Elden Ring DLC Unlock Guide Shadow of the Erdtree

Shadow of the Erdtree launched on June 21, 2024, and people are still asking the same thing in 2026: how to start Elden Ring DLC. The short version is simple. You need to kill Mohg, Lord of Blood, kill Starscourge Radahn, then interact with Miquella's cocoon in Mohg's arena. That's it. The catch, of course, is that both bosses are optional, and one of them is tucked behind a hidden late-game area. This guide covers the exact steps, the fastest route, and the prep you really want before stepping into the Land of Shadow.

How to Start Elden Ring DLC Fast

There's no secret shortcut around the entry requirements. Shadow of the Erdtree is locked behind two boss kills and one interaction.

Step one: defeat Mohg, Lord of Blood. Mohg is an optional demigod at the end of Mohgwyn Palace, which sits off the underground Siofra River path. His boss room is where Miquella's cocoon is located, so if Mohg is still alive, you're not getting in.

Step two: defeat Starscourge Radahn. This requirement ties directly into the DLC's story setup. Radahn is at Redmane Castle in Caelid, and the fight only becomes available once the Redmane Festival is active. You need both Mohg and Radahn dead before the cocoon does anything.

Step three: interact with Miquella's Cocoon. After Mohg is down, rest at the post-fight Site of Grace called Cocoon of the Empyrean if you want, then walk up to the large golden cocoon at the back of the arena. You'll get the prompt to enter the Land of Shadow. That interaction is the actual answer to how to start Elden Ring DLC.

Elden Ring DLC Access Requirements

Boss kills are the big part, but there are a few technical checks that can stop the DLC from working even if your character is ready.

First, you need to own and install the base game. Shadow of the Erdtree is not standalone, so buying the DLC without Elden Ring itself gets you nowhere. On PC, make sure the game is updated to the latest patch. By 2026, the regulation files have changed multiple times, and the DLC is fully tied into the current live build. On PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, it's worth checking for pending updates manually if auto-update is unreliable.

Region matching also matters more than some players expect. If your base game and DLC come from different storefront regions, the expansion may not activate properly. A common example is buying the DLC on one PSN region and trying to use it with a base game from another. If you're seeing a "content not found" style issue, this is one of the first things to check.

You also need to be on the right save. A fresh character can't just warp to Mohg's arena and start the DLC. The save file has to be progressed far enough to reach Caelid, access Mohgwyn Palace, and actually beat both required bosses.

Fastest Route to Start Elden Ring DLC

If you haven't cleared Mohg or Radahn yet, there's a pretty efficient route. In practice, most players go for Radahn first, because the path is shorter, then pivot to Mohgwyn Palace through Varre's shortcut.

Mohg Route

The fastest proper route to Mohgwyn Palace is through White Mask Varre's questline at Rose Church in Liurnia. This skips the much slower Consecrated Snowfield route entirely.

After Varre gives you Festering Bloody Fingers, you need to complete three invasions. The important part is that the result does not matter. You can invade, wait a few seconds, leave, and it still counts. Once you return to Varre and finish that step, he gives you the Pureblood Knight's Medal, which teleports you straight to Mohgwyn Palace even if you're nowhere near the Mountaintops of the Giants.

To start that questline, you need to get through the opening Limgrave section and receive the Two Fingers' summons at Roundtable Hold. After that, Varre moves from The First Step to Rose Church, and the shortcut opens up. Honestly, this is the single fastest way to reach Mohg on an early or mid-game character.

Radahn Route

To fight Starscourge Radahn, the Redmane Festival has to be active. There are a few ways to trigger it, but some are more reliable than others.

The safest option is progressing Ranni's quest until the Festival state unlocks. If you want something faster, just reaching the Altus Plateau also works as a global trigger. You can do that with the Dectus Medallion and the Grand Lift of Dectus. There's also the Caelid portal route: the waygate in northeastern Limgrave near the Third Church of Marika sends you to Dragonbarrow, which puts Redmane Castle within reach.

If you're starting from scratch, the cleanest order looks like this:

1. Reach Altus Plateau to trigger the Festival

2. Defeat Radahn at Redmane Castle

3. Do Varre's questline

4. Use the Pureblood Knight's Medal to reach Mohgwyn Palace

5. Defeat Mohg

6. Interact with Miquella's cocoon

That route is fast, consistent, and avoids a lot of unnecessary wandering.

Best Level and Build Before Shadow of the Erdtree

Knowing how to start Elden Ring DLC is one thing. Surviving the first few hours is another story.

Shadow of the Erdtree hits hard right out of the gate. Even players who were comfortable in late-game Elden Ring got flattened on day one, and that hasn't really changed. If you enter underleveled, the DLC will feel brutal in a way that's not especially fun.

The widely accepted target is level 120–150. Below 100, you can still get in, but early enemies are very capable of deleting you in two hits, sometimes less if your setup is sloppy. Around 120 to 150, most builds finally have enough room to hit their damage stats without completely neglecting survivability.

Weapon upgrades matter just as much. You should really be entering with a +25 standard weapon or a +10 Somber weapon. Yes, the DLC introduces the Scadutree Blessing system, and that does a lot of work once you start collecting fragments. But your baseline weapon damage still matters a ton before those blessings stack up.

If there's one stat benchmark you should not ignore, it's 60 Vigor. That's the big one. Land of Shadow enemies hit much harder than most of the base game, and sub-50 Vigor builds get punished constantly. For most players, 60 Vigor isn't "nice to have." It's the floor for a comfortable start.

Before you go in, make sure your flask setup actually matches your build. Caster-hybrid characters usually want a more balanced split between Crimson and Cerulean Tears, while pure melee builds can lean heavily into Crimson. Talisman choice matters too. Defensive staples like Erdtree's Favor +2 and the Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman give you a very real buffer while you're learning new enemy patterns and boss timings.

Elden Ring DLC Not Starting Fix

Sometimes the DLC is installed, Mohg is dead, you're standing in the arena, and the game still refuses to cooperate. If that happens, these are the checks that solve most cases.

Confirm the DLC is installed and recognized. On Steam, right-click Elden Ring, open Properties, then check the DLC tab to make sure Shadow of the Erdtree is installed. On PlayStation, look at the game's add-ons section. On Xbox, check ownership in My Games & Apps. This sounds obvious, but it's one of the most common problems.

Restart the game and verify files. On PC, use Steam's "Verify integrity of game files" under Properties → Local Files. Partial patch downloads and broken file updates can absolutely cause weird DLC behavior. On console, fully close the game and relaunch it instead of relying on suspend or rest mode.

Check the correct save file. If you have multiple characters, make sure you're on the one that actually killed both Mohg and Radahn. The cocoon won't become interactive just because another save on your account did the work.

New Game Plus warning. This one catches returning players all the time. If you started NG+, both Mohg and Radahn are back, and you have to beat them again in that cycle before the cocoon works. Clearing them in a previous run does not carry over for DLC access.

Shadow of the Erdtree FAQ

A few questions come up constantly, so let's just answer them directly.

Can a brand-new character enter the DLC?

Not quickly, and not without real progression. A new character still has to reach Mohgwyn Palace, kill Mohg, and have Radahn defeated first. There's no current patched skip that bypasses those requirements.

Do endings matter for DLC access?

No. Your ending path doesn't block the Land of Shadow. You don't need to lock in, avoid, or delay any ending to enter the DLC.

Can players skip the base game entirely and play only the DLC?

No. Shadow of the Erdtree is an expansion, not a separate game mode. You need the base game and enough in-game progress to unlock the entry point.

When is the ideal point in the base game to enter the DLC?

For most players, it's after Morgott, the Omen King in Leyndell. That's usually the point where your level, weapon upgrades, and flask count are in the right ballpark. Going in much earlier is possible, but it tends to feel rough unless you really know what you're doing.

Does co-op carry the host into the DLC?

Yes. Summoned phantoms can enter the Land of Shadow with the host even if the phantom's own character hasn't unlocked it personally. Only the host needs to have defeated Mohg and Radahn and triggered the cocoon.

Conclusion

So, the answer to how to start Elden Ring DLC is straightforward: beat Mohg, Lord of Blood, beat Starscourge Radahn, then interact with the Cocoon of the Empyrean in Mohg's arena. If you want the fastest route, use Varre's questline for Mohgwyn Palace access and trigger Radahn through Altus Plateau or the Caelid portal path. Before you step in, aim for level 120–150, 60 Vigor, a +25 standard weapon or +10 Somber weapon, and a properly upgraded flask setup. If the DLC still won't start, check installation, verify you're on the right save, and remember that NG+ means re-killing both bosses. The Land of Shadow is brutal, but getting there is actually pretty simple. Good luck, Tarnished.