While Shadow of the Erdtree Steam reviews remain at Mixed, other fans are celebrating what makes it great

While Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree DLC players continue to criticize the game for difficulty and performance issues — neither new to FromSoftware games — on Steam and keeping it at Mixed review status, other parts of the internet are lavishing praise upon it, showing there's more to this picture than there might seem.

The main complaint from most is that its difficulty is very high compared to the base game. While it's well known to many that FromSoftware DLCs are harder than the initial title (especially the bosses), given how much more popular Elden Ring is compared to the studio's previous games, it's safe to say this is a shock to most. High difficulty or not, however, it isn't stopping the more skilled players from doing hitless runs. (Balance adjustments made since launch should help the struggling and possibly the user reviews. For now, we wait.)

On the other side of the fence, one Reddit user said responding to a popular post praising the DLC content says it has, ''More map density, more verticality, less huge kilometric plains and themed dungeons; you can't ask for more in a Elden Ring DLC.'' Another remarks, ''It’s really incredible once you get into a groove with it.''

It's no lie that Shadow of the Erdtree is FromSoftware's biggest DLC to date with its huge map and wide variety of bosses to take out and dungeons to explore. Further, the world and sound design is distinct from the base game which makes it feel like a completely new title, while the different environments feel like worlds of their own. That extends to the aesthetics of the environments as well, and so praises over how beautiful the game is are flooding social media.

Twitter is flooded with players admiring the beauty of FromSoftware's largest DLC posting their hard-earned screenshots from their playthroughs. Faisal captured some incredible moments that show the artistic vision that the devs had while crafting this new land.

Alyssa Mercante jumped onto Twitter to express their admiration of Shadow of the Erdtree's beauty, compiling four incredible screenshots of the many biomes and vistas that you can find throughout the DLC.

Mystic Voltsy went a different route with their praise and focused on the artistic elegance of the Crucible Knight Wings aspect, which allows the player to spawn golden wings and dive into the enemy. As the golden wings lift you aloft, sparkling feathers fill the air in an incredible feast for the eyes.

In my own journeys, I came across some of the most epic landscapes in Shadow of the Erdtree and had to stop to appreciate the incredible beauty that FromSoftware crafted. It was always a question of whether the DLC could match the masterpiece that is the original Elden Ring, but at least in visual scope, they certainly managed to pull it off.

For more on Elden Ring, check out Where to get Carian Thrusting Shield in Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, here on Pro Game Guides.