Legacy Gaming recently released a video titled “We Beat Elden Ring’s DLC…Our Review After Over 50 Hours (Spoiler Free)” where they shared their thoughts on the highly anticipated expansion for Elden Ring. In the video, Kodiak, from Legacy Gaming, dives deep into the shadow realm, exploring every cave, conquering every dungeon, and cracking every secret. With over 50 hours of gameplay, Kodiak provides a comprehensive review of the DLC, highlighting its strengths and weaknesses.
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Key Takeaways:
- The world of the shadow realm in Elden Ring’s DLC is breathtakingly beautiful, with unexpected color palettes and lush designs.
- The scale of the DLC is impressive, with more things to see and do than any of its previous expansions.
- The introduction of new weapon types adds nuance and depth to the gameplay, providing players with new options for their builds.
- The boss encounters in the DLC range from familiar yet new to formidable foes, creating memorable and challenging battles.
The Beautiful and Vast Shadow Realm
Kodiak starts by praising the world of the shadow realm, highlighting its surprising beauty and variety. While there are dead and dreary places to be found, Kodiak was amazed by the unexpected color palettes and designs in areas like the Cerulean Coast. The scale of the DLC is also impressive, with the shadow realm being six times the size of what initially meets the eye. Kodiak mentions the use of the Torrent to traverse the world and the awe-inspiring sights of castles and towers in the distance.
New Weapons and Unique Builds
Kodiak goes on to discuss the introduction of new weapon types in the DLC. These new weapons, such as the light Greatsword, Beast claw, and great Katana, provide players with fresh options for their builds. Kodiak appreciates that FromSoftware didn’t take the easy route of adding reskinned variants of existing gear, but instead introduced unique weapon types that disrupt the norm. Kodiak mentions the hand-to-hand Arts as a particularly innovative and unique addition that adds a drastic shift to the gameplay.
Challenging Bosses and Memorable Encounters
The boss encounters in the DLC are a mix of familiar and new. Kodiak mentions the Mesmer soldiers as a different take on the soldiers from the base game, providing a sense of familiarity while still requiring players to learn new move sets and strategies. While some bosses may not be the most difficult in FromSoftware’s history, there are select few that will become some players’ hardest bosses ever fought. Kodiak acknowledges the community’s overall feedback will be essential in assessing the difficulty of these bosses.
A Fully Realized Elden Ring Experience
Kodiak concludes the review by stating that Elden Ring: Shadow of the Air Tree is simply more Elden Ring, and that’s a good thing. The DLC captures the essence of the base game, offering true exploration, incredible visuals, dark fantasy storytelling, and satisfying combat mechanics. Kodiak praises the game’s ability to make players feel empowered to make their own choices and highlights the immersion and sense of discovery that comes with navigating the vast world. While there are some minor criticisms, such as the scatter Tre fragment progression system and the revered Spirit Ash system feeling lackluster, Kodiak states that the overall experience is worth the $40 price tag.
