Elden Ring: Shadow of the Elder Tree is almost here. The Land of Shadows beckons the wary traveler into its darkest midst. There lurks immense danger, waiting to crush those who defy it once and for all.

But stand tall, my fellow dirtbags. We, Tom's Guides, are here to provide you with ample support as you explore this forgotten realm. Before diving headfirst into this new world that underpins the great Elden ring, there are a few prerequisites to consider first.

Even the most daring "Souls" veterans will need a bit of a primer on what awaits them in this expansion. Shadow of the Eldestree could be close to 30-40 hours of playtime, and you will certainly be kept busy with the struggle to reach Mesmer, the menacing impaler.

So follow along with us as we detail everything you need to know to sharpen your blade, equip yourself with the best talisman, and prepare for this exciting return of one of the most fascinating expansions in gaming.

Shadow of the Eldestree will surely test the patience of many. Be that as it may, you should aim to properly prepare your character for all that this expansion will throw at you. According to those who have already played the DLC, striving for between level 100 and 150 is ideal; keep in mind that the PvP cap is usually 125, so if you're not at level 100, you should aim to be at least level 150, and if you're at level 150, you should be at level 150.

Thus, being at the right level is the gold standard for success in Eldenring. The game is quite a challenge and its expansion is expected to be as brutal (if not more) as the base experience. So while you may be tempted to level up further, be aware that the DLC uses an opt-in approach with a new leveling scheme.

Without going into spoilers, you will want to make sure your status is in the proper state for the DLC. Fortunately, this is not "Dark Souls 2," so there is no need to invest a lot of points in ADP. However, it is recommended that Vigor (physical strength) be raised to at least 50 or even 60.

It is recommended to stock up on some consumables, namely rune arks, larval tears, and various boluses (mainly stimulating boluses). Also, get all the cookbooks scattered throughout the Lands Between, so you can always make the missing consumables when trudging through the Lands of Shadow.

There are several buffs in the game that should also make your time in the DLC less stressful. For starters, make sure you have Golden Vow. You can get this buff as battle ashes or as a spell.

Another great buff is Flame, Grant me Strength, a spell that lasts for only 30 seconds. Last but not least, Blessing of the Erdtree will be of great use as a powerful healing spell that heals 12 HP per second for 90 seconds.

Some Talismans should also be looked for to improve the build. I recommend Great Jar's Talisman, Erdtree's Favor Talisman, Winged Sword Insignia, and Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman. It is also a good idea to have all the Crystal Tears for Wondrous Physick before proceeding to the Land of Shadows.

The DLC has an interesting arsenal of new weapons, with 100 new weapons in the 8 new weapon types being added. That means a large amount of upgrade material will be needed. You will be picking up smithing stones that you completely forgot you had in your inventory.

There are two types of smithing stones in Eldenring. To get an infinite number of these and not have to keep looking for them in the overworld, I would like to get a total of 9 bell bearings to give to Twin Maiden Husk at the Round Table Hold.

You can buy unlimited upgrade materials here. This way, even if you run out (or close to running out) of upgrades, if you find a weapon more to your liking, you can get as many materials as you want and not have to stress about reacquisitioning them.

Below are the locations of the five Smithing Stone Bell Bearings and four Somber Bell Bearings:

Unfortunately, both tiers do not have unlimited access to the final upgrade. There are only 13 and 8 respectively.

All 21 stones can be found in the following ways:

There are many bosses to defeat in Eldenring, but Shadow of the Erdtree requires defeating two such great enemies. Specifically (according to From Software boss Eitaka Miyazaki), they are Starscourge Radahn and Lord of Blood's Mohg.

Mohg is the guardian of the DLC's main entrance and the guardian of the Michele eggs stolen from the Khalig Tree. to get to Mohg in the Mohgwyn palace, you must complete a quest for Varre. the Varre quest is a relatively fun quest that introduces you to the invasion world. Varre's quest is a relatively fun quest that will introduce you to the world of the invasion and simply requires you to travel to the Consecrated Snowfields and pass through a waygate not far from the Yelough Anix Tunnel.

Radahn needs no introduction. His defeat would cause a major change in the literal environment of the Elden Ring and is also directly related to several NPC quest lines. In most cases, this monstrous foe will be a natural find, but for those who don't, he is located in the vast battlefield at the southern tip of Caerid, just below Redmane Castle.

Both of these bosses are known for their difficulty; Mohg requires the use of the Purifying Crystal Tear on your wonder physique to be able to survive his dangerous second-stage blood ritual attack. This item can be obtained after defeating Eleonora the Violet Bloody Finger in Marika's second church in Altus Plateau.

Morg is quite vulnerable to blood damage, despite using this exact same effect. It is also vulnerable to piercing, slashing, standard, and striking damage, so combining these attacks is promising.

Radahn, on the other hand, is much more powerful, has an incredibly large health pool, and has much fewer weaknesses. Since Radahn is most vulnerable to these attacks, it is best to utilize penetration and scarlet corruption. However, try not to use holy damage or sleep damage. You can also summon various NPCs in the fight against this monstrous foe.