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The Elden Ring DLC is undeniably tough. Even for players who haven't progressed to New Game Plus, who overleveled for the main game, and who have fully-upgraded weapons and Spirit Ashes will still have a tough time in Shadow of the Erdtree.

Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree All DLC Weapons
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By finding some of the best gear, weapons, and spells before touching the Withered Arm and traveling to the Realm of Shadow, you will have a solid foundation of gear that will continue to be useful throughout the DLC. This guide goes over some of the best starting gear Shadow of the Erdtree players can find, and provides examples of why you should collect these specific Elden RIng DLC starting equipment and spells to counter some of the challenges ahead.

Talismans and Armor You Should Bring Into The DLC

Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree Best Starting Gear Armor Leda Needle Knight Mohgwyn Palace NPC

Best Talismans for Shadow of the Erdtree

  • Haligdrake Talisman +2: Greatly boosts Holy Damage negation (about 20%)
    • Many of the most difficult bosses in the DLC deal Holy damage as a primary damage type. Though there is a better Talisman for Holy Damage negation in the DLC, the +2 version's 20% reduction is more than decent.

  • Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman and Pearldrake Talisman +2: Greatly boosts Physical damage reduction (about 20%), and greatly reduces all non-Physical damage (about 10%), respectively
    • These two Talismans will likely stay equipped long into the DLC for the huge boost to your overall defenses they provide. If you need to replace one, replace the Pearldrake, as practically all enemies deal Physical damage.

  • Great-Jar's Arsenal Talisman: Increases your Equip Load by roughly 20% of its base value
    • This Talisman alone can push your Defensive stats much higher with heavier armor. Additionally, you will be more likely to be able to equip all the new Shadow of the Erdtree Armor sets.

  • Bull-Goat Talisman: Increases your Poise by about 20% of its base value
    • Many of the enemies and bosses in Shadow of the Erdtree hit fast, interrupting attacks and spellcasts if your Poise is low. This Talisman can push you above the 50 and 100 breakpoints without requiring heavier Armor.

  • A Damage-Boosting Talisman For Your Build
    • Melee Builds: Rotten Winged Sword Insignia, Godfrey Icon, Green Turtle Talisman, Claw Talisman, Radagon's Soreseal
    • Spellcaster Builds: Radagon Icon, Magic Scorpion Charm, Primal Glintstone Talisman, Graven-Mass Talisman, Marika's Soreseal

Best Armor for Shadow of the Erdtree

Generally, you don't need to worry too much about your armor set going into the DLC. However, there are some important things to consider, including your Equip Load, your Poise, and whether you have Armor that can prevent status effects.

  • Generally, any armor set that keeps you below a Heavy Equip Load will be sufficient for progression in Shadow of the Erdtree. Light and Medium Equip Loads have the best dodges and movement options, and thanks to the Scadutree Blessing system, even a completely naked character will have some base level of defensive stats while in the Realm of Shadow.
  • In terms of Poise, it is important to keep your poise above 50 to avoid being staggered by light attacks, and above 100 to prevent being staggered by almost every hit. Though Poise is not essential if you can stay at a range and avoid being hit entirely, getting above these breakpoints is practically required for melee builds to beat the DLC bosses.
  • Aside from Physical defenses, armor sets also provide resistance to non-Physical attacks and Status Effect buildup. The Crucible Knight set has incredibly high Holy Damage resistance, for example, while other sets provide huge resistances to common DLC status effects like Sleep, Madness, and Rot. Collect a variety of Armor Sets to have lots of options to swap between when faced with a foe that inflicts these effects or special damage types.
Shadow of the Erdtree St Trina Full Quest Walkthrough Deep Velvet Garden
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Best Melee Weapons For Starting Shadow of the Erdtree

Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree Best Starting Gear Weapons Midra Frenzied Flame Boss

Best Dexterity Weapons To Bring Into The DLC

  • Dual Bleed Weapons: Classic combinations like Dual Rivers of Blood, and more niche playstyles like Dual Bleed Scavenger's Curved Swords or Twinblades, will still perform well in the DLC as the majority of bosses are not resistant to Bleed.
  • A Heavy Thrusting Sword & Shield: The Dragon King's Cragblade is especially powerful for pure DEX builds, and if you have a Shield, you can Block while attacking with even the heaviest Thrusting weapons
  • Moonveil: A weapon that also scales well with Intelligence, Moonveil is arguably the best Katana in Elden Ring. Moonveil's Ash of War alone can one-shot most basic enemies in the DLC, or at least deal a huge chunk of damage to them, especially at high Scadutree Blessing levels.

Best Strength Weapons To Bring Into The DLC

  • Dual Greatswords: Many of the enemies, and some of the most challenging bosses in the DLC, are easily Poise broken with repeated Heavy attacks with Dual Greatswords.
    • A Dual setup with basic Greatswords will work just fine, though others like the Starscourge Greatsword can be useful for hybrid builds.

  • Giant Crusher: When Two-Handed, the Giant Crusher offers Defensive stats similar to a Shield.
  • Blasphemous Blade: A weapon that also scales with Faith, the Blasphemous Blade is a great weapon for reliably knocking down enemies.
    • Cheese the Blackgaol Knight at the start of the DLC with the Ash of War, and take advantage of its Flame damage against many enemies weak to that damage type in the DLC.

Elden Ring Shadow Of the Erdtree DLC story trailer screenshot
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Best Spells To Bring Into The Elden Ring DLC

Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree Best Starting Gear Spells Elden Beast Grab

Best Incantations For Shadow of the Erdtree

  • Flame, Protect Me: Greatly increases Fire damage negation. Castable on self only.
  • Lord's Divine Fortification: Greatly increases Holy damage negation. This can be cast on self and nearby allies.
    • A lot of major bosses deal Holy damage as a primary damage type, and when stacked with other Holy Damage reduction tech, you can almost completely eliminate Holy damage with this spell.

  • Black Flame's Protection: Greatly increases Physical damage negation. Castable on self only.
    • Just about every enemy in the DLC deals Physical damage. When combined with a high-defense Armor set, and Scadutree Blessings, Black Flame's Protection can push your Physical defense to almost max levels.

  • Ekzykes's Decay: Spew Scarlet Rot in a cone in front of you, which can be redirected and charged for a longer effect.
    • For particularly difficult boss fights, Scarlet Rot can be incredibly helpful, as it deals a ton of damage over a long time. Consider combining this with the Antspur Rapier or Scorpion Dagger to proc the effect faster.

  • Protection of the Erdtree and Blessing of the Erdtree: Greatly increases all non-Physical damage negation, and grants a large heal-over-time effect, respectively. Can be cast on self and nearby allies.
    • Useful for almost all situations. Pre-cast both of these before bosses to give yourself about a minute of both damage negation and healing.

Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree All NPC Questlines Quests
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Best Sorceries For Shadow of the Erdtree

  • Comet: Fires a Comet forward, dealing great Magic damage.
    • Can be cast in rapid succession, and charged for even more damage. Use a lower-tier version of the spell for faster cast times and lower FP costs without too much Magic damage reduction.

  • Glintstone Icecrag: Fires a Freezing projectile forward, building up Frostbite on targets.
  • Greatblade Phalanx: Summons three large Swords above your head, which automatically hone in on attackers.
    • The Greatblade Phalanx is the best Phalanx-type spell in the base game, and can be a huge help for Magic-Melee hybrid builds to break Poise faster.

  • Rock Sling: Lifts three large rocks from the earth and launches them at your target. Can be broken by the environment, but deals Physical damage.
    • Some enemies have resistance to Magic damage, and most spells don't do too much Poise damage, either. Rock Sling is a great two-in-one solution to these problems, and continues to be powerful late in the game.

  • Shard Spiral: Fires a spiral of two Glintstone projectiles forward. This does not break when colliding with enemies, and will continue forward and deal enemies behind.
    • Though it does relatively low damage, when facing large enemies (like the Divine Beast, or a particular boss found at the end of Count Ymir's questline), Shard Spiral can continually deal damage as it travels through the large creature model. Aim true, and you can deal thousands of damage with each cast, though it can be a matter of luck to find opportunities for this trick.