The immensely popular Elden Ring is getting an expansion. And to play it, you need to have quite a few things in place.
Finally there is the giant expansion to the already megalomaniacal Elden Ring. Fans (and actually us too) can’t wait to start playing Shadow of the Erdtree. Elden Ring is one of the best games of recent years and this DLC should only make it better.
Buy, download and play. Apple pie you would say. Unfortunately, almost nothing is apples-to-apples in Elden Ring. Because unless you are some gaming god (or a goldfish), Elden Ring is just a heartbreakingly difficult game. And even to play the DLC at all, you’ll have to work up quite a sweat. Here’s what you all have to do before you can play Shadow of the Erdtree in Elden Ring.
Here’s what Shadow of the Erdtree adds to Elden Ring
Elden Ring’s expansion is a great addition to the game. It not only adds new weapons, enemies and bosses, but even a completely new map where you can play. With that, FromSoftware, the game’s developer, packs quite a punch.
Also, the storyline in the expansion is very important to understand more of the macabre world of Elden Ring. Sure, you don’t actually need to understand anything about the lore and background info to play the game. But it’s precisely because there is so much detail, description and information to be found in the world that Elden Ring feels so expansive.
Elden Ring (Image: Bandai Namco)
Furthermore, some small but still nice things are being added. For example, you will soon get even more choices of hairstyles, the inventory of players will get an update and here and there some bugs and glitches will be cleaned up. So even if Shadow of the Erdtree is not going to play, Elden Ring will only get better from this update.
What do you need to do to play the Elden Ring expansion?
Those who had hoped it would be as simple as buying and downloading the expansion are sadly mistaken. There are some mandatory things you need to have in order in Elden Ring in order to play Shadow of the Erdtree at all. In addition, there are a few optional things that are heartily recommended.
Defeat Radahn and Mohg
You fortunately do not need to have completed the full game to play Shadow of the Erdtree. However, you do need to have defeated the final bosses Radahn and Mogh to access the new content. Are those just random bosses? No, Mogh in particular is of great importance to the expansion’s story.
For Mogh has kidnapped Miquella, a character central to the expansion. This villain imprisons her in an egg. This egg is also the entry point for the expansion’s new world. When you’re around Mogh anyway: nowhere in the game can you get runes as efficiently as you can with this final boss nearby. And those runes come in incredibly handy in the expansion.
(image: FromSoftware)
Read up on the background information or Miquella
This is not necessarily mandatory, but this is strongly recommended even by the creators of the game. Anyone who follows the story of Elden Ring a bit knows that the character of Miquella is mentioned very often. Yet we never speak or see her.
That is probably going to change in the expansion. If you like more depth in your games, this extra information will add a whole new layer to the game. Moreover, FromSoftware’s games are known to have interesting and even exciting “lore.
Discover Volcano Manor
Unfortunately, expansion is not about unicorns and rainbows. The bleak story of Shadow of the Erdtree centers on blasphemy. After all, the Erdtree is associated with light, and you will have to fight in the shadows, possibly after its destruction. According to the trailer, the expansion’s major villain is a blasphemous snake-like creature.
These snake-like creatures have a strong connection to Volcano Manor, an area in Elden Ring. To get into the atmosphere of the expansion in advance, and possibly even study some details, a visit to this area would not go amiss. Moreover, there are some exciting, and somewhat evil, quests to be found in this area.
(image: FromSoftware)
Collect the best gear
Elden Ring fanatics agree: it’s best to be between level 120 and 150 before playing the expansion. This is there to ensure that you don’t throw your controller across the room out of frustration within minutes. Certain weapons and equipment are also recommended to make Shadow of the Erdtree as accessible as possible.
You are of course completely free to choose your own gear, but fans mostly agree on these builds:
Intelligence: Moonveil Katana or the Wing Of Astel, combined with the Rock Sling sorcery
Strength: weapons such as Great Stars or the Greatsword
Faith: Blasphemous Blade, a weapon that also sets enemies on fire
Dexterity: Bloodhounds Fang and Uchigatana
Arcane: Naginata or Star Fists
