Elden Ring's newly released Tarnished Edition DLC introduces two new classes alongside a selection of armor and items, presenting what may be the final opportunity to experience the game's launch day excitement. This late-stage addition to the 2022 Game of the Year aims to draw players back to the Lands Between, potentially reviving its online multiplayer and cooperative modes.
The Tarnished Edition's additions, though seemingly modest on paper, are framed as a significant event for a game that has already captured the player base's imagination. The original release of Elden Ring and its Shadow of the Erdtree expansion were characterized by a sense of shared discovery, fueled by asynchronous messages and accessible matchmaking. While the Tarnished Edition may not replicate those initial highs, its launch is anticipated to cause the largest surge in player activity Elden Ring is likely to see again.
For those who have yet to experience Elden Ring, the DLC offers a gateway to a world described as possessing a unique blend of mythic grandeur and anthropological depth. The setting is dominated by the visually striking Erdtree, an omnipresent, skyscraper-sized growth that defines the landscape. Elden Ring's world is noted for its beauty and its peculiar, almost cheerful yet deeply strange atmosphere, which has made a lasting impression on players.
FromSoftware's design philosophy, which emphasizes mechanically pure combat where player error is the primary cause of failure, is a cornerstone of Elden Ring's appeal. The game masterfully balances this challenging combat with a wide array of character build options and class fantasies, allowing players to embody roles ranging from knights and barbarians to spellcasters and even more unconventional archetypes. The combat system is lauded as some of the tightest, richest, and most challenging available in the action-RPG genre.
In this context, even minor additions like those in the Tarnished Edition can feel substantial. The perfect block mechanic, reminiscent of FromSoftware's Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, has been incorporated as a character build option, further highlighting the depth of Elden Ring's combat system. As FromSoftware has not released a comparable solo or asynchronous experience since Elden Ring, and with no new major title on the immediate horizon, the Tarnished Edition serves as the closest players will get to a new FromSoftware release event for the foreseeable future. This situation draws parallels to the anticipation surrounding the unreleased Switch 2 exclusive, Duskbloods, which is speculated to have more in common with multiplayer-focused titles than Bloodborne, potentially leading to a similar sense of FOMO among players.