Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree — Don't Walk In Blind Like I Did
I entered the DLC at level 180, fully geared, confident. The first enemy I encountered was a random knight in a field. He killed me in three hits. I hadn't collected a single Scadutree Fragment because I didn't know they existed. I spent the next two hours getting demolished by basic mobs and wondering if my build was broken.
Turns out Shadow of the Erdtree uses its own difficulty system that's completely separate from your base game level and gear. Here's everything I wish I'd known before stepping through that portal.
The Two Bosses You Must Beat First
You can't just buy the DLC and jump in. You need to kill two specific base-game bosses. No workarounds, no glitches — these are hard prerequisites.
Prerequisite 1: Starscourge Radahn
| Location | Caelid, Redmane Castle | |----------|------------------------| | Recommended Level | 60-70 | | Weakness | Scarlet Rot | | Prerequisites | None — go straight there |
Radahn is intimidating but mechanically simpler than people remember. Use Torrent for mounted combat — his wide AoE swings are way easier to dodge on horseback. Summon the NPC gold signs scattered everywhere (Blaidd, Alexander, Patches — they keep respawning when they die). And if you want the easiest clear: apply Scarlet Rot with Rotten Breath or Rot Arrows, then ride in circles until he dies. It's not glamorous but it works.
After killing him a meteor crashes into Limgrave, opening the path to Nokron — where one of the NPCs required for DLC access lives.
Prerequisite 2: Mohg, Lord of Blood
| Location | Mohgwyn Palace (Underground) | |----------|------------------------------| | Recommended Level | 100-120 | | Weakness | Bleed (ironic, I know), physical | | Prerequisites | White Mask Varré quest OR Consecrated Snowfield teleporter |
Mohg gave me more trouble than any boss before him. You absolutely need the Purifying Crystal Tear in your Physick — it negates his "NIHIL! NIHIL! NIHIL!" blood curse that chunks your HP three times. Without it, that attack is unavoidable and will kill you unless you chug flasks through it.
He's weak to bleed despite being the Lord of Blood. Sustained physical pressure beats burst damage because his resistances ramp up during the fight. Phase 2 leaves fire everywhere — watch your feet. If you're stuck, level to 120+ and summon Mimic Tear +10 — our Spirit Ashes tier list breaks down why Tiche is actually better for this fight. No shame in it.
Important: after beating Mohg, don't touch Miquella's cocoon yet. Finish every bit of prep first. Walking through the portal triggers the DLC scaling and there's no going back.
What Level Should You Actually Be?
Reddit had a meltdown when the DLC launched. Posts everywhere: "I'M LEVEL 150 AND GETTING ONE-SHOT." The panic was real. But it wasn't about level — it was about Scadutree Fragments.
How Scadutree Blessing Actually Works
The DLC uses two independent scaling systems that don't exist in the base game:
| System | What It Does | How to Get It | |--------|-------------|---------------| | Scadutree Blessing | Boosts your damage AND defense | Collect Scadutree Fragments around the map | | Revered Spirit Ash Blessing | Boosts summons and Torrent | Collect Revered Spirit Ashes |
Your base level still matters for HP/FP/equip load, but your actual damage and survivability come from these blessings. Max Scadutree Blessing is level 20. Post-Patch 1.12, early levels give way more benefit than later ones — the first 5 fragments are worth double what they were at launch.
Entry Level That Feels Right
| Level | How It Feels | |-------|-------------| | 100-120 | Challenging. You need good mechanics or a strong build. | | 125-150 | The sweet spot. Hard but fair. Bosses will kill you but you'll learn their patterns. | | 150-175 | Comfortable. You can explore freely, bosses still demand respect. | | 175+ | Smooth sailing. Scadutree Blessing on top makes it cozy. |
I entered at 180 and it was too easy after collecting fragments. If I could do it again I'd go in at 140-150 for the intended experience. The DLC's difficulty comes from enemy design — faster combos, smaller punish windows, more delayed attacks — not from inflated HP pools.
8 Things to Grab Before You Go In
1. Purifying Crystal Tear
Location: Second Church of Marika, Altus Plateau. Why: Without this, Mohg's blood curse is unavoidable and will kill you. Get it before you even attempt his fight. Highest priority item on this list.
2. Mimic Tear Ashes +10
Location: Nokron, Eternal City (Night's Sacred Ground). Upgrade: Ghost Glovewort +10 from Mohgwyn Palace.
Still one of the best summons in the DLC. Equip your strongest weapons and talismans before summoning — it copies everything. Including active buffs. If you've got Golden Vow running when you summon, the Mimic gets it too.
3. A Reliable Weapon You Actually Like
Rivers of Blood, Moonveil, and Blasphemous Blade were all T0 in the base game and they still work fine in early DLC areas. But honestly? Use whatever you're comfortable with. DLC enemies have massive HP pools and the thing that matters most is knowing your weapon's moveset inside out.
I brought Blasphemous Blade and it carried me through the first half of the DLC before I switched to a DLC weapon. The lifesteal is just too convenient to give up.
4. Golden Vow + Flame, Grant Me Strength
If you can hit 25 Faith (use Two Fingers Heirloom talisman for +5 if needed), these two buffs together give you +35% damage and +10% defense for the first 30 seconds. It's the equivalent of 20 extra levels for the cost of two spell slots.
Buff Stack:
Golden Vow: +15% damage & +10% negation (80 seconds)
Flame Grant Me Strength: +20% physical/fire damage (30 seconds)
Combined opening burst: +35% damage & +10% defense
5. Opaline Hardtear + Crimsonwhorl Bubbletear
Two Physick tears that save lives. Opaline gives 15% all damage negation for 3 minutes. Crimsonwhorl converts one incoming hit to HP recovery. DLC bosses have unblockable AoE attacks — this combo is the difference between surviving with 10% HP and dying.
6. Upgrade Materials and Runes
DLC areas use new upgrade materials (Smithing Stone [Shadow] etc.) that you can't farm in the base game. New DLC weapons you find might be stuck at +0 until you explore enough.
Bring at least 500,000 Runes and enough stones to upgrade 3-4 base game weapons to +24/+9 as backups. You'll probably switch to a DLC weapon eventually, but your base game arsenal needs to carry you through the early DLC areas.
7. +12 Flask Upgrades
| Upgrade | Max | From | |---------|-----|------| | Golden Seed | +14 uses | Minor Erdtrees | | Sacred Tear | +12 recovery | Churches |
Flask upgrades don't reset in the DLC and you can't upgrade them further there. Get as close to max as possible before entering.
8. At Least 5 Larval Tears
The DLC adds 8 new weapon classes and 100+ new spells. You will want to respec. Probably multiple times. There are 18 Larval Tears per playthrough — make sure you haven't burned through all of them experimenting. I went through 7 during my DLC run trying different weapons.
Pre-DLC Checklist
✅ Radahn defeated
✅ Mohg defeated
✅ Level 125-150
✅ Main weapon +25/+10
✅ Mimic Tear +10
✅ Flask +12 in both uses and recovery
✅ Purifying Crystal Tear
✅ Larval Tears: 5+ remaining
✅ 500,000+ backup Runes
✅ All Memory Stones collected
✅ All Talisman Pouches
✅ Great Runes activated at Divine Towers
✅ Manual save backup created
When You Get Inside: What to Do First
Do not run at the first boss you see. I did this and it went poorly.
The first area, Gravesite Plain, is designed for exploration. Scadutree Fragments are scattered everywhere — glowing golden items near crosses and churches. Collect at least 5-10 fragments (Blessing Level 3-5) before challenging Belurat Tower Settlement. At Blessing 5 you have roughly +40% damage and defense, which makes early DLC bosses feel properly balanced instead of oppressive.
Post-Patch 1.12, the early fragments are worth twice as much. The first 5 levels of blessing give +8% each. FromSoftware clearly wants you to explore before fighting.
FAQ
I'm on NG+. Will I get destroyed?
Yes, a bit harder. NG+ increases enemy HP and damage, but Scadutree Blessing is independent of playthrough. You can collect fragments to compensate. NG+ characters should enter at 175+ to be comfortable.
Can I go back to the base game?
Yes. Fast travel between the Shadow Realm and the Lands Between works normally. The maps are separate but fully connected.
Can I skip Radahn and Mohg?
No. Hard requirements. No skip, no glitch, no workaround.
Does Scadutree Blessing work in the base game?
No. Only inside the Shadow Realm. Returning to the Lands Between reverts to normal stats.
Should I respec into a meta build before entering?
Not unless your current build feels genuinely bad. The DLC has so many new weapons and spells that you'll naturally shift during exploration. I'd only respec if you're running something truly dysfunctional — like a pure Faith caster with no melee option.
One Thing I Wish Someone Had Told Me
DLC difficulty has nothing to do with your level. The people getting one-shot at level 200 are the people who ignored Scadutree Fragments. The people having a great time at level 120 are the ones who explored and collected blessings. Don't grind levels. Hunt fragments.
Go kill Radahn and Mohg, grab your items, and I'll see you in the Land of Shadow. Not sure which build to bring? Our best builds tier list has the top 10 loadouts tested for DLC viability.
Last updated: July 23, 2026. Elden Ring 1.12 + Shadow of the Erdtree.
