Locking the ‘Shadow of the Erdtree’ DLC behind one of the hardest optional bosses is cruel even for ‘Elden Ring’

It’s been two years since players made their first trembling steps into The Lands Between. Many of them will have given up before reaching the credits but, Elden Ring.

The universal praise from critics and players means the impending Shadows of the Erdtree DLC is one of the most hotly anticipated releases of the year. Previews indicate it’s practically a whole new game, delivering an enormous world to explore, populated by slavering monsters who can (and will) slice, chomp, and disintegrate players.

But there’s a wrinkle that anyone planning to purchase Shadows of the Erdtree needs to be aware of. Even if you pay the $40 asking price, you can’t leap straight into a new adventure – you’ve got one massive hurdle to clear.

The Lord of Blood

Most of the requirements to start Shadow of the Erdtree make sense. The area’s difficulty requires a high-level character, ideally somewhere between levels 100-150. Anyone who’s reached the latter stages of the game will be around this level.

You will also need to have beaten the tricky and tough Starscourge Radahn. However, Radahn is part of the core story quest and you must defeat him to progress the story. As such, anyone who’s reached the latter half of the game will have bested this mighty warrior.

The real headache for many players is that the entrance to the DLC is in Moghwyn Palace, specifically in the boss fight room of Mogh: The Lord of Blood. Moghwyn Palace is an optional area, and The Lord of Blood is generally considered the second-hardest boss in the game after Malenia.

Steam achievement data indicates that only 38.6% of players have ever beaten Mohg: The Lord of the Blood, so expect a lot of unhappy customers come release day when they realize the content they just paid for is locked behind a tough boss they may not even have immediate access to (and, inevitably, after two years their battle skills will be somewhat rusty).

Is this fair?

Longtime fans of FromSoftware’s Souls games will know that accessing these games’ DLC campaigns is rarely straightforward. To begin Dark Souls‘ Artorias of the Abyss you had to complete a byzantine set of requirements that all but required you to follow an online guide. Bloodborne‘s The Old Hunters was also rather tricky to access, and was locked behind defeating the Vicar Amelia boss.

There will be those who simply tell unhappy players to suck it up and git gud. Everything we’ve read indicates that Shadows of the Erdtree is a step up in difficulty from the core game, so perhaps consider defeating Mohg a final exam to ensure you’ve got what it takes to survive the DLC.

All that said, placing this enormously hyped and expensive campaign behind Mohg is sadistic even by FromSoftware’s standards, and expect anger and annoyance as this requirement filters through to players. We predict there will be refunds requested from people furious they can’t access what they’ve just paid top dollar for.

Hopefully, we’ll soon see many co-op partners idling outside Mogh’s arena who can help less-skilled players take him down. But, if you’re playing offline, the time to sharpen your blade and dust off those rusty skills is right now. Good luck.

Shadow of the Erdtree will be released on June 21, 2024 on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5.