How to boost your defense and damage mitigation in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree

Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree is a significant step up in terms of difficulty compared to the base game. And in order to make sure that you don't get one or two-shotted by every single enemy in the DLC, you'll have to boost your Tarnished's defenses. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to boost your overall defense and damage mitigation in Elden Ring.

In terms of combat difficulty, Shadow of the Erdtree is quite comparable to the end-game regions of the base game, a la Mountaintop of the Giants, Crumbling Farum Azula, and Miquella's Haligtree. However, due to a separate progression system, i.e., the Scadutree Blessings, the DLC can often feel a lot more punishing.

Nevertheless, if you make sure that your Tarnished's damage mitigation and defenses are high enough, you can go through the DLC without much hassle. Here's how you can raise defenses and damage mitigation in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree.

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Tips to increase your defense and damage mitigation in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree

There are multiple ways through which you can increase your damage mitigation during combat. Some of these methods offer a temporary boost to your overall defenses, while others can offer a more permanent increase to your resistance and defense stats. The best, and perhaps the most effective, way to boost your defense is to collect the Scadutree Fragments.

The Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman is a must if you want to boost your defenses in Elden Ring Shdaow of the Erdtree (Image via FromSoftware)

Exclusive to the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, the Scadutree Fragments allow you to receive Scadutree Blessings, which offer a permanent boost to your attack power, resistances, and defense stats.

The Scadutree Blessings max out at 20, with the first half offering a significant bump to your stats and the second half essentially plateauing based on your character level. Additionally, the Scadutree Blessings carry over to your New Game+ playthroughs. However, they are only in effect within the Shadow Realm. They don't have any effect outside it, i.e., the base game of Elden Ring.

Now, if you're looking for a more permanent and persistent boost for your defensive stats, you have to rely on leveling up your Tarnished and also defense-boosting Talismans, a la Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman, Pearldrake, etc.

The Pearldrake Talisman +3 increases your defenses against non-physical damage (Image via FromSoftware)

Additionally, if you're looking for something to boost your defenses right before you head into a boss fight, I can't recommend the Boiled Prawns enough. You can buy it from Blackguard Big Boggart. Lastly, I also recommend using the Opaline Bubbletear or the Opaline Hardtear in Mixed Physick to get a temporary defense boost.