FromSoftware is known for making exceedingly challenging games, yet plenty of fans have found Shadow of the Erdtree, the first and only DLC expansion for Elden Ring, to be too difficult even for them. We have several guides for helping you in your journey through the Realm of Shadow (including one on the best early weapons in the DLC), but if you’re really struggling, there are PC mods that aim to tone down the difficulty.
Such mods have been popping up over the weekend, and come in a variety of flavours. One simply titled Easy Shadow of the Erdtree just reduces the amount of damage enemies deal by 25%, while another reduces the damage you take by 50%, doubles your own damage output, gives you regenerating health and Focus Points, and lets you recover Runes immediately. That second one is fittingly dubbed Wolverine Mode.
Another one is called No more Scadutree grind, which outright removes the Scadutree fragments introduced in the DLC and readjusts the damage scaling to be similar to how it is in the base game. Scadutree fragments are how you increase your character’s strength and defence in Shadow of the Erdtree but, clearly, some fans aren’t too keen on it and would prefer if leveling up worked like it did in Elden Ring. There’s also a mod that’s meant for taking screenshots (appropriately named Screenshot Difficulty), though its creator advises against using this if you actually want to play the game since it “makes you take way, way less incoming damage.”
It’s fascinating seeing modders craft their own easy modes for Shadow of the Erdtree when people have been so vehemently against the idea of FromSoftware games adding difficulty options, since the high level of challenge is the point. And yet while Elden Ring has maintained an overall Very Positive user rating on Steam, user reviews on Shadow of the Erdtree are mixed. Some criticisms, though, aren’t solely about how difficult the DLC is, and are lobbied against its performance and frame rate issues.
There are also more positive user reviews than negative, with plenty of fans perfectly content with how difficult the DLC is and, unsurprisingly, telling complainers to simply get better. Not to mention Shadow of the Erdtree has been a critical darling, earning high scores from most outlets and overtaking The Witcher 3′s Blood and Wine expansion as the best-reviewed DLC on Metacritic.
