Elden Ring's most annoying type of enemy is getting a new recruit in Shadow of the Erdtree, and I'm praying they're not as bad as the Warhawks

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New bird alert

Fighting two bird enemies in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree.
(Image credit: FromSoftware)

There's officially one week to go until Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is here – an expansion which promises to deliver over 10 new bosses, giving Soulslike enjoyers everywhere even more ways to die repeatedly. Right now though, fans aren't worried about those big new baddies, but rather some fresh, feathered field enemies. 

If you ask anyone what their favorite part of Elden Ring is, I can guarantee you that they're not going to say 'fighting the birds.' From the Warhawks plaguing Stormveil Castle with their stabby knife feet and explosive barrels, to the aptly named Monstrous Crows in Caelid, these avian enemies have given us our fair share of pain since the action RPG's launch, swooping in when you least expect it to make sure that you have a bad time. They're not even that strong, they're just annoying, and I'm sorry to inform you that Shadow of the Erdtree is set to bring with it a brand new feathery foe.

Elden Ring publisher Bandai Namco innocently shared a few new promotional images for the DLC on Twitter yesterday to get everyone hyped, but bird haters everywhere were quick to bring the focus to the new airborne foes, which appear to boast very long, sharp, taloned legs. To many, this is a tell-tale sign of trouble to come: "Oh thank god more birds with talons, for a second there I thought I was gonna enjoy the DLC," one writes.

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"Fuck man there's nothing I hate more than those stupid birds," says another. "Something I love about Bloodborne is that the only birds in that game are like slithering slugs and really easy to kill. Elden Ring birds are a pain in the ass," another agrees.

Meanwhile however, others are channelling Soulslike masochism in its truest form, and are thrilled to be faced with a new foe: "LETS GOO BIG FUCKING BIRDS WHO WILL KICK MY ASS."

Whether these things will actually be as annoying as Elden Ring's other birds is another matter, but there's only a few more days to go before we find out. I certainly won't be judging anyone who decides to give them a wide berth as they venture through the Land of Shadow, anyway.

Be sure to check out our guide on how to start the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC in Elden Ring so you know how to begin the expansion next week. 

Catherine Lewis
Catherine Lewis
Deputy News Editor

I'm GamesRadar+'s Deputy News Editor, working alongside the rest of the news team to deliver cool gaming stories that we love. After spending more hours than I can count filling The University of Sheffield's student newspaper with Pokemon and indie game content, and picking up a degree in Journalism Studies, I started my career at GAMINGbible where I worked as a journalist for over a year and a half. I then became TechRadar Gaming's news writer, where I sourced stories and wrote about all sorts of intriguing topics. In my spare time, you're sure to find me on my Nintendo Switch or PS5 playing through story-driven RPGs like Xenoblade Chronicles and Persona 5 Royal, nuzlocking old Pokemon games, or going for a Victory Royale in Fortnite.