How To Access Shadow of the Erdtree Fast (2024)

The Shadow of the Erdtree has finally arrived, and new players are wondering how they can access the DLC area as fast as they can to experience the new content. This guide will showcase the best possible route to take in order to easily access Mohgwyn Palace without having to beat General Radahn.

If you’re starting a new character, it's recommended that you summon a friend or any friendly NPCs available near each boss gate, as they will help you defeat the tougher obstacles to Mohgwyn Palace and the Land of Shadow at large.

Starting at Limgrave

Once you emerge from the tomb and enter Limgrave, your first goal should be to speak to Varré to start his quest line and look for a weapon with Bleed damage. Some good Bleed weapons to get are the Flail found near the Waygate site of grace, which is a caravan chest guarded by a Godrick soldier with a spear. If you do not have the stats to wield the Flail, the Uchigatana requires less Dexterity and Strength to wield properly. This weapon can be found in the Deathtouched Catacombs, just above the Saintsbridge site of grace. Once you have a good Bleed weapon, head to the next region.

Killing Greyoll in Greyoll’s Dragonbarrow

This region can be easily accessed by entering the portal behind the Third Church of Marika. The portal leads directly to the Dragonbarrow region, specifically in the Bestial Sanctum grace. Head directly to Fort Faroth and rest in the site of grace. If you have an item that boosts Rune drops like the Gold-Pickled Fowl Foot (one can be found at the southern end of the beach in Limgrave), save it for later.

Head to the tail of the giant dragon on the ground and keep attacking it with your Bleed weapon. Since Bleed damage ignores armor and deals a set amount of percentage damage, you can easily net yourself 50,000 runes for a lot of character levels. Before you kill the dragon, use a Gold-Pickled Fowl Foot to boost the runes in drops to 60000+ runes. Once you have your runes, level up and head to Stormveil Castle.

Clearing Stormveil Castle

Accessing the DLC requires you to defeat any of the Great Rune bosses like Godrick, Rennala, and Radahn. Godrick is the lowest-leveled boss among the Great Rune bearers, so use the extra levels you gained in the Dragonbarrow to clear through Stormveil Castle with relative ease. Once you defeat Godrick the Grafted, head straight to Liurnia of the Lakes.

Meeting Varré in Liurnia

Varré is your quickest way to reach Mohgwyn Palace, as his questline is simple and will teleport you straight to the area. You can find Varré in the Rose Church, south of Raya Lucaria. Since you have defeated Godrick, Varré will allow you to join Mohg’s ranks, but you must first complete a few tasks. The first task, specific to online players, is to invade the world of other players 3 times. Take note that you don’t need to kill another player to progress, just that you enter their world using the Festering Bloody Finger item. For offline players, head to Writheblood Ruins in the Altus Plateau and invade the NPC Magnus the Beast Claw using their summon sign.

After completing one of these tasks, Varré will ask you to retrieve the blood of a Finger Maiden using the Lord of Blood’s Favor item. Go to the Church of Inhibition near the Frenzied Flame Village and interact with the Maiden’s corpse to retrieve the blood. Give Varré the blood-soaked cloth and exhaust his dialogue until he gives you the Pureblood Knight’s Medal. This item will teleport you straight to Mohgwyn Palace, but save that for later. For now, you will need to beat Radahn next.

Starting the Radahn Festival

Radahn will not be available to fight until you trigger certain encounters in the game. The easiest way to start the festival is by heading to Ranni’s Rise and starting her quest line by joining her. Meet with Blaidd, Iji and Seluvis to progress. Once Ranni asks you to locate Nokron, the Eternal City, go to Siofra River and meet with Blaidd there. Exhaust his dialogue in Siofra River, then head to Castle Redmane to start the Radahn Festival. Head down and defeat Radahn to get half of the Shadow of the Erdtree requirements down.

Defeating Mohg, Lord of Blood

Remember the Pureblood Knight’s Medal that Varré gave you? Use the item to reach Mohgwyn Castle. You can skip all the smaller enemies in the area by running straight to the elevator that leads to Mohg’s arena. Since Mohg is a late-game boss, its best that you summon an ally or a friend to deal with the boss for you. Mohg has an unavoidable attack that deals massive bleed damage, so prepare any Vigor-enhancing talismans or buffs to help you survive. Once you defeat Mohg, interact with the egg in the arena to finally reach the Land of Shadow.