What to do first in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
Where to go next is a constant question in Elden Ring, and that goes double for its Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, which doesn’t quite tell you what to do first.
Shadow of the Erdtree is designed for Elden Ring veterans, and is more opaque than the base game. If you’re just coming back, or if you’re used to a bit more guidance, your first steps into the Shadow Realm can be very daunting.
In this Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree guide, I’ll walk you through how you should spend the first few hours of your journey in the Shadow Realm of the Lands Between.
When you first load into Shadow of the Erdtree, you’ll find yourself in a strange land with no real map to speak of. To reveal the map, you’ll need map fragments.
Before you do anything else, hop on Torrent and hit the main road. Ride toward the ruins and the giant, blazing boss in the distance. You’ll find a pillar off the side of the road, in a field of tall grass, south of the Scorched Ruins. Interact with it to get the map fragment for the first region, Gravesite Plain.
If you’re having trouble finding it, you can see the little gray pillar on your map even before you have the map fragment. And if you’re looking to uncover the whole region, check out our guide to finding all DLC map fragments.
Scadutree Blessings are your main means of increasing your strength and defense in Shadow of the Erdtree, and you’ll need to collect multiple Scadutree Fragments if you want to increase your blessing level. Thankfully, you can start using this system mere minutes into the DLC — if you know where to go.
Ride toward the western castle via the main road and find the first of Miquella’s Crosses — it’s at a crossroad where the left path leads to the castle, the right leads to the bridge, and the forward path leads to a lake. Talk to the nearby NPC and rest at the Three-Path Cross Site of Graceto learn about the unique progression system that will help you through this DLC.
Instead of just leveling up over and over, Scadutree
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