You may get a little lost when you first start Shadow of the Erdtree. The DLC for Elden Ring has a lot of content, and it can be intimidating to not know what to do or if you’re missing something. The Shadow Realm holds a plethora of novel areas and animal species for you to explore.
Here are some suggestions for what to do first in Shadow of the Erdtree, ranging from searching for map fragments and equipment that will smooth your journey (at least somewhat) to monsters you should definitely avoid.
Employ the New Leveling Framework
Shadow of the Erdtree has a new system that allows you to strengthen both your character and your Spirit Ashes, in addition to the standard mechanic of using runes, your currency, to raise particular stats of your choice.
You must locate Revered Spirit Ashes and Scadutree Fragments in order to accomplish this. You can find these special collectibles in all of the DLC’s newly released regions. Scadutree Fragments are primarily found when exploring new Sites of Grace, however they can also be found in particular corpses and close to statues. Conversely, revered spirit ashes can only be discovered on certain sculptures.
Be Wary of Furnace Golems.
On one of the main pathways as soon as you set out on your adventure in the Shadow Realm, you will come across a kind of enormous wicker man thing. This is a Furnace Golem, and for inexperienced players, it may be an extremely formidable foe. This opponent, like the Tree Sentinel in the first game, is prepared to dash your dreams and force you to repeatedly see the “You Die” screen.
Furnace Golems are cool, but you can avoid them completely by riding Torrent far away from them. If they do detect you, though, they will shoot long-range projectiles at you. Thus, you shouldn’t worry too much about them in the beginning.
You will eventually wish to take down these enormous monsters, though, and you will be rewarded handsomely with special Tears for your Flask of Wonderful Physick. What then should I do? Not every Furnace Golem battle will be the same because some will have special traits like armored legs or be located close to elevation areas where you can ascend.
You can use a heavy weapon to shatter enemies’ postures more quickly and charge strikes to hit the same leg multiple times on normal golems with their legs exposed. The monster will fully collapse into the flower after shattering it twice or three times, revealing its sun sign and opening it up to a deadly critical hit.
whether it comes to its assaults, you can dodge the flaming waves caused by Furnace Golems’ stomps by timing your jumps whether riding Torrent or walking. Then, if you’re in front of them, they may try to grab you or attack with their arms. Therefore, you should always strive to be on their back.
You will need to employ spells that can attack a golem’s face symbol if it has shielded legs. Hefty Fire Pots or Hefty Furnace Pots will inflict a lot of damage to them if you can get to a higher location and lock on their basket.
Acquiring knowledge Where to Go and How to Explore
The core of the experience is exploration, just like in the main game. But with multiple routes accessible from the start and vague directions, it can also be extremely perplexing and mind-numbing.
You can skip along to the story segments by just following the cues that Leda and Miquella’s other supporters offer you. You will need to travel west to Belurat from the Three-Path Cross Site of Grace. Next proceed to Scadu Altus, which is the area beyond Castle Ensis (cross the bridge northeast of the previously stated Site of Grace), and proceed into Shadow Keep.
You may find the key new bosses and plot events by following these cues. It’s important to note, though, that the bosses are rather challenging and that, with sufficient ability, you can finish the DLC’s main story in about 15 hours. We suggest touring all of the neighboring areas either prior to or following your trip via Belurat.
Always explore any tunnels, caves, or tombs you come across! When a named catacomb is reached, it usually leads to another completely new area. Additionally, there are locations with sealed Spiritsprings that can be unlocked by searching the area around the covered Spiritspring for shining stones. You will be able to reach areas when riding your horse that you would not be able to without these.
Testing Out New Equipment
Fortunately, regardless of your build or preferred style of play, the DLC offers a good selection of new spells, armor sets, weapons, and more for you. Granted, not every new spell or weapon is brilliant, and the majority are more entertaining than practical, but they are still a lot of fun.
Some of these are also available rather early in the game. For instance, north of the Three-Path Cross Site of Grace, on the lake where you’ll probably face your first Ghostflame Dragon, lies a corpse that is home to the Great Katana. After beating Logur, you can locate the Beast Claw in the forest southeast of your Site of Grace.
In terms of armor sets, you can obtain the Blackgaol Set rather fast by heading west from the first Site of Grace and locating the mausoleum’s entrance. One of the easiest bosses in the DLC to beat is the one holding the set in this instance.
By investigating Castle Ensis and Scadu Altus, one can find certain spells, such as Glintblade Trio and Heal From Afar, quite early on. Additionally, you can obtain the new Martial Arts weapon by locating the NPC Dryleaf Dane east of the Highroad Cross Site of Grace in Scadu Altus, close to the Site of Grace in Moorth Ruins. To defeat the NPC in a battle, you must first make the motion May The Best Win in front of him.
Getting Along
Speak with every NPC you come across during your journey. Along with learning more about the complicated lore of Shadow of the Erdtree and what’s happening with Miquella, you’ll have the opportunity to make new allies. In some of the hardest boss battles, you can summon characters to help you, such as Leda and Redmane Freyja.
Remember that you can use the game’s cooperative feature to call in your pals as well. In this manner, you and up to two pals can explore Shadow of the Realm. See our guide on multiplayer for further information on this.