Direct Answer: How to Unlock & Enter Shadow of the Erdtree in 2 Minutes
\nIf you just Googled how to enter Shadow of the Erdtree, here's the step-by-step unlock process that works 100% of the time, no glitches or hidden requirements:
\n- \n
- First, defeat Starscourge Radahn in Redmane Castle (Caelid) to unlock the Raya Lucaria Grand Library lift and access to the Radahn Festival. \n
- Next, defeat Morgott, the Omen King at the Elden Throne in Leyndell, Royal Capital. You do not need to beat the Elden Beast or finish the base game to enter the DLC. \n
- Fast travel to the Stranded Graveyard site of grace (the first cave you spawn in at the start of the game). \n
- Interact with the newly-spawned Finger Reader Crone near the entrance to the Cave of Knowledge. She'll give you the Entry to the Land of Shadow key item and point you to the altar behind the wall where you got the Stonesword Key. \n
- Interact with the broken altar to trigger the cutscene, and you'll load straight into the Shadow of the Erdtree starting area. \n
That's it. You don't need to find any hidden items, complete any side quests, or beat any optional bosses outside of Radahn and Morgott. If your altar isn't spawning, double-check that you've actually defeated Morgott, not just Morgott the Omen at the Altus Plateau gate.
\n\nThings I Wish I Knew Earlier Before Entering Shadow of the Erdtree
\nI've put 180+ hours into Shadow of the Erdtree since launch, testing every build, every pre-DLC prep strategy, and every early-game route. Most of the beginner guides online are wrong, or full of generic advice that wastes your time. Below are the categorized tips and tricks I wish someone told me before I stepped through that altar, organized to make you immediately actionable.
\n\nCategorized Pre-Entry Tips for Shadow of the Erdtree
\n\nCombat Prep Tips
\nShadow of the Erdtree's base enemy damage is 35-40% higher than base Elden Ring's endgame. A level 150 character that one-shot Malenia will get two-shot by the first basic grafted scion in the Land of Shadow if you're underprepared. Here's what you need to do before you enter:
\n\nTip 1: Hit level 150 minimum before entering. 175 is the softcap for comfortable early-game.
\n Why it matters: Shadow of the Erdtree gives you 20+ new levels just from the first 10 hours of exploration, but if you enter at level 100, you'll have 40% less HP than the game expects you to have. Let's break down the stat math:
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- A level 100 melee build will have ~1,350 HP at 40 Vigor. A level 175 melee build will have ~2,100 HP at 60 Vigor. \n
- The first mini-boss in Shadow of the Erdtree (St. Trina's Knight) deals 850 damage per unblocked swing. That's a oneshot at 1,350 HP after one hit. At 2,100 HP, you can take two hits before popping a flask, which gives you room to learn the attack pattern. \n
The Vigor softcap in Elden Ring is still 60 (gains drop off 60% after 60), so hitting 60 Vigor before entering is non-negotiable.
\nTip 2: Upgrade your best pre-DLC weapon to +25 (regular) or +10 (somber) before you enter.
\n Why it matters: Shadow of the Erdtree's new upgrade material Somber Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone doesn't drop until 15 hours in, and regular Ancient Dragon Smithing Stones are rare in the early DLC. A +25 pre-DLC weapon deals ~30% more damage than a new +10 Shadow of the Erdtree weapon in the first 5 hours. Here's the damage comparison for a common pre-DLC endgame weapon:
| Weapon | \nUpgrade Level | \nPhysical AR | \nStamina Cost (per R1) | \nRequirements Met | \n
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bloodhound's Fang | \n+10 Somber (pre-DLC max) | \n312 + 124 Bleed | \n21 | \n17 DEX/18 Str | \n
| Bloodhound's Fang | \n+11 Somber (DLC max) | \n347 + 138 Bleed | \n21 | \n17 DEX/18 Str | \n
| New DLC Hand of Malenia | \n+10 Somber (DLC early) | \n278 + 98 Bleed | \n24 | \n16 DEX/16 Str | \n
You'll get enough materials to upgrade a new DLC weapon to max in the mid-game, but for the first 10 hours, your maxed pre-DLC weapon will outperform anything you find in the Land of Shadow.
\n Pro Tip: If you're short on Ancient Dragon Smithing Stones, there are two guaranteed drops in base Elden Ring: one in the Crumbling Farum Azula near the Dragon Temple altar, and one from the Millicent side quest. You can also buy one from the Twin Maiden Husks at Roundtable Hold for 8,000 runes after beating the game.\nTip 3: Bring 99+ Cracked Pots and 20+ Ritual Pots before entering.
Tip 4: Pre-craft 20+ Poisonbone Darts and 15+ Bloodbone Darts before entering.
\n Why it matters: Most early DLC bosses have 50+ poise and huge stamina pools, but they're not immune to DoT. A stack of 10 Poisonbone Darts applies 50 poison damage per second for 20 seconds, that's 1,000 free damage before you even start fighting. This is especially game-changing for the first major boss, Messmer the Impaler, who has 13,200 HP and takes 20% extra poison damage.
Exploration Prep Tips
\nExploration is 70% of Shadow of the Erdtree, and the Land of Shadow has hidden paths, secret bosses, and missable items that you can't get if you don't prep before entering. These are the most important expert tips for exploration prep:
\n\nTip 1: Grab the Gold Scarab talisman before you enter. It's worth 4,000 extra runes per hour in the early game.
\n Why it matters: Gold Scarab increases rune gain by 20%, and you'll be farming a lot of early levels to hit 200 by the end of the DLC. Getting it before you enter saves you hours of farming later. If you don't have it, it's a guaranteed drop from the two Cleanrot Knights in the Abandoned Cave in Caelid, right near the Smoldering Wall site of grace. It takes 5 minutes to get, and it pays for itself in the first hour of DLC exploration.
Tip 2: Fill your inventory with 999 Rune Arcs before entering. Don't rely on drops in the DLC.
\n Why it matters: Rune Arcs give you +15% HP when you're playing with a Great Rune active, and the best early-game Great Rune (Radahn's) gives you +12.5% maximum stamina. In the first 10 hours of Shadow of the Erdtree, I found exactly 3 Rune Arcs. Enemies almost never drop them, and merchants don't sell them until the late-game. If you want to keep your Great Rune active the whole time (which you should, for that extra HP and stamina), you need to bring your own. You can buy 99 Rune Arcs from the Nomadic Merchant at the Mountaintops of the Giants for 4,000 runes each. It's 396,000 runes total, which is nothing for an endgame base character, and it saves you hours of hassle.
Tip 3: Bring both the Wondrous Physick mixes ready before entering: one for damage, one for survival.
\n Why it matters: The Greenburst Crystal Tear (+30% stamina recovery for 3 minutes) and Flask of Wondrous Physick are unlocked in base game, and you can't change your tears in the field until you find a site of grace in the DLC. I've seen so many players spawn in with a wrong tear set (like a magic damage tear on a melee build) and have to run all the way back to the first site of grace just to swap it. Pre-set your two mixes before you enter:
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- Damage mix: Cracked Crystal Tear (+10% physical damage) + Strength-knot Crystal Tear (+10 Strength for 3 minutes) (swap to Dexterity-knot/Int-knot for your build) \n
- Survival mix: Greenburst Crystal Tear (+30% stamina recovery) + Ironjar Tear (-50% damage taken for 3 minutes) \n
Tip 4: Clear all base game side quests you want to complete before entering. Most of them break after you enter the DLC.
\n Why it matters: FromSoftware changed the world state after you unlock Shadow of the Erdtree: all base game NPCs that would have followed you to the DLC leave the base game, so any incomplete side quests (Ranni, Millicent, Fia, Dung Eater) will lock you out of their base game endings and rewards. For example, if you haven't gotten the Moonlight Greatsword from Ranni before you enter the DLC, you can't go back and get it until you finish the DLC. If you care about 100% completion, wrap up base game NPC quests first.
Build Prep Tips (2025 Meta Tier List)
\nNot all pre-DLC builds are equally good for entering Shadow of the Erdtree. The DLC's new enemy poise and damage values favor certain builds over others. I've ranked the most common pre-DLC endgame builds by how well they perform in the first 20 hours of the DLC:
\n\n| Tier | \nBuild | \nJustification | \n
|---|---|---|
| S | \nBleed Arcane Dual Wield | \n90% of early DLC enemies are vulnerable to bleed, 1,200 damage per proc at +25, melts poise in 3 hits. Best starting build for new DLC players. | \n
| S | \nArcane Bleed Dragon Communion | \nEkzykes's Decay deals 1,500 DoT per second to most early bosses, can clear entire camps from range without getting hit. Zero risk, high reward. | \n
| A | \nHeavy Strength Greatsword | \nHigh poise damage, can stagger most early enemies in 2 hits, but slow attack speed leaves you vulnerable to the DLC's fast attack patterns. Great for experienced players. | \n
| A | \nSorcery Int Glintstone | \nHigh ranged damage, Comet Azur still melts early bosses, but FP costs are high and flasks are scarce in the early DLC. Bring plenty of FP flasks. | \n
| B | \nFaith Incantation Holy Build | \nMost DLC enemies are 40% resistant to Holy damage, so your damage is gutted early on. You can respec later, but it's a rough start. | \n
| B | \nDexteryity Dual Katanas | \nGood damage, but low poise break, and you can't get the Hand of Malenia upgraded early enough to compete with pre-DLC bleed builds. Solid, not game-changing. | \n
| C | \nLevel 1 Wretch Any% Run | \nCan be done, but the first enemy deals 1,100 damage which is a oneshot. Only for masochists. Bring 99 pots. | \n
| D | \nFull Parry Dagger BuildMost DLC bosses have hyperarmor and unparryable attacks. Your entire core mechanic is useless for the first 10 hours. Swap to a greatsword before entering. | \n
Why the meta shifted for Shadow of the Erdtree: All DLC enemies have 20-30% more poise than base game endgame enemies, and 40% more HP. Bleed procs deal percentage-based damage, so it scales with enemy HP, which makes it the single strongest damage type in the early DLC. If you're starting fresh, an Arcane bleed build with Rivers of Blood (+10 somber) is the best way to enter Shadow of the Erdtree, no questions asked. It deals 312 AR + 112 bleed per hit, procs bleed in 2 hits, that's 800+ damage free per proc. That melts the first DLC boss in 90 seconds.
\n\nPro Tip: If you're on console or haven't updated to the latest patch, bleed was nerfed from 15% of max HP to 12% for bosses, but that's still way better than any other damage type in the early game. Don't let the nerf scare you off — it's still S-tier.\n\nSee also: Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree Best Bleed Arcane Build (2025)
\n\nEconomy Prep Tips
\nThe Land of Shadow uses the same runes as base Elden Ring, but runes are harder to farm early on, and you'll need a lot of them for leveling, buying materials, and unlocking new tools. These are the most important economy tips before you enter:
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