Players should reach Mohgwyn Palace to access the Elden Ring DLC Shadow of the Erdtree. Read on for more tips on how to prepare for Elden Ring DLC, the recommended level, if you should make a new character, and lore recommendations.
| Guides to Get Started with the DLC | |
|---|---|
| What to Do When the DLC Is Not Working | How to Access the DLC and Requirements |
List of Contents
| DLC Access Requirements |
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It has been officially confirmed that you need to defeat the demigod Radahn in order to access the DLC.
How to Beat Radahn: Boss Fight Guide
To trigger the Radahn Festival, either activate any Site of Grace in the Altus Plateau, or talk to Blaidd or Iji, then Preceptor Seluvis while doing the Ranni questline to learn about the Festival.
The Radahn Festival is signified by a lack of enemies throughout Redmane Castle, granting a straight shot to the gathering area for the Festival before entering the boss arena. The Radahn Festival must be active in order to talk to Jerren and gain entry to the lift and portal that lead to the boss arena.
Redmane Castle Legacy Dungeon Walkthrough and Location
You will have to enter the teleporter north of Redmane Castle, in the southeast end of Caelid, to access the Wailing Dunes, where you can fight Radahn.
All Portals and Teleport Locations
Make sure you have reached Mohgwyn Palace in your playthrough as it contains Miquella's cocoon, which is confirmed to be the entry point for the DLC into the Land of Shadow.
You will have to defeat Mohg, Lord of Blood to gain access to the final area of Mohgwyn Palace, which contains Miquella's cocoon. Once the DLC is installed, interact with Miquella's withered hand to be sent to the Shadow Realm.
Mohgwyn Palace Walkthrough and Location
Do not kill White Mask Varre if you're starting a New Game or New Game+, as his questline provides the fastest route to reach Mohgwyn Palace.
Killing White Mask Varre early in the game will set you back and the only way you'll reach Mohgwyn Palace is at the Mountaintops of the Giants, which is much farther in the game.
White Mask Varre Questline and Location
Level up and optimize your builds as Shadow of the Erdtree is endgame content. This is confirmed in the official gameplay trailer as Messmer refers to you as a lord, meaning that the events in the DLC are after the base game.
This process should include collecting your Smithing Stones to improve your weapons, and collecting Grave Gloveworts to upgrade your summons.
Elden Ring has gone over updates through the years. This includes nerfing powerful weapons in the game and balancing them to better optimize player experience.
| Nerf Details | |
|---|---|
| Hoarfrost Stomp | ・Deals lesser damage ・Has longer animation |
| Seppuku | ・Self damage is increased ・Bleed buff duration is shortened |
| Corpse Piler | ・Deals lesser damage ・Bleeding application is now slower |
| Bloodhound's Step | ・Invincibility frames decreased ・Reduced distance when used continously |
| Flame of the Redmanes | ・Poise damage reduced |
| Gravity Bolt | ・Poise damage reduced |
| Wave of Gold | ・Deals lower damage to farther enemies |
| Swarm of Flies | ・Lesser bleed damage applied to enemies |
| Terra Magica | ・Magic power increase buff is lowered |
If the DLC has already been installed, the text "Shadow of the Erdtree" should be visible at the bottom right of the main menu.
Users on Xbox will have to head to the Microsoft Store from Elden Ring's main menu, which should redirect you to the DLC page, where you can manually install the DLC.
Users on PlayStation may have to go to the PS5 home, pressing Options on Elden Ring, select "Manage Game Content" and install the DLC from there.
The following walkthrough is the fastest way you can ensure access to the DLC from the literal start of the game, with quick steps on reaching and beating the Radahn and Mohg boss fights without using exploits or glitches. As such, this walkthrough will also skip other boss and NPC invader fights if possible.
Since access to the DLC area will be locked behind two boss fights, speedrunning the DLC will also depend on your skill and build. Be sure to grind levels and equipment in between steps to make your overall run easier.
After the tutorial area, rest at the Site of Grace by the Gatefront Ruins to speak with Melina for the first time and receive the Spectral Steed Whistle to summon Torrent for faster traversal during the rest of your speedrun.
How to Find and Summon the Horse (Torrent)
Head towards the southeast part of Limgrave, past the Mistwood forest, to get to the top of Fort Haight and get the left half of the Dectus Medallion from the chest there.
This item will be used later on in to get access to Altus Plateau and activate the Radahn Festival.
Fort Haight Location and What to Do
Take the Teleporter Trap in the Dragon-Burnt Ruins in the southern side of Agheel Lake to teleport to the Sellia Crystal Tunnel. Upon spawning, escape towards the cave's exit where you'll find a Site of Grace. Activate ths so you have a Site of Grace in Caelid.
Sellia Crystal Tunnel Walkthrough and Location
Speak with Melina at the Site of Grace of the Sellia Crystal Cave to teleport to The Roundtable Hold, then speak with Enia to hear the words of the Two Fingers and unlock Varre's questline. Afterward, fast travel back to the Crystal Cave.
How to Get to The Roundtable Hold
From the Crystal Cave, head to Sellia, Town of Sorcery and light all the town's tower braziers to unlock path towards Fort Faroth. But be wary of the wandering invisible sorcerer mobs while you are busy lighting up the towers.
Sellia, Town of Sorcery Walkthrough and Location
Slip past the dragons of the Dragonbarrow and the harpies inside Fort Faroth to get to the top of the Fort and find the right half of the Dectus Medallion in a chest there.
Together with the left half of the Dectus Medallion, you can now enter Altus Plateau.
Fort Faroth Location and What to Do
Skip past Limgrave and Stormveil Castle via the broken bridge east of the Castle to get to Liurnia of the Lakes.
Once in Liurna, make your way towards the Rose Church to speak with Varre and receive 5 Festering Bloody Fingers that can be used for his questline. This will be used later on in Step 13.
Ride towards the Grand Lift of Dectus in northeast Liurnia to form the Dectus Medallion and ride the Lift up to Altus Plateau.
Grand Lift of Dectus Location and What to Do
Rest at the Site of Grace nearest to the Lift in Altus Plateau to initiate the Radahn Festival in Redmane Castle in Caelid so that you can access the boss fight later in the speedrun. Take note that resting at any other Site of Grace in the Altus Plateau will also initiate the Radahn Festival.
Altus Plateau Interactive Map and Region Guide
Teleport back to Caelid and head towards Redmane Castle at the southeast tip of Caelid while the Radahn Festival is underway. The teleporter at the start of the bridge leading to Redmane Castle will bring you directly to the chamber outside of the Castle Plaza, where you will talk to Jerren to gain access to the Radahn boss fight.
Redmane Castle Legacy Dungeon Walkthrough and Location
Defeat Radahn to fulfill one of the access requirements for Shadow of the Erdtree. It is recommended to tackle Radahn before Mohg, as Radahn is an optional midgame boss with stats intended for players around level 70 to fight.
| Tips for Beating Starscourge Radahn |
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 Make sure you have at least Medium Load for easier dodging since Starscourge Radahn's attacks are extremely fast |
| Summon all the NPCs to tank and distract Starscourge Radahn |
| Don't hesitate to disengage using Torrent |
| In Phase 2, it's better to just ride around using Torrent and continuously summon NPCs instead of fighting head-on |
| Use weapons that can cause Hemorrhage since Starscourge Radahn's extremely weak to this debuff |
How to Beat Starscourge Radahn: Boss Fight Guide
To prepare next for the Mohg boss fight, you can opt to beat Eleonora, Violet Bloody Finger to get the Purifying Crystal Tear for your Flask of Wondrous Physick to negate the damage from Mohg's Nihil attack.
Purifying Crystal Tear Effects and Location
Another item you can find in preparation for the Mohg boss fight is Mohg's Shackle, which is at the bottom of the sewer area guarded by a giant lobster in the Subterranean Shunning-Grounds in Leyndell's sewers. You can use this during the fight to temporarily stun Mohg for free damage windows.
How to Get Mohg's Shackle: Effects and Locations
Ride towards the Writheblood Ruins along the northern side of the Plateau to seek the red summon sign to invade Magnus the Beast Claw's world and progress Varre's questline.
Keep in mind that while killing Magnus is the fastest method to progress the questline, invading him three times is enough to progress the questline, even if you die all three times.
How to Beat Magnus the Beast Claw: Boss Fight Guide
Report back to Varre and earn his favor for accomplishing invasions, then receive the Lord of Blood's Favor, along with orders to stain it with the blood of a Finger Maiden.
The most accessible maiden is Irina by the Bridge of Sacrifice at the entrance to the Weeping Peninsula. Simply kill her after speaking to Varre, then the Lord of Blood's Favor icon will be updated to show it has been stained with maiden's blood.
Take note that while Irina is the fastest way to to get maiden's blood, you will not be able to progress the Hyetta Questline if you cause Irina's death outside of progressing her own questline. The alternatives are to get the blood from either the Chapel of Anticipation or Church of Inhibition, but they both have obstacles that may slow down your run.
Lord of Blood's Favor Locations
Once you have accomplished Varre's task, he will gift you a Bloody Finger and the Pureblood Knight's Medal. Use the Medal under Consumables in your inventory, and you will be teleported to the entrance of Mohgwyn Palace.
How to Get Pureblood Knight's Medal: Effects and Locations
Make your way through Mohgwyn Palace until you reach the boss arena for Mohg. It is recommended to fight Mohg as the last step in your run, as he is considered a late game optional boss and is thus a better matchup against players around level 120.
Once you beat Mohg, congratulations! You will have unlocked the Site of Grace right by Miquella's cocoon and fulfilled all the requirements to play the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC.
| Tips for Beating Mohg, Lord of Blood |
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| Equip the Purifying Crystal Tear to Survive Mohg's Bloodloss Spell |
| Use Mohg's Shackle Twice During First Phase to Immobilize Him |
| Use Bleed and Scarlet Rot Attacks to Bring His Health Down |
| Use Equipment and Items that Boost Robustness and Fire Defense |
How to Beat Mohg, Lord of Blood: Boss Fight Guide
After defeating Mohg, touch the Withered Arm of Miquella, which is sticking out of the giant egg. This is the final step, which should transport you to the actual DLC content. Happy playing!
The recommended level for Shadow of the Erdtree is somewhere between 120 and 150, roughly the same level you fight Radagon and the Elden Beast.
It's best to stick to your progressed characters and complete any dungeons, side quests, and collectibles you have not encountered yet. We only recommend making a new character if you want a refresher in combat and the events of the base game.
With days before the release of the DLC, we recommend exploring the base game and reading item descriptions to catch up on the lore.
Reading the lore of the base game could help you understand each character's background and motive in Shadow of the Erdtree.
Shadow of the Erdtree DLC Guide
How to Access Shadow of the Erdtree DLC
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Defeat Radahn
