How to start the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC in Elden Ring

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Where the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion begins and what to do

Messmer holds up a flame in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree
(Image credit: Bandai Namco)

To start the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC for Elden Ring, players need to go to Mogh's arena underground and touch the withered arm sticking out of the cocoon. That'll get you to the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion - but there's some specific conditions and bosses that you'll need to take down first, and that we'll lay out for you below.

How to start Shadow of the Erdtree

To start the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC in Elden Ring you'll need to beat two bosses: Radahn, the boss of Caelid, and Mohg, who can be accessed relatively early if you complete the questline for the NPC Varre. Only then can you access the Expansion via the withered arm in Mogh's arena, interacting it to trigger an automatic teleportation to the new Elden Ring DLC.

Here's a full breakdown of what you need to do to access Shadow of the Erdtree: 

  1. You'll need to beat the Elden Ring Radahn boss fight. The Starscourge is a key boss, so you should have cleared this as part of the core game's story.
  2. You'll also need to beat beat Mohg, Lord of Blood in Elden Ring. This is an optional boss that's easy to miss. You'll have to complete the Elden Ring Varre questline to reach him as well, if you want to avoid the long, hard way to get to his region.
  3. Once Mohg is defeated there will be a large white cocoon with an arm hanging out of it at the opposite end of his arena.
  4. Interact with it and choose to "touch the withered arm" which will teleport you to a new area, the Realm of Shadow, to start the Erdtree DLC. 

Once Radahn and Mohg are gone and you touch the cocoon arm you'll be in the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC expansion area! You'll see a Site of Grace in front of you marked by a Shadow of the Erdtree Miquella's Cross - a new thing to look for - so grab that and you'll have a permanent fast travel point back to the area without having to go through the arm again.

Getting to the Erdtree stuff isn't something you should really rush though- the DLC is famously tough and while it has it's own leveling system using things called Scadutree Fragments, you really want to be in the best shape you can be before you take on its challenges. To help you get ready here's what to do before Shadow of the Erdtree.

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Joel Franey
Joel Franey
Guides Editor, GamesRadar+

Joel Franey is a writer, journalist, podcaster and Very Tired Man with a BA from Brunel University, a Masters from Sussex University and a decade working in games journalism, often focused on guides coverage but also in reviews, features and news. His love of games is strongest when it comes to groundbreaking narratives like Disco Elysium, UnderTale and Baldur's Gate 3, as well as innovative or refined gameplay experiences like XCOM, Sifu, Arkham Asylum or Slay the Spire. He is a firm believer that the vast majority of games would be improved by adding a grappling hook, and if they already have one, they should probably add another just to be safe. You can find old work of his at Eurogamer, Gfinity, USgamer, SFX Magazine, RPS, Dicebreaker, VG247, and more.