Elden Ring DLC players can win this speedrunner's $10,000 Shadow of the Erdtree bounty, but only if they're fast enough

What you need to know

• The popular Elden Ring speedrunner Distortion2 is holding a special competition for players who can speedrun the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC while following some strict rules.
• Specifically, players have to compete to see who can speedrun the expansion with the fastest time while staying at Level 1 and only using DLC weapons to kill all 10 of its major bosses. Some additional conditions are covered in the text below.
• This challenge has a $10,000 prize pool (with donations adding to it), and the 1st place winner will take home the lion's share: $4,000.
• The competition is active until August 11 at 9:59 p.m. PT / August 12 at 12:59 a.m. ET, so make sure you submit a run before then if you're serious about competing. The Discord server Distortion2 made for it is linked below, and should be joined if you're interested.

Since its launch in 2022, FromSoftware's colossal open world action RPG Elden Ring has had a lively community of speedrunners — players who aim to finish games as fast as they possibly can, and often with restrictions that make their attempts far more difficult than they'd be otherwise. The recent release of the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC has made it even more active, and thanks to a new challenge issued by one of the game's best speedrunners, skilled players have an opportunity to win the lion's share of a five-figure sum.

I'm referring to "Rune Level 1 DLC%," a challenge from former world record holder Distortion2 that stipulates a cash prize pool of $10,000 will be split between the top 10 players who beat every major boss in Shadow of the Erdtree with the fastest times while following some strict rules (watch his video for full details). Specifically, only runs in which players complete the DLC by killing every major Remembrance boss (and Bayle the Dread ) while at Level 1 and while only using DLC weapons and spells with limited upgrades from Scadutree Fragments will be qualified and eligible for entry. You'll also need to use a save file provided by Distortion2 on the challenge's Discord server , which is positioned just before the start of Shadow of the Erdtree and comes with base game talismans and Flask of Wondrous Physick tears you're permitted to use.

The basic rules state that you can only increase your Shadow Realm Blessing level to increase damage dealt and reduce damage taken once per boss kill — Remembrance or otherwise. That means you could theoretically get all 20 upgrades by killing lots of side bosses during your run, though this would eat up a lot of time; to maximize speed, I expect that the best runners will prioritize Remembrance boss kills over Scadutree Fragment buffs.

There's no set route you have to take, so you're free to challenge all 10 of the DLC's main bosses in any order you want to. Since some bosses are far more accessible than others — quite a few are gated behind miniboss fights, and one requires an NPC questline completion — I'd wager challenge runners will focus on defeating the easiest-to-reach ones first before moving on to other ones.

- Elden Ring DLC review
- 10 best Elden Ring DLC builds
- Scadutree Fragment locations
- Elon Musk's build in the DLC
- Hand-to-hand martial arts
- One-shot the final boss

You're also free to use any DLC weapon or spell that you want, though even with help from stat-boosting talismans and Physick tears, many will be difficult to reach the stat requirements for at Level 1. I'm expecting some of Shadow of the Erdtree's early and easy-to-wield weapons like the Backhand Blades, Beast Claw, and Milady to be popular choices, but ultimately, that's just a guess from someone who could never hope to win this contest in a million years. I'm good at Soulsborne games, but not that good.

With all base game weapons and spells off the table, it will be interesting to see what strategies develop in the coming days. That restriction bans fan-favorite speedrunning weapons like the Uchigatana, Star Fist, and the Serpent-Hunter that've dominated the scene ever since Elden Ring came out, so I'm looking forward to whatever fresh and creative builds come out of this.

The challenge is active until August 11 at 9:59 p.m. PT / August 12 at 12:59 a.m. ET, so if you intend to compete, you'll need to submit a run before then. Whoever gets 1st place will take home $4,000 — the lion's share of the prize pool. 2nd-5th place winners will split another $5,000, with 6-10th ones getting $200 each. Donations made to Distortion2 while the competition is running are also being added to a bonus prize pool that's currently up to $2,595.

Whether you're serious about participating in this challenge or just want to keep up with who's at the top of the leaderboard, don't forget to join the Discord Distortion2 made for it using the link I included above. It's got a full list of all the rules you need to be aware of, tutorials for how to use speedrunning tools necessary for time verification, and a leaderboard channel where the best times of qualifying completions will be displayed.

The Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC is finally here, and it makes one of the best Xbox games and best PC games of all time even better. It's out now on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, and Windows PC for $39.99.

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree | $35.49 at CDKeys (Xbox)

Shadow of the Erdtree is Elden Ring at its most refined, with the base game's overly formulaic elements cut away and some of FromSoftware's best boss fights. The result is a 40-hour-long masterpiece of a DLC that's an absolute must-play for any Soulsborne fan.

Also see: Shadow of the Erdtree (PC, $37.59) | Deluxe Edition (PC, $92.29)

Collector's Edition: Bandai Namco Store (€249.99)