It’s no secret that I’m chained to Genshin Impact dailies ever since it came out.
Colorful, bright, full of 2D, big-eyed characters, it’s a completely opposite aesthetic to Elden Ring where outside, under a brooding sky heavy with storm clouds, the landscape takes on an eerie allure. Trees sway ominously, their branches casting gnarled silhouettes against the muted moonlight.
Fog curls around gravestones in old cemeteries, lending an air of spectral presence. The atmosphere is thick with unseen forces, suggesting secrets hidden in every shadow and corner.
Shivers.
I’m not an experienced Soulslike gamer, so when I got the chance to try the Elden Ring expansion Shadow of the Erdtree in an exclusive preview, things got interesting.
Was it painful? Yes.
Did I die way more times than I wanted to? Yes.
Was it also fun and oddly satisfying once I managed to kill my first mob? Also yes.
Elden Ring expansion: Shadow of the Erdtree preview and gameplay
Considering that all my hobbies involve doing the same thing over and over and over again (I enjoy practicing scales on the violin) until I reach a certain mastery that I deem “good enough,” Soulslike games definitely appeal to that part of my character.
We got to kickstart our journey straight away in the Elden Ring expansion, but note that you’ll need to defeat two demigods in order to get here.
Strategically, my first move was to sit next to a veteran Elden Ring player who was kind and patient enough to guide me through the controls.
“Where’s the quest marker? What am I supposed to do? Why is there no storyline?” I asked my new friend as I stepped into a whole new world.
“It’s open world, you can do whatever you want. There’s no markers, just go and explore!” he said.
Suddenly, a winged monster noticed my presence in-game and flew down from its perch to greet me on the plains. I screamed.
After a mere second, my character died.
I restarted and tried a few more times. Even though it felt frustrating to keep dying, I noticed that I survived a little bit longer each time.
“You need to observe the enemy attack patterns. You can’t just spam buttons,” my friend advised. “Also remember to use your potions.”
Eventually, downing that one mob turned into many other mobs that I managed to slay. Riding through the open area, I arrived at a town settlement called Belurat.
Within its high walls, I wanted to go down a manhole into the underground drainage system. Instead of selecting “climb,” I accidentally jumped down.
I screamed. My character died. I sighed. I had to repeat the whole sequence again.
Yet another memorable death filed into my core memory.
Since our playtime was limited, I never did get to the key boss at Belurat, but my friend did. The best part about games like Elden Ring is that it’s equally fun to watch others play.
He put on his headphones and went into a zone, concentrating hard as Divine Beast Dancing Lion pranced around in lively and rhythmic ways. If it weren’t so life-threatening, I would’ve invited it to celebrate Lunar New Year with us next year.
After some serious button pressing (and restarting), he did it. He beat the big boss. Me, now his biggest fan, clapped and congratulated him.
A ONE Esports writer previously shared his experience on why he thinks Elden Ring and Genshin Impact are actually much more similar than one might imagine and I’m beginning to finally understand where he’s coming from.
Overall, I enjoyed punching mobs using new mechanics, encountering new larger-than-life bosses (even through a third person lens!), and the unparalleled immersion into a vast, unfriendly environment that eventually transforms into an deep-seated sense of achievement in one of the largest, most expansive and well-made DLCs of all time.
