Shadow of the Erdtree just got easier: Elden Ring’s first DLC patch makes Scadutree buffs stronger in the early game, and a little stronger later too

The first half of Blessing levels now deal out bigger rewards

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

FromSoftwarehas launched a new update forElden Ring, reworking the buffs that are applied to players via Shadow of the Erdtree’s new Blessing system.

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtreeis so vast that it effectively has its own leveling system, dubbed ‘Shadow Realm Blessings.’ Finding Scadutree Fragments will buff your Tarnished’s statistics like health and attack while discovering Revered Spirit Ashes will boost the power of your Spirit Ash Summons like the Mimic Tear (yes, I’ve been relentlessly using it, too).

There are levels to both of these Blessings, but a new Elden Ring patch released today by FromSoftware has changed how they scale. AsBandai Namco’swebsite reveals, the “attack and damage negation has been increased for the first half of the maximum amount of Blessing enhancements, and the second half will now be more gradual.”

Additionally, the attack and damage negation granted by the final level of Blessing enhancements has also been slightly increased. So what we’re effectively getting is more power for our Tarnished in Shadow of the Erdtree, and quicker at that, so you’ll hopefully be able to more effectively keep pace with the horrors that are trying to murder you.

Elsewhere in the patch, FromSoftware has confirmed a bug where raytracing settings are automatically enabled on PC if you’re carrying over save data from Elden Ring’s previous game versions. This might be why your frame rate has been unstable, and the developer recommends turning the ‘Raytracing Quality’ option in the menu off immediately.

Finally, “other balance adjustments as well as big fixes” are coming in a future patch. This could mean the Shadow Realm Blessings aren’t the end of the difficulty readjustments in Shadow of the Erdtree, which will probably be very good news for anyone struggling with the expansion’s difficulty levels even after acquiring Blessings.

Take a look at our guide onwhere to find Scadutree Fragments in Shadow of the Erdtreeif you want to power up your Tarnished.

Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.

Monster Hunter Wilds players use the beta character creator to recreate their hunters from Monster Hunter World, aged for good measure, and also their real cats

After 500 hours in Monster Hunter World, the Monster Hunter Wilds beta feels like a new pair of shoes: fresh and stylish, but a little uncomfortable

“At least one” Game of Thrones movie is reportedly in early development at Warner Bros.