Wondering what to do before Shadow of the Erdtree to prepare as much as possible? The Elden Ring expansion isn't something you should wander into - it's an endgame final test of everything the player has mastered during their time in the core game, all the skills, weapons and abilities they've earned. It means that if you go in at anything other than full power, you're likely going to have a tough time - well, an even tougher time - and there's some things you should absolutely do first before playing to better prepare for Shadow of the Erdtree. With that in mind, here's the ideal checklist for those planning to go to the Realm of Shadow.
1. Make sure you've completed the required steps for the DLC
There's plenty you can do to prepare for Shadow of the Erdtree, but most of it is optional, a way to make it easier. However, some things are mandatory - namely, you'll need to beat two specific bosses, Radahn who's part of the story, and Mohg, the Lord of Blood who was an option boss, and clear the path to the cocoon that teleports you to the DLC area. For more info, our guide on how to start Shadow of the Erdtree will help you clear the steps specifically.
2. Get your Vigor and primary stats to at least level 50
The bosses in Shadow of the Erdtree aren't messing around, and most players will need to have the stats reach a high enough level that they can handle the threats within the Realm of Shadow. Obviously more skilled players won't be so difficult, and there are means within that realm to modify the difficulty, but we otherwise recommend you increase your Vigor to at least level 50 for the health buff, and do the same for whatever your primary stat is (intelligence for sorcerers, dexterity for katana users, etc etc). If you want to level up as fast as possible, we have an Elden Ring Rune farming location guide to help players do so.
3. Get all the various collectibles that buff you and your equipment
Levelling up is only one part of becoming stronger and making your Tarnished into their best self. As a priority, you'll want to hunt down all the Elden Ring Bell Bearing locations, as these will allow you to buy the vast majority of Smithing Stones and upgrade any weapons you own, or find in SOTE, for that matter. You'll also want to get the Elden Ring Golden Seeds, to enhance your healing flasks, and maybe also the Elden Ring Great Runes if you have the chance.
4. Find and craft some elemental protection gear
Early bosses and enemies like the Shadow of the Erdtree Divine Beast Dancing Lion have a variety of elemental attacks across the board, so you'll want to make sure you're protected accordingly. The best option is finding the materials for single-use consumables, but any method works. Specifically, you'll want to make sure you're insulated against magic and fire for one boss, and lightning and frostbite for the other.
5. Find a heavy, slow weapon you're comfortable with
Having conferred with others who played the preview, success against Erdtree's early bosses seemed to come more quickly to those using massive, heavy weapons, though any weapon will work if you're skilled enough. The reason is pretty simple - like the Elden Ring Elden Beast boss fight, these bosses move around a lot or find reasons to keep you at arm's length, so you're not able to hit them that often. When the chance comes up, you need to maximise damage and effect as much as possible - and that means swinging around something that hits like a truck. Obviously this benefits Strength builds a little more, though every build will have some weapon or gear that plays to this approach.
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