Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree Is a Master Class in Open-World Design

Summary

The open-world genre hasn’t always had a great reputation. In fact, the larger video game worlds have gotten, the more often they seem to garner criticism for their design and execution. In the midst of all that,Elden Ringmanaged to give players an open world that rewarded them for venturing off the beaten path, all while refusing to babysit them through it. Many open-world games that came beforeElden Ringare notorious for their hand-holding mechanics, in which they clutter their maps with icons that denote activities, collectibles, and quests.Elden Ringforwent all of that for a much more player-driven experience, and now itsone and only DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree, has arrived offering more of the same.

Elden Ring’s open-world formula is arguably the one thing that Shadow of the Erdtree needed to stay true to, and it did that and then some. All the same elements ofElden Ring’s open world are still present in Shadow of the Erdtree. However, the Realm of Shadow that the DLC is set in is layered rather than flat, so players still have plenty of ground to cover despite the map being much smaller. It is here where Shadow of the Erdtree’s map design truly shines, as it is the key to its open-world execution, much like it was in the base game forElden Ring.

Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree Tag Page Cover Art

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree’s Map Is Designed for Discovery

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree’s Map Isn’t Cluttered With Icons

Shadow of the Erdtree honorsElden Ring’s approachto map icons by only showing players the Sites of Grace they’ve discovered, any notable locations they’ve visited, uncollected map fragments, and now, any of Miquella’s crosses they’ve found. Just asElden Ringdid before it, Shadow of the Erdtree uses its Sites of Grace to gently nudge players in the right direction, albeit only providing them with a very general idea of which way they are supposed to go to progress the main story. This allows exploration to feel much more rewarding than if everything the DLC has to offer was already notated on the map via icons.

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree’s Map Uses Art to Entice Players

One of the driving forces behindElden Ring’s successful open worldis its map’s visuals. Specifically, once players find the map for a region, that area is revealed andElden Ringuses its art to entice players rather than icons — which is something even one of its biggest competitors in the open-world market,The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, failed to do. This emphasis on map art and visuals comes into play even more so in Shadow of the Erdtree, since the Realm of Shadow has numerous layers for players to explore.

InElden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, if players see something that looks like several small buildings bunched together, it’s probably a village they should explore. If they see what appears to be a cliff in the middle of the map, there is almost certainly a way to get up there, so they shouldn’t give up their search for the best route to take. Other artistic visual cues, like small bodies of water surrounded by trees or curious objects that appear to be otherworldly, are also signs of areas that likely offer valuable secrets and rewards to those who venture there. All in all, Shadow of the Erdtree’s use of art as a guide is preferable to being babysat by a multitude of map icons.

Shadow of the Erdtree offersElden Ring’s same excellent map design, only players now have new highs and new lows to explore — all of which are revealed in one way or another on the map itself. Futureopen-world gameswould do well to consider what makes Shadow of the Erdtree such a fulfilling experience and design their maps accordingly.