It’s been a long time coming, but just a year after the release ofElden Ring, FromSoftware and Bandai Namco have announced the long awaited expansion for the the open world action RPG, calledShadow of the Erdtree. The Japanese company hasrevealed the existence of theElden Ringexpansionthrough social networks, along with the first official art of the DLC. For the time being, it has only been announced that the DLC, with fans not knowing a release date or what will happen in this new adventure.
Hidetaka Miyazaki already confirmed that there were plans to extend FromSoftware’s latest experience when he took the stage at The Game Wards to pick up the 2022 GOTY, so the long awaited moment was just a matter of time. This DLC doesn’t look like it will change much from the approach the company has been using since the firstDark Souls. In one way or another, it will take players to another place in the Lands Between, or perhaps even to another time or reality. This could help prevent certain annoyingElden Ringenemies from reappearing and getting on users' nerves again.
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Stormveil Warhawks
After defeating the challengingboss Margit, Fell Omen, players are rewarded with entry to the massive castle of Stormveil. Within the walls of this sprawling complex lie many deadly enemies, including Trolls, Living Jars, and even a Banished Knight. But by far the most annoying enemy in the castle is the Stormveil Warhawk. This creature is a large bird with a sword strapped to each leg. In addition to its fast and unpredictable slashes, it can also pick up explosive barrels and throw them at the player.
If that wasn’t bad enough, stronger, and possibly more terrifying versions of this enemy will appear later in the game. Some variants can hurl powerful fireballs, and others, instead of swords, feature significantly faster pecking attacks that repeatedly stun the player, making it almost impossible to escape from them.
Ancestral Followers
Located deep within Sophia River’s well, near theEternal City of Nokron, the Ancestral Followers stand guard and attack the player on sight. Normal melee variants are not much of a threat. They can cause a decent amount of damage with their close-range attacks, but they are always manageable.
However, the ancestral follower archers possess inhuman archery skills. Players caught within their line of sight are all-but-guaranteed to be hit with one of their arrows, which can be doubly frustrating when trying to scout and light fires to gain access to Ancestral Spirit boss fight. This one type of enemy can turn the beautiful Sofria River’s subway well from a joyous expedition to a drudgery.
Ulcerated Tree Spirits
The Ulcerated Tree Spirit is one of the game’s most repeated boss fights. This enemy appears at least six times throughout the game, but the first time most players will encounter one of these fearsome creatures is inFringefolk Hero’s Grave. This optional dungeon is just after the Cave of Knowledge. Once players navigate around their deadly roaming cart, they will eventually arrive at a boss arena that houses an Ulcerated Tree Spirit.
This huge creature resembling a decaying dragon has several attacks that cover a large part of its small arena. It can also spew flames from its mouth, or even create a large detonation of fire that is almost impossible to escape from. Due to the large size of theUlcerated Tree Spiritand the small arena, the camera will often miss through the creature, leaving the player blind and unable to predict attacks. It is best to carry the strongest weapons available to quickly dispatch this tedious enemy, although leveling up too much is not enough to lessen the frustration of repeated encounters.
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Rotten Stray Ashes
In real life, dogs are mankind’s best friend, but in video games they can be a nightmare. FromSilent HilltoResident Evil, and everything in between, dogs are known as some of the most annoying and dangerous enemies that gamers can encounter. They are agile and uncomfortably short, making it hard to hit them with guns or melee weapons.Elden Ring, and previous FromSoftware titles such asDark SoulsorBloodborne, are no exception to this rule.
The Rotten Stray Ashes are anundead caninewith exceptional speed and maneuverability that usually attacks in packs looking to surround the player to catch them from behind. The only way to deal with them is to avoid heavy weapons because they are too slow to deliver a solid blow to one of these dogs as it jumps back and forth repeatedly.
Lesser Runebears
Anyone who has played any FromSoftware title knows that appearances are deceiving and that some battles are won by avoiding them altogether. Fighting bears is commonplace in fantasy games, though because they are mundane compared to fictional creatures like dragons and griffins, bears tend to look like a weak enemy.Elden Ring, on the other hand, reminds players why fighting a bear is a bad idea regardless of reality. And despite being larger than most wild creatures, theLesser Runebearis tremendously fast.
Although Lesser Runebears are technically standard enemies, they are incredibly tough, and their health is higher than many bosses. However, despite the challenge, the reward for killing a runebear is not worth it. The sheer power and unfair hitboxes that Lesser Runebears boast, combined with their absurdly high health pools and tiny rewards, make them one of theElden Ringenemies that players won’t want to return to in theFromSoftware’s next DLC.
Giant Cryfish
Often called Railgun Crustacean, Giant Lobster, or simply Lobster, these horrible enemies are actually calledGiant Crayfish. Their most effective attack is a stream of poison, which travels absurd distances, capable of stunning the player after a couple of hits. But it can also fire multiple projectiles in rapid succession, making it almost impossible to dodge. These enemies are fast and powerful, attack by surprise and in groups, and have hard shells that make them difficult to damage. One of their most feared attacks is a grapple that can quickly kill the player.
Once the player their partially submerged forms, it is fairly easy to avoid them, but later in the game, players will encounter them in much smaller spaces, and realize that they never got to figure out how to defeat them. To top it off, there is a variant of this monster that is infected with parasites, which have red eyes, more power, and disgusting creatures writhing in their bellies.
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Fingercreepers
Of all the truly creepy enemies inElden Ring, Fingercreepers are one of the most disturbing and difficult creatures players can face. Especially bad for those with arachnophobia, Fingercreepers aregrotesque giant handswith a great talent for playing hide-and-seek and capable of taking players down with a few swipes in close combat. Much of the Fingercreepers' annoyance comes from their basic visual design. They are giant disembodied hands with an unnatural number of fingers, making it difficult to read their movements.
Unsuspecting players can easily fall into the clutches of these beasts, usually by going underneath one waiting on a wall. Some Fingercreepers eventemptElden Ringplayers with shiny objects to fall into their trap. Even when these monsters do not ambush players, they attack aggressively and can even paralyze victims with gravity magic.
Revenants
Revenants are the bane of manyElden Ringplayers. These multi-limbed creatures are one of the most aggressive enemies in the game and move much faster than one would expect. Not only can Revenants jump deceptively long distances, but most of their basic attacks hit multiple times, stunning players. To make matters worse, Revenants love to spew poison, have fire attacks, and can even teleport, making escape nearly impossible. These monsters have a wide set of abilities designed to finish players off as quickly as possible.
TheseElden Ringenemies are another arachnid-inspired horror show that can be quite difficult for players to defeat. Just as the boss version of the enemy, theRoyal Revenant, is one of the most annoying bosses inElden Ring, the regular Revenant is also incredibly irritating. In addition, the Revenant sometimes appears in groups, which makes already difficult combat exponentially worse.
With so many limbs and a very erratic move set, the Revenant can be a nightmare to battle, and survival is never guaranteed for even the most experienced warrior. The Revenant is by far the enemy that should reappear the least inShadow of the Erdtree.
Elden Ringis available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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