FromSoft Still Hasn’t Fixed Its Biggest Problem In Shadow Of The Erdtree

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Obaid Ur Rehman

At HI Digital I test and write about different hardware configurations to show other PC users what they can expect from their build. My end goal is to educate the masses to make the right decision when they are looking for new PC parts to buy

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No other studio can measure up to FromSoftware’s quality today. Following Elden Ring’s success, everyone is familiar with the developer and its work, admiring the team for its craft.

However, like any other studio, this team is not perfect. One major flaw in most of its releases is the repetition of bosses. In my opinion, this is the biggest problem FromSoftware needs to overcome.

I had hoped Shadow of the Erdtree would finally fix this problem, but I seem to have been wrong.

Why it matters: The bosses in FromSoftware’s games are incredible, but their impact is diminished if they continue to appear repeatedly as regular enemies and mini-bosses.

FromSoftware’s History With Repetition

The first time I noticed this problem was when I played Dark Souls. The Asylum Demon has multiple variations, and players later encounter enemies like the Taurus Demon as regular enemies.

If a boss is given a proper arena, it should not be turned into a normal enemy since it just means the developer ran out of ideas for more enemies. The same problem exists in Dark Souls 3, though things got out of hand in Elden Ring.

There are 165 main bosses in Elden Ring, and many of them are repeated throughout the game. I adore Elden Ring and its open world; it’s massive and full of content. However, I wouldn’t mind a smaller world for more unique content.

Loving Elden Ring but why so many repeat bosses?
byu/Summon-Squad inEldenring

There was really no need for so many repetitive boss fights. Black Blade Kindred is one of my favorite bosses, but I was disappointed when there was another one before the mountaintops.

While it did have a different moveset, it was still the same boss, not to mention how many Erdtree Avatars there are. Also, let’s not ignore the Godskin enemies and Gargoyles. There’s way too much repetition here.

If you want more examples, look no further than the dragons. I never really enjoyed the dragon boss fights in Elden Ring except Placidusax. Ultimately, they all fight very similarly, with the differences coming down to different breath attacks.

Shadow of The Erdtree Doesn’t Fix This Problem

As mentioned earlier, I hoped that FromSoftware would fix this long-lasting problem with Shadow of the Erdtree, but it didn’t, which makes me sad. Fighting the Divine Beast, Dancing Lion, was a major challenge since he was not an easy boss.

As such, it became a memorable boss fight. However, the developer decided to reuse this boss in the Ruins of Rauh, which doesn’t make sense. At first, the encounter with this boss was incredible, but adding another one just made it disappointing.

I am glad that the second version has one more phase, but it doesn’t change the fact that the boss fight is still mostly the same. Another very frequently repeated boss is the Hippopotamus. I will be frank here: I hate this boss; it is perhaps the worst fight in the Elden Ring DLC.

The enemy’s design isn’t that good, the hitbox is weird, and I don’t understand the thought behind having such a massive creature in such a small arena. Before you tell me to git gud, I defeated him on my third or fourth try, so the difficulty wasn’t an issue; it’s just that the boss isn’t fun to fight.

So, of course, if the boss isn’t fun to fight, FromSoftware will make multiple variants of the enemy. You can also find a few more of them in the late-game open-world areas. At least the small arena wasn’t a huge problem there.

I Have Lost Hope

Despite how much I love the studio and its releases, I don’t have much hope for the future.

On a brighter note, Shadow of the Erdtree didn’t have as many repetitive bosses as the base game, except for the Red Bear, the Dancing Lion, and the Hippopotamus. So, I guess I will have to live with this now.

Perfection is hard to find, but if FromSoftware can address this critical fault, the studio will be very close to perfection for me.

Apart from this problem, I had no real issues with Shadow of the Erdtree. The level design and open world were solid, the bosses were as challenging as I thought, and the DLC ended up selling a whopping 5 million units.

That’s already more success than most studios will ever see, but there’s still room for improvement within FromSoftware’s formula.

Obaid Ur Rehman

[How-To Guides Expert]

Laiba, our tech guru at HI Digital, simplifies and crafts How-To Guides with a Google IT Support Certificate. Beyond tech, she captures the city’s aesthetics through her lens. Join her journey where tech meets creativity!

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