Shadow of the Elder Tree Often causes confusion Elden Ring's Basic gameplay. One of the coolest additions is the new way to fight monsters. Martial Artsa new weapon category. At first glance it looks like a fist weapon, but you won't regret giving it a try.
Martial Arts only available in DLC expansion pack Elden Ring, Shadow of the elder tree. This type of weapon is not available in the base game.
How to start martial arts Elden Ring: Shadow of the Eld Tree
If you want to learn martial arts, start with Skadu AtlasYou can usually get there by going through Ensis Castle and defeating Lelana, but there are a few other side routes: visit the Grace Site at Highroad Cross to get a note and gesture, then head east to the Grace Site at Moose Ruins, where the monk in question will be ready to fight you; emote towards him with the “may the best win” gesture and you'll be teleported to a duel with Dryleaf Dane.
Just behind the castle is the Highroad Cross's Blessings, where you'll find a few NPC friends and an item, the Monk's Letter. The Letter also contains the “May the Best Prevail” gesture needed for the quest. The Letter tells you to go east, where a Monk will confront you. You should challenge the Monk without using words. You can also attack the Monk, but he will disappear without flinching. You should actually get close to the Monk and use the “May the Best Prevail” gesture that the Monk taught you. Once you're close enough, Dryleaf Dane will teleport you to the arena and duel you.
Fighting him is a relatively low-poison fight, but be careful of his returning discs and unique move. He will pierce any armor while preparing his Palm Blast, but won't do much damage, so long as you have enough Scouded Tree Shards. Once you've defeated him, return to the bonfire. A message on the ground confirms that Dryleaf Dane is safe. Pick up his hat and Dryleaf Arts item from the ground.
How to use martial arts Elden Ring: Shadow of the Eld Tree
Now that Dryleaf has decided you're ready, you can equip Dryleaf Arts as your primary weapon and start using Hand-to-Hand martial arts. You can press the two-handed button to use this weapon with both hands and unlock an entire moveset. Hand-to-Hand martial arts are a bit slower than standard fist weapons, but have much better range and stagger pressure. They also come with a powerful Palm Blast, a weapon skill that gives you a large amount of Poise before unleashing a large explosive burst.
Dry Leaf Arts are an incredibly versatile weapon, thanks in part to the effectiveness of Palm Blast: you can build up your skills with Godfrey Icons and Alexander Shards to deal heavy damage with your skills, and your light attacks are fast enough to use Millicent's talisman (Rotten Wing Sword Insignia or Millicent's Prosthetic Arm) to rack up damage quickly.
Dryleaf Arts are also standard weapons, so you can buff them to whatever stats you like – for example, making it a heavy weapon will scale it to A Strength at +25, making it perfect for quality builds or as a quick weapon option in any toolkit.
