Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is one of 2024's biggest, most notable releases even though it's an expansion pack. This isn't a surprise, of course, given that it's the long-anticipated Elden Ring DLC! As is usual with FromSoftware expansion packs, though, this isn't just one of those side campaigns you can jump into willy-nilly. Instead, it's a fully integrated experience that you cannot play right away. There's some elbow grease needed, and today, that's the topic of our article.

Indeed, just as you couldn't accidentally start one of Dark Souls' DLCs just like that, the same can also be said about the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. Not only do you need to know where and how to enter the Land of Shadow, but there are also many things you need to do and achieve to get there, in the first place. Further, there's a whole list of things we recommend doing to make your life easier, and we'll explain all of those - and more - over the next couple of sections.

READ MORE: Everything You Need to Know About Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree

How to prepare for the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC?

One of the things we really appreciate about the way From Software handles its expansion packs, is that they're not just sitting there, right in the player's face. Instead, they are fully integrated bonus chapters that deepen your understanding of a game's lore, backstory, and context. This is going to be the case with the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC too, of course, which comes with the obvious caveat that you may have some trouble reaching it. That's precisely why we've assembled a full and comprehensive list of all the prerequisites, as you can jump into Elden Ring right this instant and start preparing!

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And preparation is definitely something you'll need to do if you haven't yet spent much time in The Lands Between. Shadow of the Erdtree is poised to be challenging in much the same way the legendary Malenia fight is, in the base game. "Players who look for that sort of challenge in our games will find a challenge on equal footing in the DLC as well," said Hidetaka Miyazaki of FromSoftware fame, referencing the Caelid Malenia fight, specifically. Duking it out with Messmer the Impaler is sure to be a big deal, if nothing else, and that means you need to be prepared on all fronts. Here's how!

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DLC access location

The first order of business: how do you actually start the Shadow of the Erdtree content? The good news is that it's pretty hard to miss: just visit Miquella's Cocoon after killing Mohg, Lord of Blood. Now, Mohg is generally considered to be a mid-tier boss fight that can push lower-level players back into the grinding business if they reach him too early. Mohg, Lord of Blood is found in the Mohgwyn Palace, which is a kinda-sorta secret section of the Siofra River underground. To reach him, look for a mysterious portal to the west of the Consecrated Snowfield region.

After you've dealt with Mohg, Lord of Blood, simply go visit the Cocoon and touch Miquella's hand. This should take you to the Lands of Shadow for the first time, from what we've seen so far.

Which bosses do you need to kill?

Obviously, you do need to kill Mohg to get anywhere near Miquella, but it's worth highlighting that there's another major, challenging boss you'll need to kill before playing Shadow of the Erdtree content! Specifically, it's Starscourge Radahn.

There appears to be a lore-related reason as to why it's necessary for us to take down Radahn before accessing the DLC campaign. Remember: Starscourge Radahn is an ontological warrior who has successfully stopped the literal stars, skies, and moon from moving. In a way, he stopped time from progressing in the Lands Between, and the flow of time and the celestial bodies are extremely important to Marika's offspring, one of whom is Miquella himself.

Most players recommend that you're roughly at level 90 or above before attempting to fight Starscourge Radahn, and it really is an incredibly flashy and challenging fight, even then. Be prepared for a heck of a fight no matter what, is what we're getting at!

Final Recommendations

Now that we've gone over all the hard requirements, there's still a bunch of soft requirements and recommendations for us to give you. Remember: the Lands of Shadow are no walk in the park, and Elden Ring proper is already a remarkably challenging RPG in some situations. What you want to do is to be as prepared as humanly possible for any challenges that may await, and that includes completing as many of our recommendations as possible! Here's a handy shortlist to keep in mind as you go:

• Level your character as much as possible, focusing on a particular build you're fond of (we recommend level 120+)
• Beat Malenia, which should be a good signifier of the general difficulty of the DLC
• Collect as much varied gear as possible, upgrading your favorite and most sensible bits as much as you can
• Collect as many weapon upgrade materials as you can
• Wrap up your open side quests, if you can
• Collect Flask upgrades wherever possible
• Collect as many Ashes of War as you can

Of course, you still have plenty of time to do all of the above. Shadow of the Erdtree DLC is due to launch on June 21, 2024, giving you weeks and months' worth of time before finally delving into the Lands of Shadow. Still, considering just how immense this game really is, we recommend kicking things into high gear as soon as possible, and getting all the prerequisites sorted out early. You'll thank us on day one, as we all hop into the DLC to beat Messmer the Impaler back into the shadow!

CHECK OUT: What is Shadow of the Erdtree DLC all about?