Elden Ring's massive world and brutal bosses continue to test players' mettle, but the recently released "Shadow of the Erdtree" DLC seems to be in a league of its own. While fans are praising the expansion's lore and new areas, the difficulty has sparked discussion, and even Hidetaka Miyazaki, Elden Ring's director, seems to acknowledge the Erdtree's unforgiving nature.

In a recent interview with IGN, Miyazaki, known for his challenging game design, offered a surprising perspective on the DLC. When asked about player feedback regarding the Erdtree's difficulty, he admitted, "We aimed to create a challenging endgame experience, but it's clear some aspects might be a bit too harsh. We're always looking at player data and feedback to fine-tune the balance."

In the base game of Elden Ring, difficulty could be circumvented with leveling up. But with the addition of the new DLC exclusive consumables which increase your attack and defense stats, now you have to rely on those scarce items. Resulting in players not engaging with the simplest of enemies as more than one at a time could kill you outright.

Despite many tribulations, Miyazaki has faith in his players, only giving us trials he believes we can withstand. “We’ve really pushed the envelope in terms of what we think can be withstood by the players.” Miyazaki said to CNET. He made clear that one of the biggest lessons from Elden Ring into Erdtree was what the players found fun over what was stressful. “We tried to make that the foundation of the boss encounters of the DLC, so hopefully players will find it more fun and engaging.” he said in an interview with The Verge.

But if this is still not the case he simply said “Then I’m sorry.”