This isn’t much of a revelation, but Shadow of the Erdtree is really rather difficult. Many folks have complained about this, and FromSoftware has patched the DLC to give people more of a fighting chance. That said, there are some things that you can do to make your time in the Realm of Shadow that much easier. These five things can all be done right out the gate, and doing them will improve your chances against bosses, fill in more of the world map, get you exploring, and also get you enjoying some of the new features. In short, you’ll have a bit more fun with it. Let’s jump in!
Change your item settings
This is a small one and a really big one. The game does tell you this when you first jump in, but it’s a quick pop-up, easily dismissed (and you probably will dismiss it because you’ll be excited to start), and actually it makes a big difference. Pause the game and go into system, then tab across to the Display menu
You will see two options on this screen now: “Mark New Items” and “Show Recent Items Tab.” Turn both of these to On. It means that the items you get in Shadow of the Erdtree will be brought to the fore and be more noticeable – rather than everything getting mingled into your existing inventory. It’s a great a quick way to get organised with all the new stuff that you’ll be hoovering up.
Set time aside to unlock the map
This may sound a bit obvious, but doing this is slightly more important in Shadow of the Erdtree than it is in the Elden Ring base game. The reason for this is simple: Scadutree Fragments. These are what make you stronger in the DLC, rather than traditional levelling, so unlocking more of the map means that you get more Scadutree Fragments.
Check out our guide on getting All Scadutree Fragments in Gravesite Plain, and also our guides on How to get to Scadu Altus by skipping Castle Ensis and How to get to the Cerulean Coast. Getting to these areas earlier on – and without necessarily beating the big story-critical bosses – means that you have way more chance to get fragments, and to get the lay of the land, too. The Realm of Shadow is very twisty-turny, as it happens, and unlocking fast-travel points is as valuable as ever.
Leave the bosses and go after the Scadutree Fragments
Sorry to sound like a broken record, but get after those fragments. You can do this as you unlock the map for each region, using our guides. For example, one of the earliest things to do is to unlock the map for Gravesite Plain and then go after the Scadutree Fragments. (You can use our guide to help on this one.)
Once you have snuck ahead to Scadu Altus and even the Cerulean Coast, you can then come back to the story-critical bosses. By this time, you’ll be a lot stronger and more able to take them on.
Start the three quest lines and find Moore the Merchant
There are four quest lines that you can start early on in Shadow of the Erdtree: those of Redmane Freyja, Hornsent, Ansbach, and Moore. To kick this off, get to the Three-Path Cross Site of Grace, which is located here:
Here you will meet the first two, Freyja and Hornsent; exhaust your dialogue options with both of them. (This will help you a great deal in the boss fight against the Golden Hippopotamus.) It will start these quests, which wind through Shadow of Erdtree, and from here you can then head off through the arch to the Main Gate Cross Site of Grace.
Here you will find Ansbach and Moore, the latter of which is a merchant, who sells new items. So it’s well worth getting all four of these important NPCs met early on.
Bear in mind the story path dungeon order
Shadow of the Erdtree lets you explore to your heart’s content, and, as we have suggested, it’s well worth doing that in order to get stronger. However, even after you have unlocked other huge areas, such as Scadu Altus and the Cerulean Coast, in order to gather up your Scadutree Fragments, it’s important to make your way through the story in the right order.
After you have buffed yourself with enough fragments to be able to hit a bit harder and take a bit more damage, come back to Belurat, Tower Settlement. The first boss that you’re really meant to fight is the Divine Beast Dancing Lion. After that, head over the Ellac Greatbridge and through Castle Ensis. Then, once you’ve fought Rellana, Twin Moon Knight, you want to head on to the Shadow Keep. By keeping this order in mind, at least you then know you’re only fighting the toughest boss you need to fight at that particular time. And that is five tips to see you right as you begin Shadow of the Erdtree. Good luck!