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Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC promises to be a test of not only player skill but rune farming ability as well. The DLC content is balanced around a fully built character with end-game armor and a +25 weapon. Stepping into the Land of Shadow without the proper character is not going to be easy.

Players planning to jump into SOTE will want to know how best to prepare for the journey ahead, what level they should be, how powerful the enemies are going to be, and what resources they should bring.

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Elden Ring: How To Start The Shadow of the Erdtree DLC

Content in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC can only be accessed after defeating two bosses in the base game.

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A Level 150 character should be comfortably able to face off against anything the starting area of the DLC has to throw at them but anywhere above 120 should be enough to get started. A character below level 100 is considered severely under-leveled for the content in SOTE and will not be able to properly deal with the challenges ahead. Ignoring bosses, even the regular enemies in Shadow of the Erdtree are balanced for end-game builds.

Overleveled characters (200 and above) will likely not be able to steamroll through the game. Diminishing returns for level ups and the Scadutree Fragments system unique to SOTE ensure that the DLC remains challenging even at max level.

How to Get to Level 120-150 Fast in Elden Ring

The only way to get levels quickly in Elden Ring is via Rune Farming. Fortunately, players have discovered a ton of farming spots over the years that yield anywhere from thousands to millions of runes in a matter of minutes. Here are some standout spots:

  • Mohgwyn Palace : Directly in front of the Palace Ledge-Road Approach Site of Grace are a bunch of sleeping enemies (Albinauric ) sitting conveniently close to each other on a narrow path. With the right build and stats, players can one-shot all of these enemies with the Sacred Relic Sword ’s Ash of War, Wave of Gold. Each Albinauric gives about 4000 runes per kill (more with buffs). Alternatively, Icerind Hatchet ’s Ash of War Hoarfrost Stomp can also get the job done if you haven’t beaten the Elden Beast yet.
  • Bird Farm: Directly to the left of the Palace Ledge-Road Approach Site of Grace players will be able to see a red lake with a large black bird patrolling the area. Baiting the bird to fall into the chasm using a bow will allow players to get 11k runes in one go. The great thing about this is that since it’s possible to see the bird from the Site of Grace, respawning it and killing it only takes about 10-15 seconds. With the Golden Scarab and a Gold-pickled Fowl foot, this can reach up to 17000 runes per kill.

For PC players, it’s possible to bypass the grind entirely by using a DLC-ready save file uploaded online. Be warned, though, modded saves are known to trigger the anti-cheat if used online.