Editor’s Observe: Bandai Namco shared a Steam copy of Elden Ring, and Dell India shared its Alienware Aurora R15 gaming desktop with IGN India for this sport efficiency evaluation.
Elden Ring, the acclaimed 2022 motion RPG by FromSoftware, obtained an enormous growth on June 21, 2024, as Shadow of the Erdtree. This DLC transports gamers to the Land of Shadow, which presents an entire new gameplay expertise distinct from the Lands Between.
Within the growth, gamers are guided to this new space by Empyrean Miquella, the place Erdtree’s shadow looms, giving the DLC its identify. Whereas the sport presents ample content material and secrets and techniques to discover and has bought 5 million copies in simply three days of launch, right here our focus is on the sport’s efficiency on PC.
Elden Ring maintains its high-quality graphics, textures, and world element within the Land of Shadow. Nonetheless, because the launch of Elden Ring, gamers have encountered many complaints concerning the sport’s efficiency (and issue). Allow us to dive into the numbers to see the real-world efficiency of the DLC.
Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree PC Necessities
The minimal and really helpful specs for Shadow of the Erdtree are just like the bottom Elden Ring sport. If you happen to can run Elden Ring, it is best to be capable to run the DLC. Listed here are the PC {hardware} necessities you will want to run the DLC, in line with FromSoftware:
The minimal and really helpful PC specs for #ELDENRING Shadow of the Erdtree have been up to date. pic.twitter.com/BQOOfB58mQ
— ELDEN RING (@ELDENRING) June 14, 2024
Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree PC Benchmarks
For this efficiency take a look at, I used the Alienware Aurora R15 gaming PC. This rig exceeds the really helpful system specs for nearly all video games at present out there. It permits us to check with out worrying about {hardware} bottlenecks or limitations. Listed here are the specs of the Aurora R15:
Dell Alienware Aurora R15 gaming desktop specs
| Element | Mannequin |
|---|---|
| CPU | Thirteenth-Gen Intel Core i9-13900KF (24 Cores- 8 Efficiency and 16 Effectivity Cores) |
| GPU | Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 with 24GB GDDR6X reminiscence |
| RAM | 2×16GB DDR5 @ 4800MT/s |
| Storage | 512GB NVMe M.2 PCIe Gen-4 SSD and 1TB 7200RPM SATA exhausting drive |
| OS | Home windows 11 Residence (64-bit) |
| Ports | Rear: 2x USB 2.0 Sort-A with Good Energy On, 2x USB 2.0 Sort-A, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Sort-C, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 Sort-C (20Gbps), 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Sort-A (5Gbps), 1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a Entrance: 2x USB 3.2 Gen-1 Sort-A ports, 1x USB 3.2 Gen-2 2×2 Sort-C port |
| Connectivity | Intel Killer Wi-Fi 6E, Intel Killer E3100 GbE RJ45, Bluetooth v5.2 |
| Audio | Rear: 1x Heart/Subwoofer output, 1x Rear Encompass, 1x Aspect Encompass, 3x 3.5mm jack (Microphone, Line Out Line In), 1x SPDIF TOSLINK Digital Output, 1x SPDIF Coax Digital Output) Entrance: 1x 3.5mm port |
| PSU | 1350W 80+ Platinum |
I performed Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree on 1080p and QHD (2K) graphics resolutions. The sport doesn’t assist upscaling or body technology tech and is capped at 60 frames per second (FPS) on PC. This take a look at focuses on the typical 0.1% lows and 1% lows in efficiency, utilizing most graphics settings with and with out ray tracing.
Under are tables displaying the variations in efficiency within the Lands Between and the Land of Shadow.
| Upscaling and Body Era settings (Important Recreation Map) | Common FPS | Common 0.1% Lows | Common 1% Lows |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1080p max | 60 | 43.4 | 52.5 |
| 1080p max with RT max | 60 | 47.3 | 51.9 |
| QHD max | 60 | 45.5 | 54.4 |
| QHD max RT | 60 | 47.3 | 51.9 |
Within the Lands Between, we noticed first rate numbers for the typical 0.1% and 1% lows, intently matching the 60 FPS cap.
| Upscaling and Body Era settings (Erdtree Map: Cliffroad Terminus) | Common FPS | Common 0.1% Lows | Common 1% Lows |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1080p max | 60 | 36.3 | 50.6 |
| 1080p max with RT max | 59.8 | 15.3 | 42.6 |
| QHD max | 60 | 35.4 | 49.7 |
| QHD max RT | 59.8 | 18.6 | 42.8 |
Nonetheless, transferring to the Shadow of the Erdtree content material, we observed a major dip within the common 0.1% lows, particularly with ray tracing enabled at most settings on each 1080p and QHD resolutions. Even with ray tracing off, the numbers didn’t match these of the overworld map. The benchmark was captured by way of CapFrameX whereas traversing the Cliffroad Terminus space within the Land of Shadow.
I didn’t discover seen stuttering or hitches throughout gameplay. Nonetheless, as indicated by participant suggestions on social media, it is probably that these not utilizing a high-end system just like the Alienware Aurora R15 could encounter efficiency points.
Efficiency Evaluation
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree packs in loads of content material, however the sport’s lack of ability to assist past 60 FPS is a major downside. That is particularly unusual for a AAA sport that launched in 2024, the place most, if not all, AAA video games assist greater FPS for a seamless gameplay expertise. The dearth of upscaling applied sciences and body technology to assist efficiency ends in a less-than-ideal gameplay expertise. The common 0.1 p.c lows of 15.6 FPS at 1080p decision on a GeForce RTX 4090 is a visibly stark instance of such an expertise.
Going over the efficiency outcomes, Shadow of the Erdtree doesn’t present a terrific demonstration of the efficiency that the Alienware Aurora R15 gaming desktop can provide with its CPU (Thirteenth-Gen Intel Core i9-13900KF) and GPU (Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090) mixture. This has extra to do with the standard of the DLC that FromSoftware delivered to Elden Ring followers.
Final month, FromSoftware additionally warned that PC efficiency points may be brought on by laptop mouse software program operating within the background. Whereas we didn’t use such software program, gamers going through worse efficiency might theoretically get a greater expertise by eradicating the offending third-party mouse software program.
The Verdict
The PC efficiency of Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is just not on par with the bottom sport. Whereas the DLC’s specification necessities haven’t modified, efficiency falls brief when analyzing the numbers. Gamers have reported framerate points within the growth, and our assessments revealed a stark distinction between the bottom sport and the growth’s common 0.1% and 1% lows. Within the meantime, we are able to solely hope that FromSoftware is engaged on fixes and optimisations to enhance the gaming efficiency of the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC.
Obtained any information ideas, or need to talk about a potential story? Electronic mail us at ign_india@ign.com
Rayan Sayyed is a employees author for IGN India with a main give attention to Asian leisure spanning from anime, manga, video games to movies and dramas from the East. You may attain out to him at rayan_sayyed@ign.com, or discover him on Twitter @rayanaver and Instagram @rayansayyed.
