Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree: How to Enter Shadow of the Erdtree in Elden Ring - Tips & Tricks (2025)

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Tip 1: Hit the 40 Vigor softcap before you enter — anything lower gets you one-shot

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Why it matters: The first regular trash mob in the DLC (the Shadow Hand soldier) deals 1,120 damage per overhead swing. A level 80 character with 30 Vigor only has 1,009 HP. That means a single mistake = dead. 40 Vigor gives you 1,450 HP, which gives you a 2-hit buffer against most early DLC attacks. The 50 Vigor hardcap is even better, but 40 is the absolute minimum. Don't even think about entering if you're below this.

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Tip 2: Upgrade your weapon to +12 minimum, +25 max before entering

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Why it matters: Shadow of the Erdtree's weapon upgrade system caps at +30 for normal weapons and +10 for somber weapons. But you can only find the higher-level upgrade materials inside the DLC. If you enter with a +9 normal weapon, you'll be doing 30% less damage than you should for the first 5 hours of exploration. Here's the damage comparison for a common pre-DLC weapon, the Rivers of Blood katana:

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Upgrade Level	Physical Damage	Bleed Buildup	Damage vs Early DLC Soldier
+8	114	50	78 damage per slash
+12	159	63	112 damage per slash
+25	218	77	155 damage per slash

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+25 takes 10 minutes to get if you've already cleared most of the base game, and it cuts early boss fight times by 40%. It's not optional.

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Tip 3: Max out your Crimson and Cerulean flasks before entering

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Why it matters: The first Sacred Tear in the DLC is 3 hours into exploration, past the first two main bosses. You can collect all 12 Sacred Tears from the base game to get +12 flasks before you ever enter. That's 4 extra heals compared to entering with 8 flasks, which is the difference between beating the first DLC boss and dying 10 times in a row. I've seen streamers enter with 8 flasks and wipe repeatedly because they didn't know this.

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Tip 4: Bring at least 100+ poise to avoid being stunlocked

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Why it matters: 90% of Shadow of the Erdtree melee weapons have hyperarmor on their heavy attacks, and most enemies can stagger you in 1 hit if you have under 100 poise. A full bull-goat set gives you 100 poise exactly, and you can pick it up from Volcano Manor before you enter the DLC. If you're running a medium/light build, the Green Turtle Talisman + 50 poise from armor works, but 100 is the breakpoint you should aim for. Any poise over 133 is wasted (that's the hardcap for stagger resistance against all non-giant enemy attacks in the DLC).

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Tip 1: Collect all 8 Memory Stones before entering to get maximum spell slots

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Why it matters: There are only 2 new Memory Stones in the entire DLC. If you enter with only 4 memory slots, you'll be leaving half of the DLC's amazing new sorceries and incantations on the table because you can't equip them. All 8 base game Memory Stones are easy to find: 1 from Rennala, 6 from sorcery towers, 1 from Seluvis's quest. It takes 90 minutes to collect all of them if you're starting from zero, and it's worth every second.

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Tip 2: Unlock the Torrent double jump skill by collecting the Medallion of Dectus before entering

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Why it matters: Wait, you already have Torrents from the start of the game, right? But the Land of Shadow has massive cliffs and vertical platforms that require a double jump to reach, which you unlock by activating the Grand Lift of Dectus. If you enter the DLC via the secret path without activating Dectus, you won't have double jump, and you'll be stuck unable to reach half the map until you go back and unlock it. I made this mistake on my first playthrough — don't do it. Activating Dectus takes 10 minutes: collect the two halves of the medallion from Fort Haight (Limgrave) and Fort Faroth (Caelid), then use it on the lift in Altus Plateau, and your double jump will be permanently unlocked for the DLC.

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Tip 3: Bring 999 Rupee Arrows if you're playing a ranged build

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Why it matters: Arrows are incredibly rare in the early DLC, and the first merchant doesn't spawn until 6 hours in. A stack of 999 regular arrows costs 3,000 runes from the Gatefront Ruins merchant in Limgrave, and it saves you from having to farm runes just to buy ammo 2 hours into your playthrough. For magic users, bring 50+ of each neutral crafting material (Bone Dust, Glowstone) to make new spells on the go — crafting stations are rare in the early Land of Shadow.

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Tip 4: Clear the entire base game map to unlock all site of grace for fast travel before entering

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Why it matters: You can return to the base game any time from the Shadow of the Erdtree starting site of grace. If you need to respec, upgrade your weapon, or grab a forgotten item, you don't have to beat any DLC bosses to go back. If all your base game sites are already unlocked, you can fast travel straight to Rennala for respec or the Roundtable Hold to rearrange your build without loading through 3 zones.

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Tip 1: Hit your build's stat softcap before entering the DLC

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Why it matters: Here are the exact softcaps for every core stat that you need to hit before you enter, no exceptions:

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• Vigor: 40 softcap, 60 hardcap (aim for 40 minimum)
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• Mind: 20 softcap, 30 hardcap (aim for 20 minimum for melee, 30+ for magic/faith)
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• Endurance: 25 softcap, 40 poise hardcap (aim for 25 minimum to get medium roll with 100 poise armor)
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• Strength: 50 softcap, 80 hardcap (hit 50 before entering)
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• Dexterity: 50 softcap, 80 hardcap (hit 50 before entering)
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• Intelligence: 60 softcap, 80 hard