Hideki Miyazaki originally described Shadow of the Erdtree as being about as large Limgrave from the original Elden Ring. That may have been accurate in terms of area, but like many FromSoftware expansions, Shadow of the Erdtree has hidden depths. Entire regions are locked away behind secrets so obscure that the difference between a speedrun and a completionist run of Shadow of the Erdtree can be dozens of hours.
Of course, these completion time estimates will be highly variable depending on how long it takes for you to defeat the many new bosses in Shadow of the Erdtree, including a final boss who may just be the most difficult FromSoftware has ever produced.
How Long Does It Take To Complete Shadow Of The Erdtree
How long it takes to beat Shadow of the Erdtree can vary widely. According to How Long To Beat.com, if you just stick with the required bosses and areas, it'll take you around 21 hours to beat Shadow of the Erdtree.
You might find it difficult to achieve this 21-hour time if you don't spend some of those hours looking for Scadutree Fragments and Revered Spirit Ashes in order to boost your blessing in the Land of Shadow.
If you're looking to do the main story and most of the side quests, you're looking at around 36 hours. The average time for a player to beat Shadow of the Erdtree is about 37 hours.
How Long Does It Take To 100 Percent Shadow Of The Erdtree
If you're a completionist, however, How Long To Beat.com reports most players need 46.5 hours to see and do everything in the DLC.
However, it should be noted that several side quests in Shadow of the Erdtree have different endings depending on the choices a player makes.
The Dragon Priestess quest, for example, has two sets of potential rewards that can only be obtained after completing the quests twice. You'll need to play Shadow of the Erdtree again in Elden Ring's New Game+ mode in order to get both sets of rewards.
The times listed are for relatively efficient players. If you prefer to casually but thoroughly explore the Land of Shadow, many players report completion times of around 70 hours .
Shadow Of The Erdtree Required Bosses
If you’re looking to get through the DLC with as few obstacles as possible, here are the bosses that must be defeated in order:
- Divine Beast Dancing Lion
- Rellana, Twin Moon Knight
- Messmer The Impaler
- Romina, Saint of the Bud
- Promised Consort Radahn / Radahn, Consort of Miquella
Each of these bosses is as hard or harder than anything you’ve fought in Elden Ring. These are but a fraction of the 80 bosses added in Shadow of the Erdtree, with each one hiding hundreds of new items. Players are encouraged to thoroughly explore the Land of Shadow at their own pace.
