Shadow of the Erdtree DLC Guide#

Shadow of the Erdtree DLC Guide

Shadow of the Erdtree is the major expansion for Elden Ring, adding roughly 30-50 hours of complete new content, including the brand-new open-world region of the Land of Shadow, 10+ major bosses, 8 new weapon types, and a wealth of new spells and Ashes of War

DLC Entry Requirements#

Condition	Details
Defeat Starscourge Radahn	One of the main-story bosses
Defeat Mohg, Lord of Blood	Hidden boss
Head to the cocoon in Mohgwyn Dynasty	Interact with the cocoon to enter
Recommended level	120-150

Land of Shadow Map#

Region	Highlights
Gravesite Plain	Starting area - open grasslands	Divine Beast Dancing Lion	0-5
Belurat, Tower Settlement	Ancient city ruins - vertical exploration	Rellana	5-10
Castle Ensis	Frozen fortress - mid-sized dungeon	Rellana	8-12
Shadow Keep	The largest castle - multi-layered structure	Messmer the Impaler	10-15
Enir-Ilim	Final area - holy tower	Radahn, Consort of Miquella	15-20

Scadutree Blessing System#

Scadutree Blessing is an enhancement system exclusive to the DLC - collect fragments across the Land of Shadow to boost your attack power and damage negation.

Blessing Level	Attack Bonus	Damage Negation Bonus	Fragments Required
1-5	+2%/level	+3%/level	1 of each per level
6-10	+3%/level	+4%/level	2 of each per level
11-15	+4%/level	+5%/level	2 of each per level
16-20	+5%/level	+6%/level	3 of each per level

Major DLC Boss Guides#

Divine Beast Dancing Lion#

Item	Details
Location	Gravesite Plain - entrance to the Tower Settlement
Recommended level	Scadutree Blessing 3-5
Weakness	Lightning
Recommended strategy	Use the pillars around the arena to dodge the spinning attacks; in phase two, watch for the elemental switching

Messmer the Impaler#

Item	Details
Location	Shadow Keep - throne hall
Recommended level	Scadutree Blessing 10-15
Weakness	Ice
Recommended strategy	In phase one, watch for the serpent thrusts; in phase two, dodge the fire combos with rolls or Bloodhound Step

Radahn, Consort of Miquella#

Item	Details
Location	Enir-Ilim - final boss
Recommended level	Scadutree Blessing 18-20
Weakness	No clear weakness - full Blessing required
Recommended strategy	Extremely hard boss - demands perfect rolls plus high damage output. Bleed or Frost builds recommended

New DLC Weapon Types#

Type	Traits	Recommended Weapon	Where to Get
Light Greatsword	Fast greatsword - unique skill	Milady	Castle Ensis
Hand-to-Hand	Bare-fisted brawling - extremely fast attacks	Dane’s Fists	Gravesite Plain
Beast Claws	Beastly style - builds hemorrhage	Red Bear Claws	Northern Nameless Mausoleum
Throwing Weapon	Ranged melee - can be thrown	Reversed Thorn	Gravesite Plain merchant
Great Spiked Club	Colossal strike weapon - high poise damage	Ancient Meteoric Ore Great Cudgel	Finger Ruins
Perfume Bottle	AOE buffs + attacks	Spark Aromatic Perfume Bottle	Belurat, Tower Settlement
Dueling Shield	Shield + attack in one	Verdigris Greatshield	Shadow Keep
Backhand Blade	Reverse-grip blade - unique angles	Backhand Blade	Gravesite Plain merchant

New DLC Spells and Ashes of War#

Name	Type	Requirement	Effect
Piercing Spear	Ash of War	Any weapon	Ranged impaling thrust
Backhand Slash	Ash of War	Backhand Blade	Quick backhand slashes
Horn Calling	Incantation	Faith 25	Wide-area holy attack
Perfume Arts	Sorcery	Intelligence 15	Area buffs + damage
Messmer’s Flame	Incantation

Best DLC Builds#

Build	Weapons	Suggested Scadutree Blessing	Notes
Bleed dual-wield	Dual Reversed Thorn
Magic caster	New staff + Dark Moon Greatsword	10+	Safe ranged damage
Faith warrior	New incantations + Blasphemous Blade	12+	AOE + healing - most stable for clearing
Heavy armor tank	Perfume Bottle + greatshield	18+	New greatshield has huge defenses - safe but slow

DLC Collectibles#

Collectible	Total	Use	Difficulty
Scadutree Fragments	~50	Raise Scadutree Blessing level	★★★☆☆
Spirit Ashes	~30	Upgrade ashes within the DLC	★★★☆☆
Land of Shadow map fragments	~8	Unlock region maps	★★☆☆☆
New legendary weapons	~8	DLC-exclusive legendary gear	★★★★☆
New NPC questlines	~10	DLC-exclusive story content	★★★☆☆

FAQ#

Question	Answer
Is the DLC worth it?	Absolutely - 30-50 hours of new content, with incredibly rich new bosses, weapons, and regions
How hard is the DLC?	Harder than the base game - recommended level 150 with a maxed Scadutree Blessing
New endings?	No new endings - the DLC is a self-contained story
Can I leave and return mid-DLC?	Yes - use Mohg’s cocoon to travel back to the base game at any time
Can I bring DLC gear into the base game?	Yes - all DLC weapons/talismans/ashes also work in the base game

DLC Route at a Glance#

Recommended Clearing Order#

Stage	Suggested Actions	Goal
On arrival	Follow the main path while collecting Scadutree Fragments	Quickly raise your Blessing level to 8+
Exploration phase	Unlock map fragments area by area	Get the full picture of the Land of Shadow
Quests in between	Complete NPC questlines and bosses along the way	Pick up Spirit Ashes and new weapons
Endgame push	Push toward the final area, Enir-Ilim	Prepare for the Consort of Miquella

Scadutree Blessing Collection Tips#

Tip	Details
Prioritize bulk collection	Your Blessing level sets the difficulty gate for entering and leaving the DLC
Where they hide	Spirit Ashes are often deep in caves, at ruin entrances, and on high-altitude altars
Map markers	Once collected, the map auto-marks what you have taken, making it easy to fill in the gaps later

Collect blessings in parallel with main-story progress: build up your levels first, then challenge the high-difficulty bosses, so you don’t get hard-walled by raw numbers.

If New Players Hit a Wall in the DLC#

Problem	Solution
Not enough damage	Go back and collect more Blessing fragments instead of brute-forcing it
Getting one-shot by bosses	Raise the damage negation side of your Scadutree Blessing first, then worry about positioning
Lost and stuck on the map	Follow the main-story beam of light and prioritize completing map fragments

Questlines and Rewards in Shadow of the Erdtree#

Questline	Reward	Difficulty
Aiding the church matron	Rare talisman	Medium
The old knight of the Land of Shadow	Exclusive weapon	Medium-high
The envoy’s errands	New incantation set	Medium
The researcher’s truth	Rich story and an ending-related item	High

These high-quality questlines not only shore up your equipment, they also fill out the people and destinies behind the Land of Shadow’s story - worth prioritizing.

Pairing New Weapons with New Builds#

New Weapon	Fits	Suggested Affinity
Milady	Dexterity and agility	Keen
Dane’s Fists	Attack-speed builds	None, lean Dexterity
Red Bear Claws	Bleed Dexterity	Blood
Ancient Meteoric Ore Great Cudgel	Pure Strength striking	Heavy
Verdigris Greatshield	Heavy armor tank	None

When trying the DLC as a newer player, pick new weapons that reinforce the playstyle you already have - they will complement each other and carry you through the transition.