by Dom's Roundtable
Welcome back, Tarnished! Today, I’m bringing you ten of my favorite hidden secrets in the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. Even if you’ve scoured the Lands of Shadow, there’s a chance you’ve missed a few of these.
Not All Enemies Drop the Same Loot - It’s Tied to Lore
Unlike the base game, an enemy’s location in Shadow of the Erdtree directly influences their item drops.
Take, for example, the six Messmer soldiers patrolling around a destroyed Furnace Golem outside Shadow Keep. If you check the Furnace Keeper’s note, it warns against messing with Furnace Golems and fire pots, which suggests that these soldiers, being typical humans, ignored it entirely.
Their punishment? They now drop an incredibly rare crafting item, the Furnace Visage, which was previously believed to be in limited supply.
How to farm them: Start at the first Shadow Keep Site of Grace, head down the lift, sprint to the soldiers, and farm them repeatedly to stock up on this powerful crafting material.
💡Bonus Tip: Equip item discovery buffs like the Silver Scarab or Silver Horn Tender to speed up the process.
Silver Horn Tenders and the Social Hierarchy of the DLC
The Silver Horn Tender crafting material only drops from certain enemies, and the reason why is rooted in deep lore mechanics.
This item description states: "These trinkets were once symbolic of society’s upper echelons."
What does this mean?
Only NPCs who were once nobility or from the upper class dropped them.
Shadow denizens outside Belurat Settlement never drop them.
But those inside the castle do, as they were once part of high society before the fall of the realm.
This subtle detail tells a huge story about how these people lived before the age of Shadow, making every kill a potential history lesson.
The Floating Basilisk Eyes Can Be Disabled
We’ve all been death-blighted to hell by the floating basilisk eyes in certain catacombs, forcing us to run for cover like madmen.
But did you know you can permanently disable them?
Use any Destined Death ability (e.g., Black Knife Ash of War) to neutralize them.
They won’t disappear, but they’ll stop inflicting Death Blight, making dungeons way easier to explore.
💡 Bonus Tip: If you’re struggling, bring the Black Knife weapon, as it’s one of the easiest ways to use Destined Death.
Crystal Darts Can Mind-Control Forge Golems
Crystal Darts already mind-control Watchdogs and Imps in the base game. But guess what? They also work on Forge Golems in the DLC.
These massive, terrifying enemies can be turned against each other with just a few well-placed darts.
How to do it: Throw three to four Crystal Darts at a Forge Golem, and watch them turn on their own kind.
Why this is useful: Forge Golems hit like trucks, so making them fight each other saves you time and healing flasks.
Furnace Golem One-Phase Kill Trick
Furnace Golems are some of the toughest enemies in the DLC in terms of raw HP. But did you know there’s a way to kill them in one phase?
As they fall during a stagger, run around to the top of their head and throw a Furnace Pot directly inside.
This will deal massive damage, enough to skip the tedious leg-staggering process entirely.
If done correctly, you can kill them in just one cycle, saving tons of time.
The Most Powerful Spirit Ash in the Game - Jólan & Anna
Want to fuse two of the best summons into one ultimate powerhouse?
Here’s how:
Complete Count Ymir’s quest and get Swordhand of Knight Jólan’s Spirit Ash by giving her the Iris of Grace.
Travel to Shaman Village and drop off the cliff to find a mysterious doll at Rabbath’s Rise.
Interact with it to fuse Jólan’s spirit with Anna’s, creating the most aggressive and powerful summon in the game.
Why This is OP:
They constantly switch aggro, keeping enemies distracted.
Massive bleed build-up, which shreds bosses.
Solo capable—these two can carry you through the toughest fights in the DLC.
Hanging Pots Contain Bell Bearings for Infinite Crafting Mats
PvP players have been begging for infinite crafting materials and FromSoft secretly delivered via hanging pots scattered across the Shadow Realm. Inside these pots, you’ll find Bell Bearings that let you buy materials infinitely, saving you from grinding.
Most of these contain previously limited resources, like Strings, Resins, and other high-value crafting materials.
💡 Bonus Tip: Keep your eyes high and low, as these pots are easy to miss.
Abyssal Woods’ “Aging Untouchables” Are Actually Killable
The Aging Untouchables (aka Bloodborne-style Winter Lanterns) seem invincible, but there’s a way to kill them.
Parry them once, and they become fully vulnerable to all attacks.
Killing them rewards Swollen Grapes, a rare crafting material.
One specific enemy southwest of the Woodland Trail Site of Grace drops the Aged One’s Exaltation, a talisman that boosts attack power when Madness is triggered.
💡 Bonus Tip: Destined Death can also kill them, but it takes around 30 full ticks, making it way less efficient than just parrying.
The Truth About DLC Level Scaling
Let’s clear up some misinformation:
Levelling up DOES NOT make the DLC harder.
Enemies DO NOT scale with your level.
The only scaling comes from your Scadu Tree Blessing level, which boosts your damage and defence.
Enemies always have the same HP and attack values, regardless of your level.
If anyone tells you "You levelled too much, now the DLC is too hard", they’re wrong. Play at your own pace!
The Secret “DLC+” Scaling Mechanic
There is one hidden DLC difficulty increase, called DLC+ Mode:
After beating Promised Consort Radahn, enemies in all future playthroughs of the DLC will have increased health and attack power.
This is a one-time difficulty increase, making your next runs slightly harder.
Why? Probably to counteract the power of Shadow Tree Blessings, which can double your damage output.
Final Thoughts
There you have it - ten of the best hidden secrets in Shadow of the Erdtree!
