Unless you have been living under a rock recently, you have probably heard of the Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. While the base game can be fairly difficult depending on the boss you are facing and the build you are using, the DLC is much more difficult. Players have been saying that the DLC is far too difficult despite it coming from a company known for making difficult titles and even more difficult DLCs. For instance, the Dark Souls 2 and Dark Souls 3 DLCs were both called difficult when they were released. Well, Helldivers 2 CCO Pilestedt has chimed in on the debate and he has an interesting comment that not everyone agrees with.
Recently, user Rurihkan posted on his X page, saying, “Some people think From Software design hard bosses for difficulty’s sake. They are wrong. The game is challenging because they want you to feel this. But you can’t feel this without being challenged.” He followed this post up with a video of streamer Stormfall beating the boss named Rellana in the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC – a boss some have called “the new Malenia.” In the video, the streamer finally defeats the boss and breaks down with joy over her accomplishment.
In response to this post, Pilested said, “Indeed, this 1,000% – good game design is evoking emotion more than anything.” Even if that emotion is anger it is still an emotion. In a later response, Pilestedt stated, “Helldivers 2 aims to evoke different emotions, edge-of-the-seat gameplay that turns into epic wins or fails. Shared laughter or collective “f*ck yeah.”
Someone was quick to point out, “The problem with this design philosophy is it only caters to a select audience. I tried DS1, and after defeating the first couple bosses, I realised it wasn’t fun or rewarding. I only felt relief, not accomplished.” To this, Pilestedt responded by saying, “A game for everyone is a game for no one. Always cater to a select audience.”
To this, we have to agree, that not every game will be for everyone. There are those who enjoy the simplicity of wandering around a world where nothing can hurt them and some enjoy completing complex puzzles. Others, however, enjoy throwing themselves at the metaphorical brick wall that is a From Software boss until they are victorious.
