How to access Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree DLC

Elden Ring’s expansion, Shadow of the Erdtree, is finally here. In typical FromSoftware fashion, accessing the DLC is far from straightforward—but it’s not quite as vague as Dark Souls and Bloodborne.

How to start Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree DLC

Kill Starscourge Radahn

Radahn from Elden Ring against a red sky in Caelid — He’s the force holding back the stars. Image via Bandai Namco

The first prerequisite to accessing Shadow of the Erdtree is to kill Starscourge Radahn, for which the Radahn Festival must be active. To start the Radahn Festival in Elden Ring, either reach Altus Plateau by any means or complete the first few quests in Ranni’s questline.

To reach Altus Plateau:
- Travel upward via the Ruin-Strewn Precipice at the northernmost point of Liurnia.
- Alternatively, you can collect both halves of the Dectus Medallion, one of which is in Fort Haight (East Limgrave), while the other is in Fort Faroth (Caelid Dragonbarrow), then interact with the Grand Lift of Dectus in northern Liurnia.
To progress Ranni’s questline until the Radahn Festival triggers:
1. Speak to Ranni at Ranni’s Rise, past Caria Manor in Liurnia.
2. Speak to Blaidd, Iji, and Seluvis’ spirits in Ranni’s Rise, then return to Ranni.
3. Speak to Blaidd in Siofra River.
4. Speak to Seluvis in Seluvis’s Rise, next to Ranni’s Rise.
5. Speak to Sellen in the Waypoint Ruins in Limgrave.
6. Return to Blaidd in Siofra River.

As soon as you activate the Grand Lift of Dectus with the Dectus Medallion, activate a Site of Grace in Altus Plateau, or return to Blaidd in Siofra River with the knowledge that Radahn is holding back the stars, the Radahn Festival becomes active at Redmane Castle in Southeast Caelid.

Unless you’re on a low-level character, Radahn is a fairly simple boss. He’s a cakewalk if you’re anywhere near strong enough to fight Mohg or are at the right level to start Elden Ring’s expansion.

Kill Mohg, Lord of Blood

Mohg Lord of Blood in Elden Ring on a dark background. — Remember to bring the Purifying Crystal Tear to negate his bleed damage. Image via Bandai Namco YouTube

Mohg, Lord of Blood is a lot tougher than Radahn. He’s a late-game boss that’s almost as difficult as Malenia. You can access him early, but he’s almost impossible on a low-level character. This is the version of Mohg in Mohgwyn Palace and not Mohg, the Omen, who guards the entrance to Deeproot Depths beneath Leyndell.

To get to Mohg, Lord of Blood, either head through Siofra Aqueduct and kill the Valiant Gargoyle Duo at the end or progress White Mask Varre’s questline until he gives you the Pureblood Knight’s Medal that teleports you straight to Mohgwyn Palace.

To reach Mohg through Siofra Aqueduct:
1. Progress through Nokron, the Eternal City after killing Radahn.
2. Kill the Mimic Tear.
3. (Optional) Get the Ancestral Woods Site of Grace.
4. Drop down to a ledge below the cliffs left of the Hallowhorn Grounds. You’re in the right place if you see four Spirit Jellyfish nearby.
5. Progress through Siofra Aqueduct until you reach the Valiant Gargoyle Duo.
6. Kill the Gargoyles, then interact with the coffin by the waterfall.
7. Progress through Mohgwyn Palace until you reach Mohg.
To reach Mohg through Varre’s questline:
1. Speak to White Mask Varre by the First Step Site of Grace.
2. Kill any Demigod to claim their Great Rune—the closest is Godrick.
3. Speak to Varre by the Rose Church in Liurnia.
4. He gives you five Festering Bloody Fingers. Use three to invade other players (you don’t need to be successful).
5. Agree to join his order. He gives you the Lord of Blood’s Favor item that you need to cover in the blood of a maiden.
6. There’s a dead maiden whose blood you can use at the Church of Inhibition, near the Frenzied Flame Village in Liurnia. There’s another at the Chapel of Anticipation, where you started the game. You can also get the blood from Irina or Hyetta, but only if they’re dead.
7. Return to Varre with the bloodied quest item. He gives you the Pureblood Knight’s Medal, which you can use to teleport to Mohgwyn Palace.
8. Progress through Mohgwyn Palace until you reach Mohg.

Tip: No need to get bloody

You can also kill an NPC in Altus Plateau to progress Varre’s questline if you’re playing offline, but using the Festering Fingers is by far the quickest method. You don’t need to kill or even fight players—just invade someone, then die or disconnect, and it counts toward your progress.

Touch Miquella’s hand

A screenshot of Miquella in his cocoon in Elden Ring — Just a touch. Screenshot by Dot Esports

After you beat Mohg, you’ll find Miquella’s withered hand hanging out of his cocoon at the back of the room. If you’ve purchased the expansion, you’ll encounter a new friendly NPC here—she’s the knight from the Shadow of the Erdtree trailers.

She tells you to touch Miquella’s hand if you want to travel to the Land of Shadow, and that’s exactly what you need to do. Head up to the cocoon and interact with Miquella’s hand, and moments later, you’ll awaken in the Land of Shadow.