All status effects and how they expanded in Shadow Of The Erdtree

Elden RingThe combat system includes unique damage types called “status effects“composed of seven different”conditions“that affect players and NPCs in various ways, and Shadow of the Erd Tree expanded these status effects by adding new items and areas. Tarnished will encounter these unique status effects as they explore the Lands Between and the Shadow Realm. Effects increase over time on a status bar and begin dealing damage after reaching the limit. Status effects can be used to the benefit of the Tarnished depending on the type of Buffs/Debuffs and other equipment they have equipped.

Status effects can result from weapon and shield abilities or passives, specific environments or regions (typically for lore-related reasons), spells or enchantments, consumables, and more. The DLC has expanded the library of available items that implement status effect stackingas well as status effects found in environments like The Abyssal Woodsa new region infested with madness in Shadow of the Erd Tree. Understanding each of these statuses, how to neutralize them, where to avoid them, and when they can be used to the benefit of the Spotted will make exploring the Middle Lands and Shadowlands much more manageable.

1

Toxic

Deadly poison: lethal potential of the poison

Once the Poison effect reaches its limit, it inflicts a small amount of damage (based on the weapon used) every second for an extended period or until the effect is removed/cured with spells such as Cure Poison

or consumables such as Neutralizing Boluses

. Poison also has an advanced variant called Deadly Poisonwhich deals approximately twice as much damage as normal Poison, but for a third of the time. Shadow of the Erd Tree added many Deadly Poison items, including the Poisoned Hand

and the Tooth Whip

which trigger certain poison-dependent passive buffs more frequently than the normal variant.

The Poisoned Hand and Madding Hand fist weapons can be equipped on the off-hand to take advantage of their passive abilities, even if the player doesn’t have the necessary stats to use them. For example, the Poisoned Hand requires 28 Arcana, but can be equipped offhand to increase passive damage even with an Arcane score below 28.

Poison effects can be enhanced with items such as Mushroom Crown

and self-inflicting poison damage with items like the Raw Meat Dumpling

players can activate passives from Poisoned Hand and Members of the Exultation of Rot

. Poison also scales with Arcane, increasing the rate at which the effect accumulates on enemiesalthough the resulting damage is the same. To resist the poison, players must invest stat points in Stamina and focus on increasing Immunity. In the Middle Lands, Poison is encountered when facing Miranda Sprouts, while exploring the Ruins of Witchcraft

or The Shadow Castle

or in the DLC’s Belurat Tower Settlement in the sewers.

2

Scarlet Rot

Rotting From the Inside: Scarlet Rot’s Corrosive Effects

Although Scarlet Rot is similar to Poison, deals damage over time based on the target’s maximum HP — damage does not increase with the weapon being used. Scarlet Rot deals damage faster than Poisonlasting a little less time. Tarnished will be more than familiar with this status effect after traveling through Caelid or certain areas of the Shadowlands, such as the Church of the Button. Preserving Boluses

or spells like Law of Regression

can be used to mitigate or cure the effects of Scarlet Rot, as well as high immunity.

Defensively speaking, the Clean Rot Spear

The passive ability increases immunity by 50 and helps mitigate poison and rot. SOTE expanded the many options for dealing Scarlet Rot damage with spells like Rotten butterflies

and the Poisonous Flower blooms twice Ashes of War

. Players will also find the Button Poleblade

at the Button Church in the Land of Shadows. Why Poison and Scarlet Rot are quite similar in the way they workequipment such as Mushroom Crown

, Poisoned Hand

and the Members of the Exultation of Rot

talisman works well in a build that incorporates any of them.

3

Blood loss (hemorrhage)

Hemorrhagic Shock: Managing Blood Loss

Blood loss, also known as hemorrhage in Elden Ring, works very differently from Poison and Rot and is arguably one of the most effective build types in the game (FromSoftware has updated many Bleed-based mechanics since launch). To inflict bleeding, the blood loss must exceed the target’s Stamina level, which immediately causes harm based on maximum HP and up to +200 additional damage based on the weapon used, such as Morgott’s Cursed Sword

. Furthermore, Hemorrhage combined with high Arcane will exponentially multiply damage output, especially when combined with blood-based equipment such as the White Mask

and Rivers of Blood

.

Blood loss is an integral part of Elden Ring and Shadow of the Erd Treewith bosses like Mohg, Lord of Blood

the Ancient Dragon Man and the Blood Demon Boss

. To mitigate blood loss, invest in Endurance for greater robustness, which will increase the amount of bleeding the Spotted can withstand, or maintain some Stop Bolus

available. For builds that incorporate multiple bleed effects, the Exultation of the Lord of Blood

Increases attack power by 20% for 20 seconds when blood loss occurs nearby. Another essential set comes from SOTE, Ansbach set

with each piece increasing bleed damage by 3–5%.

4

Freezing

Frozen in Fear: Frostbite’s Paralyzing Grip

Unlike previous status effects, Frostbite deals a small amount of damage once inflicted, but increases damage taken by 20% for thirty seconds. Importantly, the effect will not begin to increase again until the thirty seconds wear off or the Debuff is removed. Frostbite has unique properties and can (logically) be removed by interacting with any fire source, such as Call, clean me

or The Deadly Sin of Fire

. For Manchados without quick access to fire, Thawing bolus

and Invigorating Cured Meat

will help. Similar to blood loss, frostbite can be further mitigated with high toughness, increased through the toughness stat.

Spotted whoever explored the top of the mountains of the giants will remember Borealis, the freezing fog

and his Frostbite Enchantment, Borealis Mist

. Some interesting SOTE additions to the Frostbite catalog include the Putrescence Cleaver

and the Vortex of Putrescence

fell from Putrescent Knight

at the entrance to the Santa Trina cave. Frostbite can also be found in the Land of Shadows when facing the many Ghost Dragons, as well as the Demi-Human Swordmaster Eleven in Belurat Gaol. An important caveat: although it may seem like it should, Frostbite does not scale with Intelligencealthough many Frostbite weapons deal magic damage.

5

Sleep

Restless rest: disruptive consequences of sleep

True to its name, Sleep is a status effect that puts enemies asleep or in a vulnerable state that opens them up to critical attacks. Once the sleep meter is full, the target will be unable to move or attack, and Tarnished can flee or take Critical Damage, after which the enemy will wake up. In Shadow of the Erd Treethis mechanic was expanded to an advanced form, Eternal Sleep. It works similarly to Sleep, but the enemy will not wake up after being attacked and will not be subject to a Critical Attack.

In addition to Deep Sleep, SOTE has introduced several sleep-related items such as Santa Trina Flower

, Santa Trina smile

the Santa Trina’s Velvet Sword

and the Always sleep skill, as well as an entire area dedicated to Santa Trina herself, the Garden of Deep Purple. Both Sleep and Eternal Sleep have some peculiarities: the effect has a chance to cause the enemy to wake up awake in the middle of the animation, returning to combat and resetting the status bar. Sleep is mitigated mainly by Focus, which is enhanced by the Mind, but Stimulant Boluses

and spells like Lucidity

also counteract the effects.

6

Craziness

Destroyed sanity: madness and its consequences

The Madness status effect is one that, once activated, deals damage based on maximum HP and also drains a percentage of the target’s FP. Additionally, an animation will play where targets expel yellow flames from their eyes and clutch their heads in anguish. Elden Ring veterans probably remember the Elden RingThe end of Frenzied Flame, Shabriri, and the infamous and maddening Frenzy-Flaming Tower. The DLC expanded this element with Midra Lord of the Frenzied Flame

and the surroundings of the Abyssal Forest. As with Sleep, Focus can be increased to combat the buildup of Madness by investing stat points into Mind or using Clarifying Boluses

.

Shadow of the Erd Tree also gave players a treasure trove of new Madness-based gear to build, like the Crazy hand

, Black Cupcake

and The Exultation of the Elderly

which increase damage when Madness is activated nearby. Tarnished can activate passive effects using Shabriri’s Howl

pots of Frenzied Flame or with items such as Nanaya’s Torch

. Tarnished will need to navigate the Abyssal Forest to get their hands on this new Madness gearand defeat or sneak past a particularly challenging and madness-affected enemy, the Aged Untouchable, one of which can be defeated with a well-timed attack to the talisman above.

7

Death Plague

Eternal Darkness: Unleashing the Power of the Death Plague

Of all the status effects in Elden Ring, Death Blight is in a league of its own. Crucially, it only works in Tarnished, meaning it’s not a viable build type for PvE. When the effect is activated, the Tarnished is impaled by thorns and suffers Instant Death. Death Blight is most famous in Deeproot Depths and Crumbling Farum Azula, and in several locations where the terrifying Wormface enemies are found. While SOTE did not introduce any equipment or items from Death Blight, the Divine Beast Dancing Lion

in the Ancient Ruins of Ruah inflicts the Death Plague in its second phase.

To resist Instant Death, players will want to increase Vitality, which directly reduces Death Blight vulnerability. Increasing the Arcanum will increase Vitality, but the Pustule of the Prince of Death

talisman, Fia Set

, Lusat Set

and the Deathbed dress

are also viable options. A unique weapon of Death Blight is the Hotel Eclipse

ability, Death Beacon

great for PvP. The Death Plague is also mitigated with Rejuvenating Boluses

and Spotted must be extremely cautious when approaching enemies that use Death Blight. Whether poison, rot, or deadly plague, understanding Elden RingStatus effects will aid the Tarnished on their journey through the Lands Between.