Accessing the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC
Defeat Starscourge Radahn in the Caelid region. Radahn is a powerful demigod shardbearer in the Wailing Dunes of Caelid, east of Limgrave. To reach Radahn, you’ll need to wait until the Radahn Festival is active and travel to Redmane Castle (where the festival is). Talk to Jerren there, then go to the chapel and take the lift down to the portal on the beach. There are a few different ways to start the festival. You can: Go to any Altus Plateau Site of Grace. Progress in Ranni’s questline (either until you can talk to Blaidd about Radahn or until you can mention Jerren to Iji). Since Caelid (and Radahn) are dangerous, it’s recommended you do the latter and complete Blaidd’s questline in East Limgrave, which leads to Ranni’s questline in Liurnia. If you do Ranni’s questline before fighting Radahn, you’ll also empty Redmane Castle of enemies, making it easier to approach.
Reach Mohgwyn Palace. To fight the next boss enemy required by the DLC, you must locate Mohgwyn Palace—an underground area accessible by only two different methods. You can use the teleporter in the Consecrated Snowfield (far north of Leyndell the Capital) or complete the White Mask Varré's questline and use the Pureblood Knight’s medal. Varré's quest is the faster of the two options. If you do this: Find Varré at the Rose Church in Liurnia and accept his quest. Invade players three times in PvP. Keep in mind you don’t have to win the battles! Once the quest is complete, you’ll get an item that can teleport you to Mohgwyn Palace. If you use the Consecrated Snowfield teleporter method: Gather both halves of the Haligtree Secret Medallion. One half is earned by striking Albus, hiding in a pot in Liurnia. The other half is in Castle Sol, on the roof of the northeast tower. Travel to the Grand Lift of Rold (on the western edge of the Consecrated Snowfields). Present the medallion, then head west to find the secret teleporter.
Defeat Mohg, Lord of Blood, in Mohgwyn Palace. Mohg is an even more deadly late-game boss, and Mohgwyn Palace is his lair. Once there, navigate around the swamps and up the mausoleum, defeating (or evading) giant skeletons and zombies. Travel down a dark tunnel filled with more Sanguine Noble enemies, then find a lift at the last Site of Grace that’ll take you down to Mohg. This is an extremely high-level fight, not recommended unless you’re already in the late game and well-prepared—so plan wisely! If you use Varré's questline to reach Mohg, you may find yourself under-leveled (depending on how far into the game you are).
Touch Miquella’s withered arm in Mohgwyn Palace. After defeating Mohg, you’ll be near the entrance to the DLC, too! Mohg’s throne room is also his battle arena—so simply approach Mohg’s throne and touch the withered arm sticking out of the bloody cocoon there. Touching the arm will transport you to the Land of Shadow, where you can begin the DLC. The arm belongs to the demigod Miquella (an important figure in the DLC’s lore and story). If you can’t interact with the arm for some reason, try fast-traveling to the closest Site of Grace so the area reloads. When you return to Mohg’s throne room, you should see a character called Needle Knight Leda standing next to the arm. She’ll tell you to touch the withered arm, and you should now be able to do so.
Preparing for Shadow of the Erdtree
Reach at least level 120 before playing the DLC. Shadow of the Erdtree is designed to be an endgame-level area, so ensure your character’s level reflects that. Elden Ring developer FromSoftware has recommended you be anywhere from level 120 to 150 before starting the DLC. If you’re up for a challenge, level your character to around 120; otherwise, waiting until you reach 150 may be wiser. Additionally, aim to get your character’s Vigor to at least 50 (or even 60, if possible), along with raising their other key stats.
Upgrade your best weapons and gear as much as possible. Since the DLC is so tough, you’ll need the best gear to navigate it. Use regular and somber smithing stones (which you can buy from vendors) to upgrade your weapons to the highest level before entering the DLC. There are tons of weapons (over 100) to find in the Land of Shadow, too, so bring some smithing stones with you! You can buy smithing and somber stones from war counselor Iji in northwest Liurnia or the Twin Maiden Husks at the Roundtable Hold.
Find elemental protection gear. A couple of early bosses in the DLC use elemental attacks, so it’s a good idea to protect yourself by making elemental protection gear. One boss uses fire and magic, while the other uses frostbite and lightning—so try to ensure you’re protected from both, if possible. You can use single-use consumables for this or any other gear you might have found in your adventures.
Complete other quests to make the Radahn and Mohg fights easier. You can use advantages against both boss enemies if you take the time to find them. Before Radahn’s fight, progressing in the Blaidd or Ranni questline will allow you to recruit and summon him (along with several other fighters, including Alexander) during the fight. In Mohg’s case, you can hunt down two items to weaken him: First, complete Yura’s questline to get the Purifying Crystal Tear, which can be used to negate the curse effect during your fight with Mohg. Second, find Mohg’s Shackle in the Subterranean Shunning-Grounds under Leyndell, the Royal Capital (a main area during Dung Eater’s questline), which can stun Mohg briefly during the fight.
How long does it take to access Shadow of the Erdtree?
It may take around 5 to 6 hours to start the DLC. If you’re already a high enough level for the DLC or starting a new game plus (and don’t want to complete any of the associated questlines with either boss), you can speed through the DLC’s prerequisites in roughly 5 to 6 hours, though this may vary by player. However, if you’re starting a new game, it’ll take much longer to reach Shadow of the Erdtree. From the beginning of the game (assuming you’re taking time to progress naturally through the game rather than rushing), it may take 30 to 50 hours to get to the DLC. If you are starting a fresh game, it’s recommended you progress naturally and wait until you’re near the end of the game to play Shadow of the Erdtree. That way, you’ll be fully ready for the notoriously difficult DLC when you finally begin!
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