Summary
- Shadow of the Erdtree DLC highlights the increased accessibility of magic builds in Elden Ring compared to past FromSoftware games.
- Past Soulslike games by FromSoftware required a ton of level-up investment from players to make an effective spellcaster build.
- New buildcrafting tools in the DLC, like the Blessed Blue Dew Talisman, extend FP's availability and make magic more accessible.
Dark Souls and Soulslike games are commonly associated with a steep, combat-driven difficulty, so it’s no surprise that Elden Ring is a brutal game to master. However, even though Elden Ring lives up to this normalized genre convention, the accessibility features that this game brings to the table go a long way toward making the difficulty much more manageable for both newcomers and Soulslike veterans.
Given the current discourse surrounding the difficulty of Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC though, the impact of some of the game’s accessibility features is becoming apparent now more than ever before. One particular element that Elden Ring’s new DLC highlights is how much more accessible magic builds are compared to some of FromSoftware’s past Souls games.
Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC is a Goldmine for New Buildcrafting Tools
Throughout the first week following its release, the difficulty of Elden Ring’s new DLC has proven to be quite controversial among the game’s community so far. However, some of the new buildcrafting tools introduced in the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC arguably make it worth the challenge.
Prior to the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC’s release, it was already possible to achieve an infinite magic build in Elden Ring. Although, on top of the existing buildcrafting tools, some of the new gear introduced in Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtee DLC still makes for a huge progression of the game’s FP mechanics, meaning that builds that utilize Sorceries, Incantations, Ashes of War, and/or other FP-consuming items have just become significantly more accessible. One such item is the 
Blessed Blue Dew Talisman, which passively regenerates FP over time.
The Blessed Blue Dew Talisman regenerates FP at a rate of 1 FP every 2 seconds.
While the FP regeneration provided by this Talisman may seem abysmal considering how some of the best Sorceries and Incantations in Elden Ring typically consume a massive amount of FP, the utility of this item is still a game-changer nonetheless. So, even though dedicated magic builds might not get the most use out of this Talisman, any other build that utilizes FP can still get plenty of value from it.
How Elden Ring Makes Magic Builds More Accessible Than Ever Before
Magic builds in the Souls games typically rely on heavy investment in order to be a worthwhile build, considering the high stat requirements and sources of magic-resource regeneration that are needed to cast some of the best spells. In contrast, magic builds in Elden Ring are much less all-or-nothing due to some of the subtle accessibility features and new buildcrafting tools that players have access to.
In the base game of Elden Ring, one of the biggest changes that has made magic builds more accessible is allowing players to unlock 
Memory Stone naturally while progressing, which are used to equip more spells. In the Dark Souls games, spell slots are tied to the player’s Attunement stat, which mainly requires a traditional level-up to increase. So, in Elden Ring, it’s much easier to equip multiple spells without needing to specialize in a dedicated magic build.
Another aspect of Elden Ring’s magic system that shows how far magic has come is the tools for magic efficiency that allow players to passively recover FP or reduce how much FP an action uses without relying on a 
Flask of Cerulean Tears or the Flask of Wondrous Physick. There are plenty of buildcrafting tools in Elden Ring that provide one or more of these utilities, and with all the new magic buildcrafting tools that the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC added, Elden Ring now has some of the best buildcrafting tools from all the games that came before it. Ultimately, between the subtle gameplay mechanics and the latest buildcrafting tools available, magic in Elden Ring is more accessible than it’s ever been in any of FromSoftware’s past games.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
- Released
- June 21, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
Shadow of the Erdtree is the first and only DLC expansion for FromSoftware's groundbreaking Elden Ring. It takes players to a whole new region, the Land of Shadow, where a new story awaits the Tarnished.
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Base Game
- Elden Ring
- Developer(s)
- FromSoftware
- Publisher(s)
- Bandai Namco Entertainment, FromSoftware
- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op, Online Multiplayer
