Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is a massive expansion to the action RPG Elden Ring by studio FromSoftware, released in 2024, taking players into an entirely new region called the Land of Shadow, tied to the main story through the character Miquella and his search for perfection beyond the reach of the corrupted gods. The expansion preserves the series' signature soulslike gameplay – demanding combat built on carefully reading enemy movements, precise timing of dodges and parries, an elaborate system of weapons, spells, and builds, and a typically non-linear story told more through the environment than through direct narration, full of hidden connections and side characters.

The new region offers its own version of a leveling system through so-called Scadutree Fragments, letting the player strengthen their character specifically for the needs of this expansion independent of the main game, and it brings dozens of new weapons, spells, armor, and enemies and bosses that rank among the most demanding and complex in the entire series. On Xbox One, the older console of the generation, the game runs with certain compromises in performance, frame rate, and resolution compared to newer hardware, but the core gameplay, scope of content, and visual style remain fully intact.

Shadow of the Erdtree was received as one of the most ambitious expansions in the genre's history, expanding the already rich world of Elden Ring with another extensive layer of lore and content comparable in scale to a smaller standalone game. For FromSoftware fans it represents a natural culmination of the base game and confirmation that the studio can deliver the challenge, depth, and atmosphere the soulslike genre has become known for worldwide, even in the form of an expansion, and that players have long come to expect from the studio. On Xbox One, players will especially appreciate being able to enjoy the extensive new content without needing to buy a newer console, albeit at the cost of longer loading times and a less stable frame rate compared to the more powerful hardware the expansion was primarily developed for.