Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree is still some people’s GOTY

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The Tarnished stands on stone steps, the Erdtree in the background. — Screenshot: FromSoftware / Kotaku

Many games have entered the Game of the Year conversation since Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree became a frontrunner in June. There’s Astro Bot, which some find delightful and others find disgraceful; Black Myth: Wukong, which earns its Soulslike distinction while maintaining merits unique to its ambitions; and Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, my personal GOTY that others have turned into a lightning rod. But, of course, we haven’t left those still enjoying the Elden Ring DLC hanging.

Scroll or click through to catch up on the abundance of Shadow of the Erdtree guides we published over the past week.

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Exercise Some Crowd Control With Shadow Of The Erdtree’s The Gravitational Missile

Simon Erdtree sat upon his steed, his work finally done. He had slain so very many monsters, taken down every typo I mean beast, and edited over 899,000 Erdtree guides I mean something something Elden Ring. It was over. He could finally rest. — Screenshot: FromSoftware / Kotaku

Gravitational Missile is a Sorcery you can find in Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree expansion. Why would you want to? Because this spell is a visual treat that uses gravity to keep enemies pulled in, while dealing damage to them. Any Intelligence build with a focus on gravity magic will definitely want to add this to their repertoire for some stellar crowd control. — Billy Givens

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Fire Sticky Threads Of Gunk At Your Enemies In Shadow Of The Erdtree

Simon Erdtree looked at the entrance to the cave, and couldn't help but think about the lack of an entrance to the cavernous space where his own heart should be. — Screenshot: FromSoftware / Kotaku

Pest-Thread Spears is an Incantation found exclusively in Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree expansion. If you’ve ever been annoyed by the pesky Kindred of Rot enemies that repeatedly fire sticky threads of gunk at you, you’ll be happy to find this spell. It allows you to do the exact same thing right back at them (or any other enemy). Now you can be just as obnoxious as they are. — Billy Givens

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Scream Like A Bear With Shadow Of The Erdtree’s Roar Of Rugalea Incantation

Simon Erdtree stared into the distance, but his eyes were not seeing anything in front of him. Instead they saw only the sadness that lived inside his heart, a sadness he had earned through years of cruelty, and knew would live with him until the day he died. — Screenshot: FromSoftware / Kotaku

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree added a splendid Incantation called Roar of Rugalea. If you enjoy roaring at your foes to deal the hurt and dish out heavy poise damage, whether in the streets or in the game, this powerful spell could be just what you’re looking for. And all you’ll need to do is take down the big bad bear who’s guarding it. — Billy Givens

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The Sword Lance Is A Real Show Of Strength In Shadow Of The Erdtree

Simon Erdtree had never heard of singing. So awful were the lands in which he lived that any attempt at a tune would be immediately fragmented and soured. But in his heart, Simon knew there was more. Simon ordered tickets for Wicked. — Screenshot: FromSoftware / Kotaku

The Sword Lance is a Heavy Thrusting Sword added in Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree expansion. This weapon’s awesome Ash of War and fantastic overall damage output makes it a rock solid choice for Strength builds looking to add some fun flair to their kit. — Billy Givens

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Want Your Shadow Of The Erdtree Build To Get Smarter? Try The Spirit Glaive

Simon Erdtree sat upon his mount, and for a moment allowed his mind to drift. Quickly his vision was filled with hills, castles, a train station, and so many people, colorful people, all holding mystical weaponry, and one of them was a Banana. Simon had been playing a lot of Fortnite. — Screenshot: FromSoftware / Kotaku

The Spirit Glaive is a new Halberd added in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree. This unique weapon has a really cool Ash of War skill attached to it, and can be a fantastic choice for Intelligence builds looking to add some melee flair to their kit. — Billy Givens

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You Can Wear The Armor Of Shadow Of The Erdtree’s Final Boss, But You Have To Beat Him First

Simon Erdtree is on holiday. — Screenshot: FromSoftware / Kotaku

The Young Lion’s Armor Set is exclusive to Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree expansion. It’s the armor worn by Radahn in the DLC’s final showdown, and it’s no doubt one of the coolest and most unique sets in the game. With good damage negation at a fairly reasonable weight cost, this might be one to keep an eye on for builds that prioritize both offensive and defensive capabilities. — Billy Givens

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Fight A Golden Hippo, Get A Thorny Incantation, In Shadow Of The Erdtree

Simon Erdtree stands before the statue of the mighty Lord ArmsForAHat, and realises every choice he's ever made has been really dumb. — Screenshot: FromSoftware / Kotaku

Shadow of the Erdtree, the one and only DLC for Elden Ring, adds Aspects of the Crucible: Thorns, a new, powerful Incantation for those looking to damage multiple enemies at once, and looking awesome doing it. — Billy Givens

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Rellana’s Armor Lets You Dress As One Of Shadow Of The Erdtree’s Coolest Bosses

Simon Erdtree was having a good day. The Dark Thoughts were leaving him alone for once, and he'd just killed a horrible monster who really had it coming. Just now, just in this moment, Simon felt that maybe things would be OK. They wouldn't. — Screenshot: FromSoftware / Kotaku

Shadow of the Erdtree added a fresh set of armor, Rellana’s Armor Set. This unique armor can only be obtained by defeating one of the DLC’s bosses, and then making a purchase from an NPC, so you’ll need to put in a bit of work if you’d like to sport it for yourself. — Billy Givens

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Grab One Of Shadow Of The Erdtree’s Best Shields, Guarded By A Ghost

Simon Erdtree held the shield upside down as a sign of the way he experienced the world. His anguish needed an outlet, but his ability to express himself was so repressed that it could only leak out in the most pathetic of gestures. — Screenshot: FromSoftware / Kotaku

The Serpent Crest Shield is a Medium Shield added in Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree expansion. It’s an excellent choice for those seeking full physical blocking abilities without being weighed down by one of the game’s massive Greatshields. We highly recommend you snag when possible. — Billy Givens

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Where To Find Shadow Of The Erdtree’s Heaviest Outfit, The Solitude Armor

Simon Erdtree put on the Solitude Armor not for protection, but out of a fear of being known. His outward bravado had always been a lie, something to disguise the turmoil within. But no set of armor could protect him from the dark thoughts. — Screenshot: FromSoftware / Kotaku

The Solitude Armor Set in Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree expansion is a hulking armor that not only looks cool but also provides you with some of the best damage negation around. This makes it an incredible choice for tanky builds looking to make the most of any excess equip load at their disposal. If that sounds like something your character can handle, don’t miss out on this set. — Billy Givens

We’re Still Deep Into Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree

We’re Still Deep Into Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree

Some folks still consider the massive DLC Game of the Year. And, well, we’ve got guides for those people

Exercise Some Crowd Control With Shadow Of The Erdtree’s The Gravitational Missile

Exercise Some Crowd Control With Shadow Of The Erdtree’s The Gravitational Missile

Fire Sticky Threads Of Gunk At Your Enemies In Shadow Of The Erdtree

Fire Sticky Threads Of Gunk At Your Enemies In Shadow Of The Erdtree

Scream Like A Bear With Shadow Of The Erdtree’s Roar Of Rugalea Incantation

Scream Like A Bear With Shadow Of The Erdtree’s Roar Of Rugalea Incantation

The Sword Lance Is A Real Show Of Strength In Shadow Of The Erdtree

The Sword Lance Is A Real Show Of Strength In Shadow Of The Erdtree

Want Your Shadow Of The Erdtree Build To Get Smarter? Try The Spirit Glaive

Want Your Shadow Of The Erdtree Build To Get Smarter? Try The Spirit Glaive

You Can Wear The Armor Of Shadow Of The Erdtree’s Final Boss, But You Have To Beat Him First

You Can Wear The Armor Of Shadow Of The Erdtree’s Final Boss, But You Have To Beat Him First

Fight A Golden Hippo, Get A Thorny Incantation, In Shadow Of The Erdtree

Fight A Golden Hippo, Get A Thorny Incantation, In Shadow Of The Erdtree

Rellana’s Armor Lets You Dress As One Of Shadow Of The Erdtree’s Coolest Bosses

Rellana’s Armor Lets You Dress As One Of Shadow Of The Erdtree’s Coolest Bosses

Grab One Of Shadow Of The Erdtree’s Best Shields, Guarded By A Ghost

Grab One Of Shadow Of The Erdtree’s Best Shields, Guarded By A Ghost

Where To Find Shadow Of The Erdtree’s Heaviest Outfit, The Solitude Armor

Where To Find Shadow Of The Erdtree’s Heaviest Outfit, The Solitude Armor