Rise, Tarnished. The Lands Between are calling once again, and this time the journey can be taken wherever you choose. There are games that are good, games that are great, and then there are games that somehow manage to become part of the wider gaming conversation. ELDEN RING sits firmly in that final category. FromSoftware’s open-world masterpiece arrived in 2022 and immediately became one of those rare releases that seemed to dominate every conversation, from passionate debates about its bosses and builds to stories of players stumbling upon breathtaking locations completely by accident. Now, with ELDEN RING Tarnished Edition, that enormous adventure arrives on Nintendo Switch 2 alongside the superb Shadow of the Erdtree expansion and a handful of new additions.
For anyone who somehow missed the original, the premise sounds almost straightforward. You are a Tarnished, summoned to the Lands Between after the Elden Ring has been shattered and the world has descended into chaos. Your goal is to gather the Great Runes, defeat the demigods standing in your way, and ultimately claim the title of Elden Lord. In practice, however, ELDEN RING is far less interested in giving you a traditional hero’s journey than in dropping you into a world packed with secrets and letting you figure things out for yourself.
That philosophy remains one of the game’s greatest strengths. There is very little hand-holding, and the game rarely seems concerned about whether you are properly prepared for whatever lies around the next corner. Sometimes that corner contains a beautiful vista stretching towards the distant Erdtree. Sometimes it contains something enormous, horrifying and very angry. More often than not, it contains both.
A World That Demands Exploration
The Lands Between remain extraordinary. Even after countless hours spent exploring them in previous versions, there is still something magical about riding into a new region and watching the landscape gradually reveal itself. Ruined castles rise above misty valleys, ancient forests conceal forgotten paths, and underground realms stretch beneath the surface, each with its own architecture, enemies and secrets. It is a world that constantly encourages curiosity and, perhaps more importantly, rewards it.
The genius of the open world is that exploration never feels like simply ticking boxes on a map. You might notice a strange building in the distance and decide to investigate, only to discover a new dungeon. That dungeon might contain a powerful weapon, an unusual enemy, or a boss that completely dismantles your confidence. You may then leave, return twenty hours later with a stronger character, and discover that what once seemed impossible has suddenly become manageable.
This creates an incredibly satisfying rhythm. ELDEN RING doesn’t necessarily make you feel powerful by constantly showering you with rewards. Instead, it makes you feel powerful because you learn. You learn enemy patterns, understand your own abilities, and become more confident about venturing into places that previously made you nervous.
The enormous legacy dungeons provide an excellent contrast to the open fields. Areas such as Stormveil Castle, Raya Lucaria Academy and Leyndell are packed with twisting corridors, hidden rooms, vertical routes, and enemies positioned with almost malicious precision. They feel like traditional FromSoftware environments expanded to a breathtaking scale, and reaching the end of one is still immensely satisfying.
Combat That Rewards Patience
Combat is where ELDEN RING can still be brutally honest with the player. There is no button-mashing your way through encounters, at least not reliably. Every swing consumes stamina, every dodge needs to be timed, and every enemy has its own rhythm that must be understood. Even seemingly insignificant creatures can become dangerous if you grow careless.
What makes the system so compelling is the sheer freedom it offers. You can build a heavily armoured warrior wielding an enormous greatsword, a nimble assassin specialising in quick attacks, a spellcaster capable of raining destruction from a distance, or something far more experimental. Weapons, armour, talismans, spells, incantations, Spirit Ashes and Ashes of War combine to create an enormous number of possibilities.
The result is a game where failure doesn’t necessarily mean you need to improve at one particular style of play. Sometimes it simply means you need to change your approach. Struggling against a boss with a slow melee build? Try ranged attacks. Having difficulty surviving? Adjust your equipment or summon assistance. Getting repeatedly destroyed by an enemy resistant to your chosen damage type? There is probably another option waiting somewhere in the world.
Torrent, your spectral steed, remains an essential part of the experience. Travelling across the open world on horseback makes the enormous map considerably easier to navigate, while mounted combat adds another layer to encounters. The new cosmetic options for Torrent in the Tarnished Edition are hardly revolutionary, but there is something undeniably satisfying about giving your faithful companion a little personality.
The Shadow Gets Longer
Shadow of the Erdtree is included with the Tarnished Edition and would be considered substantial even if sold as a standalone adventure. The Realm of Shadow offers another enormous environment to explore, filled with new enemies, bosses, weapons and mysteries. More importantly, it shows that FromSoftware managed to preserve the same sense of discovery even after creating one of the largest open worlds in modern gaming.
The expansion is not merely an additional collection of missions bolted onto the original campaign. It has its own atmosphere and identity, with enormous landmarks and winding routes that encourage the same curiosity as the Lands Between. It also introduces the Scadutree Blessing system, a separate progression path designed specifically for the expansion’s considerably tougher challenges.
And make no mistake, Shadow of the Erdtree can be vicious. Some of its bosses rank among the most demanding encounters FromSoftware has created, and even experienced players will occasionally find themselves staring at a defeat screen, wondering exactly what happened. Yet that difficulty is balanced by the same sense of satisfaction that defines the main game. When you finally overcome a boss that has been tormenting you for hours, the victory feels earned rather than handed over.
A Story You Have to Discover
The narrative remains deliberately elusive. Rather than delivering a constant stream of cutscenes explaining every character and historical event, ELDEN RING leaves fragments scattered throughout the world. Item descriptions, conversations, locations, architecture and seemingly insignificant details can all provide clues about what happened to the Lands Between.
That approach will not appeal to everyone. Players who prefer a straightforward narrative with clearly defined objectives may find themselves wondering exactly what is going on. Yet there is something wonderfully rewarding about piecing the mythology together yourself.
George R.R. Martin’s influence is evident in the world’s foundations, but this is unmistakably FromSoftware’s storytelling. Characters such as Ranni, Malenia, Radahn and Morgott are memorable not simply because they are powerful enemies, but because each feels connected to a much larger history. The more you learn, the more the world starts to feel like the remains of something that existed long before your arrival.
A Stunning Portable Achievement
Bringing a game of this scale and ambition to the Nintendo Switch 2 is no small feat. ELDEN RING is visually demanding, and the Lands Between are packed with sweeping environments, detailed architecture, atmospheric effects and enormous enemies. The Tarnished Edition preserves much of that visual spectacle while making the experience suitable for both handheld and television play.
There is something especially appealing about playing ELDEN RING handheld. Sitting somewhere comfortable and slowly working your way through a dungeon feels strangely intimate compared with playing on a large television. The game has always been about getting lost in its world, and being able to take that world with you makes the experience feel even more personal.
The soundtrack deserves equal praise. From haunting ambient passages to thunderous orchestral themes during major encounters, the music knows exactly when to step forward and when to retreat into the background. Some boss themes become inseparable from the memories of the fights themselves, particularly when repeated defeats turn a piece of music into the soundtrack to your growing determination.
Still One of the Greats
There is little point pretending that the ELDEN RING Tarnished Edition will suddenly transform the formula. It doesn’t need to. The original game was already one of the defining releases of its generation, and Shadow of the Erdtree proved that FromSoftware still had plenty of ideas left in the tank.
What makes the Tarnished Edition so appealing is simply the package. You receive the enormous original adventure, one of the finest expansions in the genre, and additional character and Torrent customisation options. For newcomers, this is an astonishing amount of game. For returning players, it is another excuse to create a new Tarnished, choose a completely different build, and disappear into the Lands Between for another hundred hours.
It is also a reminder of why ELDEN RING connected with so many people in the first place. Beneath all the difficulty and intimidating systems lies an adventure built on curiosity. It wants you to wonder what lies beyond that hill, what is inside that cave, and whether you are truly prepared to open that suspicious-looking door. You probably aren’t. Open it anyway.
Verdict
ELDEN RING Tarnished Edition remains a remarkable achievement and an essential purchase for anyone who enjoys ambitious action RPGs. The combat is demanding without being restrictive, the character-building system offers almost ridiculous freedom, and the Lands Between remains one of the most fascinating worlds created for a video game. Add Shadow of the Erdtree to the package, and you have an adventure that can comfortably consume dozens of hours without ever feeling like it is running out of things to show you.
It isn’t perfect. The lack of clear storytelling can occasionally frustrate, some late-game encounters push the difficulty towards exhaustion, and newcomers may need considerable patience before the systems begin to make sense. Yet those imperfections are part of what gives ELDEN RING its personality.
This is not a game that wants to make you feel like a hero from the moment you pick up the controller. It wants you to struggle, experiment, fail, learn, and eventually stand victorious over something that once seemed impossible.
