Summary
TheShadow of the ErdtreeDLC forElden Ringintroduces a pair of new Blessings to the game, but it is initially unclear whether the effects carry over to New Game Plus. TriggeringElden Ring’s New Game Plusallows most, but not all, of a Tarnished’s collected items to be carried over into a new game, with notable omissions including Great Runes and other key items tied to major story progression. However, a lack of clarity whenElden Ringintroduces the Shadow Realm Blessings can make people uncertain as to how a New Game Plus will affect the mechanics.
Scadutree Fragments and Revered Spirit Ashes can be spent at Sites of Grace to improve two aspects of the Shadow Realm Blessing, the Scadutree Blessing and Revered Spirit Ash Blessing respectively. Doing so makes either the Tarnished or their summoned Spirit Ashes stronger, but only while in the Land of Shadow itself. Nevertheless, the mechanic serves its purpose well as a way to slowly become stronger without necessarily needing tofarm runes inShadow of the Erdtree; Scadutree Fragments provide the Tarnished with additional multipliers for damage and defense, while Revered Spirit Ashes do the same for summons.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree Review - FromSoft’s Greatest Hits
Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC is a victory lap for FromSoftware, bringing in elements from past games without losing what made it special.
Shadow Of The Erdtree’s Shadow Realm Blessings Are Preserved In New Game Plus
Scadutree & Revered Spirit Ash Blessing Levels Are Permanent
Leveling up the Shadow Realm Blessings to their maximum can take a long time, but fortunately one only has to do it once outside of starting an entirely new game. This is becausethe Shadow Realm Blessings carry over intoElden Ring’s New Game Plus, something that will doubtlessly be a relief to many. This ensures that reaching the limits of the Tarnished’s strength in the Land of Shadow will not become a regular chore in subsequent playthroughs, much like how normal levels and Spirit Ash upgrades are also left intact.
The Best Spirit Ashes For Shadow Of The Erdtree DLC in Elden Ring
There are almost two dozen new Spirit Ashes available in Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC featuring common enemies and old legends.
It can be difficult to locate all the upgrade materials for the Shadow Realm Blessings, due in large part to how they are hidden. While many Scadutree Fragments can be found at the sites of Miquella’s Crosses and Churches of Marika, some are instead looted from seemingly-random bodies or dropped by otherwise generic enemies. Likewise, although plenty of Revered Spirit Ashes can be collected from immediately recognizable altars, others are again held by enemies or scattered in less prominent locations.
It is worth noting that, as with the base game,Shadow of the Erdtree’s enemies do scale in strength as part of a New Game Plus. This is in contrast to the flat benefit provided by the Shadow Realm Blessings, which remain constant no matter how many times a Tarnished has journeyed through the Lands Between. As such, the DLC naturally becomes more difficult to complete on subsequent journeys in any case. However, leveling up can help to close any gap between this difficulty and the Tarnished’s strength, as can some ofShadow of the Erdtree’s powerful new weapons.
How Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree Level Scaling Actually Works
Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC has a separate progression system most players will need to engage with - but it can be hard to figure out.
Elden Ring’s New Game Plus Refreshes The DLC Blessing Upgrade Materials
Scadutree Fragments & Revered Spirit Ashes Can Be Collected Again
There are 50 Scadutree Fragments and 25 Revered Spirit Ashes available to collect in the Land of Shadow, all of which are necessary to maximize their respective Blessings. Although this can mean an extensive search, it is not entirely necessary to empower the Blessings to their highest level in order to complete the DLC. This means that while a New Game Plus raisesShadow of the Erdtree’s difficulty even higher, the Tarnished may still have an opportunity to easily grow stronger in response; something which is made much easier by the way the prerequisite upgrade materials are treated.
The Scadutree Blessing has a maximum level of 20, while the Revered Spirit Ash Blessing has a maximum level of 10, with upgrades to each requiring a scaling amount of their respective upgrade materials.
Unlike the Blessings themselves,Shadow of the Erdtree’s Scadutree Fragments and Revered Spirit Ashes are renewed as part of a New Game Plus. This means that should the Tarnished fail to collect them all in one playthrough, it is more than possible to achieve this in the next. In addition to being an extra measure of tangible progression on subsequent playthroughs, being able to easily raise the Shadow Realm Blessings if they aren’t already at their limits will also help immensely with the stronger foes faced through New Game Plus.
It is very important to improve the Shadow Realm Blessings as much as possible, as it makes it much easier tobeatShadow of the Erdtree’s bosseswith them in effect. The fact that a New Game Plus does not diminish a Tarnished’s progress with these Blessings, and if anything, makes it easier to do so, simply makes investing the time and effort needed to develop the mechanic all the more worthwhile.Elden Ring’s New Game Plus provides bigger challenges to any player, but having to reacquire these essential bonuses is fortunately not one of them.
Elden Ring
Elden Ring is a popular game released by From Software, creators of games such as Armored Core, Dark Souls, and Bloodborne. Players assume the role of a Tarnished, a being once exiled to the Lands Between and has returned to repair the Elden Ring after the events of “The Shattering.” “The Shattering” occurred when the offspring of Queen Marika battled to claim the shards of the Elden Ring, known as Great Runes. Their war has brought lawlessness, destruction, and chaos to the land, and the player will challenge them with the assistance of a Maiden known as Melina as they travel towards the great Erd Tree to face their destiny and to become the one true Elden Lord. Players can tackle the game how they choose and can adventure across realms as they build their character how they want - be it a powerful magic caster or a brutal swordsman - they will have complete control over their build.
