map much like the Golden Seeds you use to upgrade your flask. After that first upgrade that required one fragment, every power up I managed during my playtime, up to level four or five, required two Scadutree Blessings. As with Golden Seeds there’s a finite number of these in the world. My bet is the system will top out at three, maybe four fragments required for max level within the expansion.

Beware of sleeping dragons

Shaun Prescott:Remember in Dark Souls, calmly perambulating in the scenic Valley of Drakes, reaching what appeared to be the remains of a dragon corpse hanging off the edge of a cliff, only for that corpse to reanimate and Hollow you? There’s a kinda similar moment in Shadow of the Erdtree. Without giving too much away, it’s probably wise to approach unusual looking rock formations with trepidation.

Shadow of the Erdtree has at least a couple of classic FromSoft moments when everything seems calm before the messiest shit hits the highest pressure fan. The real surprise is that I continue to be surprised.

There’s a powerful new reusable potion hidden in a cave

Spiritspring air gusts now involve some light puzzle solving

(Image credit: FromSoftware)

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree

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It’s a very light diversion, but I like the idea of FromSoftware working a bit more puzzling into its world design.

I found a lava-filled dungeon with a unique weapon at its end

(Image credit: FromSoftware)

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree

Shaun:One of my favourite things about Elden Ring is stumbling upon dungeons that prove bigger or more unique than most others. There are definitely a few very shallow mini-boss dungeons in Shadow of the Erdtree, but I also found what I guess I’d call a medium-sized dungeon. The Ruined Forge Lava Intake dungeon was a fun distraction with some light puzzle solving, ample troll murder, and best of all, a unique reward at the end. The reward didn’t jive with my sorcerer build, but it was a fun trip all the same.

I think a monkey performed a magical waterfowl dance on me

(Image credit: FromSoftware, Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Malenia with an Ape Escape head

Get ready to jump (or die) in one of Shadow of the Erdtree’s first boss fights

Rennala’s sister(?) is one of Shadow of the Erdtree’s first bosses.(Image credit: FromSoftware)

Elden Ring Rennala boss

Wes Fenlon:I did plenty of jumping in Elden Ring, but I don’t remember getting my feet off the ground ever being an absolute case of life or death. That’s absolutely how it goes in one of Shadow of the Erdtree’s first major boss fights, however, reminding me of the Sekiro fight thatdemands you catch a bolt of lightning on your katanaand throw it back at your attacker before touching the ground. Surviving the ultimate attack from fearsome Erdtree boss Rellana is a bit less Sekiro and a bit more Mario, though, asking you to time three jumps to clear a trio of shockwaves that are all but guaranteed to kill you if they catch you at the knees.

It’s one of the flashiest, most over-the-top attacks I’ve ever encountered in a FromSoftware boss fight, and I know that’s saying something. I don’t want to spoil too much of the fight, so let’s just say Rennala’s not the only character in Elden Ring with the power of the moon at her disposal.

(Image credit: FromSoftware)

Elden Ring coffin

Shaun:Following some descending rapids for a while, with a mixture of Torrent-back platforming and wily crab evasion, I came to the river’s outlet where a ghost sat hunched at the shore. This ghost alluded to the existence of a coffin that could “convey its passenger upon a gentle cruise to the velvet garden of deepest purple.” There are similar coffins in the base game, so I’m speculating: expect this dubious mode of transportation to return somewhere in the Land of Shadow.

You can have a pet fingercreeper (hand spider)

(Image credit: FromSoftware)

Elden Ring Fingercreeper

Tyler Colp:I’m not sure what I expected when I summoned the worst enemy in Elden Ring as my pet but it certainly wasn’t that it would heal me. FromSoft really made the scariest and deadliest creature in the Lands Between a spirit ash summon that stands behind you and heals at a rate that feels… weak. Maybe it’ll have its uses in certain situations, but I like the idea that FromSoft thought it would be funny to let us finally harness the power of the hand spiders but made them completely inept.

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Scadutree upgrades will require two fragments for a good while#

Beware of sleeping dragons#

There’s a powerful new reusable potion hidden in a cave#

Spiritspring air gusts now involve some light puzzle solving#

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals#

I found a lava-filled dungeon with a unique weapon at its end#

I think a monkey performed a magical waterfowl dance on me#

Get ready to jump (or die) in one of Shadow of the Erdtree’s first boss fights#

You can have a pet fingercreeper (hand spider)#

Scadutree upgrades will require two fragments for a good while

Beware of sleeping dragons

There’s a powerful new reusable potion hidden in a cave

Spiritspring air gusts now involve some light puzzle solving

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals

I found a lava-filled dungeon with a unique weapon at its end

I think a monkey performed a magical waterfowl dance on me

Get ready to jump (or die) in one of Shadow of the Erdtree’s first boss fights

You can have a pet fingercreeper (hand spider)