Finally, everyone is immersed in to the most awaited DLC of soulsborne universe. On June 20th the Shadow of the Erdtree was available for gameplay. Elden Ring is continuing to evolve into one of the most critically acclaimed open-world RPG game.
The DLC offers a new vast area to explore. Moreover, Miyazaki mentioned the Shadow Realm is as big as Limgrave. However, the DLC itself feels like a standalone game. You will face fearsome bosses and a deeper narrative. The entire storyline has significantly changed the entire narrative of Elden Ring. The DLC gave a better closure and deeper understanding of what is going on in Shadow Realm.
Roughly, a week later FormSoftware has released patch 1.12 which heavily emphasizes on the DLC. There some bug fixes for the base game as well.
Shadow of the Erdtree and the Power of the Shadow Realm Blessings
The DLC has summoned one of the biggest changes in gameplay mechanics. In the base game you have to level up by increasing your stats. Additionally, you will need runes to level up and it increases every time you increase one level. However, things are a bit different in the Shadow Realm.
You need to level up in Shadow Realm by collecting scattered tree fragments which are known as Scadutree fragments. As you enter the DLC you will stumble upon these unique symbols which are known as Miquella’s cross under those symbols you will find the blessings.
You will need to find these fragments to level your attack power. This mechanic is almost identical to Sekiro’s mechanism. You had to collect prayer beads to increase your attack powers in Sekiro.
The main problem with this new leveling system is that people are not use to it. Many people forgot to level up using the Scadutree fragments. Instead, they relied on their base build and jumped into battle. As a result, they faced ineffective results during combat which made the DLC harder than it should be. Moreover, as Elden Ring is one of the mainstream games of soulsborne so it attracted many new beginner players. So, many new players are not use to the punishing game plays of FormSoftware.
Addressing the Problem by Patch 1.12.2
The patch will make our lives a bit easier. Players will now experience more noticeable boost in attack by their first level up from Scadutree fragments. You can expect to not get one shot by everything that is trying to kill you in the DLC.
The change aims to make the DLC less punishable and more accessible to the players. So, in the early game you will feel less frustrated and it will be easier to progress through smoothly. According to FormSoftware
“The attack and damage negation has been increased for the first half of the maximum amount of Blessing enhancements, and the second half will now be more gradual. The attack and damage negation granted by the final level of Blessing enhancements has been slightly increased.”
It Is expected that the there will be around 2.5% increase in damage compared to previous settings. In a sense is not that much of a difference. Eventually, you need to get good anyways.
Changes in Graphics Settings (PC Version Only)
There is a bug in Elden Ring where the raytracing settings are automatically enabled if you previously loaded saved data from previous game versions. So, if you see that your framerates are being wonky you should
“Check in the ‘SYSTEM’ > ‘Graphics Settings’ > ‘Raytracing Quality’ settings from the title menu or in-game menu to check if it has been unintentionally set to ‘ON’. Once set to ‘OFF’, Ray Tracing will no longer be automatically enabled.”
Patch 1.12: A Content and Balance Update
- Five new hairstyles have been added to the game. They can be selected during character creation, using the Clouded Mirror Stand or using Rennala’s Rebirth feature.
- Added “Map Functions Menu” to the Map Menu.
- New Summoning Pool features:
- Active Summoning Pools will now be carried over to NG+.Individual Summoning Pools can now be enabled / disabled in the newly added Map Functions Menu.
- If “Include Distant Areas” is selected when using the Small Golden Effigy, summoning pools within the Mohgwyn Palace will not be selected for summoning, even if you
- have activated them.
- If you are within the Moghwyn Palace and select “Nearby Only” when using the Small Golden Effigy, you will be able to be summoned within the area.
- Newly obtained items will be marked with a “!“.
- A new tab called “Recent Items” has been added to review recently obtained items.
- Display settings can be changed from the Display tab in the system menu.
- Added new feature to summon spectral steed during the Elden Beast the boss battle.
- Added new feature to the colosseum: crafted consumable items that have been used during a battle will be replenished at the end of your session.
- Added support for Arabic language.
Conclusion
FormSoftware continues to refine the experience for their huge fanbase. They are amazing at addressing’s players concern and makes the game a bit more optimized. The world-building of DLC is mesmerizing.
