Okay, here’s a breakdown of the key issues with the “Forsaken Hollows” DLC map (specifically “Grate Hollow”) in Elden Ring: nightreign, based on the provided text, along with a summary of player reception:
The Problem: Great Hollow map Design
* Hidden Death Pits: The map features death pits that are difficult to see, leading to frequent and frustrating falls.The ledges are positioned in a way that makes judging jumps tricky.
* Inconsistent Respawn system: This is the biggest complaint.
* Enemy Deaths: Dying to enemies results in a standard respawn at the last Grace point, with Runes either dropped near the death location or picked up by nearby enemies.
* Fall Deaths: Dying from falling is random and unpredictable.The game will place you on a ledge somewhere near the fall point (perhaps above, below, or across from where you fell). Crucially, your Runes are left behind on the ledge where you started, potentially across a risky gap. This can create a situation where you spawn far from your Runes with no easy way to retrieve them.
* Traversal Issues: The map is described as taking a long time to traverse, with points of interest being difficult to reach due to the map’s layout.
* Enemy Placement: The DLC seems to rely on “cheesy” enemy encounters, reminiscent of Dark Souls, with a high density of enemies and potentially one-shot attacks (like the Rot Kindred).
Player Reception (as of the article’s writing)
* Overall DLC (Elden Ring: Nightreign): Mostly positive reviews.
* Forsaken Hollows DLC (specifically the map): mostly Negative reviews (only 30% positive out of 1,347 reviews in the last 30 days).
* Common Complaints (from Steam reviews):
* Poor map design
* Excessive difficulty
* Boring traversal
* Unfair enemy encounters
* The map’s gaps are specifically criticized as being designed to kill the player unnecessarily.
In essence, the core issue isn’t necessarily the difficulty of the DLC, but the unfairness and frustration caused by the map design and the inconsistent respawn mechanic. Players feel punished for simply exploring and making mistakes, and the Rune loss exacerbates the problem.
