Elden Ring DLC "A Little Bit Harder"

According to its director, the "Forsaken Hollows" DLC for *Elden Ring: Nightreign* offers a steeper challenge than the base game while remaining fundamentally fair. Read on for more details about the latest expansion and the studio's recurring swamp-themed meme.

Insights on Elden Ring: Nightreign's Forsaken Hollows DLC from the Director

A Step Up in Difficulty from the Main Game

Director Junya Ishizaki states that *The Forsaken Hollows* DLC is somewhat more difficult than the core *Nightreign* experience, but maintains a sense of fair challenge. In a December 1 interview with GameSpot, Ishizaki offered further insights into the expansion.

Difficulty is always a central topic for any FromSoftware Soulslike title. With *The Forsaken Hollows*, the community is curious about its balance, especially since *Elden Ring*'s *Shadow of the Erdtree* DLC was widely perceived as having a significant difficulty spike compared to the original game, particularly in its early stages.

Ishizaki acknowledged *Nightreign*'s initial balance issues, noting the development team has been aware of them since launch. He explained that the team has worked diligently to address these problems, setting a foundation for the upcoming DLC.

As part of these improvements, *Nightreign*'s Patch 1.03 laid the groundwork for *The Forsaken Hollows* while implementing key quality-of-life updates and bug fixes. The patch also introduced numerous balance changes, including buffs to various passive effects, melee attack power, and Relic abilities. It broadened the activation conditions for low-health damage negation but reduced its potency.

Regarding the DLC's design, Ishizaki aimed to make it welcoming for newcomers while allowing veteran players to recapture the sense of discovery they felt when first starting *Nightreign*.

"I want players who have mastered the main game to enter the DLC and recapture that initial feeling of exploring the unknown and figuring things out," Ishizaki said. "The Forsaken Hollows is definitely a bit more challenging, but not to an absurd degree. It remains within the bounds of what we consider a fair and rewarding test of skill."

All Paths Lead Back to the Swamp

While the DLC introduces new characters and bosses, the Soulslike multiplayer experience seems to be "returning" to one of FromSoftware's signature environments: the swamp. Swamp areas have been a recurring motif since *Demon's Souls* in 2009, featuring prominently in the *Dark Souls* trilogy, *Bloodborne*, *Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice*, and *Elden Ring*.

The community has turned this into a popular meme, joking about FromSoftware's apparent affinity for swampy terrain. Ishizaki confirmed the team is aware of the "Swamp Software" jokes online, clarifying that their frequent inclusion isn't a deliberate policy.

"We're definitely aware of the meme," Ishizaki explained. "There's no rule or mandate saying we must include a swamp. It's more that, during development, someone proposes the idea, and before you know it, the environment naturally takes shape in that direction. It develops a life of its own."

The situation is particularly amusing because the base *Nightreign* game launched without any swamps, leading some fans to believe the studio is now adding one intentionally. "The core *Nightreign* experience didn't have a swamp, so I understand why adding one via DLC might seem deliberate," the director noted. "But it truly is one of those design elements that just seems to emerge in our games organically, even without a specific directive to include it."

In *The Forsaken Hollows*, swamps are scattered across the map. Traversing them inflicts various status ailments like Poison and Sleep on players, making exploration in Limveld more perilous than ever. However, persevering through these hazardous zones may yield valuable rewards.

Regardless, the new DLC is sure to reignite interest among current players and attract newcomers to the Soulslike multiplayer scene. Following the release of *The Forsaken Hollows*, *Nightreign*'s concurrent player count has surged to over 90,000 and is likely to climb further over the weekend.

*Elden Ring: Nightreign*'s *The Forsaken Hollows* DLC is available now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. For the latest updates on the game, be sure to check out our article below.