FromSoftware’s latest and greatest dark fantasy RPG, Elden Ring, has proven a worthy successor in a long line of brutal and challenging yet rewarding role-playing gaming experiences. From its unforgiving combat to its expansive world-building and lore, Elden Ring echoes many of the qualities and mechanics found in its spiritual predecessors that guided it toward its take on that special FromSoftware formula that makes a Soulsborne gameplay loop so terribly addicting. Although Elden Ring borrowed and improved upon mechanics found in other Soulsborne titles, there remains a surplus of new concepts unique to Elden Ring that make it stand out from its kin, especially with the release of its major DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree.
In typical FromSoftware fashion, the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC is set apart from the main game, taking place in an entirely new map called the Realm of Shadow where the Tarnished protagonist pursues the lost demigod Miquella. Atypical of FromSoftware, however, is how the developers went about striking a balance between keeping Shadow of the Erdtree challenging and fun for veteran players while also making it accessible for newer and lower leveled players. Generally, given precedent with other Soulsborne titles, enemy scaling within a DLC area is locked, meaning the new content would be scaled to a particular level with respect to the rest of the game, despite the player’s level. This time FromSoftware did something a little different.
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FromSoftware’s penchant for certain themes in its level design reached a particular peak in Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC.
Legacy Mechanics Across the Soulsborne Genre May Be Changing
Enter the Scadutree fragments. The Scadutree is the name of the Realm of Shadow’s twisted variant of the Erdtree (more or less), and the fragments are used to increase the amount of damage the player deals while reducing the damage they take within the Realm of Shadow. This is already a major departure from FromSoftware’s usual memo of simply utilizing the in-game currency to build out the player (i.e. runes in Elden Ring, souls in Demon’s Souls, etc.). Rather than saving runes to allocate points to individual stats, the Scadutree fragments are the primary method for mediating the difficulty curve within the DLC map.
While it is, of course, still possible to level up normally within the DLC itself using runes, the inclusion of Scadutree Fragments foreshadows the possibility of more complex leveling systems within future FromSoftware titles. The Scadutree fragments are most reminiscent of the leveling system of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, wherein levels were only accumulated by use of prayer beads dropped from boss fights. That’s one reason that Sekiro is sometimes referred to as the most difficult of the Soulsborne titles; the player cannot delay progression to grind levels, as is possible in the other titles. Scadutree fragments can be found in the open world of Elden Ring and not just as drops, but the similarity between the prayer beads and Scadutree fragments ought not be overlooked.
Mechanics Elden Ring borrowed and improved upon from previous Soulsborne titles:
- Sneaking from Sekiro
- Staggering enemies from Bloodborne
- Shield parrying from Dark Souls series
- Jumping from Sekiro
- Poise and hyper armor from Dark Souls
- Power stancing from Dark Souls 2
- Combat arts (called ‘Ashes of War’ in-game) from Sekiro
What Scadutree Fragments May Mean for FromSoft’s Next Game
Being that Elden Ring is a sort of amalgamation of successful mechanics from previous Soulsborne titles, the prayer bread-like Scadutree fragments hint at the potential of reworked leveling in future FromSoftware RPGs. The dual leveling system that now exists in Elden Ring is not only a fresh take on an age-old mechanic, but it highlights how such legacy mechanics and systems are capable of accommodating more complex, multifaceted additions and still blending with the flow of gameplay. Leveling using the Scadutree fragments, just as with the base game leveling, is purely optional, allowing the player the agency to temper the difficulty of their game as well as the DLC to their liking individually.
If this is an indication of the direction FromSoftware may be taking with the leveling systems and/or other legacy systems within the Soulsborne titles, the departure from simplicity would certainly draw notice, but that isn’t necessarily to a negative effect. The implementation of the Scadutree fragments has so far been well-received, so it’s not a bad idea to carry forward as long as any new mechanics are well-integrated. Nonetheless, FromSoftware is clearly innovating how its Soulsborne titles tick, coinciding with its growing fanbase and infamous status within the gaming community at large. Regardless of what the future holds, at present, Elden Ring has set a tone sure to influence more than just what’s next for FromSoftware.
Shadow of the Erdtree is the first and only DLC expansion for FromSoftware’s groundbreaking Elden Ring. It takes players to a whole new region, the Land of Shadow, where a new story awaits the Tarnished.
- Released
- June 21, 2024
- Developer(s)
- FromSoftware
- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op , Online Multiplayer
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
