Shadow of the Erdtree is accessed after Radahn and Mohg, but the most important early advice is not to rush the first legacy dungeon. Collect Scadutree Fragments and Revered Spirit Ashes, speak to Miquella’s followers at their Crosses, clear the southern route when possible, and make an NPC-quest checkpoint before advancing through Shadow Keep. The critical path eventually leads through Messmer, Romina, and Promised Consort Radahn.
Short answer: enter Shadow of the Erdtree through Miquella’s cocoon after defeating Starscourge Radahn and Mohg, Lord of Blood. In the Realm of Shadow, prioritize Scadutree Fragments and Revered Spirit Ashes, explore Gravesite Plain before rushing the first legacy dungeon, complete the early Miquella-follower conversations, and make a deliberate NPC-quest checkpoint before advancing through Shadow Keep. The critical story route ultimately runs through Messmer the Impaler, Romina, Saint of the Bud, Enir-Ilim, and Promised Consort Radahn.
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Before entering the Realm of Shadow
Access requirements
- Defeat Starscourge Radahn in Caelid.
- Defeat Mohg, Lord of Blood, in Mohgwyn Dynasty Mausoleum.
- Travel to the cocoon in Mohgwyn Dynasty Mausoleum and interact with the hanging arm.
Those are the two actual entry requirements. You do not need to finish the base game first. If you still need to reach either boss, common routes include Ranni-related progression and the route to Radahn’s festival, reaching Altus Plateau, completing enough of White Mask Varré’s quest to access Mohgwyn Palace, or using the Consecrated Snowfield waygate. The exact route you choose does not change the DLC’s opening.
After you touch a Site of Grace in the Realm of Shadow, the map allows fast travel between the Lands Between and the expansion. If you die before touching a Site of Grace, you must return through Miquella’s cocoon rather than selecting a DLC location from the map.
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Practical pre-entry checklist
- Upgrade at least one weapon you understand well. The DLC is not designed around one mandatory weapon type.
- Carry healing, status cures, throwing items, and any consumables your build normally relies on.
- Have a workable answer for both single targets and groups. The opening areas frequently combine difficult enemies with awkward terrain.
- Decide whether you want to preserve a preferred respec or summon setup before entering.
- Do not assume that a high base-game level makes the expansion easy. The DLC has its own progression layer, and exploration matters more than simply adding more rune levels.
Scadutree Fragments and Revered Spirit Ashes
Scadutree Fragments increase your character’s attack power and damage negation in the Realm of Shadow. Revered Spirit Ashes improve the offensive and defensive performance of Spirit Ashes and the spectral steed in the expansion. Both are applied through the Shadow Realm Blessing menu at a Site of Grace.
These are not ordinary permanent character levels. Their important benefits apply in the expansion area rather than turning your character into a similarly strengthened fighter throughout the Lands Between. If enemies suddenly feel far too durable or their attacks remove huge portions of your health, look for blessing items in the surrounding region before abandoning your build.
| System | Improves | Where to apply it | When to prioritize it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scadutree Blessing | Your attack power and damage negation | Shadow Realm Blessing menu at a Site of Grace | Whenever ordinary enemies take too long to defeat or incoming damage is overwhelming |
| Revered Spirit Ash Blessing | Spirit Ash performance and spectral-steed performance | Shadow Realm Blessing menu at a Site of Grace | Whenever your summon dies too quickly or mounted exploration is unusually dangerous |
There is no universal blessing level at which every player should stop. The useful rule is to spend newly found fragments promptly, then use the improved survivability to explore farther and find the next set.
Recommended route at a glance
The Realm of Shadow is deliberately layered. The following is a safe completionist order, not a sequence enforced by every door or story flag:
- Gravesite Plain: activate Sites of Grace, gather early blessings, find the first Miquella Crosses, and speak to the followers.
- Belurat, Tower Settlement: explore the side paths and defeat its major encounter when your blessing level is comfortable.
- Pillar Path and the south: advance Thiollier and Igon, then consider the Cerulean Coast, Charo’s Hidden Grave, and the St. Trina route.
- Castle Ensis: challenge Rellana, Twin Moon Knight, or use alternate exploration routes into Scadu Altus.
- Scadu Altus: explore the plateau, Bonny Village, the eastern roads, and the Shadow Keep approach before committing to the keep.
- Shadow Keep: prepare NPC quests, work through the exterior, church district, storehouse, and connected waterways, and defeat Messmer.
- Hidden and optional regions: complete the northern and northeastern routes, Abyssal Woods and Midra’s Manse, the St. Trina sequence if not already done, and the Rauh areas.
- Rauh Base and Ancient Ruins of Rauh: follow the route to Romina, Saint of the Bud.
- Enir-Ilim: complete the final story route and enter the Gate of Divinity for Promised Consort Radahn.
Several of these regions can be reached earlier through tunnels, spiritsprings, hidden map access, or apparently empty stretches of terrain. If a route seems blocked, search vertically and check the map edges rather than assuming that a particular key or boss is mandatory.
1. Gravesite Plain: establish your route and blessing level
Once you arrive, activate the nearest Sites of Grace and make a broad sweep of the accessible terrain. Do not sprint directly toward the first legacy dungeon. The opening hours are designed to reward exploration, and the first Scadutree Fragments and Revered Spirit Ashes make a substantial difference to every subsequent fight.
Early priorities
- Search the Church of Consolation and the nearby hornsent remains for early blessing items.
- Activate every visible Site of Grace so that returning to the Lands Between or revisiting NPCs is convenient.
- Mark every discovered Miquella Cross on your map.
- Speak to each follower at a Cross and exhaust the dialogue before moving deep into the central route.
The Crosses are more than lore markers. They are reliable quest checkpoints. Return to them after major boss victories, after the world changes, and whenever an NPC has stopped offering new dialogue. Resting at a Site of Grace or reloading the area can be necessary before a character moves to the next stage.
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2. Belurat, Tower Settlement
Belurat is the first major legacy dungeon. Enter after collecting several early blessings, but do not treat the visible entrance route as the whole dungeon. Belurat uses elevation, ladders, side rooms, rooftops, hidden chambers, and paths that loop back into previously seen spaces.
How to clear it efficiently
- Activate the first available Site of Grace and use it as your return point while learning the nearby enemy placements.
- Search rooms branching off the apparent main path before committing to the upper route.
- Check elevated walkways and rooftops whenever a lower corridor appears to end abruptly.
- Open shortcuts as soon as you find them. They matter more here than rushing toward the fog wall.
- Spend your accumulated Scadutree Fragments before attempting the major encounter.
The critical route is shorter than a complete clear. Optional loot and secret paths are worth collecting, but do not mistake a missed side room for a story dead end. If the major boss is taking too little damage or killing you before you can learn its patterns, leave, explore Gravesite Plain and the southern route, and return with more blessing levels.
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3. Pillar Path, Thiollier, Igon, and the southern detour
The road toward the Pillar Path Cross is an important early checkpoint. Visit it before triggering major progression around Shadow Keep. This area begins or advances the quests associated with Thiollier and Igon, and both characters should be spoken to until their dialogue repeats.
Do this before moving on
- Find the Pillar Path Cross.
- Speak with Thiollier and record what he asks you to do.
- Advance the route involving Igon as far as your current exploration allows.
- Rest and revisit the area if either character has no obvious next movement.
- Do not cross every eastern bridge or push through Shadow Keep first if you are trying to preserve as many quest rewards and conversations as possible.
The southern route toward Cerulean Coast is easy to overlook because it is not the most obvious continuation of the central road. It is an optional-but-recommended detour for exploration, blessing items, quest context, and access to additional areas.
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Cerulean Coast, Charo’s Hidden Grave, and the fissure
Explore the coast rather than turning around after reaching the first shoreline. The southern region branches into Charo’s Hidden Grave and a fissure leading toward the St. Trina sequence. The surface map does not fully communicate how these routes connect, so use cliffs, descending paths, and map boundaries as clues.
The St. Trina area is optional to the basic completion route but important if you are following Thiollier’s story or want the expansion’s additional quest context. If you are using a completionist route, clear this southern branch before the final approach and revisit Thiollier after major story changes.
4. Castle Ensis and the way into Scadu Altus
Castle Ensis is the principal-looking route from Gravesite Plain into Scadu Altus, but it is not the only way forward. Its major encounter is Rellana, Twin Moon Knight. Treat Rellana as a meaningful progression check, not as proof that your character is incorrectly built.
If Rellana is overwhelming
- Leave the castle rather than repeatedly spending runes on a fight you are not ready to learn.
- Explore the southern route and the open areas of Gravesite Plain.
- Collect additional Scadutree Fragments and, if you use Spirit Ashes, Revered Spirit Ashes.
- Upgrade your weapon and improve flask allocation if your current setup is inefficient.
- Return through Castle Ensis or investigate an alternate route into Scadu Altus.
The game’s intended-looking gate is not always the only route. Check side roads, vertical paths, and map edges before concluding that Rellana is an absolute roadblock. Defeating her is useful, but the broader region gives you room to become stronger first.
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Once you reach Scadu Altus, explore the plateau before committing to the deepest part of Shadow Keep. Visit Bonny Village, search its surrounding paths, and investigate the eastern route. This is the point where a completionist run can lose conversations or secondary rewards by moving too quickly.
Pre-Shadow-Keep procedure
- Revisit every known Miquella follower and exhaust all dialogue.
- Speak to Thiollier and Moore until they repeat themselves.
- Advance the current Thiollier and Igon steps as far as the southern and western routes permit.
- Return to the Pillar Path Cross and Main Gate Cross after resting.
- Check Hornsent, Ansbach, Freyja, and Leda wherever you have already encountered them.
- Only then enter the next major Shadow Keep sequence.
A second world-state change occurs when Miquella’s Great Rune breaks. Moore’s quest explicitly uses that event as a transition point, and other follower conversations can also change around it. Before and after the break, revisit known NPC locations, rest or reload the area, and exhaust dialogue again.
Bonny Village and the hidden eastern route
Bonny Village is both a surface landmark and a clue that the eastern plateau contains more than the main road suggests. Search its hidden approaches and surrounding ravines. Keep the O, Mother gesture when you find it near this regional exploration; it is an exploration key for a later hidden route connected with a statue of Marika. Do not sell or forget it simply because it appears to have no immediate use.
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The route beyond the statue leads to hidden eastern content, including the Hinterland and its connected areas. It is one of the expansion’s clearest examples of a location that cannot be inferred from the ordinary surface road alone.
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6. Shadow Keep: exterior, districts, storehouse, and waterways
Shadow Keep is the central midgame knot. It is not just one hallway leading to one boss. Its exterior, church district, storehouse, and connected waterways interlock, and progress in one section can reveal routes in another.
Recommended clearing method
- Explore the exterior first and activate every Site of Grace you can reach.
- Search the church district rather than treating it as scenery. Its paths connect to deeper portions of the keep.
- In the storehouse, look for ladders, lifts, elevated shelves, and routes that change your view of previously inaccessible areas.
- Inspect waterways and lower channels when the upper route appears to stop.
- Use the map after every major shortcut. The keep is easier to understand as a set of loops than as a straight line.
Before entering its decisive story sequence, perform the NPC checkpoint described above. Once you are ready, work through the keep’s major route and defeat Messmer the Impaler. You do not need to clear every prominent encounter in the expansion to finish the story, and you should not assume that every room in Shadow Keep is required.
7. NPC quest tracking
The safest way to handle the expansion’s quests is to treat every major boss and every obvious world-state change as a reason to revisit old locations. The following tracker is intentionally conservative: it tells you when to check rather than pretending that every quest has one universal trigger independent of your choices.
| NPC | Checkpoints to preserve |
|---|---|
| Leda | Speak at the early follower gatherings, revisit after major story changes, and check her later dialogue and decision points before entering the final route. |
| Hornsent | Follow his early Cross conversations, revisit after the Great Rune break, and check his Shadow Keep-related state before pushing beyond the keep. |
| Thiollier | Advance him at Pillar Path, complete available southern-route steps, and revisit before and after Shadow Keep progression. |
| Igon | Advance the Pillar Path route before major central progression, then return after the relevant southern and dragon-related developments. |
| Moore | Exhaust dialogue before the Great Rune breaks and check him again afterward. His quest uses that world-state change as a transition. |
| Ansbach | Revisit his known Cross and Shadow Keep-related locations after major changes. Quest decisions can affect later encounters and rewards. |
| Freyja | Check her at the relevant follower locations and again around the Shadow Keep sequence, particularly after storehouse progress changes the available conversations. |
| Count Ymir | Keep his dialogue current at each stage of his quest and revisit his area after completing each major step rather than waiting until the end. |
When an NPC seems stuck, rest at a Site of Grace, reload the area, and speak again. If you are unsure whether a step is complete, continue speaking until the dialogue repeats. For a no-miss run, keep a written list of discovered NPC locations; the map does not automatically record every quest character.
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After Shadow Keep begins to open up, the Realm of Shadow rewards looking beyond the main plateau. Several important regions are reached through hidden map access, unusual terrain, or late-game traversal rather than a clearly marked gate.
Abyssal Woods and Midra’s Manse
The northeastern route leads to Abyssal Woods and, within it, Midra’s Manse. This is optional for completing the DLC’s critical story route, but it is one of the major areas worth visiting for lore, exploration, and a substantial boss encounter. Enter it when you have enough blessing upgrades to survive unfamiliar enemy behavior, and search the approach carefully rather than assuming the first visible path is complete.
Midra’s Manse is best handled as its own dungeon clear. Activate shortcuts, inspect side rooms, and avoid spending all your healing before the boss approach. If you are following every NPC thread, revisit the relevant characters afterward because major optional discoveries can affect the context of later conversations.
The Hinterland and statue-based access
The route opened by the O, Mother gesture is separate from ordinary eastward travel. If you found the gesture earlier, return to the statue of Marika when the surrounding region becomes accessible and use it there. The resulting path leads into hidden eastern areas and is easy to miss if you only follow Sites of Grace in a straight line.
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9. Rauh Base and the Ancient Ruins of Rauh
Rauh Base and the Ancient Ruins of Rauh form the late-game western route. The base area is a useful preparation zone: explore it for blessings, learn the vertical layout, and identify the route into the ruins before committing to the final story sequence.
The Ancient Ruins are intentionally disorienting. Use columns, bridges, lifts, spiritsprings, and the map’s elevation cues to distinguish a dead end from a lower or higher route. Search for side branches before moving through the obvious monumental approach. This region contains important optional exploration even though the critical story path is focused on reaching Romina, Saint of the Bud.
10. The critical path to Enir-Ilim
The expansion’s mandatory boss route is generally:
- Messmer the Impaler.
- Romina, Saint of the Bud.
- Promised Consort Radahn.
Rellana, the major Belurat encounter, Midra, and many other remembrance bosses are not all mandatory. The game provides alternate routes and allows substantial optional content to be postponed or skipped while you continue toward the ending.
After the required midgame progression, use Messmer’s story item at the sealing tree in the Church of the Bud to open the route toward Enir-Ilim. Work through the final legacy-dungeon sequence, revisit any NPCs whose quest outcomes you want to resolve, and check for available summon signs before entering the final arena.
At Enir-Ilim’s Gate of Divinity, the final encounter is Promised Consort Radahn. Finish any optional regions, remembrance bosses, or NPC conversations you still want before crossing the final fog wall.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.11. Promised Consort Radahn: a current strategy framework
Promised Consort Radahn is the final boss of Shadow of the Erdtree. There is no universally best weapon, summon, or exploit. The most reliable preparation is to improve your Shadow Realm blessings, make sure your build has a consistent source of damage, and learn the timing of the boss’s delayed attacks rather than repeatedly changing equipment after every defeat.
Before the fight
- Spend all available Scadutree Fragments. If you use Spirit Ashes, spend Revered Spirit Ashes as well.
- Use the highest-upgraded weapon that fits your actual play style, not a weapon chosen solely because another player calls it optimal.
- Carry the cures and resistances relevant to the attacks that consistently kill you.
- Choose whether you are using a Spirit Ash or NPC assistance before entering, then leave enough stamina and healing capacity to survive the longer attempt.
- Respec only after confirming that the problem is not simply insufficient blessing levels or unfamiliar timing.
During phase one
- Do not roll automatically when Radahn begins an animation. Several attacks are delayed, so rolling on visual startup can make you recover into the hit.
- Preserve stamina for repositioning. A successful attack is not worth exhausting the bar if it leaves you unable to evade the follow-up.
- Use the arena’s space to separate yourself from lingering effects and to create a clean line for healing.
- Learn one attack string at a time. First identify the move that catches you most often, then adjust your roll timing around that move instead of attempting to memorize the entire fight in one attempt.
During phase two
- Expect the arena to become harder to read. Improved visual clarity in later patches helps, but effects and follow-up attacks can still obscure the original animation.
- Move early enough to avoid being trapped by area coverage, but delay the actual dodge against attacks that track your position.
- Do not spend all your stamina escaping the first part of a sequence. The follow-up is often what punishes panic.
- If attempts end before you can practice the second phase, improve Scadutree Blessing levels or use a more durable setup rather than treating every failure as a mechanical problem.
Patch context: Official patch 1.14 adjusted this encounter, including its opening action pattern, the damage and stamina damage of some attacks, the range of certain non-weapon attacks, and the visibility of some effects. Advice based on launch behavior may therefore be outdated. The official news archive identified version 1.16.1, dated August 21, 2025, as a later Elden Ring update focused on bug fixes rather than a new DLC route. Because update availability can vary by platform and can change after publication, apply the latest update shown by your game client and consult the current official patch notes before relying on old behavior.
12. Mandatory content versus optional completion
Required to finish the DLC story
- Defeat Starscourge Radahn and Mohg to unlock the expansion.
- Reach the Realm of Shadow and obtain enough blessing upgrades to progress reliably.
- Advance through the critical route involving Messmer the Impaler.
- Reach and defeat Romina, Saint of the Bud.
- Enter Enir-Ilim and defeat Promised Consort Radahn at the Gate of Divinity.
Recommended but not strictly mandatory
- Belurat’s major remembrance encounter.
- Rellana, Twin Moon Knight, if you use an alternate route into Scadu Altus.
- The Cerulean Coast and Charo’s Hidden Grave.
- The southern fissure and St. Trina sequence.
- Abyssal Woods and Midra’s Manse.
- The Hinterland and its statue-based hidden route.
- Ancient Ruins of Rauh side paths and optional encounters.
- NPC quest conclusions involving Thiollier, Igon, Moore, Hornsent, Ansbach, Freyja, Leda, and Count Ymir.
Optional does not mean unimportant. These areas can provide lore, rewards, summon opportunities, build options, and some of the expansion’s most memorable encounters. The distinction simply prevents a player from wasting time searching for a mandatory key in a region that the critical path can bypass.
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Completionist checklist
Access and preparation
- ☐ Radahn defeated.
- ☐ Mohg defeated.
- ☐ Miquella’s cocoon used to enter the Realm of Shadow.
- ☐ A DLC Site of Grace touched so fast travel is unlocked.
- ☐ Weapon, flask, consumable, and summon setup reviewed.
Early and midgame
- ☐ Early Sites of Grace activated in Gravesite Plain.
- ☐ Church of Consolation and nearby hornsent remains searched for blessings.
- ☐ Miquella Crosses marked and follower dialogue exhausted.
- ☐ Belurat explored beyond its critical hallway.
- ☐ Pillar Path Cross visited.
- ☐ Thiollier and Igon advanced as far as the current route permits.
- ☐ Cerulean Coast, Charo’s Hidden Grave, and the southern fissure checked.
- ☐ Castle Ensis and its alternate approaches explored.
Quest safety
- ☐ Thiollier and Moore checked before Shadow Keep.
- ☐ Eastern bridges near Bonny Village not crossed blindly during unfinished quest steps.
- ☐ Hornsent, Ansbach, Freyja, and Leda revisited before major progression.
- ☐ NPCs revisited after Miquella’s Great Rune breaks.
- ☐ Count Ymir’s current step checked before leaving his quest area.
Late game
- ☐ Shadow Keep exterior, church district, storehouse, and waterways explored.
- ☐ Messmer defeated.
- ☐ O, Mother gesture retained and used at the relevant statue when the hidden route is available.
- ☐ Hinterland and other eastern hidden areas explored.
- ☐ Abyssal Woods and Midra’s Manse completed.
- ☐ Rauh Base and Ancient Ruins of Rauh explored.
- ☐ Romina defeated.
- ☐ Enir-Ilim and the Gate of Divinity reached.
- ☐ Promised Consort Radahn defeated after final NPC and optional-content checks.
Optional reference tools
If you prefer a paper map and a room-by-room collectible reference, the official Shadow of the Erdtree guidebook is a natural companion to an online walkthrough. Future Press describes Elden Ring – Books of Knowledge, Volume III: Shadow of the Erdtree as an encyclopedic guide to the Realm of Shadow, its inhabitants, secrets, and maps. Stock, seller, edition, and price can change, so verify those details before buying.
Disclosure: This paragraph contains an affiliate recommendation. It does not change the route or advice above.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you start Shadow of the Erdtree?
You must defeat Starscourge Radahn and Mohg, Lord of Blood, then interact with the hanging arm at Miquella’s cocoon in Mohgwyn Dynasty Mausoleum. After touching a Site of Grace in the DLC, fast travel between the Lands Between and the Realm of Shadow becomes available.
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Scadutree Fragments improve your character’s attack power and damage negation in the Realm of Shadow. Revered Spirit Ashes improve Spirit Ashes and the spectral steed. Apply both through the Shadow Realm Blessing menu at a Site of Grace.
Which bosses are mandatory in Shadow of the Erdtree?
The critical story route generally requires Messmer the Impaler, Romina, Saint of the Bud, and Promised Consort Radahn. Many other remembrance bosses, including Rellana and Midra, are optional and can be postponed or skipped.
What should you do before entering Shadow Keep?
Before entering Shadow Keep or crossing the relevant eastern bridges near Bonny Village, revisit Miquella’s followers, especially Thiollier and Moore, and advance Thiollier and Igon as far as possible. Recheck NPCs after Miquella’s Great Rune breaks because that changes the world state.
How do you prepare for Promised Consort Radahn?
Promised Consort Radahn is the final boss at Enir-Ilim’s Gate of Divinity. Use Scadutree Blessings, preserve stamina for repositioning, delay rolls against delayed attacks, and learn the timing of each dangerous sequence instead of relying on a universally best build.
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