Opinion: Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree is good, but Dark Souls 3 The Ringed City is better

Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree, by all metrics, is easily one of the best expansions that FromSoftware has worked on. In fact, I would go as far as to say that it's one of the best expansions released in quite some time. However, while many might consider Shadow of the Erdtree the best FromSoftware DLC to date, I don't hold the same sentiment.

To me, FromSoftware's best DLC has always been The Ringed City, the quintessential finale of the Dark Souls Trilogy, and the peak of the "Souls-borne" formula. While The Ringed City is nowhere near the same scale as Shadow of the Erdtree, it still manages to get certain elements right. Things that Elden Ring and its DLC fumble with.

Dark Souls 3: The Ringed City is far from perfect, but in my honest opinion, it certainly is a tier above Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree. How? Let me explain.

Note: This article is subjective and reflects the author's opinions.

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Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree, despite its quality, falls short in key areas where Dark Souls 3's DLC excelled

A lack of "finality"

The biggest issue that Shadow of the Erdtree, and also to an extent, Elden Ring's base game has is a lack of "finality" to their respective endings. Although the "Age of Stars" ending does feel a lot like a "true ending," I cannot say the same for the other two endings, especially the "Frenzied Flame" one. This issue is further punctuated by the expansion.

Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree feels more like a piece of a greater puzzle than a complete package (Image via FromSoftware)

On the flip side, Dark Souls 3, whether you're taking into account the base game's finale or The Ringed City, both have a proper conclusion to their story arcs. I think the biggest issue with Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree's story is not the narrative it's trying to convey, but the plot threads that are left hanging from the base game.

Unlike earlier FromSoftware titles, the Shadow of the Erdtree's story is intertwined with the base game, despite it appearing to be disjointed at first. Elden Ring, due to its sheer scale, left a lot to interpretation, and that extends to the fate of certain characters in the game's story.

That's not the case with Dark Souls 3. By the time you roll credits on the base game, you've gone through multiple NPC questlines and seen them get a proper conclusion. Yes, there's still room for speculation, it's Dark Souls after all, duh. However, by the time you're done fighting Soul of Cinder, you're not left in the dark about the game's central storyline.

Hence, FromSoftware was free to craft the story for Dark Souls 3's DLC without any constraints to having to link it back to the base game. As a result, the DLCs, especially The Ringed City's ending, feel like a proper conclusion. That's not the case with Shadow of the Erdtree, simply because it's trying to connect its story to that of the base game.

The Ringed City, on the other hand, has a sense of finality to its story (Image via FromSoftware)

Don't get me wrong, I still like the story the Shadow of the Erdtree is trying to convey. It just isn't what I hoped it would be. I think, instead of focusing on Miquella, and the Epyreans, the DLC could've focused more on Messmer the Impaler, the Shamans, Queen Marika's past, and perhaps even the past of the Tarnished.

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Spectacle over quality

Another major edge that Dark Souls 3 and The Ringed City DLC have over Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree is, well, boss fights. Yes, Shadow of the Erdtree does feature some amazing boss fights. Just take a look at Bayle the Dread, Midra, and Messmer the Impaler. However, none of these bosses come close to those in Dark Souls 3.

Dark Souls 3's bosses feel way more iconic and also memorable than anything in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree (Image via FromSoftware)

The bosses in Elden Ring are all about spectacle and less about quality, something that reflects in the DLC as well. While there are some exceptions in the base game, like Malenia and Margit, those bosses are not known for the same reason as the Nameless King or Darkeater Midir.

In fact, I hardly know of any boss from Elden Ring as well as Shadow of the Erdtree that's famous for anything apart from the sheer difficulty players have against them. Be it Malenia's Waterfowl Dance or the DLC's final boss's AOE attacks, the spectacle and difficulty of these bosses is the only thing that has them in the limelight.

Difficulty in Elden Ring isn't an issue, and I don't think I have any complaints in that regard. However, a game's difficulty should never come at the expense of its quality and player experience. This is something we've seen done really well in previous FromSoftware DLCs, yes, even the ones for Dark Souls 2.

Just take a look at some of the iconic bosses in FromSoftware DLCs, Artorias, Manus, Fume Knight, Ludwig, Lady Maria, Orphan of Kos, Sister Friede, Midir, and Slave Knight Gael, to name a few. These bosses are iconic, not simply because they're challenging, but also because of their presentation and story.

Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree's bosses are a spectacle sure, but they are nowhere near as memorable as the ones in Dark Souls 3 and its DLCs (Image via FromSoftware)

Let's be real, some of the DLC bosses in previous FromSoftware games were nothing more than a pushover, Artorias, Fume Knight, Lady Maria, Sister Friede, and even Gael. And yet, these bosses will be fondly remembered by fans, compared to the likes of Putrescent Knight, Metyr, Mother of Fingers, and Promised Consort Radahn.