Quick Links
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtreeis right around the corner – and as theElden Ringplayer counts continue to rise in anticipation of its release, many are looking for the best ways toprepare forShadow of the Erdtree. To get into the DLC players must defeat two specific bosses, in no particular order.
But there are a lot of other things you may do to prepare forShadow of the Erdtreeto launch on June 25, 2025. Though you don’t have to do too much to access the DLC itself, going in prepared forShadow of the Erdtreemeanscollecting a variety of great equipment, getting various upgrade materials, and building a strong stat and consumable foundation to take on the DLC’s challenges.
Essential Shadow of the Erdtree Requirements
Defeat Starscourge Radahn
The firstShadow of the Erdtreeaccess requirement is to defeatStarscourge Radahn, the strongest of the demigods, and typically the third or fourth Shardbearer players take on. Found deep in the south of Caelid, General Radahn can only be fought once the Radahn Festival has been triggered atRedmane Castle.
Redmane Castle sits on a peninsula in southern Caelid, connected by a bridge bombarded by ballistae and catapults. But if you get here too early, and get to the end of Redmane Castle before the festival has begun, you will instead face aCrucible Knight & Misbegotten Warriorduo boss.
Totrigger the Radahn Festival and fight the Starscourge, you must either get to the Altus Plateau via theGrand Lift of Dectus, or advanceRanni the Witch’s questline to the point where you are told about it byPreceptor Seluvis.
Thispart of the questline triggersafter meeting up withBlaiddin theSiofra River Well, so don’t speak to Seluvis if you want to take on the duo boss first.
Defeat Mohg, Lord of Blood
The second requirement for accessingShadow of the ErdtreeDLC is to defeatMohg, Lord of Blood, atopMohgwyn Palace. Mohg stole Miquella away fromMiquella’s Haligtree, and is presumed to be the body inside of the gigantic egg resting on a gigantic pelvic bone that acts as a kind of altar.
This is where players will actually enter the DLC, by interacting with the hand of the body inside the egg, which presumably belongs to Miquella himself. But to access the egg, you’llhave to beat Mohg.
To get to Mohgwyn Palace, there are two methods: followWhite Mask Varré’s questline until you aregiven the Pureblood Knight’s Medal, or take the teleporter hidden near theYelough Anix Ruinsin the Consecrated Snowfields.
Enter The DLC Ready For Anything
Shadow of the Erdtree Recommended Level: 100 to 150
Shadow of the Erdtreewill have its ownSekiro-like progression system, whichrequires players to beat bossesto acquire the items used to “level”. So as long as you can access the DLC, you should be on-par with everyone else power-wise no matter what level you enter with.
However, not all of the player’s power in the DLC will come from this new system, and it’s likely that weapons will still have stat requirements – which are likely to be very, very demanding.
To be able to equip everything you find inShadow of the Erdtree, to make sure your character is leveled enough for what is likely to be a difficult DLCfilled with tough bosses, and to participate in endgame PvP, make sure to level to around 100 to 150.
There are several ways to farm Runes inElden Ring, but the most lucrative is to kill the Albinaurics on the Palace Ledge-Approach area of Mohgwyn Palace.
Because of the way that PvP matchmaking works inElden Ring, level 125 is a good target to hit. You will be eligible for the largest number of PvP matches and will still have plenty of stat points to shuffle around as needed. No matter what, though, if you plan to participate in PvP, do not go above level 150. The number ofplayers engaging in PvPpast this breakpoint drastically declines, so keep an eye on your overall level if you want to push it to the limit.
Find All Upgrade Material Bell Bearings
There are going to be numerous new Armaments and Spirit Ashes inShadow of the Erdtree, and if you go in prepared, you can upgrade everything you find as soon as you get it. To do this, spend some time either farming huge quantities of weapon and Ashes upgrade materials, or collect as many upgrade material Bell Bearings as you can.
There are several types of Somber Smithing Stone Miner Bell Bearings/Smithing Stone Miner Bell Bearings (for weapons), and Grave Glovewort Picker Bell Bearings/Ghost Glovewort Picker Bell Bearings (for Spirit Ashes) inElden Ring. Once acquired, these can be given to the Twin Maiden Husks to unlock unlimited numbers of their associated materials.
Spend some time beforeShadow of the Erdtreelaunches locating these Bell Bearings to have easy access to whatever upgrade material you need for new weapons and Ashes that you find in the DLC.
Acquire Lots Of Weapons, Spells, Talismans, & Larval Tears
Due to the typically difficult nature of FromSoftware’s DLCs, it’s not a bad idea toprepare a good buildbefore going intoShadow of the Erdtree. This way, you can hit the ground running and have a good foundation to build off of with newShadow of the Erdtreeitems.
Spend some timecollecting the best weapons, useful Sorceries and Incantations, and the game’s best Talismans to have plenty to choose from when heading into the DLC areas.
Additionally, you should try to collect as manyLarval Tears before the DLC launches. Larval Tears can be used byRennala, Queen of the Full Moon(once defeated) to completely re-spec your stats. There is a limited quantity of Larval Tears inElden Ring, though, so re-speccing is not necessarily without consequence.
Be careful with your re-specs beforeShadow of the Erdtreecomes out to have as many chances to re-spec and try out new weapons and items in the DLC. Once they’re out, the only way to get more is to go into NG+ or trade with other players.
Upgrade Your Flasks & Collect Powerful Physick Tears
The last thing players can do to fully prepare for theShadow of the ErdtreeDLC is collect as manyGolden Seeds andSacred Tears as they can to upgrade their Flasks. Golden Seeds give more uses, and Sacred Tears give more HP or FP when you use a flask.
The DLC is likely to be difficult, and leveling Vigor is one of the best things you can do to make the game more manageable – but make sure to stop by every Church of Marika you can to keep upgrading your flask to actually be able to refill a huge HP bar.
TheFlask of Wondrous Physickis one of the most useful and versatile items in the game, and it’s worth trying to collect as many Crystal Tears for it as you can. Each Crystal Tear empowers the Flask of Wondrous Physick in different ways, and the more you collect, the more adaptable you can be with the new builds and combat styles that will be available in the DLC.
Shadow of the Erdtree Preparation Quick Checklist
Essential SOTE Requirements
Defeat Starscourge Radahn, perhaps to set Miquella’s fate back in motion
Defeat Mohg, Lord of Blood, to access the DLC via Miquella’s cocoon
Optional Shadow of the Erdtree Preparation Tips
Reach around Level 100 to 150 to have plenty of stats and PvP capability
Acquire all Upgrade Materials (or Bell Bearings) for easy upgrades
Collect plenty of Larval Tears to respec for new weapons/spells
Acquire Weapons, Spells, & Talismans for your chosen build
Upgrade your Flask with Golden Seeds and Sacred Tears
