Summary
A rare enemy that only appears inElden Ring’sShadow of the Erdtreeis key to completing the DLC with ease.New enemy types inElden Ring’s DLCmake up the bulk of the challenges players will face in the Land of Shadow. For the most part, these enemies work the same as those in the base game. But there are a couple of outliers, likeoptional bosses in theElden RingDLC that have unique mechanics.
And it’s not just the bosses - a couple of regular enemies also behave in new and unusual ways. They can be difficult to track down, and even more difficult to defeat (although not for the reasonsElden Ringplayers would naturally expect). Still, their exceptionally rare rewards are so useful against the DLC’s bosses that it’s worth hunting them down wherever they appear.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree Review
Screen Rant’s Chris Teuton reviews Elden Ring’s highly-anticipated Shadow of the Erdtree DLC ahead of its launch on August 18, 2025.
These Rare Shadow Of The Erdtree Enemies Offer Unique Rewards
Players should always keep an eye out for special variants of Shadow Undead with pots on their heads inElden Ring’s DLC,as they almost always drop rare upgrade materials known as aScadutree Fragment. These enemies can be found throughout the map, almost anywhere regular Shadow Undead lurk (and in some places where they don’t). If they’re sticking to the main quest, the first one will be located on a covered bridge within the Belurat legacy dungeon.
Butplayers have to be fast to catch this specific variety. They’re more skittish than their fellow Shadow Undead, who usually attack the player on sight or pray obliviously until the player interrupts them. As soon as they spot the Tarnished, they’ll run into the nearest corner, where they’ll crouch and surround themselves with a puff of smoke. Seconds later, they’ll disappear in a cloud of mist, and won’t come back until the player reloads the area.
The easiest way to reload an area and respawn a Shadow Undead is to sit at the closest Site of Grace. However, this will also respawn any non-boss enemies throughout the area.
Thankfully,like most Shadow Undead, the pot-carrying variety is pretty easy to defeat. Of course, it depends entirely on the player’s build and equipment, but a few quick swings should take them down handily. They won’t fight back, preferring instead to run and hide, so speed and stealth are the name of the game here. attempt to wait until other local enemies are distracted, then crouch, sneak up behind the pot-carrying enemies, and strike quickly to claim their rewards.
What Level You Should Be For Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree DLC
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree’s difficulty matches that of the base game’s latter sections, requiring a fairly high starting character level.
How Scadutree Fragments Work In Elden Ring’s DLC
Shadow Of The Erdtree Features New Upgrade Materials
Scadutree Fragments are one of two invaluable new upgrade materials introduced inElden Ring’s DLC, the other being Revered Spirit Ashes. They raise a handful of the player character’s and their summons' stats: Scadutree Fragments increase the Tarnished’s damage taken and defense, while Revered Spirit Ashes do similarly for their summoned spirits. They’re spread throughoutElden Ring’s DLC map: Scadutree Fragments can reliably be found in abandoned churches, or dropped by pot-carrying Shadow Undead, while Revered Spirit Ashes are generally found near altars in the open world.
Once the player has collected a few Scadutree Fragments,they’ll need to activate their blessings by sitting at a Site of Grace. These buffs stack; the more Scadutree Fragments and Revered Spirit Ashes the player finds, the more power they and their summons will gain. It only takes one of each material to activate the first level, but further levels require more: two Scadutree Fragments for the second upgrade, three for the third, and so on.
A small, highlighted dot will appear next to the Shadow Blessings option in the Site of Grace menu when the player has enough Scadutree Fragments to activate the next level of buffs.
Unlike the buffs granted by things like Wondrous Physics, these are semi-permanent. They won’t disappear when the Tarnished rests at a Site of Grace or dies. The one caveat is thatScadutree and Revered Spirit Ash Blessings only work in the DLC- if the player fast travels back to the base game, all their bonuses will disappear. Even so, they’re very helpful within the DLC, which contains many difficult bosses that’ll test even the most seasoned player’s skill.
Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree Has Already Broken A Metacritic Record
The highly anticipated expansion, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree has already broken a Metacritic record ahead of its launch on Friday.
So, as rare as they may be to find and as difficult as they may be to catch, Shadow Undead with pots on their heads are some of the most important enemies for players to find in the DLC. The buffs provided by their rare and unique drops can help carry a player throughElden Ring:Shadow of the Erdtree.
Elden Ring
Elden Ring is a popular game released by From Software, creators of games such as Armored Core, Dark Souls, and Bloodborne. Players assume the role of a Tarnished, a being once exiled to the Lands Between and has returned to repair the Elden Ring after the events of “The Shattering.” “The Shattering” occurred when the offspring of Queen Marika battled to claim the shards of the Elden Ring, known as Great Runes. Their war has brought lawlessness, destruction, and chaos to the land, and the player will challenge them with the assistance of a Maiden known as Melina as they travel towards the great Erd Tree to face their destiny and to become the one true Elden Lord. Players can tackle the game how they choose and can adventure across realms as they build their character how they want - be it a powerful magic caster or a brutal swordsman - they will have complete control over their build.
