Summary
The upcoming DLC for 2022’s Game of the YearElden Ringis high up on plenty of players' wish lists, and for good reason. Since the very firstDark Souls, FromSoftware has established a trend of creating quality DLC expansions for its games, peaking with the Old Hunters and Ringed City DLC forBloodborneandDark Souls 3, respectively. Little is known at this point regarding what fans can expect from Shadow of the Erdtree,Elden Ring’s upcoming DLC expansion, but if there’s one thing that it should do, it’s follow in the footsteps of previous FromSoftware DLC and provide players a suitable endgame challenge.
Outside the meaningful additions that each expansion brought to its respective game’s lore, bothThe Old Huntersand The Ringed City (and, to a lesser extent, The Ashes of Ariandel) presented players with what many consider to be the toughest boss fights in each game. Considering that FromSoftware’s games are notorious for their challenge, to say that these DLC bosses represented the greatest obstacles for players to overcome indicates an incredible test of skill for any player, seasoned or otherwise. With mostElden Ringplayers having likely bested Malenia on the path to Elden Lord, Shadow of the Erdtree should push even veteran players to their limits.
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Shadow of the Erdtree Needs Its Own Slave Knight Gael or Orphan of Kos
It’s no secret thatFromSoftware’s Soulsborne gameslive and die by their boss fights. Whether players dread them or look forward to the challenge they present, each game’s route is built around bouncing from one boss encounter to the next. Each of these fights are a significant challenge and a built-in way for the game to test the player’s mastery of its mechanics, and they represent the pinnacle of video game encounter design. If there’s one thing FromSoftware is arguably best-in-field at, it’s crafting engaging and dynamic fights against imposing foes.
Orphan of Kos inBloodborneor Slave Knight Gael inDark Souls 3are the greatest of these challenges. The ultimate test of the player’s skill and a suitable sendoff to someone having completed everything else these games have to offer. These fights aren’t meant to be tackled in the early-to-mid game; they’re intended to be the ultimate or penultimate challenges faced by the player. As an optional boss fight inElden Ring, this position was previously held by Malenia, but thebosses in Shadow of the Erdtreeshould raise the bar in terms of challenge and make players nostalgic for the Malenia fight.
A New Elden Ring Challenge Opens Up Potential for a New ‘Let Me Solo Her’
FromSoftware’s implementation of co-op in its Soulsborne games has been an excellent source of some very meme-worthy moments. Perhaps the most famous of these is Let Me Solo Her, who was responsible for helping thousands of players get over the massive skill block represented by theMalenia boss fight inElden Ring. If Shadow of the Erdtree gifts players with a new substantial challenge to overcome, it’s not hard to imagine another hero rising to the occasion and saving the day via co-op summons.
The PvP side of the Soulsborne games' online connectivity can be a source of grief and frustration for players who get invaded during the most inopportune moments, but co-op PvE summon capabilities have almost always been a boon for players who can’t seem to get past that one boss encounter. If Shadow of the Erdtree ups the ante and brings a new boss fight to the table that puts Malenia to shame, it’s probably only a matter of time beforetheElden Ringcommunityresponds in kind.
Elden Ringis currently available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
