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A full two years since Elden Ring's original launch, the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion gives us a fresh chance to revisit its world. PS5 and Xbox systems alike were blighted with frame-rate issues back then - while PC had its own share of troubles with traversal hitches and poor ultrawide support. Sadly, much of this appears unfixed by developer FromSoftware today, despite repeated criticism over the years. Tom and Alex look over the details of what's otherwise a beautifully crafted expansion.

00:31 Introduction
02:52 Erdtree Impressions
04:24 PlayStation 5 Frame-Rate Tests
05:59 Graphics Modes Compared
07:59 What's the Solution on Console?
10:00 Xbox Series X Frame-Rate Tests
12:10 Xbox Series S Frame-Rate Tests
13:34 PC Tech Analysis
19:10 Conclusion

 

[darrylgorn]

Surprised about the poor performance of this game, especially given that it doesn't look particular taxing, graphically.

 

[Garibaldi]

 

[Luipadre]

Shit performance still, but ofc they get a hard pass for it as always. 2 years later they improved nothing.

 

[omegasc]

They did nothing to improve performance, but that is what I was expecting anyway

 

[adamsapple]

- In terms of optimizing console experience 'it disappoints'
- Resolution and pixel counts are exactly the same as the base game, no rendering changes or increased DRS on an engine level

PS5:
- VRR can disguise some drops but generally frame rate mode is between 50 to 60 in normal traversal in Frame Rate mode
- Many areas drop to low 40s and drop below VRR threshold
- Quality mode still renders native 4K, while RT mode renders 1620p and adds RTAO and shadows
- No optimization improvements made to Quality and RT mode in testing
- Complex structures can cause either mode to drop to low 30s, RT mode falls lower of the two and can drop under 30 as well
- Either mode is hard to recommend, in short 'no good progress has been made after 2 years'

Series X:
- Typically 45 to 60 FPS and SX runs 5 to 8 FPS lower than PS5 in major settlements and in some areas they match
- SX's advantage is in the wider VRR range (40 to 60hz on SX rather than 48 to 60) to reduce the range of judder
- RT mode or Quality mode far well below the VRR range so neither is recommended, both run worse than their PS5 counterparts

Series S:
- Frame rate mode runs between 45 to 60, generally a bit worse than SX but VRR owners will benefit
- Quality mode is at or around 30 to 40 FPS, not worth the trade off in performance and lack of VRR coverage

PC:
- No technical characteristic changes from launch
- Arbitrary 60 FPS lock without modding, no native ultra wide support either
- RT on can cause near constant CPU hitching
- No modern reconstruction support either
- Frame hitching seen with both V-Sync on and off on mid range CPUs
- Higher end can reduce the frequency but cannot eliminate them entirely
- For some in their testing, V-Sync doesn't always work properly either, works worse than at launch
- Game can randomly drop to 0 FPS every now and then as well

 

[Mr Moose]

PS5:
- Many areas drop to low 40s and drop below VRR threshold
Series X:
- Typically 45 to 60 FPS and SX runs 5 to 8 FPS lower in major settlements and in some areas they match
Series S:
- Frame rate mode runs between 45 to 60, generally a bit worse than SX but VRR owners will benefit

That's an odd way to frame things.

 

[adamsapple]

That's an odd way to frame things.

- VRR can disguise some drops but generally frame rate mode is between 50 to 60 in normal traversal in Frame Rate mode

^ That is the PS5 typical performance. He starts talking about frame rate before going into frame rate specifics so it was in the top of the summary not in the console specific area, just need to change its position

 

[Mr Moose]

- VRR can disguise some drops but generally frame rate mode is between 50 to 60 in normal traversal in Frame Rate mode

^ That is the PS5 typical performance. He starts talking about frame rate before going into frame rate specifics so it was in the top of the summary not in the console specific area, just need to change its position

You put that part in the wrong place then lol, it should be under PS5:

 

[Bojji]

VRR saves the day again. I played PS4 version on PS5 when I had non VRR tv, it was 60 most of the time.

PS5 is in VRR range like 80% of the time so it's smooth enough.

FS technical incompetence strikes again, I doubt they will ever learn.

 

[FoxMcChief]

Shit performance still, but ofc they get a hard pass for it as always. 2 years later they improved nothing.

I absolutely love their games, but From Software gets a free pass that most other devs don’t from gamers and journalists. I mean, the online situation of playing with a friend might be as retarded as using a phone with the switch.

 

[Luipadre]

VRR saves the day again. I played PS4 version on PS5 when I had non VRR tv, it was 60 most of the time.

PS5 is in VRR range like 80% of the time so it's smooth enough.

FS technical incompetence strikes again, I doubt they will ever learn.

I dunno about VRR saving it, because i have a VRR TV and the base game already a judderfest on PS5

 

[sloppyjoe_gamer]

- Either mode is hard to recommend, in short 'no good progress has been made after 2 years

So then on PS5, if you have a VRR capable set you should stick with framerate mode for the best experience?

 

[R6Rider]

I played the base game on PS5 using the PS5 version on Performance mode and I'm doing the same for SotE. Feels about the same to me.

 

[Mr Moose]

- Either mode is hard to recommend, in short 'no good progress has been made after 2 years

So then on PS5, if you have a VRR capable set you should stick with framerate mode for the best experience?

When I played the graphics mode at launch it felt horrible to play, it improved a bit since then but still shite.

 

[March Climber]

I played the original as a PS4 game on PS5 for a smooth 60fps.

Is that the best path forward for this expansion?

 

[adamsapple]

- Either mode is hard to recommend, in short 'no good progress has been made after 2 years

So then on PS5, if you have a VRR capable set you should stick with framerate mode for the best experience?

Yes.

For the absolute best performance you should get the PS4 version and play it on PS5 but for native versions its Frame rate mode on all consoles. VRR helps but it will still drop out of the coverage range and show judders, more on PS5 cause it has a smaller VRR threshold.

I played the original as a PS4 game on PS5 for a smooth 60fps.

Is that the best path forward for this expansion?

For performance over visuals, yes, still the most consistent performing way.

 

[Luipadre]

I still dont understand why they dont offer a 30 fps lock mode. At this point id take the RT mode at locked 30, but based on their previous 30 fps efforts it would probably feel like shit too with bad frampacing

 

[Pop]

I played the original as a PS4 game on PS5 for a smooth 60fps.

Is that the best path forward for this expansion?

Yes

Still a smooth 60fps

 

[Anchovie123]

Really curious to see how PS5 Pro is gonna handle this game through boost mode. Hopefully they dont patch in Pro support because they'll no doubt fuck it up somehow.

 

[adamsapple]

I still dont understand why they dont offer a 30 fps lock mode. At this point id take the RT mode at locked 30, but based on their previous 30 fps efforts it would probably feel like shit too with bad frampacing

Bloodborne's notorious frame-pacing which makes the game feel worse than its actual frame rate.

It's just the way their engine is.

 

[Luipadre]

Bloodborne's notorious frame-pacing which makes the game feel worse than its actual frame rate.

It's just the way their engine is.

I mean then fix it? They made so many games on this engine, they made so much money too. Why they dont care about fixing these shit performance issues if they keep using the same engine

 

[Mr Moose]

Bloodborne's notorious frame-pacing which makes the game feel worse than its actual frame rate.

It's just the way their engine is.

And the God awful CA to go with it

 

[analog_future]

Surprised about the poor performance of this game, especially given that it doesn't look particular taxing, graphically.

You've just described every FROM game in history

 

[SoloCamo]

So why is this company always put on a pedestal again? The game's performance does not match the visuals let alone physics / cpu calculations that would justify it.

 

[Portugeezer]

Shit performance still, but ofc they get a hard pass for it as always. 2 years later they improved nothing.

It didn't get a pass, the game was just to good.

 

[DaciaJC]

From still haven't added an option to disable the fucking chromatic aberration or vignette after all this time. They have great designers, but their technical team is garbage.

 

[Punished Miku]

Lies of P definitely shows you what it's like to have this type of game just look sharp, clear and run stable. Much smaller dev too basically making their 1st game.

I think for DLC, it's not that rational to expect them to change it to really perform differently than the base game. But one would hope people hold their next game to some reasonable standards.

 

[vkbest]

- Either mode is hard to recommend, in short 'no good progress has been made after 2 years

So then on PS5, if you have a VRR capable set you should stick with framerate mode for the best experience?

PS4 version in PS5 is the best way. 60fps locked

 

[Antwix]

Glad I'm not sensitive to frame rates/drops (or perhaps I'm just retarded). Looks and runs pretty good in my eyes on console.

 

[Gaiff]

(or perhaps I'm just retarded).

 

[Bojji]

I dunno about VRR saving it, because i have a VRR TV and the base game already a judderfest on PS5

Interesting... for me it's smooth majority of the time.

DF said it good in their video, for the amount of money FS have made on this game they should invest something to improve it. They just don't fucking care about performance of their products...

 

[Tarin02543]

I can confirm that on pc adaptive sync is finally fixed in fullscreen mode, meaning you can now play without tearing (v sync off) AND with native HDR (best hdr) AND in multiplayer.

So yes, this finally fixed ER for me

 

[Thief1987]

So why is this company always put on a pedestal again? The game's performance does not match the visuals let alone physics / cpu calculations that would justify it.

They are the best copypasta devs in the biz, must protect them whatever the cost.

 

[Garibaldi]

I play with Flawless Wide-screen (disable the 60fps limit, disable CA, extra FOV, lower vignette) and it's a solid 60-90 maxed out at 3840x1600. As soon as I go thru the EAC and lose all the above the performance is all over the shop.

Never expected any less tbh. From are junk technically speaking. Not one of their games from the PS3 Gen onwards hasn't had some annoying technical issues that never even get addressed.

 

[Gaiff]

I play with Flawless Wide-screen (disable the 60fps limit, disable CA, extra FOV, lower vignette) and it's a solid 60-90 maxed out at 3840x1600. As soon as I go thru the EAC and lose all the above the performance is all over the shop.

Never expected any less tbh. From are junk technically speaking. Not one of their games from the PS3 Gen onwards hasn't had some annoying technical issues that never even get addressed.

Yep, same. That’s why I no longer bother with online. The anti-cheat tool is trash, I’m capped at 60fps, no ultrawide support, cannot disable chromatic aberration, no wider FOV, and no fixes for frame times. Simply too much stuff missing without tweaks.

3440x1440 and mostly around 100 fps with much better frame consistency.

 

[Physiognomonics]

Did they try the PS4 version running on PS5? Is it still mostly locked 60fps in the DLC? This is how I played the game on PS5 and it was great.

 

[Mister Wolf]

So why is this company always put on a pedestal again? The game's performance does not match the visuals let alone physics / cpu calculations that would justify it.

The trash performance stopped me from playing this game.

 

[Gaiff]

Did they try the PS4 version running on PS5? Is it still mostly locked 60fps in the DLC? This is how I played the game on PS5 and it was great.

Yes, and it's still the best way to play the game on consoles, but you have to start over with Shadow of the Erdtree. The PS4 progress doesn't seem to carry over to PS5 from what they said.

 

[Little Chicken]

I hope they use the enormous amount of money they've made from Elden Ring to invest in their tech.

 

[Denton]

What a technical shitshow, and on all platforms, too. That is what you get when you shower these incompetents with 95s metacritics. Zero incentive to improve.

 

[MikeM]

Curious how this will play on PS5 Pro given the PS4 Pro performance on PS5. Debating on waiting for it to play ER…

 

[Fbh]

Yeah feels pretty much the same as the core game to me.
Frequent and notorious drops...though still smooth enough that I'd rather have this than locked 30fps.

It's a shame FROM can't get their shit together on the tech side. I don't care about the somewhat dated visuals and recycled animations going all the way back to Demon Souls, hell even with all that I still think it's one of the best looking games this gen thanks to the superb art direction. But games with dated visuals should at least run smoothly

 

[FunkMiller]

I'm only encountering a freeze every once in while for a second. usually when loading a large new area. Otherwise pretty rock solid 60 fps. The pop-in is a joke, though.

 

[Radical_3d]

This performance is clearly the priority of many developers and almost all Japanese developers have: PS5 > Xbox > PC. The less money you make in a market the less you care. It is another candidate to “buy it in November with the Pro”. Disgusting, but at least they are finally called out by an outlet with relative weight. Late. Very late because their ratio of money making invested in performance has been unacceptable since DS2. But better late than never.

 

[SirTerry-T]

FromSoft should get their act together on the coding front. I understand they have a rabid fanbase for their titles but after all these years there should have been improvements to their engine/code based.

 

[Danjin44]

I'm not sensitive enough FPS to bother me and the is fucking gorgeous, at time can look like painting come to life.

Most of the games with high tech graphics always go for more boring realism which I honestly dont care for.

 

[SABRE220]

I love the studio and its games but its just plain ridiculous how much of a pass they get compared to other devs by the industry. This is another in a line of releases marred with technical issues which they deliberately refuse to fix. Any other high tier studio would be murdered if they left a game unpatched with serious technical issues, they would atleast be asked to communicate regarding it but not FROM.

 

[Lokaum D+]

From really need to upgrade their engine, Jesus

 

[blastprocessor]

So much money made on this game and no optimisations