The difficulty of the Elden Ring DLC will scale with your current New Game Plus cycle, similar to the base game.
The Lands Between calls again, and this time, whispers of the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC fill the air. Many players are wondering, will new game plus effect elden ring dlc? It’s a valid concern, as tackling this new content on a higher NG+ cycle could provide a very different experience.
The base game’s scaling system hints that the DLC will also scale based on the player’s NG+ cycle. This means the challenges will increase in subsequent playthroughs, and players on NG+7 may face a considerable obstacle. Prepare your build accordingly for what comes ahead.
Will New Game Plus Affect Elden Ring DLC?
Alright, fellow Tarnished! We’ve all been eagerly awaiting news about the Elden Ring DLC, “Shadow of the Erdtree,” and one big question keeps popping up: how will New Game Plus (NG+) affect our experience with it? Will our souped-up characters and powerful gear make the DLC a walk in the park, or will FromSoftware throw us some serious curveballs? Let’s dive deep into this and try to figure it all out.
Understanding New Game Plus in Elden Ring
Before we can even think about how NG+ might affect the DLC, it’s important to understand how NG+ works in Elden Ring. When you finish the game, you get the option to start over, but with all your current stats, weapons, armor, and most items. This sounds awesome, right? Well, it is! But there are some things to keep in mind.
What Carries Over?
Here’s a quick breakdown of what you keep when entering NG+:
- Your character level and attribute points.
- All your weapons, armor, and talismans.
- Most of your items, including crafting materials and runes.
- All your spells and incantations.
- Key items that are needed to progress through the game.
What Resets?
But it’s not all sunshine and rainbows! Here’s what gets reset when you begin a new NG+ cycle:
- All Sites of Grace.
- Main quest progression.
- All discovered map fragments and locations.
- Bell Bearings.
- Key quest items that need to be collected again.
Basically, you get to keep your character strength but have to re-explore the world and follow the main storyline.
The Speculation: NG+ and the DLC’s Difficulty
Now, let’s get to the meat of the matter: how will NG+ interact with the “Shadow of the Erdtree” DLC? This is where things get interesting, and there’s no official word yet from FromSoftware. However, we can make some educated guesses based on past games and the nature of Elden Ring.
Option 1: Scaled Difficulty
One common thought is that the DLC’s difficulty will scale based on your current NG+ cycle. This would mean that if you enter the DLC on NG+3, the enemies will be much tougher than if you entered it on your first playthrough. This is a sensible approach because it would allow a fair experience for players who are at different progress in their game.
- Pros: This approach would provide a challenging experience for everyone, regardless of their NG+ cycle. Players wouldn’t feel overpowered or feel like the challenge is too less.
- Cons: If the scaling is not perfect, some could feel the DLC is too difficult or too easy, or there could be weird difficulty spikes in different areas in the dlc.
Option 2: Fixed Difficulty
Another possibility is that the DLC will have a fixed difficulty, regardless of your NG+ cycle. This might be a bit disappointing for players who are looking for a challenge after multiple playthroughs. However, FromSoftware has sometimes preferred a more fixed difficulty to keep things consistent.
- Pros: This would keep the experience consistent for every player, allowing them to know what to expect. It also makes designing and balancing of the DLC easier.
- Cons: This could feel too easy for players who have played through multiple NG+ cycles. It might also take away the incentive for some to do multiple playthroughs to face an even harder challenge.
Option 3: A Hybrid Approach
Perhaps FromSoftware will use a combination of both approaches. Maybe the core difficulty is set but there are optional areas or bosses that become significantly more challenging as your NG+ cycle increases. This would provide a good balance between accessibility and challenge.
- Pros: This approach offers the best of both worlds. Players can experience the DLC at a decent challenge, but there are always optional challenges to look forward to as they play the game in NG+ cycles.
- Cons: A hybrid approach also is difficult to make and some players might feel that the difficulty curve isn’t well-paced in certain situations, or the optional challenges are too hard even for a high NG+ cycle.
How Past FromSoftware Games Have Handled DLC in NG+
To get a better idea of what might happen with Elden Ring, let’s look at how previous FromSoftware games have handled DLC in NG+:
Dark Souls Series
In the Dark Souls series, DLC difficulty generally increased with each NG+ cycle, with enemy health, damage, and sometimes even their AI becoming more difficult. The experience was challenging for people who played through it in NG+ cycles, while not making it too easy for players playing in their first playthrough.
- Dark Souls 1: The DLC was challenging even in the first playthrough and continued to scale with each NG+.
- Dark Souls 2: DLC also got more difficult in NG+, but it was a bit more gradual increase than in Dark Souls 1.
- Dark Souls 3: The DLCs scaled like previous games, but there were some optional boss battles in the Ringed City that were especially difficult on higher NG+ cycles.
Bloodborne
Bloodborne’s “The Old Hunters” DLC also scaled with each NG+ cycle. It was considered to be a very hard dlc, and in NG+ cycles it could be a pretty unforgiving experience for people who weren’t ready for it. It was widely considered a worthy challenge for those who played the base game many times.
From this look at past games, we can see that FromSoftware often increases DLC difficulty with NG+. This makes it highly probable that they may go with a similar approach with Elden Ring.
Possible Changes to Expect in Elden Ring DLC
Now, let’s talk about what we might specifically see in the “Shadow of the Erdtree” DLC and how it might interact with NG+:
Enemy Buffs
The most expected change is enemies getting more health, dealing more damage, and perhaps even having better AI in NG+ cycles.
New Items and Equipment
FromSoftware may have added new items that enhance in NG+ cycles, or they might have made it so new items can only be found in higher cycles of the game. This would mean playing in different NG+ cycles might be mandatory to acquire them all.
Unique Boss Mechanics
Some of the boss fights might have new attack patterns or new phases in NG+. It would certainly keep things fresh, and not make people feel like they are facing the same enemies as in the base game.
Area Difficulty
The DLC could have areas that are more dangerous in later NG+ cycles, such as increased enemy density or new types of enemies spawning. This might force players to approach each area in a different way, especially in high level NG+ cycles.
Preparing for the Elden Ring DLC
So, what can you do to prepare for the DLC, especially if you’re thinking of jumping into it on NG+? Here are some tips:
Level Up
Make sure your character is at a comfortable level for your planned NG+ cycle. Higher level will certainly help players going for harder cycles, and makes the playthrough much easier.
Gather Powerful Gear
Stock up on powerful weapons and armor that will help you conquer the challenges ahead. Upgrading your favorite weapons to the max level might be beneficial, if they are viable in your preferred playthrough.
Master Combat Mechanics
Make sure you are used to Elden Ring’s combat mechanics. Learn how to dodge, parry, and utilize your spells and abilities effectively. Practice a lot and try different methods of play, so you are prepared for any challenges in the dlc.
Experiment With Builds
Try out different character builds and find one that suits your playstyle, while also being effective in combat. Elden Ring has a wide variety of options for character builds, so make sure to play around with them.
Stock Up on Consumables
Don’t forget to gather healing items, crafting materials, and other consumables that will help you survive. If you are facing a particularly difficult area or boss, you might use consumables to help you in the fight.
The Importance of Community Feedback
It’s important to remember that much of this is speculation. FromSoftware is known for keeping things close to the chest and will likely share the most important details about DLC when they are about to release it. We, the community, are good at figuring things out, and when the DLC releases, we will work together to find out how the NG+ cycle affects it.
When the “Shadow of the Erdtree” DLC comes out, there will be lots of content from the community. This includes videos, posts, and discussions that will help us figure out the exact differences and changes in the DLC for different NG+ cycles. Sharing our experiences and understanding will be very helpful for all of us.
What We Know So Far
We know that there is a dlc for Elden Ring, named “Shadow of the Erdtree” in development by FromSoftware, but there isn’t too much information available. They might provide a trailer or a gameplay showcase before the release that will help us understand more about the dlc and how it works with the base game. In this time, we can rely on the knowledge from the past FromSoftware games to get a better picture.
In conclusion, while we can’t say for sure how New Game Plus will affect the Elden Ring DLC, history and general patterns suggest that it will likely increase the challenge. Whether you’re a seasoned veteran of the Lands Between or a fresh-faced Tarnished, preparing your character, understanding how NG+ works and staying up-to-date on community findings will ensure you’re ready for anything the “Shadow of the Erdtree” has in store.
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Final Thoughts
The upcoming Elden Ring DLC presents a unique situation regarding New Game Plus. Players must consider their current playthrough’s level and item progression before starting the expansion. Accessing the DLC on NG+ may affect its challenge and resource availability.
It remains unclear exactly how the difficulty scaling will work for players entering the DLC on a New Game Plus cycle. We need to watch for more announcements. This directly impacts ‘will new game plus effect elden ring dlc’ and requires thoughtful preparation.
