The Elden Ring DLC Shadow of the Erdtree is one of the most anticipated gaming experiences this year. That hype is tempered when players encounter a higher difficulty than they expected. But as with other FromSoftware games, there are ways to mitigate the difficulty spikes, namely by collecting new items to make your character more powerful, some of which you can pick up simply by exploring without having to defeat the boss.
These items are called “Skardu Tree Shards” and can enhance your character’s damage and defense capabilities. They are scattered throughout the DLC areas and, like Golden Seeds, increase the number of health and FP bottles in the base game. There’s another new type of item called Revered Soul Ashes, which also increases the strength of your summoned Soul Ashes and ensures your Spiritual Steed Torrent can withstand more attacks. But Skardu Tree Shards may prove more useful when fighting bosses and traversing dungeons.
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Players deep into the DLC recommend that struggling players prioritize picking up these Scadutree shards to get through the tougher difficulties – even level 200+ players will struggle, so FromSoftware seems to have more or less balanced the DLC experience.
Once you’ve picked up the Skardu Tree Shards, you’ll need to sit in the Land of Grace and apply them manually – selecting the new Shadow Blessing option from the menu (same with Revered Soul Ashes). Also note that just like the Golden Seeds, you need to collect more and more Skardu Tree Fragments to upgrade each level. Your first upgrade will only require one, while the next three upgrades will require two Scadutree Shards, then the next few upgrade levels will require three, and so on.
We haven’t found them all yet, but we will post the location of each fragment we find to help you early in the game. Note that most of these can be found by exploring the Shadowlands – we’ll point out if there are powerful enemies guarding the shards, but you can buff your character by three or four blessing levels without having to face a boss.
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Why are Scadutree fragments important?
FromSoftware has always wanted Scadutree Fragments to be a balanced system that gives players a sense of challenge when they start Shadows of the Erdtree, no matter what level they are at. But less than a week after the DLC’s release, amid backlash over the difficulty, the studio uploaded a patch that made the first half of the shards used by players have more effects, essentially easing the start of the expansion and encouraging players to collect new items.
“Elden Ring” DLC Scadutree fragment state upgrade and scaling
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Here’s what the shards look like – first my base stats, which you’ll return to when you leave the Shadowlands area of the DLC, and then level one, two, three, and four of the Shadow Tree’s Blessing are shown -This requires level seven Scadutree fragment total. Note that with the fourth level of blessing, my damage increased by about 160, and my defense increased by about 13 across the board. It’s like adding extra heavy duty chest armor…for free!
Where to find the first Scadutree fragment of the Elden Ring DLC
1: The first intersection and the first Miguela intersection
Players can obtain their first Scadutree shard very early in the DLC at the second Grace location they may find. From the first Grace site, reach the road and follow it through the ruined town until you see a shiny yellow cross sticking out of the ground to your left – the first of many Miquela crosses A DLC that marks the Path of the Demigods in the Shadowlands region. The Scadutree fragment is located right at the base of the cross, next to the Place of Grace (the three-way cross).
Locations of Skardu tree fragments around the Three Way Crossing site of Grace.
2. Miquela’s Cross, tower settlement south of Berurat
Heading west across the pass from the first intersection, players will climb a set of steps to find another Miquela Cross, as well as a pair of helpful NPCs and a Place of Grace (the Main Entrance Cross). As before, the Skardu Tree Fragment is an item waiting at the base of the Cross.
Map showing the location of Skardu tree fragments near the site of the Main Cross of Grace.
3. Church of Comfort
Players can find another Skardu Tree Fragment as soon as they enter the Shadowlands. Just east of the first Grace location in the DLC, players can find a church along a well-worn path. There is a Black Knight Commander inside who is more difficult to deal with than the normal enemies, but they are not boss level, so they shouldn’t be too much trouble. There is another fragment of the Skardu tree inside the church at the altar.
Location of the Skardu Tree Fragment in the Church of Consolation.
4. Camp intersection in front of the northeastern castle
From the first Miquela crossroads, head northeast across the bridge (dodge the lightning bolts of the enemy ballistas directly ahead) and continue to find an elegant spot (the castle front). There is a statue at the Grace slightly ahead of the intersection with another Skardu Tree Fragment.
Map location of the Skardu Tree Fragment near the former ruins of Castle Grace.
The “Pot Guy” enemy holding the Scadutree shard is outlined in red – ignore the ghost dog in the lower left corner about to charge at my character…
5. East of the First Town Ruins – Your First Scadutree Pot Guy
Another Skardu Tree Fragment is nestled among a group of enemies, but the tricky part is defeating a specific ephemeral enemy in the squad before they disappear: the Pot Guy. They look like any other shadow villager, but have a shiny jar on their head – and much like the scarabs from the base game, they’ll disappear if you don’t defeat them soon. (Don’t worry, they’ll come back when you visit the Land of Grace.)
This Skardu Potholder is located to the east of the Burnt Ruins of Grace ruins and is one of several ghost dog and shadow villager enemies, including a Necromancer who fires slow-moving skulls at you. While more annoying than dangerous, they can still get in the way and give the pot holders time to get out of the way, so go for them first.
The Skardu Tree Fragment’s map location is near the Burnt Ruins of Grace.
Another “Pot Guy” is outlined in red – kill him before he disappears.
6. Pot Guy in Belurat Tower District
While this is just one way to get into the DLC’s first large Legacy dungeon (Berulat, Tower Settlement), it’s still too early in the game if you decide to dive headfirst into the castle. Once you reach the ruins of Grace’s small private altar, climb up to the crumbling roof, defeating the Gravebirds along the way. Just before you leave the roof, you should see a covered bridge – a Potboy is waiting, and when he dies he drops a Skardu Fragment.
The map location for the Skardu Tree Fragment is outside the Small Private Altar of Grace.
7. East Castle Front
The final Skardu Tree Fragment, which is easy to pick up in the starting area, is a short ghost ride away from the elegant former castle ruins. Follow the tree-lined path on the ridge to the southeast, then follow the path to the left and down a small slope. If you reach the Grace Station at Pillar Path Waypoint, you’ve gone too far – retrace your steps and look for the slope down.
When you do this, you’ll see another Miquela’s Cross and a Place of Grace (Pillar Path Cross) as well as a new NPC selling drugs. As before, fragments of the Skardu tree lie at the base of the cross.
The map location of the Scadutree Fragment is right next to the Pillar Path Cross site.
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