Elden Ring is finally adding difficulty options, but you can completely ignore them

Here’s a little bit of fun news guaranteed to invoke a completely normal reaction and cause zero arguments: Elden Ring is adding actual, honest-to-god difficulty options.

It’s no secret that FromSoftware games tend to be a little on the hard side, and FromSoftware expansions typically take the challenge to terrifying new heights. Shadow Of The Erdtree is no different. After three hours playing the upcoming expansion, I found my shit sufficiently rocked by more than one boss. My nerves were shot. My jimmies had been well and truly rustled.

Obviously most people with an interest in playing the expansion to Elden Ring will be glad to learn the DLC isn’t shy about ramping up the difficulty. However, this time around FromSoftware has decided to take pity on the players who might not have spent the last two years practising and honing their builds.

It turns out Shadow Of The Erdtree has built in difficulty options specifically designed to make the DLC a little bit easier for you if you find you’re struggling after so long away from the lands between. Two important things to note here for the gatekeeping weirdos who I imagine are already losing their minds over this news: I said a little bit easier. I also said options. As in optional. As in you may want to choose the option to stop moaning about something you never have to engage with.

Shadow Of The Erdtree has two new collectible items designed to help players conquer this strange new land. The first are called Scadutree fragments. You can find these hidden out in the world, and you can use them at sites of grace to boost your attack and defence. You can also find revered ash spirits, which can be used to make your spirit ashes and your spectral steed, Torrent, even stronger.

There are two main caveats here. The first is that these buffs are only active as long as you’re in the Realm of Shadow, the new area designed for the expansion. Head back to The Lands Between and your stats will go back to normal. The second is that you actually have to go out looking for these fragments if you want the power boost, and they might not be that easy to find.

During my preview I was able to collect enough fragments to power myself up twice, and while I noticed a bit of a difference I wouldn’t say the game suddenly switched on easy mode. But if you’re a relatively new FromSoftware fan who’s dreading getting back into Elden Ring specifically because of the difficulty, this should be a nice new feature that simultaneously encourages exploration and makes those boss fights just a bit less frustrating.