20% of Elden Ring Players Have Shadow of the Erdtree

Miyazaki's done it again.

Author

Robert Scarpinito
June 28, 2024 • Estimated Reading Time: 8 minutes

Yes, that includes me. Shadow of the Erdtree has probably been the most widely anticipated DLC in years, maybe since The Witcher 3? It topped 5 million in sales, meaning roughly 20% of all Elden Ring owners have made the purchase.

The crazy success of this release shows that FromSoftware continues to be one of the best surprises in the industry. The company was founded nearly 40 years ago, and it’s made a wide array of games in different genres.

None of it was necessarily a mainstream success, but the Dark Souls trilogy started to change that tune. It spawned a whole genre everyone tries to ape, yet no one has really done it quite like Hidetaka Miyazaki’s team does. Today, Elden Ring stands as one of the best games ever made, and Shadow of the Erdtree only bolsters that reputation.

From the moment you step into the Land of Shadow, everything brilliant about Elden Ring comes back into focus. Faraway landmarks call your name, beckoning you to explore. Enemies with unexpected attack patterns keep you on your toes, balancing the tension with satisfaction. And—is that a giant fire demon in the distance, just walkin’ around? Excuse me?

Since the DLC launched, FromSoftware released a patch to tweak the difficulty. Now, you’ll scale better in the first half of the DLC’s scaling system, but it gets more gradual in the later stages. This should make the ramp up into the new area a bit smoother, but you probably still can’t be caught making a lot of dumb mistakes. So stay on your toes, O Tarnished.

Since the allegations came out, Guy “Dr. Disrespect” Beahm released a statement on Twitter that made things, well, a lot worse. He confirmed that he exchanged messages with a minor that leaned in an inappropriate direction. But he never had “real intentions” of doing anything, so it’s all okay, right? (No, it’s really not.)

He said he takes responsibility "as an adult, a husband, and a father,” all while distancing himself from any semblance of responsibility. He was 35 years old at the time, talking with a minor half his age. It’s already not a great look.

Gaming is more social than ever, and Steam is catching up with the competition by adding its own game recording and sharing features. It comes with a nifty timeline system too, letting you mark certain points so you can remember your Epic Gamer Moments.

Even more, if a game is “timeline enhanced” per Valve’s system, Steam will automatically add markers based on your actions in game. So far, only two games are enhanced, but hopefully more will get this treatment moving forward.

Our news writer Joseph Allen has rounded up all the big layoffs, acquisitions, and more in the industry. It’s a weekly segment that we publish every Friday morning, so if you’re on the lookout for more industry news, we’ve got you covered.

By the end of 2024, Mattel wants 80% of its tabletop catalog to be accessible to colorblind people, with more colors, symbols, and tactile clues. Soon, even more people can enjoy ruining game night over a heated round of Uno.

What’s New This Week?

Stonemaeir is lighting a fire under birdwatching fans, taking its ever popular game Wingspan to the realm of dragons. Wyrmspan adds a few extra layers of complexity on top of the Wingspan formula, and you can learn all about it in our review!

Old-school puzzle adventure game fans are eating well with this new version of Riven. The beautiful new environment comes to life, and added accessibility options make it more approachable than ever—all without losing its core puzzle gameplay that made Riven (and Myst) legends in their own rights.

Palworld just got a major new update, which adds Sakurajima, a new island that gives you plenty of reasons to jump back into the game. You can battle the new Moonflowers faction and catch even more Pals to exploit them and create your own oppressively efficient commune.

If you want to jump in, we’ve got a few guides to help you get started, including how to find Sakurajima.