To start Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree, you need to defeat two specific bosses from the base game and then touch the arm hanging out of a cocoon. Your character level is not a requirement. This guide covers exactly what you have to do, how travel between the two worlds works, how you get stronger inside the DLC and what the expansion costs on PC, PlayStation, Xbox and Switch 2. The entry requirements give away part of the story, so they sit behind a spoiler warning. Prices are valid as of 20 October 2026.
What Shadow of the Erdtree is
Shadow of the Erdtree is Elden Ring’s big story expansion. It launched on 21 June 2024 for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and PC (Steam lists 20 June 2024 because of the time zone). It takes place in the Realm of Shadow, also called the Land of Shadow. The story centres on Miquella and his followers, and on Messmer the Impaler.
The DLC is an add-on, not a standalone game. You can’t play it without the base game. The exception is Nintendo Switch 2, where the Tarnished Edition already includes the expansion.
What you need before you go in
- The Elden Ring base game on the same platform (on Switch 2, the Tarnished Edition, which already contains the DLC).
- Two defeated bosses from the base game. Who they are is explained in the spoiler section below.
- A way to the cocoon in one of their boss arenas.
Nothing else is required. You don’t have to finish the main story or hit a particular character level.
Spoilers ahead: which bosses you must beat
Spoiler warning: this part names bosses, locations and side quests from the later part of the base game. If you want to discover Elden Ring blind, skip ahead to the section on character level.
The two bosses are Starscourge Radahn and Mohg, Lord of Blood, in any order. Neither of them is part of the mandatory boss chain you need to finish the main story, so it’s easy to miss them on a normal run. For the bosses you do need to beat to reach the ending, see our boss order guide.
Starscourge Radahn
The Radahn fight opens during the Radahn Festival at Redmane Castle in Caelid. You can trigger the festival in one of three ways:
- The simplest route: reach the Altus Plateau, rest at any Site of Grace there and head back to Redmane Castle. The festival will be running whether or not you’ve done any quests.
- Progress Ranni the Witch’s and Blaidd the Half-Wolf’s questlines until Sorceress Sellen tells you that Radahn has to be defeated.
- After starting Ranni’s questline, talk to Witch Hunter Jerren and Blacksmith Iji and start the festival through them.
Mohg, Lord of Blood
Mohg waits in Mohgwyn Palace. There are two ways to get there:
- Through White Mask Varré’s quest. Once his questline gives you the Pureblood Knight’s Medal, it takes you straight to the palace. This route opens up earlier.
- Through the Sending Gate in the Consecrated Snowfield. For this route you need both halves of the Haligtree Secret Medallion.
Don’t mix them up: there are two Mohgs in the game. You need Mohg, Lord of Blood in Mohgwyn Palace, not Mohg, the Omen beneath Leyndell.
Entering through the cocoon
Mohg’s arena is in the Mohgwyn Dynasty Mausoleum. Once both bosses are down, touch the arm hanging out of the cocoon there and you’ll be taken to the Realm of Shadow.
Rest at the first Site of Grace in the new world straight away. From then on you can fast travel between the Lands Between and the Realm of Shadow from the map. If you die before touching a Grace, you’ll have to go back to the cocoon. Bandai Namco’s official guide sums up the whole process too.
What level you should be
Character level is not an entry requirement, only the two bosses are. PC Gamer recommends being around level 120 to 150, but you can go in at a lower level. The DLC has its own power system, described in the next section. How to spend your points and what to do if you want to rebuild your character is covered in our guide to stats and respec.
Scadutree Fragments and Revered Spirit Ash
In the Realm of Shadow, two blessings make you stronger on top of your normal levels. You activate them at a Site of Grace:
| Blessing | What it boosts | Where to start |
|---|---|---|
| Scadutree Blessing (from Scadutree Fragments) | Raises your attack and reduces the damage you take | One early fragment is in the Church of Consolation by the Gravesite Plain |
| Revered Spirit Ash Blessing (from Revered Spirit Ash) | Strengthens your summoned spirits and Torrent | For example, on a hornsent corpse at the edge of the Scorched Ruins |
Higher blessing levels cost more items (one to three). Both blessings only work in the Realm of Shadow. Back in the Lands Between they have no effect.
What the DLC patch added to the base game
The launch patch for the expansion (18 June 2024) also changed the base game, so you get these features even without buying the DLC: new items are marked with an exclamation mark, the inventory has a Recent Items tab, active Summoning Pools carry over into NG+ and there are five new hairstyles.
How much Shadow of the Erdtree costs
Steam prices without discount as of 20 October 2026 (Steam store for the Czech Republic, in euros):
| Product | What’s included | Steam price |
|---|---|---|
| Shadow of the Erdtree | DLC only | €39.99 |
| Shadow of the Erdtree Premium Bundle | DLC + digital artbook and soundtrack | €49.99 |
| Shadow of the Erdtree Edition | Base game + DLC | €79.99 |
| Shadow of the Erdtree Deluxe Edition | Base game + DLC + digital artbooks and soundtracks | €99.99 |
If you don’t own the base game yet, the Shadow of the Erdtree Edition costs less than buying the game (€59.99 on Steam) and the DLC separately. The Premium Bundle doesn’t include the game, it’s just the DLC with digital extras. The Collector’s Edition contains a DLC voucher, the soundtrack, a 46 cm Messmer statue and a 40-page artbook, but no game either. Console prices depend on your regional PlayStation Store or Microsoft Store.
On Nintendo Switch 2 you don’t buy the DLC separately. It’s part of the Tarnished Edition (base game, Shadow of the Erdtree and the Tarnished Pack content), priced at €79.99 on the German Nintendo eShop. Every edition and platform is compared in our guide to editions and prices.
Join our Discord to team up for the Realm of Shadow or ask other players how to get into the DLC. Come say hi on the GamersTogether Discord.
FAQ
Defeat two specific bosses from the base game, then touch the arm hanging out of the cocoon in one of their arenas. Their names and the route to them are in the spoiler section above.
No, character level is not a requirement. PC Gamer recommends around level 120 to 150, but you can go in lower. Inside the DLC you also get stronger with Scadutree Fragments.
Yes. After resting at the first Site of Grace in the Realm of Shadow, you can fast travel between both worlds from the map whenever you like.
No. The Scadutree Blessing and the Revered Spirit Ash Blessing only work in the Realm of Shadow and have no effect in the Lands Between.
As of 20 October 2026 the DLC alone costs €39.99 on Steam. The game plus DLC (Shadow of the Erdtree Edition) is €79.99 on Steam.
Information verified on 20 October 2026. More guides are waiting in the Elden Ring hub.