How to get Martial Arts in Elden Ring Shadow Of The Erdtree

Looking for Martial Arts in Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree? One of the new weapon types in Elden Ring's massive DLC takes away all of the blades and bludgeons to leave your Tarnished with just the pure power of their limbs. While Fist Weapons are already a thing in Elden Ring, Hand-to-Hand Arts are an exciting new variant in Shadow Of The Erdtree for players who want to go all-in on melee fisticuffs.

It can be a little tricky to find your first Hand-to-Hand weapon, however, especially if you’re speeding through the Lands of Shadow. In this guide, we’ll give you a rundown of Hand-to-Hand Martial Arts in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree and explain what you need to do to unlock your first pair of handwraps.

How to get Martial Arts in Elden Ring Shadow Of The Erdtree

Thus far, there are only two Hand-To-Hand Arts that we’ve managed to find in Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree. Both of them revolve around interacting with Dryleaf Dane, a martial arts practitioner and monk of the Dryleaf Sect. You’ll first encounter Dryleaf Dane after progressing through Castle Ensis and entering Scadu Altus, which is where you can find your first Hand-To-Hand Art.

Dryleaf Arts

Upon entering Scadu Altus and reaching the Highroad Cross Site of Grace, pick up the items on thr ground and check your inventory. You should have a cryptic message dubbed the Monk’s Missive. This challenge, from Dryleaf Dane himself, invites the Tarnished to take him on in a quick sparring match: "Seek me to the east if you wish to pursue the way of the warrior."

Dryleaf Dane never specifies where in the east, but once you reach the Moorth Ruins Site of Grace you’ll find him standing there, all taciturn and broody. If you talk with him, he won’t say a word. Instead, you’ll need to use the "May The Best Win" gesture in front of him to initiate combat. You should have acquired the gesture at the same time you received the Monk’s Missive.

Once the gesture is performed, you’ll be transported to an otherworldly space and Dryleaf Dane will attack. He’s fast and has some nasty kicks, but a well-timed series of melee attacks will defeat him without too much trouble. Once he’s gone, you’ll receive the Dryleaf Arts.

Equipping the Dryleaf Arts lets you deliver potent punches, flying spin kicks, and backhand attacks to enemies. When compared to a regular weapon, the damage isn’t major, but you can string together a combo of several attacks in rapid succession. The Dryleaf Arts also come with the cool skill Palm Blast, which costs 11 FP and lets you gather energy in your hand before delivering it outwards in an explosive strike, reminiscent of Bruce Lee or Ip Man.

What other Martial Arts are in Shadow Of The Erdtree?

If you’re into fighting with your fists and feet, the Dryleaf Arts will serve you well for much of Shadow Of The Erdtree. You’ll be able to obtain another Hand-To-Hand weapon, Dane’s Footwork, late in the game. Spoiler below!

Dane’s Footwork boasts the same initial stats as Dryleaf Arts but provide better upgrade scaling. The footwraps also offer a greater emphasis on back-breaking kicks, and a much more potent version of Palm Blast that can barrel through enemies for 14 FP.

Using Hand-To-Hand Martial Arts in Elden Ring Shadow Of The Erdtree

Hand-To-Hand Arts have a lot of potential for the player who enjoys raking up combos and applying a constant stream of damage. If you preferred the combat of Sekiro (or perhaps the Bone Fist from Dark Souls 2), you might be at home here. For instance, you’ll need to use the Dryleaf Arts light attack to repeatedly poke an enemy, then alternate to the heavy flying spin kick to break their attacks and stagger them. Land a good hit, mix in a Palm Blast, and watch chunks of an enemy’s health bar fly off in rapid succession.

If an enemy interrupts your attack pattern, however, you’re a sitting duck. There’s also no range whatsoever with the Hand-To-Hand Arts, so you’d better be prepared to get up close and roll out of the way a lot. Nevertheless, close combatants and those experimenting with spellsword builds may find much to love with the Hand-To-Hand Arts thanks to the sheer speed that this new weapon type offers.

That finishes our look at Hand-To-Hand Arts. For more on new weapon types in Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree, take a look at our guides to Light Greatswords, Perfume Bottles, and Throwing Blades. If you need help with the DLC's new quests, then we've also got guides for the Leda, Ymir and Thiollier questlines that will come in handy if you're stuck.