Elden Ring is well-known for being an immensely challenging game for newbies and veterans alike, offering perilous locations to traverse, difficult bosses to fell, and plenty of PvP action to keep you on your toes. The Shadow of the Erdtree expansion continues this trend with an all-new map full of deadly secrets and dangerous enemies, so you’ll want to go into it at a high level to ensure you’re well-prepared for everything it throws at you.
However, while levels will definitely help you out, managing your difficulty level in the Land of Shadow is not as simple as just boosting your stats. Instead, you’ll need to round up Scadutree Fragments throughout this new realm to gain a blessing that improves your defensive and offensive capabilities. Here’s everything you need to know.
You’ll find Scadutree Fragments scattered around the map in key places, such as in legacy dungeons or near some Sites of Grace. As you gather these, you can take them to any Site of Grace and choose the new option that allows you to enhance your Shadow Realm Blessing. Each time you upgrade this blessing, you’ll do more damage to foes while taking less damage from their attacks.
This buff is entirely separate from your base stats, though, and is simply applied as an all-encompassing improvement to your damage and defense. This means you’ll retain full control over how you want to build your character, and any weapons you use or gear you wear will retain its standard values.
Here’s how many Scadutree Fragments you need for each Shadow Realm Blessing upgrade: