Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is peak FromSoftware, with everything players complained about in the base game dialed up to 11 in the funniest way possible

Elden Ring Varre looking pensive in front of the Scadutree

In an age of “community building” and direct communication between developers and players, I’ve always found it refreshing that FromSoftware is different. FromSoft sits at an imperious remove from its player base, and instead of communicating, disciplines us. While studios like Larian and Arrowhead have shown what you can accomplish by lending your players an attentive ear and friendly word, FromSoft remains proof positive that the opposite can be just as worthwhile.

In Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, FromSoft has achieved new heights of trolling its players, subverting our expectations, just generally zagging when we expect them to zig⁠—and it had me letting out hearty belly laughs the entire way through. It’s hard to praise a game for its malicious little surprises without spoiling at least a few, so consider this your Spoiler Warning for an area and weapon in the first two open world zones⁠.

Swamp ass

(Image credit: FromSoftware)

The first point where I knew I was really in for something special on this front came in the Belurat Tower Settlement legacy dungeon. I found a suspicious locked gate at the bottom of a well: Mystery! Enticement! What could be on the other side, I wondered. After finding the Well Depths Key on a circuitous, hidden little side path, I returned about an hour later for my reward.



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