Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree’s most important items and why you shouldn’t ignore them 

Those exploring Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC will find the challenges in the Land of Shadow to be more difficult than those in the base game. Even if players have reached the required minimum level of 150 and are outfitted with the best weapons and gear, these upgrades will mean little if they don’t collect enough Scadutree Fragments and Revered Spirit Ashes. These two items drastically increase the damage dealt and reduce the damage received, so much so that without them players will have a hard time completing Shadow of the Erdtree. 

What do Scadutree Fragments and Revered Spirit Ashes do?  

As previously mentioned, Scadutree Fragments and Revered Spirit Ashes affect the offense and defense of different aspects of the player character. Scadutree Fragments increase the damage dealt by the Tarnished and reduce the damage they receive from enemies. Revered Spirit Ashes, on the other hand, increase the offense and defense of Torrent and all Spirit Ashes. While Scadutree Fragments are the more important upgrade material, players shouldn’t underestimate the buffs that Revered Spirit Ashes provide. To use them, all players have to do is rest at a Site of Grace and choose the “Shadow Realm Blessing” tab. 

It should be noted that the passive effects of Scadutree Fragments and Revered Spirit Ashes only work in the Land of Shadow. They have no impact in the Lands Between, where the main game takes place. 

How impactful are Scadutree Fragments and Revered Spirit Ashes? 

50 fragments are needed to fully upgrade the Scadutree Fragment Blessing, while 25 ashes are required to fully upgrade the Revered Spirit Ash Blessing. At the max level of 20, a Scadutree Fragment Blessing will increase damage dealt by the player by 2.05 times and negate damage taken by 0.487 times. A level 10 Revered Spirit Ash Blessing will increase damage dealt by summoned Spirit Ashes by 1.750 times and decrease damage taken by 0.625 times for both Torrent and the summons. 

Though the numbers seem small, any form of damage increase or negation proves invaluable in Shadow of the Erdtree. Enemies in this DLC are relentless, and many of them can kill a player with just a couple of attacks. With that being said, players should prioritize getting as many Scadutree Fragments and Revered Spirit Ashes as possible. 

The importance of Scadutree Fragments and Revered Spirit Ashes contributes to Shadow of the Erdtree’s difficulty 

The locations of Scadutree Fragments and Revered Spirit Ashes vary. Some of these priceless items are found in the open world. Others are held or guarded by tough enemies. Without a proper guide, players will find themselves searching high and low for these items just so they can be on equal footing with enemies. 

This is one of the reasons why many players find Shadow of the Erdtree so difficult. By making Scadutree Fragments and Revered Spirit Ashes essential, the DLC seems to be directing players to explore certain parts of the DLC in order. By comparison, Elden Ring’s base game combined player exploration and freedom in such a way that players could do things in whatever order they wanted and still progress (i.e. gain enough Runes to level up). This freedom seems to be taken down a notch in the DLC, as not having enough Scadutree Fragments and Revered Spirit Ashes can create barriers that are difficult to overcome. There have been efforts to increase the immediate impact of these items (patch 1.12.2 increased the attack and damage negation for the first half and final level of the maximum amount of both blessings), but it remains to be seen if this is enough to balance the DLC. That said, players can still interact with Shadow of the Erdtree how they wish, but if they want less resistance in clearing the DLC, looking for these enhancements and buffing their characters is a prerequisite.