Crimson Desert vs Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
Crimson Desert rewards exploration with environmental puzzles; Shadow of the Erdtree demands boss mastery and a finished base game.
The open world's hidden treasures justify the price, despite forgettable story and filler side quests.
Best-in-class single-player DLC if you finished base Elden Ring — Land of Shadow rivals a full game, and patch 1.14 tamed Consort Radahn's combos.
Steam popularity
Crimson Desert
Jun 2026 peak CCU 47,315 ↓ 55% MoM
All-time peak 275,859
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
Steam Charts hasn't recorded a calendar month yet.
Key differences
Puzzle vs combat focus
Crimson Desert prioritizes environmental puzzles and exploration over tight combat mechanics.
Shadow of the Erdtree centers on punishing boss fights and opaque progression via Scadutree Fragments.
Save stability
Crimson Desert carries a risk of save corruption from updates, potentially losing progress.
Shadow of the Erdtree has no reported save corruption issues, relying on standard Elden Ring saves.
Prerequisite investment
Crimson Desert is a standalone game requiring no prior playthrough.
Shadow of the Erdtree requires beating Mohg in base Elden Ring, adding 60+ hours of prerequisite.
Which one is for you?
Pick Crimson Desert if
- You love dense open worlds like Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
- You have patience to troubleshoot save issues after updates.
- You value exploration over tight combat mechanics.
Pick Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree if
- You finished base Elden Ring and want 35-40 more hours.
- You enjoy obscure progression via Scadutree Fragments.
- You're OK with FromSoft's opaque difficulty and steep bosses.
Bottom line
If you already beat Elden Ring, Shadow of the Erdtree is a no-brainer; otherwise, Crimson Desert offers a different flavor of open-world exploration but carries save corruption risk.