As you step into Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree for the first time, you may feel overwhelmed. Not only is this an entirely new region to explore, but new threats are awaiting you in every corner! In fact, there’s one waiting to drop down onto you very close to the first site of grace.
In such dire circumstances, it makes sense to try and stock yourself with the best possible gear in Shadow of the Erdtree, and you’re in luck! You can acquire some really useful equipment and weapons that can help you get the edge on the foes you will face early on.
While the traditional leveling system also exists in the Elden Ring DLC, FromSoftware introduced an entirely new mechanic that players can use to buff their character. Called the Scadutree Fragments, players would need to find these scattered throughout the map and use them at a site of grace to invoke a Scadutree Blessing.
While some players decried this as being an easy mode, it helped others fine-tune their Shadow of the Erdtree experience, as they could use a certain number to gain the level of buffs required while maintaining a challenge. You can find some of these very easily in the DLC, and this should give you a decent buff to take on the first few bosses of the game.
The first can be found by following the path south from the Gravesite Plains site of grace and arriving at the Church of Consolation, where you can find two Fragments. The next one can be found northeast of the Scorched Ruins by killing the shade of a villager holding a pot. The third can be found at the first Stake of Miquella by the Three-Path Cross site of grace after the first Furnace Golem, and a final one right outside the main gate of Belurat Tower where you meet Moore and Ansbach.
The various components you include in your Wondrous Physick give you a major buff or protection to your character. However, the Deflecting Hardtear is an entirely new way to approach combat in Elden Ring! FromSoftware has learned lessons from their time with Sekiro and brought the parrying system to the Land of Shadows.
This item can be acquired after beating the first Furnace Golem of the game, the one found after you cross the Scorched Ruins in Gravesite Plains. We’ve created an entire guide on how to take down these flaming giants in the game, but what you want to do is keep attacking the legs until they fall over and then get a critical attack on the face.
After taking down the first Golem in the game, you are awarded with the Deflecting Hardtear. Drinking a Physick with this Tear will negate all damage from attacks, as long as you can do a Spontaneous Guard, one that is executed just as the attack is about the hit. A guard counter performed after a successful deflection will deal 20% more damage.
The hits can be stacked four times, so you can get a whopping 80% more damage for a single guard counter! This is one of the longest-lasting tears in the game, as the effect can last for 5 minutes and can quickly become very OP in the right hands.
The Shadow of the Erdtree trailer showcased several new weapons, and this was one of the most highly anticipated aspects of the DLC. People had already tried out everything there was to do in the base game and were eager to know how else they could expand their arsenal.
One of the more unique items in the game is the Backhand Blade, a set of curved swords that can deliver quick strikes and a unique Ash of War. This weapon has an S-tier scaling with Dexterity and can also be enhanced with Greases and other buffs. Its quick strikes make it great for applying status effects, and the Blind Spot skill can enable you to dodge an attack quickly and land a hit as well.
There’s a lot to deal with in the DLC, and one of the best items in Shadow of the Erdtree is the entire Solitude Set of armor dropped by the Blackgaol Knight. This boss can be found by heading northwest from the Gravesite Plains’ site of grace and finding the Western Nameless Mausoleum.
While he is one of the first bosses you can face in Shadow of the Erdtree, the Blackgoal Knight is no pushover and may actually make you give up and come back later. However, once you beat him, he will drop his entire armor set, which has impressive defenses for the weight trade-off. It’s also a subtle nod to Kentaro Miura’s Berserk and just a cool armor to have on.
We saw them being tossed around in the trailer, and now we know that Hefty Cracked Pots is a craftable item in Shadow of the Erdtree. They function very similarly to the Cracked Pots from the base game, and you do need to find Cookbooks scattered around the world to unlock new recipes.
You can find the Hefty Cracked Pots and your first Cookbook of the DLC by heading north from the Gravesite Plains site of grace towards the Scorched Ruins. Take the high-ground path where all the shades are praying to the right, and you will find a body in the center that holds this item.
Summons can greatly help you deal with the many of the foes you face in Shadow of the Erdtree. While your Mimic Tear Ashes may remain undefeated, it’s always fun to experiment with others, and Demi-Human Swordsman Yosh is a great choice that can help you for the entirety of the DLC.
He can be obtained by completing the Belurat Gaol and defeating the boss at the end, Demi-Human Swordsman Onze. You can find this location by finding the large lake with the Ghostlfame Dragon. Yosh, his apprentice, has many of his master’s moves, including the teleporting slash. While he costs a massive 129 FP to summon, he can be an invaluable asset against most bosses in the game due to his nimbleness.
You may find some that fit your needs better than the ones mentioned on this list, and that’s the beauty of Elden Ring! Let us know which item you have found to be the most useful in the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, and check out our other Elden Ring guides for more tips and tricks.
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