Elden Ring DLC: Did You Miss These Easy-To-Find Scadutree Fragments?

Elden Ring’s DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree, was one of the most anticipated gaming experiences of this year. That enthusiasm was humiliated when the players faced a greater difficulty than they expected. But like other FromSoftware games, there are ways to smooth out that difficulty spike, namely by collecting new items that make your character more powerful, some of which you can acquire simply by exploring, without needing to beat the boss.

These items, called Scadutree Shards, boost your character’s damage and defenses. They are scattered throughout the DLC area much like the Golden Seeds that increase the amount of health and FP flasks in the base game. There is another new type of item called Revered Spiritual Ashes that also increases the strength of your summoned Spiritual Ashes and ensures that Torrent, your Spiritual Steed, can take more hits. But Scadutree Shards will probably make a bigger difference when fighting bosses and going through dungeons.

Read more: How to start Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC

Players who have delved into the DLC have recommended that struggling players prioritize collecting these Scadutree Shards in order to survive the harder difficulty—even players above level 200 are having a tough time, so it seems that FromSoftware has more or less equalized the experience in the DLC by scaling the challenge to these shards rather than giving higher-level characters an advantage.

Once you’ve collected Scadutree Shards, you’ll need to manually apply them while sitting at a Site of Grace – choose the new Shadow Blessings option from the menu (the same goes for Revered Spirit Ashes, too). Also note that, as with Golden Seeds, you’ll need to collect an increasing number of Scadutree Shards to upgrade with each level. Your first upgrade will only require one, while the next three will require two Scadutree Shards each, then three for subsequent upgrade levels, and so on.

We haven’t found them all yet, but we’ll be posting the location of each of the fragments we find to help you out in the early game. Note that most of these can be found simply by exploring the Shadowlands – we’ll point out if there are any difficult enemies guarding the fragments – but you can beef up your character by three or four levels of boon without having to face a boss.

Read more: Elden Ring Creator Hidetaka Miyazaki Talks Shadow of the Erdtree, New Weapons, and More

Why are Scadutree shards important?

FromSoftware always intended for the Scadutree Fragments to be a balancing system that allowed players to feel a sense of challenge no matter what level they were at when starting Shadows of the Erdtree. But less than a week after releasing the DLC amid backlash over the difficulty, the studio uploaded a patch that made the first half of the shards players use have more of an effect, essentially making it easier to get started in the expansion and encouraging players to collect the new item.

Here are the effects of the shards: first my base stats, which you’ll revert to when you leave the Shadowlands area of ​​the DLC, and then one, two, three, and four levels of Shadowtree Blessings are shown, requiring seven total Scadutree Shards. Note that my damage is up by about 160 and defenses are up by about 13 across the board with the fourth level of blessings. That’s like adding an extra heavy piece of chest armor… for free!

Where to find the first Scadutree fragments from the Elden Ring DLC

1: The first crossroads and the first Cross of Miquella

Players can get their first Scadutree Shard very early in the DLC at the second grace site they are likely to encounter. From the first place of grace, reach the path and follow it through the ruined city until you see a bright yellow cross sticking out of the ground to your left: the first of many Miquella Crosses that indicate the path of the demigod in the area of the Land of Shadows. of the DLC. The Scadutree Shard is right at the base of the cross, next to a site of grace (Three Ways Cross).

The location of the Scadutree fragment around the Three Ways Cross grace site.

Screenshot by David Lumb/CNET

2. Miquella’s Cross, south of Belurat, Tower Settlement

Traveling west from that first junction through the mountain pass, players will climb a set of steps to find another Miquella Cross, along with a couple of helpful NPCs and a site of grace (Main Gate Cross). As before, the Scadutree Fragment is an item waiting at the base of the cross.

A map showing the location of a Scadutree fragment near the Grace Site of the Main Gate Cross.

Screenshot by David Lumb/CNET

3. Church of Consolation

Players can find another Scadutree Fragment immediately after entering the Shadowlands. Just east of the DLC’s first grace site, players can follow a worn path to find a church. Inside is a Black Knight Commander who is tougher than normal enemies, but they aren’t boss level and shouldn’t cause much trouble. Inside the church, on the altar, is another Scadutree Fragment.

The location of the Scadutree Fragment in the Church of Consolation.

Screenshot by David Lumb/CNET

4. Cross the campsite in front of the northeast castle

From the first Miquella Cross, head northeast across the bridge (dodging the enemy ballista bolts directly ahead) and continue until you find a grace spot (Castle Front). At the junction, just before the grace, is a statue with another Scadutree Fragment.

A location map of the Scadutree fragment near the castle front grace site.

Screenshot by David Lumb/CNET

5. East of the first city ruins: your first Scadutree Pot Guy

Another Scadutree fragment is located in a group of enemies, but the difficult part is defeating a specific fleeting enemy located in the squad before it disappears: a Pot Guy. They look like the other shadow villagers, but they wear a pot on their head that glows, and like the beetles in the base game, if you don’t defeat them quickly they will disappear. (Don’t worry, they will return when you visit a place of grace.)

This Scadutree Pot Grabber is located just east of the Scorched Ruins grace site and is nestled amongst some spectral dogs and shadow villager enemies, including necromancers that shoot slow-moving skulls at you. While they’re more annoying than dangerous, they’ll still get in your way to give the grabber time to leave, so go get them first.

The map location of the Scadutree Fragment near the Burnt Ruins grace site.

Screenshot by David Lumb/CNET

6. Pot Guy inside Belurat, Tower Settlement

Although it’s a path to the first major dungeon carried over from the DLC, Belurat, Tower Settlement, it’s still early enough in the game to make your way if you decide to take the step towards the castle. Once you reach the Small Private Altar grace site, climb the ruined rooftops and defeat the grave birds along the way. Just before you leave the rooftops, you should see a covered bridge: a Pot Guy is waiting, who will drop a Scadutree Shard upon death.

The map location of the Scadutree Shard is far beyond the Small Private Altar’s grace site.

Screenshot by David Lumb/CNET

7. East of the front of the castle

The last easy-to-pick-up Scadutree fragment in the starting area is a short spectral horse ride from the Castle Front grace site. Simply head southeast, following the tree-lined path on the ridge, then follow it left up a slight slope. If you reach the Pillar Path Waypoint, you’ve gone too far: backtrack and look for a ramp down.

When you do, you’ll see another Miquella Cross and a Pillar Path Cross, as well as a new NPC selling poisonous items. As before, the Scadutree shard is located at the base of the cross.

The Scadutree Fragment’s map location is right next to the Pillar Path Cross grace site.

Screenshot by David Lumb/CNET

See this: Elden Ring DLC ​​preview: tough bosses, new weapons, and more mystery

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