The day I heard the Elden Ring DLC’s launch date, I pondered whether to start a new game in Elden Ring or stick to my trusty old tarnished. After careful thinking, I have convinced myself I will bring my Elden Lord to the Shadow of the Erdtree.
I know it is a hard sell, but let me present my points in this article. I bet you, too, shall be persuaded as to why you shouldn’t start a new game for the Elden Ring DLC.
1. Overspeeding to Access Elden Ring DLC
It took me 180 hours to complete my first playthrough of Elden Ring. Even if you aren’t as obsessed as me, you must have invested considerable time in your playthrough.
You know how much content is stuffed in this game. How can you hope to start a fresh new game for Shadow of the Erdtree and expect to explore enough of the base game where you are adequately equipped to access the DLC?
Rushing through Elden Ring is unfair to the base game and a disservice to yourself (more on this below).
I am sure if you start a new game for Shadow of the Erdtree, you probably won’t be ticking all that (sometimes useful, sometimes useless) side content like the Catacombs. Beelining towards killing the required two bosses to access the DLC comes with many problems that won’t be apparent at first.
2. Too Much Stuff To Do
Your burning desire to kill Mohg and enter that Miquella egg as quickly as possible will surely burn you out. If you are not aware, all the steps in between starting a new game to beating both Radahn and Mohg is a daunting labor in its own right.
Just imagine the treacherous journey through Caelid and jumping through White Mask Varre’s hoops just to gain access to Mohgwyn Palace. Doing all this in quick succession on a fresh save is a recipe guaranteed to leave a bad taste for Elden Ring.
I implore you not to start Shadow of the Erdtree with this sour taste. Best to continue with the character who has defeated these bosses.
3. Do You Have The Time To Start A New Game?
Only those with families and other priorities will relate to this point. As a recently married man, I don’t have the time to invest another 60 hours or so (the minimum time for a worthwhile playthrough) in a new character just for the DLC. I gave it my all before, and things are different now. Dads (new and old) have even less time to give to this hobby.
There is no way I can raise another new tarnished just for the DLC. We have to stick to what we got! In my case, I had to play with my jacked-up DEX/INT 190-level new game +1 Elden Lord.
Frankly speaking, even if I had the luxury, I probably would still play with my old character. My completionist side can’t accept all the lost potential of a speed runner-ish build.
4. Having a Weak Build
Speaking of builds, you can’t expect to conceive a meaningful build with a hastily made new character gunning for the DLC. I can’t imagine assembling my OP spellsword samurai build in the journey between defeating those two bosses.
Y’all definitely have to take multiple detours to collect the right equipment to put together a somewhat potent build. Even then, I doubt it will ever reach the power heights of your beloved OG character.
I won’t dare set foot in the Land of Shadows with a scantily made build, especially since it’s hard as nails. The DLC is balanced around an endgame build if you don’t know. You have to beat an endgame-level boss (Mohg) to enter it.
With a new build, you either have to muster up the perseverance to face the horrors of Shadow of the Erdtree as a lowly tarnished or revert to rune-farming tactics to buff yourself up quickly. You will have to come up with a makeshift build in a short time.
Don’t forget, with your old character, you can easily respec into a new build using Rennala’s Rebirth mechanic. All those Rune levels will be useful when buffing a new build using the DLC’s unique weapons like the Hand-to-Hand Arts.
5. Missing Out on Important Loot
When I began writing this piece, this section came to my mind first. My compulsive need to explore every nook and cranny of the Lands Between and excessive hoarding have amassed quite a storage box full of tickets. I am not saying that everything is useful in there, but you never know the value of something that might arise.
With a new save, you are less likely to gather as many goodies as you would have inadvertently done with your old character. Here are just some of the things that I feel are extremely important to your DLC experience:
- Golden Seeds and Sacred Tears: Collecting both of these items will maximize your flask numbers and increase the potency of each glug.
- Weapons and Armors: Some weapons, like the Blasphemous Blade, can make for some extremely OP builds. Not having the option to craft a broken build to face the evils of the DLC will be a bummer.
- Talismans: These things are the cornerstone of any viable build. I will argue that you must have collected all the talismans in the base game to tweak your character as you progress.
- Spirit Ashes: Having a good selection of summons spirits to aid you in combat is a godsend. At least unlock the Black Knife Tiche and/or Mimic Tear Ashes for those grueling DLC boss fights.
- Larval Tears: A good amount of these will let you freely change your build as you find better stuff in Shadow of the Erdtree.
- Smithing Stones: You need loads of them to upgrade your new weapons.
- Crystal Tears: The concoction you brew with the crystal tears in your Flask of Wonderous Physick will flip the way you approach battles in the DLC. Better to bring a wide assortment of tears to better suit the challenge at hand.
There is so much more that I must be forgetting to add to this list. Your DLC-focused approach won’t let you unlock your character’s potential, while your old save will have most things already ready to use.
6. Rushing to Radahn and Mohg
Remember, to access the DLC content; you’ll need to defeat two formidable bosses — Starscourge Radahn and Mohg, Lord of Blood. Both of these bosses require a significant level of progress, and it’s no easy feat to reach and beat them with a new character.
You are destined to dart around the Lands Between in a new game to fulfill these steps, and you will be left worse off, as stated in the previous sections. Why not skip the hassle and just take your main character?
7. Start a New Game If You are in New Game Plus?
The argument in favor of starting a new save for Shadow of the Erdtree comes into play if you are in New Game Plus. If you are unaware, NG+ ups the challenge by increasing enemy damage, health, and resistance to poise damage. The difficulty really ramps up if you are tackling NG+ 4 and beyond.
Shadow of the Erdtree is already insanely tough as it is and to add the extra NG+ layer of hardship is just asking for more trouble than anyone asked for.
I started the DLC at NG+ 1, which is already a bloodbath. However, with practice and my strong build, I’m able to handle the punishment without feeling the need to chuck my controller at the monitor.
I would suggest starting a new game if your character is at NG+ 3 and above. Players with NG+ 2 saves can endure the trials of Shadow of the Erdtree if they only hone their skills.
Everyone was hell-bent on proving to me why I should ditch my one and only Elden Ring character and begin a new game just for the DLC. I just couldn’t accept it, and I am glad I followed my heart. Now I am traversing through the Land of Shadows with my leveled up tarnished with all my valuables in my backpack which I can whip out when I need it.