Elden Ring DLC: Should You Finish The Main Story First (2024)

The new Elden Ring DLC is imminent, and some may wonder if beating the game will be a prerequisite to accessing the new content called Shadow of the Erdtree. The base game is massive, with some players spending hundreds of hours scouring The Lands Between to see everything it has to offer. This would undoubtedly be a daunting task for more casual players only concerned with facing the game's main bosses, a feat which also can take quite some time.

The title’s main story can be pretty long, depending on the player’s skill level. For most, the game will take between forty and fifty hours to beat. This estimation entails defeating only the minimum required bosses, which shockingly isn’t that many. Players can face as few as eleven bosses to finish the story of Elden Ring, though they’d miss out on a great deal of content that will come in handy when the DLC eventually releases. Those who have little concern in this regard will be relieved to know that Elden Ring DLC will likely follow in the footsteps of previous FromSoftware expansions.

Elden Ring DLC Likely Won’t Require Players To Beat The Game

Players Will Be Required To Progress Deeply Into The Story, However

It is confirmed that Elden Ring’s DLC will not require players to beat the main story before entering the expansion. Each of FromSoftware’s DLCs for previous games since the first Dark Souls was incorporated into the main story and didn’t have a game completion prerequisite. The only requirement worth noting was reaching the area that houses the entrance of the expansion. For example, in Bloodborne’s The Old Hunters DLC, players must defeat the Vicar Amelia boss to enter The Hunter’s Nightmare. This approach has already taken effect for Elden Ring’s Colosseum DLC.

Until When Should You Play Elden Ring To Unlock The DLC

Only Two Main Game Bosses Need To Be Defeated To Get Access To The Expansion

To unlock the Elden Ring DLC, players will be required to progress fairly far into the game if they go through the regular route, but, in essence, they only really need to beat two bosses to gain access to the content. The first order of business is defeating Starscourge Radahn, which unlocks, Nokron, Eternal City. For reference, this is the main underground portion of the map in the game. Of course, players will have to unlock the fight against Radahn by either advancing through Ranni's quest or by reaching the Altus Plateau and activating a Site of Grace.

After beating the boss during the Radahn Festival, players can progress underground through Varre's questline, which will eventually grant them the item necessary to access Mohgwyn's Palace in the underground area. Players will then need to make their way through the location until they locate Mohg, Lord of Blood. This is the final boss that needs to be defeated to unlock the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC for Elden Ring. Once Mohg is taken down, players will be able to access the DLC by interacting with Miquella's hand at the far end of Mohg's arena.

Why You Shouldn't Beat Elden Ring Before The DLC

You Can Advance Far Into The Story As You'd Like Before The Conclusion

While players are encouraged to progress through the game, it is recommended they do not beat the main campaign before trying to get access to the DLC – and there are a few reasons for this. The first motive is that defeating Radahn and Mohg can take a long time, especially if players are progressing by facing all the other bosses that present themselves in their path. If players are planning on starting a second run via New Game Plus, they may take some time to achieve the prerequisites to unlock the Elden Ring DLC.

The second reason is that New Game Plus makes the game significantly more difficult. As such, players may have a harder time getting through the content and beating Radahn and Mohg to even unlock Shadow of the Erdtree. It has been confirmed that the DLC will have its own power level that is distinct from the levels gained in the base game, much like the one present in FromSoftware's Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, but it is unknown if the New Game Plus modifiers will be applied to the new content.

If it does, in some way, bolster the HP of bosses and other opponents, players may go through their first run in the Elden Ring DLC at a heightened level. Of course, for players who are constantly looking for new and tougher challenges to beat, this could make sense, especially if New Game Plus does increase the DLC's difficulty. If players already consider the base game difficult enough and are not looking for a harder time than the one they will normally have in Shadow of the Erdtree, then beating the base game is not recommended.

Of course, this does not impede players from progressing far into the game and acquiring some of the best endgame weapons and gear. In fact, players should try to get as deep into the campaign of the base game as they can. During the Elden Ring DLC hands-on preview sessions, players' characters were pre-established at over level 100, meaning they had access to higher stats and better equipment. When running a regular campaign, facing all the bosses along the way, and seeking some side encounters, a good moment to stop is when players reach or complete the Crumbling Farum Azula.

FromSoftware DLCs have historically been significantly more difficult than the base game. The featured bosses typically have the task of raising the bar in terms of difficulty. For example, Bloodborne’s DLC final boss, Orphan of Kos, was one of, if not the most challenging boss in the game. Darkeater Midir and Slave Knight Gael from Dark Souls 3 also stand out as some of the most formidable DLC bosses. As such, players who want to face the challenges of Shadow of the Erdtree at their base difficulty should not progress into New Game Plus.

Elden Ring’s boss weapons earned from slaying Maliketh, the Black Blade, Radagon of the Golden Order, and Elden Beast are some of the best in the game, but with the new gear available in the DLC, players should try and experiment with their new options. If players choose not to complete the campaign and, instead hold onto some endgame builds, they may already have a big advantage when challenging the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC for Elden Ring.

Elden Ring

RPG

Action

Platform(s)

PS5 , Xbox One , PS4 , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S , PC

Released

February 25, 2022

Developer(s)

From Software

Publisher(s)

Bandai Namco Entertainment , From Software

Multiplayer

Online Co-Op , Online Multiplayer

ESRB

M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence

How Long To Beat

58 Hours

Metascore

96

Platforms That Support Crossplay

PS4 &PS5 and Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S