Shadow of the Erdtree is the most anticipated expansion coming this year. After the monumental success of Elden Ring, players are once again curious to dive into a world full of exploration and mysteries. While players have been curious about the expansion for a long time, the gameplay demo has fueled their expectations. Anyway, to start experiencing the DLC, you first need to understand the process to access the DLC.

If you are a veteran player, you must be aware of the tradition FromSoftware follows for accessing their expansions. Whether it is Dark Souls or Bloodborne, DLCs always begin from a point where the base game had a dead end previously. Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree is no different. If you are curious about the process to start the expansion, this guide will provide you with all the information you need.

How to Access the Shadow of the Erdtree In Elden Ring

Elden Ring mysteries seem to be never-ending ones. In the vast in-game world of Lands Between, players have spent hours exploring everything. Still, when you try to access the new DLC world, named Land of Shadow, you will probably find it inaccessible unless you have fulfilled two mandatory criteria. Among them, the first is to defeat Starscourge Radahn, and the next is the key to entering the new world, which is beating Mohg, Lord of Blood. 

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Both of these bosses are optional in the base game. So, skipping these fights didn’t affect the gameplay of Elden Ring to a great extent. However, once you try to access the expansion, you will find that these optional bosses are mandatory to beat. Therefore, if you haven’t beaten them yet, we recommend getting back to the locations and fighting them.

This process of accessing the DLC was revealed by game director Miyazaki Hidetaka a few months ago during an interview. He clearly stated that, though the Land of Shadow is not directly connected to the Lands Between, the way to access the DLC is hidden in the base game, especially in the withered arm hanging from the cocoon in the Mohg, Lord of Blood boss fight arena. 

So, start the process with the fight of Radahn, and then move on to the next step of reaching Mohgwyn’s Palace. For newcomers, we have discussed their locations below:

Finding Starscourage Radahn

Starscourage Radahn is an optional boss in the base game who can be found in the mid-game area named Redmane Castle. This is located in southeast Caelid, but the general won’t appear randomly. So, players need to visit the Redmane Castle during the Radahn Festival. Well, this festival won’t start automatically. Players need to trigger this by progressing through the main story and resting at any Site of Grace in the Altus Plateau. 

Once you are in the castle, go upstairs in the plaza, where an NPC will be spotted. Talking to him will lead you toward the desert area, where the boss will be found riding on his horse. This general is deadly, and he will start attacking players from a distance. Fortunately, the game will allow you to use multiple summons during the fight to accompany you as you take the boss down.

This fight may take a few attempts to be completed, but it must be done to access the Shaodw of the Erdtree expansion. After you have defeated this boss, your next destination should be Mohg, Lord of Blood’s residence.

Locating Mohg, Lord of Blood

This is another powerful enemy to fight in the base game, though the fight is an optional one, and during their Elden Ring journey, players could easily miss this location. However, FormSoftware has a different plan, and they don’t want players to miss this boss fight, so he is the key to accessing the expansion. 

Reaching the Mohgwyn Palace has multiple ways, but the most convenient one for newcomers is to follow the White Mask Varré’s questline. Though this NPC will meet you at the beginning of the journey, his questline can be accessed after players have progressed through the storyline and reached the Roundtable Hold. 

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Once you have defeated Starscourage Radahn, you have to speak to Two Fingers at Roundtable Hold, and the next time you will find White Mask Varré in the Rose Church in Liurnia of the Lakes. From this point, players can start progressing through the questline of the NPC and complete different tasks, including soaking the Lord of Blood’s Favor in the blood of a maiden.

After this quest is done, he will provide players with the Pureblood Knight’s Medal. This is what players need to use in order to teleport to the entrance of Mohgwyn Palace.

From there, make your way to the Dynasty Mausoleum Midpoint Site of Grace. Next to it, you will see a large elevator. Use it to go up, and you will enter the boss arena, where the Lord of Blood is waiting for a hard fight. This boss is an end-game boss. So, don’t try to speed up the process if you haven’t completed the game at least once. If you are a new player, remember, at a low level, this boss can’t be beaten.

Once the boss is down, go to the end of the battle arena, where a cocoon with a hand hanging out is located. Interact with the hand, and you will be taken to the new DLC world to experience a new world full of new enemies and a more exciting storyline. 

That’s everything players need to do to access Shadow of the Erdtree in Elden Ring. The expansion is coming in a few days. So, a little more waiting is required. In the meantime, you can give other news a look, like the common factors that FromSoftware has been including in their games since Dark Souls 3. The characteristic is an easily missable one, but a detailed exploration will help you find it out.

Additionally, whenever, you get stuck while progressing through the Elden Ring, or Shadow of the Erdtree, don’t forget to scroll through our guides for all the necessary locations of the bosses, fighting strategies, and even the processes to get the most powerful weapons in the game.