Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree: Beginner's Guide & Best Tips

This Game Hates You (And Why You'll Love It)

Look, I'm not gonna sugarcoat it. I've been playing these games since Demon's Souls on the PS3, and Shadow of the Erdtree is the most beautiful, most infuriating, most "I'm going to throw my controller through the window" experience FromSoftware has ever made. It's also the most rewarding thing I've played in years, and that's not some marketing nonsense. That's a guy who spent four hours on the Scadutree Avatar before I realized I was doing literally everything wrong.

The DLC does something that the base game didn't—it punishes you for thinking you're hot stuff. You beat Malenia? Great. You beat Radahn at level 80? Cool. This DLC doesn't care. It will look at your +25 Rivers of Blood and say "cute," then one-shot you with a move that has a wind-up so short you'll think your game glitched. I love it. I hate it. I can't stop playing it.

The annoying part? The Scadutree Fragment system. Nobody explains it. The game gives you this item, says "go find these things," and doesn't tell you that they're literally the difference between doing chip damage and actually hurting bosses. I went through half the DLC with zero Scadutree Blessing levels because I thought they were just lore items. That's not good game design, that's FromSoftware trolling you. I died to the first Furnace Golem about 30 times before I realized I was fighting it at base stats. Absolute clown behavior on my part.

But when it clicks? When you get the timing right, when you find that one weapon that matches your playstyle, when you finally stagger a boss that's been wrecking you for hours? That feeling is why we play these games. This guide is me sitting down with you, showing you my scars, and telling you exactly how to avoid the stupid mistakes I made.

Why You're Getting Wrecked (And It's Not Your Fault)

Let's be honest. You bought the DLC, loaded it up, walked through that portal in Mohg's arena, and within 20 minutes you were dead. Maybe you fought the Divine Beast Dancing Lion and got flattened by its lightning phase. Maybe you wandered into the Gravesite Plain and got swarmed by those spooky ghost knights. Maybe you found that one giant pot that kicks you off a cliff. I've been there. We've all been there.

Pain Point #1: The Damage Scaling Is Broken (On Purpose)

This is the biggest thing nobody tells you. In the base game, you level up, upgrade your weapon, and you're good. In the DLC, there's a separate scaling system called Scadutree Blessing. You find fragments scattered around the map, and each blessing level gives you a flat percentage increase to your damage dealt AND a flat percentage decrease to damage taken. At Blessing Level 1, you do about 10% more damage and take 10% less. At Blessing Level 10, that goes up to around 50% more damage and 40% less damage taken. This is not optional. This is the DLC's way of saying "go explore before you fight the main bosses." I ignored this and paid the price.

Pain Point #2: The First Real Boss Is a Brick Wall

The Divine Beast Dancing Lion in Belurat is your first major roadblock. I'm not going to lie to you—this boss is a pain in the ass. It has four different elemental phases, its hitbox is weird because of how much it moves around, and it has a grab attack that will one-shot you if you're below 40 Vigor. My first attempt? I ran in with 35 Vigor and a +15 weapon. I got deleted in under 30 seconds. It took me three respecs to find a build that worked. That's not a skill issue—that's the game telling you "you're not ready, go find more fragments."

Pain Point #3: You're Wasting Your Upgrade Materials

I see so many newer players upgrading five different weapons to +9 because they can't decide what to use. Stop doing that. The DLC throws a lot of cool new weapons at you—the Backhand Blades, the Great Katana, the Milady—but you only get enough Somber Smithing Stones [8] and [9] for maybe two weapons per playthrough. Pick ONE. Stick with it. Upgrade it to +10. Then experiment. I spent my first run trying to use both the Rellana's Twin Blades and the Spear of the Impaler equally, ended up with two +8 weapons that did nothing, and got wrecked by the Putrescent Knight for two hours. Don't be me.

Pain Point #4: The Map Lies to You

The DLC map is deliberately incomplete. You find map fragments that fill in areas, but the fragments are hidden in places that make zero sense. The first one is near a crossed-out tower in the Gravesite Plain. The second is in a Church of the Crusade that looks like a minor building on the map. If you're following map markers thinking they tell you where to go, you're going to miss half the content. I walked past the Abyssal Woods entrance three times because the map fragment showed it as just a blank wall.

What I Wish Somebody Told Me Before I Started

Alright, you've loaded into the DLC. You're in that first area with the golden grass. You see the big tree. You see a ghost. You see three knights on horseback that will absolutely murder you. Here's what you actually need to do.

1. Go Find Scadutree Fragments Before ANYTHING Else

I cannot say this enough. Your first goal is not to beat the Dancing Lion. Your first goal is not to find a cool weapon. Your first goal is to get at least Blessing Level 3 before you even attempt the first major boss. That means you need to find 9 fragments total (3 per level). There are 5 fragments in the Gravesite Plain alone if you know where to look. Spend 45 minutes exploring before you fight anything. I promise you it makes the difference between "this is impossible" and "this is hard but fair."

2. Your Base Game Equipment Matters (But Not How You Think)

You can bring any build from the base game into the DLC. I see people saying "you need 60 Vigor" or "you need a meta bleed build." That's wrong. What you actually need is high enough damage to stagger enemies. The DLC enemies have massive poise. If you're using a dagger or a light thrusting sword, you're going to bounce off everything. I brought my Bloodhound's Fang +10 into the DLC and it carried me through the first three areas. The moveset is fast enough to dodge, strong enough to stagger, and the weapon art lets you avoid damage. It's not the "best" weapon, but it's the safest. Pick something with at least 120 poise damage per hit.

3. The New Weapon Types Are Not Tutorials

The DLC introduces eight new weapon types: Backhand Blades, Beast Claws, Dryleaf Arts, Hand-to-Hand, Light Greatswords, Great Katanas, Perfume Bottles, and Throwing Daggers. Some of these are amazing (Light Greatswords have a guard counter that's basically cheating). Some of these are traps (Perfume Bottles do okay damage but the range is garbage and the recovery time will get you killed). Try them out, but don't commit to one until you've seen its moveset against real enemies. I fell in love with the Great Katana because its running heavy attack has incredible reach and 140 poise damage. But the Hand-to-Hand weapons? I wanted to like them, but their range is so short that you'll whiff against anything that moves backwards.

4. Learn the Jump Attack Timing

In the base game, jump attacks were a nice option. In the DLC, they're mandatory. So many enemies have moves that sweep the ground, and jumping over them gives you a free punish. The Divine Beast Dancing Lion has a ground-slam electric attack that you can jump over and hit its head. The Furnace Golems have a fiery sweep that you jump over to reach their weak point. Every boss has at least one attack that's designed to be jumped over. If you're still playing like it's 2022 with nothing but rolls, you're going to eat damage that you could have avoided for free.

5. The Ashes of War System Changed

The DLC added new Ashes of War that you find from Scarab Beetles (the blue glowing guys) and from fighting specific enemies. The big one everyone needs is "Shield Strike"—it's a charge attack that does massive guard break damage. But here's the thing nobody tells you: you can now put Ashes of War on any weapon, including somber weapons, as long as you have the Smithscript item from a specific side quest. That means your Morgott's Cursed Sword can now have a different Ash of War if you want. This confused me for a full day because I thought somber weapons were locked.

The Stuff You Only Learn After 60 Hours of Pain

I've beaten the DLC twice (once on NG, once on NG+7 because I hate myself). I've tried seven different builds. I've died to Messmer the Impaler so many times that I can recite his dialogue from memory. Here are the things I learned that no guide in 2024 is telling you.

1. The "Talisman of the Dread" is a Trap

You'll find this talisman early on. It boosts your damage by 15% but increases damage taken by 20%. Sounds good, right? No. The DLC already scales enemy damage to be punishing. Taking 20% extra damage means you'll get one-shot by any boss's grab attack or heavy combo. I used this talisman for about 30 minutes, got wrecked by a random knight in Castle Ensis, and immediately unequipped it. The Erdtree's Favor +2 or the Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman are way better for survivability. Don't fall for the "more damage = better" mindset.

2. The Best Spirit Ash in the DLC Isn't the Obvious One

Everyone talks about the Black Knight Commander summon or the new Fingercreeper (which is actually good now??). But the real MVP is the Spirit of the Putrescent One. You get it from a hidden catacomb near the Cerulean Coast. This summon does poison damage that builds up fast (about 60 poison per hit), has high HP, and draws aggro like a champ. Against bosses that are weak to poison (which is most of them), this summon is better than a player cooperator. It doesn't do flashy damage, but it keeps the boss focused on it for 30-40 seconds at a time. That's enough for you to get 3-4 full combos in. I used it against Promised Consort Radahn and it was the difference between winning and getting deleted.

3. The "Quickstep" Ash of War is Overrated in This DLC

I know, I know. Quickstep was amazing in the base game. But the DLC bosses have huge area of effect attacks with lingering hitboxes that Quickstep doesn't dodge fully. You need Bloodhound's Step or the new Raptor's Mist (found in the Fog Rift Catacombs) that gives you invisibility frames that actually last through multi-hit combos. Messmer's fire breath attack? It lasts for 2 seconds. Quickstep gets you through the first hit but you'll take damage from the follow-up. Raptor's Mist lets you walk through the whole thing. Swap your Ash of War. I lost 20 attempts to Messmer because I refused to let go of Quickstep. Don't be stubborn like me.

4. The "Flamethrower" Weapon Art Does 45 Base DPS But Ramps Up

There's a new Giant's Flame Ash of War that turns your weapon into a flamethrower. The tooltip says it does fire damage but doesn't explain the ramp mechanic. At 0-1 seconds of continuous fire, it does about 45 DPS. At 2 seconds, it jumps to 80 DPS. At 3 seconds and beyond, it hits 120 DPS and procs fire buildup at an insane rate. The catch? You have to stand still to do it, which is suicide against most bosses. BUT, if you use it on large, slow enemies like the Furnace Golems or the Ghostflame Dragon, you can melt them in 4-5 seconds of sustained fire. I killed the Ghostflame Dragon in under 90 seconds using this strat. Felt like a cheat code.

5. The Scadutree Blessing Soft Caps Are Weird

You can get up to Blessing Level 20 in the DLC (there are 60 fragments total). The damage increase per level is not linear. Levels 1-10 give you about 5% per level. Levels 11-15 give you 3% per level. Levels 16-20 give you 1.5% per level. That means your first 10 levels are twice as valuable as your last 10. Don't stress about finding every single fragment. Get to level 10, fight the main bosses, then go back for the rest. I spent 3 hours hunting down every last fragment before fighting Messmer and it barely made a difference compared to when I just had level 10.

Mistakes That Got Me Killed (Don't Be Me)

I've made every possible mistake in this DLC. Some were funny. Some cost me hours. Here's a list of specific, real things I did wrong, and how you can fix them.

• Mistake #1: Fighting the Furnace Golem Without A Plan — I ran up to the first one I saw, hit its legs for 30 damage per swing, and got crushed by its foot slam. The trick? You have to jump on its back using a series of ledges or a nearby cliff, then hit the furnace lid to open it, then throw a fire pot or use fire damage to explode it from inside. Each Furnace Golem has a specific route to get on top. I wasted 2 hours hitting the first one in the legs before I looked up a video. Do not fight them head-on.
• Mistake #2: Ignoring the New Scrolls — The DLC adds three new sorcery scrolls and two new incantation tomes. I found the Glintstone Sorcery Scroll in Castle Ensis and immediately gave it to Miriel, but then I realized I needed one specific spell from it for a quest line. If you're doing a magic build, do NOT give the scrolls to your teacher until you've checked what spells you want. I locked myself out of the Gravitational Missile spell for a whole playthrough because I gave the wrong scroll first.
• Mistake #3: Not Using the Map Markers — The DLC map is huge and confusing. I kept forgetting where I saw a fragment or a boss. Then I started using the blue markers for Scadutree Fragments, red markers for bosses I skipped, and green markers for Merchants. Within 2 hours I had a full map of my progress. It sounds basic, but it saved me from backtracking through areas I'd already cleared.
• Mistake #4: Summoning Too Early — The NPC summons in the DLC (like the ones for the Dancing Lion) are placed BEFORE the boss fog. I used them immediately and then realized they die in the first phase because I was still figuring out the moveset. Wait until you've learned the boss's pattern for at least 3-4 attempts before you use the summon. The summons are limited (one per boss per rest) and if they die early, you're solo for the rest of the fight. Save them for when you know you can keep them alive.
• Mistake #5: Forgetting About Physick Tears — There are 4 new Crystal Tears in the DLC, and ONE of them is a lifesaver. The Twiggy Cracked Tear (found near the Shaman Village) gives you a single free revive on death, like a second chance. I didn't find this until AFTER I beat the final boss. I could have saved myself 50+ deaths. Go get it. It's in the Scadu Altus area, near a Minor Erdtree. You'll see a ghost sitting on a rock. Talk to it, then check the tree.
• Mistake #6: Trying to Parry Everything — Parrying in the DLC has tighter windows than the base game. The Divine Beast Dancing Lion and Messmer both have attacks that are parryable, but the timing is frame-perfect (like 5-8 frames of active parry window). I tried to parry Messmer 12 times and succeeded twice. It's not worth it. Use block counters with a greatshield instead. The Fingerprint Stone Shield +25 with the Barricade Shield Ash of War will block almost everything in the DLC with zero stamina damage. I beat the final boss with this setup and took maybe 3 hits.

FAQ: The Questions Nobody Answers Straight

Q: Do I need to beat the base game first?

A: Yes, but you only need to kill Mohg, Lord of Blood and Radahn. You don't need to beat Malenia or the final boss. You access the DLC by touching the withered arm in Mohg's arena. If you haven't reached Mohg yet, you need to do Varre's quest (the White Mask guy at the First Step). It takes about 2-3 hours if you rush it.

Q: What level should I be for the DLC?

A: Level 120 minimum, but I recommend 150. More important than your level is your weapon upgrade. You want a +20 regular or +8 somber weapon as a bare minimum. I went in at level 140 with a +25 regular weapon and still struggled. Also, your Scadutree Blessing level matters way more than your character level. A level 100 character with Blessing 10 will do better than a level 200 character with Blessing 1.

Q: Which build is best for the DLC?

A: I've tried strength, dex, int, faith, and arcane. The easiest time I had was with a Strength/Faith hybrid using the Greatsword of Solitude (found in the Fog Rift Catacombs) and the Clawmark Seal. The weapon art does huge stance damage and the healing incantations keep you alive. Pure sorcery was a nightmare because of the small boss arenas and fast enemies. Pure dex was okay but you have to be perfect with dodges. Strength/Faith lets you tank some hits and heal through mistakes. That's my honest take.

Q: How many bosses are in the DLC?

A: 14 major bosses (the ones that give Remembrances) and about 25+ field bosses and mini-bosses. The major ones include the Divine Beast Dancing Lion, Rellana, Twin Moon Knight, Messmer the Impaler, The Putrescent Knight, Scadutree Avatar, Metyr, Mother of Fingers, and the final boss which I won't spoil but I'll tell you it's absolute bullshit and you will need help. There's also a secret boss in the Abyssal Woods that's harder than the final boss in my opinion.

Q: Is there a boss rush or something for people who just want to fight?

A: Yes! After you beat the final boss, you can return to the Roundtable Hold and talk to Hewg (he's back). He'll give you an item that lets you refight any major boss at the Grand Altar of Dragon Communion in Caelid. You can do this anytime. It's not a gauntlet, it's just individual fights, but it's great for practice. I've been using it to learn Messmer's second phase without dying 50 times.

Q: The DLC keeps crashing on Xbox. Any fix?

A: This is a known issue. Turn off Ray Tracing in the graphics settings, it's bugged on console. Also, if you're using the Spirit of the Putrescent One summon in certain areas (like the Church of the Crusade in the Scadu Altus), it can cause frame drops. Just don't use that summon there. FromSoftware has acknowledged the crashing but the patch isn't out yet. I had to play the final boss on performance mode to avoid crashes.