After the arrival of the Elden Ring expansion, which has delivered new adventures and content to the popular title, many players have embarked on challenges to complete their story. One of them demonstrating extraordinary skill, defeating the most difficult bosses in the DLC with a level 1 character and no equipment upgrades.
This is LastDarkHope, a YouTuber who has been playing this content and uploading videos with the challenge on his platform channel. While Elden Ring offers various ways to power up your character, from leveling up to upgrading equipment to increase defense and attack. The recommendation to face Shadow of the Erdtree is to start at level 150, with a minimum of 50 points invested in force. However, LastDarkHope is proving that difficulty is relative.
You can read: Players don’t want to download the patch that makes the Elden Ring DLC easier, because they want to play it only in “hard mode”
Although he uses Scadutree Fragments (items that grant a slight improvement), his feat does not lose merit and at such a low level, these fragments offer little significant benefit, since most bosses will eliminate him in a single hit if he is not extremely careful. Still, LastDarkHope’s self-imposed limitations haven’t stopped him and he has accomplished impressive solo feats.
So while for most players Elden Ring is a challenge even with the best gear, taking on the expansion at level 1 and without upgrades is an extraordinary display of skill on the part of this player.
From Software aims for smaller games after the colossal success of Elden Ring
While these players try to complete the DLC and the base game of Elden Ring, in a recent interview with The Guardian, Hidetaka Miyazaki, director of From Software, has suggested a change of direction for the next titles from the acclaimed studio. Creative who is considered a genius within the industry and who has indicated that scale will not be the main focus in the future.
Miyazaki’s comments point to a desire to diversify the studio’s offering. This is reflected in the recent release of Armored Core VI, directed by Masaru Yamamura, and the possibility of games with smaller budgets. “Elden Ring represents a turning point for From Software,” says Miyazaki. “We’ve used all the resources and talents we had at our disposal… expanding it further raises questions for me.”
“Right now, from a scale standpoint, Elden Ring is really the limit. Scaling it even further could be counterproductive,” he said.
This change in direction could be due to the intention to explore new mechanics and narratives, rather than replicate the Elden Ring formula. Additionally, the possibility of “multiple projects” opens the door to a greater variety of gaming experiences from From Software.
