The Shadow of the Erdtree has yet to be released for very eager fans, but early access reviews have already ranked the long-awaited Elden Ring expansion so highly it’s quickly become the highest-rated DLC in gaming history.
Elden Ring‘s first DLC release, The Shadow of the Erdtree, will go live on June 21 and has already started life very favourably; within 24 hours of its arrival, it’s already ticked up a 95 score on Metacritic after 58 reviews. We were among that ranking, with the Elden Ring team at Dot Esports gave it a rating of 90 after calling it “hauntingly beautiful and expansive.”
The impressive Shadow of the Erdtree rating could easily fluctuate once more players and publications get their hands on the DLC, but for now the dark fantasy world’s 95-rating is nigh-unbeatable in the gaming landscape.
Elden Ring’s new expansion has already surpassed some of the most acclaimed DLCs and expansions in gaming history, like The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine, which has a Metascore rating of 92, and World of Warcraft’s The Wrath of the Lich King and Burning Crusade expansions, both of which have a Metascore rating of 91. These expansions and DLCs are beloved and highly rated for their incredible gameplay, narratives, and expansive worlds—and have still been outstripped by From Software’s next offering.
Review success has long fitted well on Elden Ring, with the original base game actually having a higher score of 96 on the same pages. If you were on the fence about getting this new expansions though, these June reviews clearly suggest it ranks quite closely alongside the original version in quality and gameplay.
If you’re still looking to pick up Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree before it releases, it’s going to cost you around $40 USD to preorder on PC or consoles.
