Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree’s first patch makes it easier

Challenge is certainly not an unfamiliar feeling to fans of FromSoftware games, but the first patch for Elden Ring's recently released Shadow of the Erdtree expansion perhaps proves that things might have gone a bit too far.

There's already been controversy surrounding review bombing, with many players claiming that the expansion is simply too hard to complete. While this new update might not help in every case - it'll likely enhance the earlier experiences of players new to the Land of Shadow.

Update 1.12.2 enhances early Scadutree Blessings

There are only two adjustments in the first patch for Shadow of the Erdtree, released on June 26, but they'll definitely make an impact for anyone still stuck on the early DLC bosses.

Progression for both Scadutree and Revered Spirit Ash Blessings has been tuned more towards the first half now, giving greater attack and damage negation scaling in the first set of levels.

This means that you'll feel more of an effect from the first 10 Scadutree Blessing increases than the latter half, making those early hours (hopefully) a bit easier to tackle.

Hope is not lost for anyone struggling near the end though, as there has also been a slight increase to the boosts given by the final level of each respective Blessing, making it more impactful than before.

This should hopefully give you the push you need to claim those last few Scadutree Fragments, as that could be the difference-maker in the grand scheme of things.

Changes on the horizon

While the adjustments included in this patch are minimal yet impactful, we have also been given a glimpse into what future patches might hold.

The final line of this update indicates that "other balance adjustments as well as bug fixes are also planned for a future patch," giving hope to players praying for a few nerfs to some of the more challenging bosses.

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While I think it's unlikely that FromSoftware will make drastic changes to the overall balance of the DLC, as it has historically reserved the most difficult content for each game's respective expansion, we have seen nerfs to some bosses in the base game post-release.

It'll be intriguing to see how the critical reception is handled in the near future, but if you're currently hard-stuck on one of the notorious roadblocks then there might still be hope for you yet.