Elden Ring: Shadow of Erdtrees Final Boss Nerf is Good Sign For Future

Elden Ring: Shadow of Erdtrees Final Boss Nerf is Good Sign For Future

As a seasoned Elden Ring veteran with countless hours logged into the game, I can confidently say that the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion has been a thrilling addition to my gaming journey. The Land of Shadow, with its enigmatic Miquella’s followers and the elusive Empyrean, provided an immersive experience that rivaled the main game itself. However, the final boss, Promised Consort Radahn, was a formidable challenge that tested even my mettle.


This article contains spoilers for
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
.

It appears that additional content for Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, which was released a couple of years following Elden Ring, is no longer being developed. The Shadow of the Erdtree expansion is FromSoftware’s largest DLC to date and has added numerous hours to an already expansive game. Although certain choices in Shadow of the Erdtree have caused some debate, the DLC has been warmly received as a suitable addition to Elden Ring.

In the enigmatic realm known as Shadowland, the game titled Shadow of the Erdtree has players working alongside Miquella’s devotees to pursue the elusive Empyrean. Throughout this adventure, you’ll encounter fresh adversaries and secrets, as well as fragments of Scadutrees, integral to SotE‘s distinctive progression system. The game’s challenging nature, including its Soulslike design, has caused quite a stir in the fan community, leading some to question if FromSoftware pushed the boundaries too far this time. Critics were especially vocal about the tough final boss, but a recent update suggests that FromSoftware may have learned valuable lessons from the encounter.

Explaining The Final Boss Changes In Shadow of the Erdtree’s Latest Patch

In a surprising turn of events, the September 11, 2024 update version 1.14, primarily focused on balance tweaks and bug resolutions, also saw significant changes in the final boss of “Shadow of the Erdtree”. These alterations were highlighted not just in the patch notes but also on social media due to their intrigue. The adjustments made are as follows:

  • Changed the action pattern when the battle starts
  • Adjusted some attack moves
  • Decreased the damage of some attacks
  • Decreased stamina damage of some attacks
  • Decreased the attack range of some non-weapon-based attacks
  • Improved the visibility of some attack effects

Increasing Radahn’s Fairness Was More Important Than Reducing His Difficulty

Despite appearing drastic, battling Promised Consort Radahn remains a challenging test of skill and strategy. A significant alteration lies in the decrease of light beams during his second phase, providing safer zones and enhancing the fight’s clarity and efficiency. Even though Radahn in Soul of The Earth (SotE) is still Elden Ring’s most formidable boss, he now seems more manageable, which is a significant upgrade. Initially, Consort Radahn was an unprecedented leap in difficulty compared to what came before, but his flashy and intimidating nature made it hard for players to improve during the fight. However, we can hope that this won’t be a recurring issue with future FromSoftware superbosses.

How This Elden Ring Update Could Affect FromSoftware’s Future

During an interview following the release of “Shadow of the Erdtree”, the head of FromSoftware, Hidetaka Miyazaki, expressed that “Elden Ring” represented the maximum scale they could achieve with their projects. Character Consort Radahn might be seen as the ultimate expression of the acceptable level of hostility in a Souls game, and exceeding that could potentially be detrimental. With update 1.14, FromSoftware has acknowledged this, suggesting it is unlikely they will ever make the game’s difficulty as high as it was again.

Since FromSoftware hasn’t officially revealed their next game yet, it’s premature to predict the specific impact of this Radahn adjustment on future content. However, given Hidetaka Miyazaki’s statement, there might be a shift in the frequency of Soulslikes in upcoming releases from the studio. While challenging designs have always been integral to FromSoftware, games like Armored Core 6 and their lesser-known franchises before Demon’s Souls showcase different ways to embody this ethos beyond consistently increasing battle difficulty. At the very least, players of Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree can rest assured that they won’t be encountering another boss with Radahn’s speed, range, damage, and visibility for a while.

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2024-10-04 20:34