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Picking the best gear to start Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree with makes From Software’s difficult DLC a bit less maddening to manage. Your first few hours in The Land of Shadow are tough, as the game expects you to be at your best, with top-tier equipment and a good idea of how to use it.
Our guide for the best gear to start Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree with breaks down which weapons, armor, talismans, and summons will make your life easier.
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Now Playing: Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree DLC Review
Fast and aggressive endgame Spirit Ashes
The best Spirit Ash summons are more important in Shadow of the Erdtree than they were in The Lands Between, if only to distract bosses while you learn their patterns and figure out when to strike. Pretty much every major enemy in Elden Ring’s DLC is faster and deadlier, so you’ll likely want to leave your tanky summons at home. We’ve selected a few high performers that make life easier and, by the time you start Shadow of the Erdtree, should already be in your inventory.
The Mimic Tear
From Software might have nerfed the Mimic Tear shortly after Elden Ring launched, but this fantastic Spirit Ash summon is still a valuable asset to bring with you into the Land of Shadow. It copies your build and attacks without fear of taking damage, which is a bit annoying if you need it to survive, but also a handy way to take chunks out of boss HP bars until the Tear dies. It requires HP to summon, instead of FP, so it’s essential for builds that don’t invest much into the Mind stat.
Black Knife Tiche
Tiche’s speed is a massive help in Shadow of the Erdtree. She’s much better at avoiding boss attacks than most Spirit Ash summons, and she’s still capable of dishing out a fair amount of damage as well.
Dung Eater Puppet
Getting the Dung Eater Puppet locks you out of finishing the best Talisman choices include:
Great-Jar’s Arsenal (increases equip load)Carian Filigreed Crest (reduces FP consumption from skill use)Godfrey Icon (buffs charged spells and skills, not useful if you don’t use those)Radagon Icon (shortens spell casting time, essential for any magic user)Moon of Nokstella (increases spell memory slots, also essential for magic casters)Erdtree’s Favor (raises HP, FP, and equip load)
Elemental grease
Okay it’s not technically gear, but you’ll want a few grease items before taking on the Land of Shadow’s big challenges, particularly:
Fire GreaseLightning GreaseRot GreaseFreezing Grease
Dragonwound Grease is eventually useful as well, but not until the expansion’s back half.
You didn’t really have to think much about elemental weaknesses in Elden Ring, but exploiting those weaknesses in Shadow of the Erdtree is often one of the only ways to make a tough fight manageable, including boss battles. Spells and specific ailment-inducing weapons are fine, but grease items let you use any weapon to target elemental weaknesses and make life a lot easier than having to respec for a different weapon.
Best armor to start Shadow of the Erdtree DLC
The best Elden Ring armor with high resistance goes a long way toward making Shadow of the Erdtree more manageable in its opening hours. If you haven’t upgraded your outfit in a while, now’s the time to do it.
Light armor
Malenia’s set is an excellent choice if you’re running a lighter build thanks to its hefty immunity-boosting stats. Enemies throw status ailments around left and right in the Land of Shadow, and they build up quickly. Good immunity keeps you safe a bit longer so you can retreat and let it die down or use a consumable.
If you don’t feel up to challenging Malenia, the Black Knife armor is a solid replacement, and it even helps you sneak around more efficiently.
Finally, an option with a bit more resistance built-in is the Ronin Set, which you get from the Mountaintop of the Giants’ Zamor Ruins. It has higher immunity than Malenia’s set and a set of respectable magic resistances as well, much more so than you’d expect from most light armor.
Medium armor
D’s set, which you get during Fia’s quest, is hefty, but it offers some of the best physical resistance in the base game and can carry you through the Mohg fight as you start the DLC. The Carian Knight set–dropped from Raya Lucaria’s Carian Knights, as you might expect–is lighter and has comparable resistances, in addition to a strong set of magic resistances as well.
Heavy armor
You can’t go wrong with Tree Sentinel Armor if you have the endurance to wear it. Few sets have better physical resistance stats, and it also gives you a substantial immunity and robustness boost. Its lightning and holy resistances are a bit middling, though. Bull-Goat Armor, which you can get by taking Patches out for the Volcano Manor crowd, is slightly less sturdy, but easier to obtain.
Mage armor
Magic users who don’t want to run a typical light armor set have a few options. The top picks are Rellana’s set for Intelligence casters and the Haligtree Knight set for Incantation users. Neither is particularly good at deflecting physical attacks, but they boost Intelligence and Faith, respectively.
Best weapons to start Shadow of the Erdtree
The Land of Shadow has plenty of deadly new toys to experiment with, but you’ll need a trusty weapon in hand to take on some big challenges before you can get your hands on them. Magic users also need weapons for some situations, so don’t skip this section even if Glintstone Pebble is your best friend.
Best Intelligence weapons to start with
Intelligence users need a sturdy weapon for some fights, as major bosses, including Rellana at Castle Ensis, have exceptionally high magic defense.
Dark Moon Greatsword (obtain after completing Moonveil Katana
Best Faith weapons to start with
Shadow of the Erdtree is loaded with Incantations, but for speed, consider one of these alongside your spells.
Blasphemous Blade (obtain after defeating Rykard)Golden Order Greatsword (obtain from Elden Beast Remembrance)Eclipse Shotel (also requires dexterity)
Best Dexterity weapons to start with
Bloodhound’s Fang will see you through most of Shadow of the Erdtree thanks to its special skill, but Rivers of Blood is also just as good as it ever was–which is to say, excellent.
Bloodhound’s FangRivers of Blood (also needs 20 Arcane)Nagakiba (also needs strength)Moonveil Katana
Best Strength weapons to start with
You can brute-force your way through most obstacles with a big hammer, but the Starscourge sword and Prelate’s Crozier add a bit of magic to help deal with foes with strong defense.
Giant CrusherGrafted Blade GreatswordStarscourge Greatsword (obtain by exchanging Radahn’s Remembrance)Prelate’s Inferno Crozier
For more on Shadow of the Erdtree, don’t miss where to go first, the full world map for the DLC, and 14 things you should know before you play.
Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree – 14 Things You Should Know Before Playing The DLC
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