What does the international press say about Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree? We'll tell you.
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Shadow of the Erdtree is finally here – or almost. There are actually still two days until the official release of the extensive story DLC for Elden Ring. However, selected critics and media houses have already been able to play the expansion and their conclusion gives hope for great things.
Bombastic
, gigantic
, everything players have always dreamed of
– The reviews are full of praise for the expansion to FromSoftware's current role-playing hit. Our tester Elena has also been able to put the Earth Tree DLC through its paces and is delighted.
For them, Shadow of the Erdtree even surpasses the main game!
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10:37
Elden Rings Shadow of the Erdtree is the best expansion From Software has ever made!
Of course, we don't just want to praise ourselves, but also give you a glimpse of the opinions of other international colleagues and expert testers – and have put together a small press review.
Universal recognition
But not only that: With this exceptionally high score, Shadow of the Erdtree is also the best-rated DLC of all time. The add-on even overtakes the outstanding Witcher 3 expansion Blood and Wine from 2016, which received an average rating of 92.
Below we have compiled some meaningful reviews from international media houses for you:
What does the international press say?
GameSpot (100/100)
With all that Shadow of the Earth Tree offers in addition to what exists in the Between Lands, the story of Elden Ring now feels complete and the world complete, and that's a stunning achievement. It's masterfully crafted dark fantasy, rich in detail and sophisticated in its construction; a place that feels dangerous and cruel, filled with memorable characters, fascinating rules, baffling concepts, and competing ideologies.
– Tamoor Hussain
IGN (100/100)
According to FromSoftware, Shadow of the Erdtree is the only expansion that Elden Ring will receive. Thankfully, it's hard to imagine a better DLC than this – assuming you're not hoping it brings something radically new. Everything I loved about the original has been condensed into an incredibly compact package – a package that's the size of many standalone games and can only be described as “small” when compared to the absolutely massive world of Elden Ring itself.
– Mitchell Saltzman
Destructoids (95/100)
Although my expectations were high, Shadow of the Erdtree exceeded them.
-Chris Carter.
PC Gamer (95/100
A masterfully crafted expansion to one of the best action RPGs of the last decade, not only complementing the base game but expanding its thematic and systemic reach even further.
– Tyler Colp
Level Up (95/100)
Shadow of the Erdtree is a love letter to everything that defines the series and a worthy farewell to an already legendary game that combines all the classic elements of the Souls saga.
– Luis Sanchez.
Game pressure (90/100)
Shadow of the Erdtree is an expansion that perfectly complements Elden Ring by adding new things, but at the same time sticking to the good old developed recipe. For fans of the genre, there is a good reason to return to the game, simply to explore the beautifully crafted world and face the greatest challenge yet.
– Maciej Bogusz.
PC Games (90/100)
Shadow of the Erdtree is a gigantic icing on the magnificent cake that was Elden Ring, and while it reuses a bit too much of the base game, the magnificent new world is the best thing From Software has ever created.
– Stefan Wilhelm.
Jeuxvideo.com (90/100)
Shadow of the Erdtree is much more than just additional content for Elden Ring: it is, quite rightly, an extraordinary adventure.
– Charlanmhg.
So did we promise you too much with our test? We don't think so. Because although there are a few minor criticisms of Shadow of the Erdtree here and there – yes, the new bosses are even harder – the reviews mostly agree:
With this expansion, FromSoftware has created a masterpiece.
From June 21st you can see for yourself what Shadow of the Erdtree is all about and grit your teeth to your heart's content on the expansion's many new enemies. To give you a good start to the DLC, we're bringing out a stylish special issue on Elden Ring to coincide with the release, chock full of guides.
We hope that your controllers and keyboards will survive the next few weeks unscathed.