Elden Ring publisher has advice for players struggling with Shadow of the Erdtree

Tristan Stringer
Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree DLC Sites of Grace

Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC is proving so difficult that even the game’s publisher, Bandai Namco, has advised any struggling players.

Bandai Namco may have published Elden Ring and the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, but it hasn’t minced words with any players failing to hold their own in the DLC. The devs posted a helpful suggestion on X/Twitter:

Scadutree Blessings are exclusive to Shadow of the Erdtree and provide players with more attack power and protection from enemies, gradually requiring more fragments as your level increases. It has helped give players an edge as the DLC scales with your level when you enter it.

Responses to the initial comment have been mixed.

“We reached the point when developers kindly suggest players stop complaining and explore the world they created for you, not boss rushing through the DLC,” one said.

Another added, “It feels like the people complaining are trying to do the bosses without collecting some Scadutree Blessings. However, some movesets seem to be quite evil. I don’t think there will be any major changes to balance the difficulty.”

Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree Crystal Tears

Streamer and former Rooster Teeth employee Lawrence Sonntag gave his two cents on the situation: “Runes are the universal currency and scale based on the enemy’s difficulty. Scadutree Blessings are arbitrary, easily missable, and offer no indication if you’re behind the level curve until you get one shot by a boss at the end of a dungeon.”

Shadow of the Erdtree is now available on Xbox Series X|S, PC, and PlayStation 5. Find out why Elden Ring’s DLC only received a “mixed” rating on Steam.