Most Elden Ring fans won’t be able to play Shadow of the Erdtree DLC

Whatever happened to the days when a game released, you polished it off, and then the DLC dropped to give you something to go back to? Games like Cyberpunk, God of War Ragnarok, and Elden Ring all kept us waiting for our DLCs, with it being over two years since the latter launched.

Thankfully, patience is a virtue and Shadow of the Erdtree is just around the corner. We're promised another brutal Soulslike, but this time, the Lands Between are swapped for the even more formidable Land of Shadow that's ruled over by the fiery Messmer. Unfortunately, it seems most of you won't be able to meet him.

Shadow of the Erdtree is locking most of its players out

Unfortunately, it isn't a case of stumping up the $40/£35 entrance fee for Shadow of the Erdtree, with the DLC boasting a certain story requirement before letting you in. As pointed out by CohnCarnage on X (formerly Twitter), you need to have defeated Mohg, Lord of Blood, before being able to play Shadow of the Erdtree.

Looking at the stats, the game's Steam achievements claim that only 37.8% of its players have made it that far. If we head to other platforms, 55% of PlayStation owners have bested Mohg, while only 45% of Xbox players have hit that key milestone. 

Instead of being annoyed, most respected the move. This isn't the first time that FromSoftware has given us requirements for a DLC, with the Dark Souls games having their own rules of entry. One supporter said, "If they can't beat him they won't beat the DLC so it's all good."

Another FromSoft fan added, "62.2% of players better git gud real quickkk," while a third chuckled, "This is the fastest I have ever run to check my steam achievements. Thankfully I beat him. Lol."

You have two weeks to beat Mohg

This hasn't gone unnoticed by publisher Bandai Namco, which has since posted its own PSA warning players that they have just two weeks to 'git gud' and beat Mohg. Seeing how the Lord of Blood became an aching grind for Kai Cenat during his marathon Elden Ring stream, we don't envy you.

Why Mohg has such a low completion rate is unclear, but remember that Mohg is actually an optional boss. This isn't the only caveat, with Game Director Hidetaka Miyazaki previously warning that both Starscourge Radahn and Mohg have to be beaten before enjoying the DLC. 

Some suggest that we band together to leave our summons and handy hints at Mohg's boss battle in hopes of bolstering the ranks and helping those who want to play Shadow of the Erdtree. If all else fails, you could always get Kai Cenat on the phone and ask how he did it.