While critics have praised Shadow of the Erdtree, the Elden Ring DLC has received a mixed reception from Steam users. Players continue to voice concerns over its challenging difficulty and performance problems on both PC and consoles.
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Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree Launches with Mixed Steam Reviews
screenshot taken from Steam
Even though Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree earned critical acclaim and held the highest Metacritic score for a video game before launch, it was met with a surge of negative player reviews on Steam. Released on June 21, the DLC was commended for its demanding gameplay, yet many users have criticized its intense combat, perceived balance issues, and performance problems across PC and consoles.
Performance Problems and Unbalanced Difficulty Among Player Complaints
Many players highlighted the expansion's combat intensity as a major concern, saying fights feel tougher and at times unfairly difficult compared to the original game. Some user reviews noted that enemy placement seemed "rushed"—lacking thoughtful design—and that "bosses have bloated health pools."
Performance issues were also widely reported, with many PC users experiencing crashes, micro-stutters, and locked frame rates. Even players with high-end systems mentioned frame rates dipping below 30 FPS in graphically demanding areas, severely hampering gameplay. Console players on PlayStation reported similar problems, with noticeable frame rate drops during intense action sequences.
screenshot taken from Metacritic
As of Monday, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree holds a Mixed rating on Steam, with 36% of reviews being negative. On Metacritic, it has a 'Generally Favorable' score of 8.3/10 based on 570 user ratings. Meanwhile, Game8 awarded Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree an overall score of 94/100.
