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These Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree tips and tricks can be the difference between an exhausting and liberating first few hours, as the initial experience of Erdtree can be a brutal one if you're not prepared. Now, many were expecting the Elden Ring expansion to be tough - but maybe not this tough, as a lot of players have found Erdtree to be kind of frustrating.
Well, there's ways around that. Having played through the whole of Shadow of the Erdtree and consulted with others who've done the same, I've put together this list of the top tips and tricks that you should know before starting the Elden Ring DLC.
1. Build up your Vigor if you haven't already
Let's be clear: Shadow of the Erdtree is an endgame DLC that assumes you've not only completed Elden Ring, but done a lot of side content and levelled up. Some of you might have a robust Vigor score already, but if you don't (45 at the very least, and ideally 60 or up) you'll find yourself getting one-shotted by a lot of enemies in Shadow of the Erdtree. This stat is arguably more important than any Shadow of the Erdtree level requirements.
If you're not at that point yet, you might want to use our guide on Elden Ring Rune farming locations to find a place to ramp up, or use the Elden Ring respec system to move some points there.
2. Your first priority is Scadutree Fragments
The locations of Shadow of the Erdtree Scadutree Fragments are listed in the attached guide, and you should absolutely get as many as you can, as soon as possible. SOTE has its own levelling system tied to these Fragments, where finding them and redeeming them at a Site of Grace boosts pretty much all of your stats and allows you to become far more powerful in a flash. Going out and hunting down a few Scadutree Fragments can be the difference between hours of defeat and sudden success.
Not only that, but a secondary priority is the Revered Spirit Ash, an item that's a bit less common, usually found at places of worship in-game. These are spent at Sites of Grace to buff your Elden Ring Summons, giving them greater survivability and stopping bosses from killing them on the first hit.
3. If you see a ghost with a pot on its head, KILL!
The dung beetles that drop Ashes of War are still in the game, but more importantly, SOTE has lots of ghostly enemies, especially in the early areas. If, at any point, you see a ghost balancing a large pot on its head that glitters, go after it! It'll run away from you, but if you can kill it, it'll drop some great items - like Scadutree Fragments, Revered Spirit Ash, or rare loot. They respawn if you miss your chance, but you can only harvest items from them once, meaning farming Fragments from them isn't an option (sadly).
4. Much of the map is intentionally hard to access, so think creatively and explore!
The Realm of Shadow has multiple regions, and some of them are very hard to access - not because there's a boss blocking them off (though that can happen), but because the route or method of reaching them can be obscure; a partially concealed cave, or a door in a building you overlooked. Sometimes it requires a puzzle or a questline, much like the Grand Lift of Dectus in Elden Ring, so while we won't spoil the solutions here, it's wise to pay attention, comb nearby areas for access points, read messages left by other players or even think about Gestures you've found that certain parts of the world might respond to. Obviously finding Shadow of the Erdtree map fragments is still helpful, but there's a lot more going on this time.
5. Dungeons aren't so linear anymore, so go back to them to find everything
In Elden Ring proper, dungeons and buildings tended to have one entrance and one exit. That can still happen, but it's much rarer in Shadow of the Erdtree - a castle, labyrinth or lair might have multiple entrances, ways through, secrets to find, and paths out to different locations, including some major ones.
The Shadow Keep in particular, the central structure in north Scadu Altus, is practically a crossroads to half the map, a small town where players can find half a dozen different ways in and out alike. Basically, if you think you finished with a dungeon the first time - you probably didn't.
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