ATTENTION SPOILERS: This post contains information about the final boss of Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree.
The debate about Shadow of the Erdtree's difficulty is on the table and the community is crying out for absurdly unbalanced bosses for the Elden Ring DLC. A recurring discussion, since it is not, nor will it be, the last time that FromSoftware be in the eye of the hurricane for shaping a fantasy RPG which requires a more than high level of skill with the command.
Like many of you, I too have been a victim of the Shadow Land death screen, although with the twist that I experienced it before launch. I was in charge of analyzing the expansion for VidaExtra, so Help from other players was practically non-existent and they were limited to the classic messages scattered on the floor of the stage.
To put you in context, I must make it clear that I have overcome all the obstacles of Shadow of the Erdtree in New Game+3, with an Astrologer build and using a Carian Royal Scepter that is capable of casting some truly devastating Intelligence spells. My character at level 198 did not have to overcome great difficulties during my journey during this new adventure, partly thanks to the game that I was able to experience during the preview that Bandai Namco gave us.
Of the 10 bosses available throughout the DLC, I only choked slightly Messmer, but the remedy was as simple as finding a good Shadow Tree Shards to calm him down. Yes, life smiled on me as I advanced through the Shadow Fortress, Belurat and every imaginable corner of the map, until I met my match.
![Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree](https://i.blogs.es/754eaa/eldenring_sote_screenshot_8/450_1000.webp)
I didn't keep a tally, but all the deaths, perversions and injustices that I suffered in Shadow of the Erdtree I understood them as part of the dynamics of the Japanese developer. I'm in Elden Ring, I have to accept the rules of the game and adapt; there is no surprise possible. However, everything went wrong as soon as I managed to ascend to the top of Enir-Ilim and face the fate of the most powerful final boss that Hidetaka Miyazaki has ever created.
And I'm not the one saying this, a player who has yet to experience all of the company's titles, but rather many players and figures with influence in the community. Radahn, Miquella's Consort, became my personal torture for 10 hours and a return to the ghosts of the past that I wanted to avoid. That son of a bitch should be considered a crime against humanity, especially in the conditions I found myself in.
Nowadays it is possible to resort to summons from altruistic players willing to help, but in my case it all came down to the venerated Mimetic Tear. No, invoking Ansbach is a waste of time because the idiot becomes my lapdog and does not dedicate himself to becoming a damage sponge; Not to mention it increases Radahn's life. Dual swords, very long range, huge size, massive damage, meteor launches, acrobatics, and ground-lifting ground attacks. Or what is the same, a very fun first phase.
![Elden Ring](https://i.blogs.es/3336ba/elden-ring-sote-radahn-1/450_1000.webp)
![Elden Ring](https://i.blogs.es/3336ba/elden-ring-sote-radahn-1/450_1000.webp)
The first hours were a trial, a trial and error in which I tried to get my mind to get used to the idea that I was going to be there for a long time. I didn't think that much, because after all there were a few days left until I had to publish the analysis. Even with all the difficulties that the initial stages could entail, horror is unleashed with a second phase of real hellMiquella appears on Radahn's back and he, despite still using a very similar set of movements, applies sacred rays with an incomprehensible radius of action.
Add a nuclear blast to the equation along with a grab that, if performed twice, equals instant death, and that's how you get an insanely difficult boss. The Tear could not resist Radahn's lashes and I saw myself abandoned to my fate with more than 40% of your life bar intactIt seemed like the end, a fall into the void of despair, but a friend came to the rescue like a guardian angel.
![Elden Ring](https://i.blogs.es/9651a2/elden-ring-sote-radahn-5/450_1000.webp)
![Elden Ring](https://i.blogs.es/9651a2/elden-ring-sote-radahn-5/450_1000.webp)
Mario Seijas, an IGN colleague, helped me with the battle after he had overcome it, although he recognized the extreme difficulty I had to face. We try all possible strategies: armor heavier than a tank, resorting to Bleeding, calling Ansbach, changing spells, distracting him and being very aggressive. Nothing worked, but no method could be ruled out either, as the impossible wall to overcome was still the damned second phase.
During the games in which Mario was not fighting side by side with me, I tried to save time and polished the first phase to the extreme. I managed to work out a way where, with a bit of luck, Radahn couldn't touch me and I bombarded him with ranged spells. I learned the entire sequence of attacks from him so much that His usual sword attacks became a very simple dance to continue without the edges touching me. Okay, a joy to take home, but everything still boiled down to sacred damage.
Mario and I talked a lot about what we should do, since he was fortunate enough to take down the boss and was aware that we were the first players in the world to face such a mountain. The conclusion was clear: the holy attacks had to be resisted in some way, since they were practically impossible to dodge. The mental damage after so many hours accumulated by not moving forward weighed heavily and returned me to Godfrey's hell that I experienced at the end of Elden Ring.
![Elden Ring Shadow Of The Erdtree](https://i.blogs.es/0f70f0/radahn-consort-of-miquella-boss-fight-elden-ring-shadow-of-the-erdtree/450_1000.webp)
![Elden Ring Shadow Of The Erdtree](https://i.blogs.es/0f70f0/radahn-consort-of-miquella-boss-fight-elden-ring-shadow-of-the-erdtree/450_1000.webp)
Reach the highest area of Enir-Ilim with 30 hours played Shadow of the Erdtree and I was already dangerously close to 40 in total. As if that were not enough, the attempts in which we did manage to make progress were full of a tension that did not allow us to think as clearly as possible. All in all, we tempered our nerves and proceeded to execute a masterful move that gave us the victory.
Mario obtained a shield hard enough to withstand the attacks of the second phase and boosted his resistance to the maximum. In those moments I I had to toughen Radahn's back, but the key was in the grip. We were clear that we had to let ourselves be caught, at least once, and at that moment whoever was free would relentlessly punish the enormous warrior. I took advantage of that luck by using spells like a condemned man while my comrade shouted for me to attack mercilessly.
![Elden Ring](https://i.blogs.es/d91d27/ccilej7scxtbx8gf9qbnek/450_1000.webp)
![Elden Ring](https://i.blogs.es/d91d27/ccilej7scxtbx8gf9qbnek/450_1000.webp)
And so, with my hands shaking and my heart racing, a scream came out of me. Radahn had died and my neighbors heard the newsI couldn't believe it; it was finally over. Shadow of the Erdtree after overcoming one of the most complicated enemies I have ever experienced in a video game. I could breathe easily, an enormous weight disappeared from my body and the feeling of a job well done began to fill it.
Who knows if FromSoftware will finally release a patch to lower Radahn's demands, but I have to agree with the public in this case: his fight is one of the fiercest and most complicated that you can find in any Soulslike. After almost 200 hours, my adventure in Elden Ring has come to an end and, as always, it has tested all my skills as a player.
In VidaExtra | The design of Elden Ring is more masterful than I imagined: they have opened my eyes with a great detail and I can't stop thinking about it
In VidaExtra | Elden Ring's exploration is unrivaled: it's on par with (or even above) Subnautica and The Legend of Zelda