Shadow of the Erdtree is generally more interested in expanding Elden Ring than in reinventing the wheel, but one staple element that it does leave behind is ultimately for the best. Elden Ring has received extensive acclaim as one of the best open-world games of all time, so developer FromSoftware could hardly have been blamed if the expansion stuck to the same script. Some challenges in Elden Ring can be more fun than others, however, something that Shadow of the Erdtree seems to be aware of.