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To start Shadow of the Erdtree, defeat Starscourge Radahn and Mohg, Lord of Blood. Then travel to Miquella’s cocoon in Mohgwyn Dynasty Mausoleum and interact with the arm hanging from it. That interaction takes you to the Realm of Shadow, where the expansion begins.
The route has three practical stages: make the Radahn Festival available and defeat Radahn, reach Mohgwyn Palace and defeat Mohg, then use the cocoon interaction. The official access directions are documented by Bandai Namco Europe.
What you must complete before the DLC entrance appears
The entrance is not available simply because you own the expansion or have reached a particular region. The two required boss defeats are the progression checks:
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- Starscourge Radahn must be defeated after the Radahn Festival is active at Redmane Castle in Caelid.
- Mohg, Lord of Blood must be defeated in Mohgwyn Palace.
- Only then can you return to Miquella’s cocoon in Mohgwyn Dynasty Mausoleum and use the hanging arm.
You can complete the two boss objectives in either practical order, although the usual route is to handle Radahn first and then travel to Mohgwyn Palace. The entry interaction itself does not require a special key, consumable, accessory or repair item.
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Stage 1: Make the Radahn Festival available
Radahn’s fight is accessed through Redmane Castle while the Radahn Festival is active. The official access directions identify several ways to activate the festival. Choose the route that matches the progress you have already made rather than trying to complete every option.
Option A: Progress Ranni and Blaidd’s questlines
Progress the questlines of Ranni the Witch and Blaidd the Half-Wolf until Sorceress Sellen tells you that Radahn must be defeated to enter Nokron. This dialogue establishes the Radahn objective and is one of the listed ways to make the festival available.
This option is useful when you are already following Ranni’s storyline. Keep track of the dialogue rather than assuming that merely meeting either character has activated the event. The relevant state is reached when Sellen gives the direction concerning Radahn and Nokron.
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Another listed route is to start Ranni’s questline, then communicate with Witch Hunter Jerren and Blacksmith Iji to initiate the festival. This route is separate from the Sellen dialogue checkpoint, so use the conversations themselves as your confirmation that you are following this activation method.
Option C: Enter Altus Plateau and rest
The official directions also state that entering Altus Plateau, resting at any Site of Grace there, and then visiting Redmane Castle will make the festival active even without the quest progress described above. Treat this as an alternate route supplied by the guide, not as a general guarantee about every unrelated quest state. The required sequence is:
- Reach Altus Plateau.
- Rest at a Site of Grace in Altus Plateau.
- Travel to Redmane Castle and check the festival state.
If you have not been working through Ranni’s storyline, this is the clearest alternate activation path named by the official source.
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Choosing an activation route
| Route | What you do | When it makes sense |
|---|---|---|
| Ranni, Blaidd and Sellen | Advance the questlines until Sellen says Radahn must be defeated to enter Nokron. | You are already progressing those character quests. |
| Ranni, Jerren and Iji | Start Ranni’s questline and communicate with Witch Hunter Jerren and Blacksmith Iji. | You want to initiate the festival through the listed character conversations. |
| Altus Plateau | Enter Altus Plateau, rest at any Site of Grace there, then visit Redmane Castle. | You want the alternate activation route without relying on the quest progress above. |
All three are activation methods, not three separate requirements. Once the festival is active, proceed to the castle and fight Radahn.
Stage 2: Defeat Starscourge Radahn
Travel to Redmane Castle in Caelid after activating the festival. Enter the festival area and defeat Starscourge Radahn. The DLC entrance cannot be used until this defeat is complete, so reaching the castle or seeing the festival announcement is not enough.
If Radahn is still alive, return to the activation checklist rather than searching for the cocoon interaction. Confirm that one of the three listed festival routes has been completed, revisit Redmane Castle, and finish the boss encounter. The access instructions do not require a particular weapon, build, level, or consumable for this step; they establish the boss defeat as the condition.
Radahn completion check
- The Radahn Festival was active at Redmane Castle.
- The encounter with Starscourge Radahn was completed successfully.
- You are ready to move on to Mohgwyn Palace rather than continuing to look for the DLC entrance in Caelid.
Stage 3: Reach Mohgwyn Palace
After Radahn, reach Mohgwyn Palace. The official access directions give two routes: a Sending Gate in the Consecrated Snowfield or White Mask Varré’s questline. Both routes lead to the same destination, where Mohg is waiting.
Route 1: Use the Sending Gate in Consecrated Snowfield
Travel through the Sending Gate located in the Consecrated Snowfield. This is a direct environmental route listed for reaching Mohgwyn Palace. If you already have access to that area and can locate the gate, it avoids the questline-based travel option.
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Route 2: Complete White Mask Varré’s questline
Progress White Mask Varré’s questline until you receive the Pureblood Knight’s Medal. Use the medal to travel directly to Mohgwyn Palace. This route is useful when you have followed Varré’s storyline and have obtained the named item.
Do not confuse the medal with an item needed to activate the expansion itself. It is one of the two ways to reach the palace. The expansion trigger remains the arm at Miquella’s cocoon after Mohg has been defeated.
Comparing the two palace routes
| Route | Requirement identified by the access directions | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Consecrated Snowfield Sending Gate | Reach the Consecrated Snowfield and use its Sending Gate. | Travel to Mohgwyn Palace. |
| White Mask Varré | Advance Varré’s questline until you receive the Pureblood Knight’s Medal, then use it. | Travel directly to Mohgwyn Palace. |
Select one route. You do not need both the Sending Gate and the Pureblood Knight’s Medal to enter the palace.
Stage 4: Find and defeat Mohg, Lord of Blood
Once you arrive in Mohgwyn Palace, traverse the area until you reach Mohg, Lord of Blood, and defeat him. This is the second mandatory boss defeat. Reaching the palace, locating the mausoleum or seeing Miquella’s cocoon does not satisfy the requirement while Mohg remains undefeated.
Because the access directions are about unlocking the expansion rather than combat strategy, they do not prescribe a build, equipment set or battle tactic. For the purpose of the route, use the result of the encounter as your checkpoint: Mohg must be defeated before the cocoon’s arm can transport you to the Shadow Realm.
Mohg completion check
- You entered Mohgwyn Palace by either the Consecrated Snowfield gate or the Pureblood Knight’s Medal.
- You traversed the palace and defeated Mohg, Lord of Blood.
- You can return to Miquella’s cocoon in Mohgwyn Dynasty Mausoleum.
Stage 5: Use Miquella’s cocoon to enter the Realm of Shadow
Return to Miquella’s cocoon in Mohgwyn Dynasty Mausoleum after both Radahn and Mohg have been defeated. Look for the arm hanging out of the cocoon and interact with it. That arm is the actual DLC entrance.
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After you interact with it, Leda appears and invites you to join her companions as they follow Miquella’s footsteps. The interaction then transports your character to the Realm of Shadow. You do not select a separate menu option or travel through the Consecrated Snowfield gate at this point; the cocoon interaction performs the transition.
Exact entrance sequence
- Defeat Starscourge Radahn.
- Reach Mohgwyn Palace by one of the two listed routes.
- Defeat Mohg, Lord of Blood.
- Return to Miquella’s cocoon in Mohgwyn Dynasty Mausoleum.
- Interact with the arm hanging from the cocoon.
- After Leda’s appearance and invitation, allow the interaction to transport you to the Realm of Shadow.
If the arm does not provide the transition, check the two boss defeats first. The entrance condition is not satisfied by defeating only Radahn, only Mohg, or merely reaching either boss arena.
What happens when you first arrive
The first return rule is easy to miss. After arriving in the Realm of Shadow, rest at any Site of Grace there. Once you have rested, the map allows fast travel between the Realm of Shadow and the Lands Between.
Until you touch a Site of Grace in the new realm, avoid treating the first arrival as a fully established travel connection. If you die before touching one, the official directions state that you must return to Miquella’s cocoon to enter the Realm of Shadow again.
First-arrival checklist
- Complete the cocoon interaction and arrive in the Realm of Shadow.
- Locate and rest at a Site of Grace in that realm before taking unnecessary risks.
- After resting, open the map and use the newly available travel connection when you need to move between realms.
- If you die before resting, return to the cocoon and repeat the entrance interaction.
Resting is therefore the first practical objective after the loading transition. It establishes the return option and prevents a death from forcing you back to the mausoleum without that map connection.
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The Radahn Festival is not active
Use one of the activation methods named in the official directions. You can advance Ranni and Blaidd’s questlines until Sellen gives the Nokron-related Radahn direction, start Ranni’s questline and communicate with Jerren and Iji, or enter Altus Plateau, rest at a Site of Grace there, and then visit Redmane Castle. The Altus route is an alternate option from the official guide; it should not be presented as a universal shortcut for every possible quest state.
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You reached Redmane Castle but have not defeated Radahn
The castle location and festival state are only the setup. Complete the Starscourge Radahn encounter. The cocoon trigger is still unavailable until that defeat is recorded.
You cannot find Mohgwyn Palace
Use one of the two documented travel methods. Search for the Sending Gate in the Consecrated Snowfield, or progress White Mask Varré’s questline until you receive the Pureblood Knight’s Medal and use it. Arriving through either method is sufficient; the two routes are alternatives.
You reached the palace but the DLC does not start
Confirm that Mohg, Lord of Blood, has been defeated. Then return to Miquella’s cocoon in Mohgwyn Dynasty Mausoleum and interact with the hanging arm. The palace itself is not the transition point, and the medal or Sending Gate does not replace the Mohg requirement.
You entered the Realm of Shadow and died immediately
If you had not rested at a Site of Grace in the Realm of Shadow, return to Miquella’s cocoon and interact with the arm again. After you rest at a Site of Grace in the new realm, map travel between the Realm of Shadow and the Lands Between becomes available.
Ownership and the Nintendo Switch 2 edition
The route above applies to players who already have the game and expansion available on their platform. For someone buying on Nintendo Switch 2, Bandai Namco’s ELDEN RING Tarnished Edition product page says that edition includes the base game and Shadow of the Erdtree: official product information. That bundled edition is a purchasing option, not an additional prerequisite for a player who already owns the required content.
Quick Recap
Complete route at a glance
- Activate the Radahn Festival through Ranni/Blaidd and Sellen, Ranni with Jerren and Iji, or the Altus Plateau rest-and-Redmane route.
- Enter Redmane Castle and defeat Starscourge Radahn.
- Reach Mohgwyn Palace through the Consecrated Snowfield Sending Gate or White Mask Varré’s Pureblood Knight’s Medal.
- Traverse the palace and defeat Mohg, Lord of Blood.
- Return to Miquella’s cocoon in Mohgwyn Dynasty Mausoleum.
- Interact with the hanging arm to be transported to the Realm of Shadow.
- Rest at a Site of Grace in the Realm of Shadow before risking death, so map travel between the two realms is unlocked.
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