To state the obvious right off the bat,Shadow of the Erdtreeis a truly unforgiving DLC that will test Souls players to their limit. It’s a DLC packed with killer bosses, hostile locales and a wealth of obtuse and confusing quest lines, which is pretty much par for the course with games within the genre. So, to ensure you get off to a good start and don’t get bodied by the first shadow enemy you encounter, you’ll want to get your hands on some good gear fast.
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Most players will have a collection of decent items from the base game to work with, but the DLC has desirable upgrades and new must-have items that just might prompt a new and exciting build. You might think getting these would be a slog, but believe it or not, you can get a lot of great items right away in the DLC, so to help you hit the ground running, I’m going to list a few early DLC items you should make a beeline for.
For some added clarity here, we will only be including items that players can access within their first 1-2 hours of natural play. So we won’t be including ludicrous speedrun strategies, just items that are in the opening areas, and maybe a few that require some more thoughtful routing.
10The Solitude Set
Western Nameless Masouleum
Reason To Grab Early
Amazing Poise Armor and high physical defense
We begin with an armor set that players can get mere minutes into the DLC campaign, and it’s an armor set that will likely see you right through to the end of the DLC. TheSolitude Setis an armor set gained by defeating theBlackgaol Knightin the Western Nameless Masouleom, which is a tough opening fight even by FromSoft’s lofty standards, but this boss can be easily cheesed if you follow our guide, and this will land you one of the finest armor sets in the game
The obvious downside to this one is that it’s also one of the heaviest sets in the game too. But if you run a strength-based melee build and have a lot of endurance, you’ll probably be able to make this set work, and if you do, you reap the rewards. Which in this case, happens to be a lot of physical resistance and an outstanding 96 Poise. Arguably, theBull-Goat Setjust trumps this one by a whisker, but regardless, this is a great set to pick up early on.
9Crimson Amber Medallion +3
Fog Rift Catacombs
More health is always a good thing
You’ll need to do a little bit more exploring compared to some others listed here to get this one, but even still, you can get this new and exciting talisman in a few hours or less. If you head to the Fog Rift Catacombs, which is an area located just behind the Church of the Crusade, you’ll be able to explore this new area,face off against one of the two Death Knights within the DLCand your reward for defeating this one will be theCrimson Amber Medallion +3
This talisman is essentially a buffed-up version of theCrimson Amber Medallion, which gives you a little more health when equipped than normal, and when taking on the brutal bosses of the DLC, being able to tank a few extra hits is much appreciated. This also pairs nicely with theCrimson Seed Talisman +1, but sadly, you won’t be able to nab that one until a little later on.
8Two Handed Sword Talisman
Temple Town Ruins
Amazing For Two-Handed Colossal Melee Builds
Next, we have a Talisman that I personally got a lot of use out of in this DLC, as this talisman tempted me to lay down my shield and play aggressively by two-handing a colossal Greatsword, and I’m so glad I found this one as early as I did.This talisman is located in the Temple Town Ruins, and you’ll need to do some pinpoint horseback platforming to gain access to this area.
But provided you can do that and beat the tough Knight enemy inside, you’ll find a chest containing this excellent talisman. TheTwo-Handed Sword Talismanups the damage of your weapon by 15% when wielding it two-handed, which may not appeal to those who aren’t great at dodging, but if you can adapt, you’ll be rewarded with a huge bump in damage output. It won’t be for everyone, but I urge you to head to the Ruah Base and pick it up regardless.
7Ancient Meteoric Ore Greatsword
Ruined Forge Starfall Past
One of the best Colossal Greatswords in the game
While I did need to abandon myAncient Meteoric Ore Greatswordright at the endwhen fighting the final boss in favor of a bleed build, this was a weapon that carried me through almost all the DLC, and it’s a weapon that is so easy to get your hands on if you know where to look. This weapon is located in the Ruined Forge Starfall Past, which is along the path right of the Ensis Castle Gates.
You’ll need to use a series of levers to get through the Forge and deal with some lava golems, but before long, you’ll get to the altar where you can forge the Ancient Meteoric Ore Greatsword for yourself.
This is a truly amazing sword for those who favor strength melee builds, and it also scales into arcane for additional damage on that front too. Not to mention, this weapon has an outstanding Ash of War called White Light Charge that allows you to dash forward and close the gap on enemies in a flash, which works well to stagger and dodge in a pinch. It’s a must-have and could well be the weapon that carries you through all thatShadow of the Erdtreehas planned for you.
6Star Lined Sword
Charo’s Hidden Grave
Great for Bleed Builds, and has an outstanding Ash of War
If you want this one, you’ll need to head out to the Cerulean Coast, which is tricky to find but can be accessed relatively early if you know where you’re going. If you go to this eye-catching area, head west and though the cliffs whereyou’ll encounter Demi-Human Queen Marigga,who is one of the more tame and uninteresting bosses the DLC has in store for you. But the good news is that, while the fight is a drag, the rewards are far from that.
Players will be awarded theStar-Lined Swordfor winning this fight and there’s a lot to love about this weapon. It does passive Hemorrhage damage, scales wonderfully into Intelligence and dexterity, and also has an astounding Ash of War called Onze’s Line of Stars, which is a flurry of magic-based slashes that get more powerful with each slash. It’s a perfect blend of bleed and arcane, and it’s so simple to get early in the game, so go beat Marigga and nab this awesome katana.
5Bloodfiend’s Arm
Prospect Town or Rivermouth Cave
Possibly the most broken Bleed weapon in the game
Speaking of Bleed build items, we have another weapon you need to make a beeline for in the form of theBloodfiend’s Arm. This is a weapon that’s gained as a drop from Bloodfiend’s in Prospect Town,as well as the Rivermouth Cave,which are both accessible early in the game. So, provided your discovery stat is high, you’ll likely get this drop without needing to farm enemies for long.
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This is a wonderful physical attacker, but it also has a unique effect when the player uses heavy attacks where it sprays an AOE blood spurt, which is great for inflicting blood loss. The physical attack of this weapon can be powered up with the aforementionedTwo-Handed Sword Talismanand theAxe Talisman. Not to mention, it can be infused with Bleed Ashes of War for a truly devastating bleed build. So, if that sounds appealing, then don’t hesitate to give this one a go early.
4Crusade Insignia
Belurat Tower Settlement
Brilliant exploration item & great for farming runes
Most of the items we have listed here don’t require you to enter the heart of a Legacy Dungeon, but theCrusade Insigniais housed within the Belurat Tower Settlement, and more specifically, in the large open courtyard areawhere you encounter Fire Knight Queelign for the first time. If you beat this invader, you’ll be awarded the Crusade Insignia, yet another game-changer of a Talisman.
It’s not necessarily one that will help when taking on bosses in the DLC, but it’s a blessing when farming runes or dealing with large groups of enemies at once, as each time you kill something, you’ll gain a 15% damage boost for 20 seconds, and the timer resets with every fresh kill. Sadly, the effect doesn’t stack, but even still, this is a handy little talisman for exploring the Shadow Realm.
3Backhand Blade
Scorched Ruins
An outstanding evasive Ash of War
Much like the Solitude Set, you’ll be able to see the location of theBackhand Bladefrom the moment you step out of the initial game to the stunning vista of the Scadutree. You’ll see the Scorched Ruins just up ahead, and provided you can explore the placewithout drawing the attention of the big Furnace Golem patrolling the place, you’ll be able to locate the Backhand Blade near a coffin within the ruins.
This is a blade that seems rather average in terms of stats, but when you consider that this weapon can be infused to make up for this, it’s not all that bad. The real selling point of this blade, however, is the fact that it’s a dual-wield weapon, and the Blind Spot Ash of War that performs a sideways dodge and stab attack, which provides loads of I-Frames, effectively allowing you to spam this attack and break enemy defenses with ease. There are more powerful weapons, but considering this is a stone’s throw away when you enter the Shadow Realm, it would be rude not to pick it up and try it.
2Firespark Perfume Bottle
Messmer Soldier Camp in Gravesite Plain
Let’s You run an Arcane Build without any arcane scaling
If you’ve been looking at the most outrageous meta-builds, you may be aware that the various Purfume Bottles are all the rage at the moment. Not all of them are available from the beginning, but you’ll be able to get your hands on theFirespark Perfume Bottlewhich can be found in a Messmer Soldier camp not far from your starting position.
These bottles allow you to cast powerful AOE fire-based blasts with no cost to FP, making this an arcane build without actually needing to build into arcane at all, as this is a purely dexterity-based weapon. TheLightning Perfume Bottleis the preferred weapon if you want to give it a go with a Perfumer Build, but if you just want to try it out early on, the fire variant is a good shout.
1Ash of War: Wing Stance
Castle Ensis
Brilliant against Knight Enemies
Then, lastly, we finish off with a rather helpful Ash of War that, when set up correctly, can be a truly devastating one. This Ash of War is located in Castle Ensis, and you’ll need to do a little platforming to get your hands on it. It’s worth it to have access to this killer stance, though. On the surface, this seems like a situational Ash of War tailored toward counter-attacking humanoid enemies and knights, which it is, but it’s much more than that.
It’s also an Ash of War that counts as a jumping attack, which means it can be used alongsideRaptor’s Black Feathersand theClaw Talismanto essentially double your damage output via this stance. This can be paired rather nicely withMilady, a weapon you’ll find close by to this item, so be on the lookout for both of these and pair them up to forge the beginnings of an exciting and brutal build.
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Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
Shadow of the Erdtree is the first and only DLC expansion for FromSoftware’s groundbreaking Elden Ring. It takes players to a whole new region, the Land of Shadow, where a new story awaits the Tarnished.
