In this Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree beginner guide, Fextralife provides valuable tips and tricks to help players navigate the DLC and have a successful first playthrough. The guide contains minor spoilers and focuses on mechanics, equipment, and early locations. Understanding the expansion mechanics and progression objectives is crucial to avoid frustration during the initial hours of gameplay. Fextralife recommends entering the DLC with a level 150 or higher build, fully upgraded weapons and spirit ashes, and a good amount of health. They also provide several recommended builds and a build selector tool to assist players in choosing their desired playstyle.
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Key Takeaways:
- Enter the DLC with a level 150 or higher build and fully upgraded weapons and spirit ashes.
- Scadu tree fragments and revered spirit ashes are essential for increasing damage dealt and reducing damage taken in the DLC.
- Explore and talk to NPCs thoroughly to avoid missing out on interesting content, lore, and equipment.
- Pay attention to hidden pathways, emote-triggered doors, and well-hidden switches to discover secret locations and items.
Understanding the DLC Mechanics
In Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree, the enemies in the realm of Shadow are incredibly tough compared to the base game. The key to becoming more powerful in the DLC is not solely through character levels and upgrades, but also through special items called scadu tree fragments and revered spirit ashes. Scadu tree fragments improve damage dealt and reduce damage taken, while revered spirit ashes enhance blessings and provide permanent upgrades. These buffs only apply to the land of Shadow, and specific locations to acquire these items can be found on Fextralife’s shadow of the earth tree map. It is recommended to obtain these items before facing the first bosses to make the gameplay experience less frustrating.
Exploring the DLC
Progressing through the DLC requires careful exploration and interaction with NPCs. It is easy to miss out on content, lore, and equipment if NPC quests are not followed thoroughly. Fextralife advises talking to every NPC, reading the notes they provide, and visiting their locations whenever possible. NPC quests are often linked to each other, so engaging with them is crucial for experiencing as much content as possible. It is also important to follow a specific game path to optimize gameplay. Fextralife suggests exploring the South Plains, West Plains, North Plains, and Eastern Plains before progressing to Castle insus. They provide more details and tips on progress on their wiki for further assistance.
Discovering Secrets and Hidden Locations
The DLC is filled with secret paths, diverging quest lines, and hard-to-reach locations. Players should be observant and look for clues and hidden items in every corner of each location. Items are often cleverly hidden behind awkward points of view, and hidden walls have subtle tells such as nearby enemies or unusual wall disruptions. The DLC features verticality, and players can access hard-to-reach places through long elevators, spirit spring jumps, or coffin steps on the sides of cliffs. Examining the map closely and paying attention to items in hard-to-reach places can guide players on where to go and what to do. Additionally, the DLC introduces new powerful talismans, consumables, and pot types that players should equip and experiment with in combat.
Managing NPC Quests and Save Backups
It is easy to mess up NPC quests in Shadow the UR Trey and miss out on content. Fextralife recommends thoroughly talking to NPCs, following their quest lines, and visiting their locations to avoid missing important content. They also advise avoiding the Northwest side of the map until ready to progress the main story. To prevent starting a new game plus to access DLC content, Fextralife suggests backing up the save file before starting the DLC. They provide details on how to do this for all platforms on their wiki’s save management page.
