Despite receiving widespread critical acclaim, the Elden Ring DLC, *Shadow of the Erdtree*, has encountered mixed reviews upon its debut on Steam. Released on June 21, this expansion has garnered attention for its challenging gameplay but has also faced significant criticism from players regarding its difficulty and performance issues across both PC and consoles.

For a deeper dive into the community's reaction, check out this video:

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree Debut Met with Mixed Reviews on Steam

Despite securing the highest Metacritic score for video games before its release, *Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree* has been met with a significant number of negative reviews on Steam. While the DLC was praised for its challenging gameplay, many players have voiced frustration over its intense combat, perceived imbalance in difficulty, and performance issues on PC and consoles.

Players Cite Performance Issues and Perceived Disproportionate Difficulty

Players have highlighted the expansion's battle intensity as a major concern, noting that the fights seem even more challenging and sometimes disproportionately difficult compared to the base game. Some reviews criticized the placement of enemies, describing them as "rushed" and not well-thought-out, with bosses having "overinflated health bars."

Performance issues have also been a significant point of contention. Numerous PC users have reported crashes, micro-stuttering, and capped frame rates. Even those with high-end systems experienced frame rates dipping below 30 FPS in crowded areas, making gameplay challenging. PlayStation users have reported similar issues, with significant frame rate drops during intense gameplay moments.

As of Monday, *Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree* holds an overall 'Mixed' review rating on Steam, with 36% negative reviews. On Metacritic, it is rated as 'Generally Favorable' with a score of 8.3/10 based on 570 user ratings. Meanwhile, Game8 has awarded the expansion an impressive overall rating of 94/100.