ELDEN RING Tarnished Edition Wiki — Guides, Bosses & DLC

ELDEN RING Tarnished Edition is the Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive bundle containing the full ELDEN RING base game, the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion and the new Tarnished Pack. It launches on August 28, 2026 for $79.99 and includes two exclusive starting classes (Heavy Knight and Idus Knight), four armor sets, four weapons and three Torrent skins not found in any other edition.

Create a Tarnished, choose one of 10 starting classes (or the two new Tarnished Pack classes), then follow the golden guidance across the open world. You fight with light and heavy attacks, dodge-roll to avoid damage, block and parry with a shield, and spend runes at Sites of Grace to level up. The game supports both docked play and handheld mode on Nintendo Switch 2 at 60 FPS.

There are over 100 bosses in ELDEN RING Tarnished Edition when you combine the base game and the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion. The base game alone has around 80 field bosses and dungeon bosses, while the DLC adds more than 20 new fights including Messmer the Impaler and the Promised Consort Radahn, plus dozens of smaller foes and minibosses across the Land of Shadow.

For most new players the Vagabond is the best starting class — it comes with heavy armor, a strong early sword and high Vigor and Endurance, making it forgiving for learning combat. The new Heavy Knight from the Tarnished Pack is a strong alternative for Strength builds, while the Samurai suits players who want a katana and bleed damage from the start. Wretch is the hardest start for experienced players only.

The fastest rune farm in the game is the Mohgwyn Palace bird cliff — shoot the bird across the chasm with a bow to make it run off the edge for about 13,000 runes per kill. The Albinauric crowd near the same Palace Approach Ledge-Road grace gives around 40,000+ runes per run when cleared with the Sacred Relic Sword's Wave of Gold. Equip the Gold-Pickled Fowl Foot before each run and wear the Golden Scarab talisman for a 20% bonus.

To enter the Land of Shadow you must defeat two major bosses: Starscourge Radahn in Caelid and Mohg, Lord of Blood in the Mohgwyn Palace. After both are dead, travel to Mohg's arena and touch the withered arm hanging from Miquella's cocoon — you will be transported to the DLC area. It is strongly recommended to be around level 120-150 and to collect Scadutree Fragments in the DLC, as the blessing levels they grant dramatically increase your damage and defense.

The Tarnished Pack is the Switch 2 edition's exclusive content bundle, also sold separately for about €4.99. It adds two new starting classes — the Heavy Knight and the Idus Knight — each with their own armor and starting weapon, plus four armor sets, four weapons and three Torrent skins. Two extra armor sets and two weapons from the pack are discovered in-game rather than given at the start.

Yes. Up to three players can play together online in ELDEN RING Tarnished Edition. Use a Furlcalling Finger Remedy at a Summoning Pool to see gold summon signs, or place your own with the Tarnished's Furled Finger to join other worlds. Co-op partners help with bosses and exploration, but be aware that you can be invaded by hostile players in most areas — the game's PvP invasion system is always active while online.

For Intelligence builds, Moonveil is the top katana thanks to its weapon skill, and the Dark Moon Greatsword is the best greatsword for that stat. Blasphemous Blade dominates Faith builds with lifesteal on its weapon skill. Rivers of Blood is the strongest bleed weapon for Arcane builds. For raw Strength, the Greatsword (also known as Guts' sword) with heavy infusion and the new Tarnished Pack weapons are excellent options that scale to the endgame.

Yes — it is arguably the best value edition of the game. You get the complete ELDEN RING experience, the award-winning Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, and the Switch 2 exclusive Tarnished Pack for the same $79.99 price as the original base game at launch. With 30 million copies of the base game sold, handheld mode at 60 FPS and the exclusive classes, it is a compelling package for both newcomers and returning players.