Elden Ring is already a monumental undertaking with its vast open world and plethora of tough enemies to take on. Now, after two years, we have the extension to the experience – Shadow of the Erdtree.
This DLC enhances the base game even further, providing yet more bosses and playable areas. However, while you might think it’s a simple install and play, there are some prerequisites that need to be done in Elden Ring before you can access the new content.
So you’re not wandering around the Lands Between wondering how to get to the Land of Shadow, we have all you need to know on how to unlock that all-important access to Shadow of the Erdtree below.
How to unlock Shadow of the Erdtree in Elden Ring
According to Steam, less than 40% of Elden Ring players will have access to the DLC unless they defeat two very important bosses. Let’s make sure you’re not part of that group.
To unlock Shadow of the Erdtree in Elden Ring you must defeat both Mohg, Lord of Blood and Starscourge Radahn, two pretty difficult bosses, quite far into the experience.
Then, to actually start the DLC, you have to head to Mohgwyn’s Palace and interact with the arm in the large cocoon.
This is no mean feat, and on the face of it, is surprising that FromSoftware has chosen to lock the new content behind certain boss completions. However, when you look at the story implications of the DLC, taking on the likes of Messmer and uncovering what is happening with Miquella, it does make a lot of sense.
Moreover, the aforementioned arm that you need to interact with can only be touched after getting past Mohg anyway, so the placement of this in the base game provides a lot of context for what’s to come, and means it would be impossible to skip past the Lord of Blood.
There’s no time like the present to jump back into Elden Ring and re-learn your dodge roll timings and enhance your build that bit more. What’s two more bosses to add to the list anyway!