Shadow Lands Game Progress Route | Elden Ring Wiki
Game Progress Route for Shadow of the Erdtree is a recommended progression path for the main campaign of the game expansion. This progression guide maps out the optimal path to take in Realm of Shadow in search of Miquella. This page will contain a list of points of interest, quest objectives, important NPCs, Items, and many more without too much backtracking. It also contains a quick look at the main story progression that will lead the player to reach a specific ending of the game. For a detailed guide on fully completing the DLC, visit the Walkthrough page.
SOTE Progression Helpful Links
- Please see Shadow of the Erdtree Interactive Map and Maps for specific location details on all items.
- Please see Side Quests for NPC questlines.
- Please see Recommended Level by Location for level-based advancement
- The recommended level for the DLC is Level 150+, but players may try completing the expansion at Level 100 - Level 120. This depends on the player's base game progression. See Elden Ring Builds for ideas.
Shadow of the Erdtree Game Progress Route
You can advance the game however you want. This progress route attempts to maximize quest and lore enjoyment, and keep progression crescendo of the main events by breaking them up to complete side-content.
- For the Elden Ring Base Game Route Guide, please visit the Game Progress Route page.
- Please note: The recommended level is not a determination of how hard an area is. It's following available materials and the natural progression of the game so far.
- This playthrough doesn't follow every NPC and doesn't mention all side contents like bosses and quests interactions.
Gravesite Plain (Central)
Recommended Scadutree Blessing Rank: 1-3~ Revered Spirit Ash Blessing: 1-3~
- Activate Site of Grace
- Pick up Map: Gravesite Plain
- Fight Logur, the Beast Claw who drops the Beast Claw (Southeast of the first Site of Grace)
- Visit the Church of Consolation
- Go to Scorched Ruins and activate Site of Grace
- Get the Larval Tear at the very edge of Gravesite Plain, east of Scorched Ruins (nighttime only)
- Go to Western Nameless Mausoleum and defeat Blackgaol Knight
- Get the Sacred Tower Painting
- Defeat the Furnace Golem
- Go to the Three-Path Cross Site of Grace north of Scorched Ruins talk to Redmane Freyja and Hornsent
- Optional: Travel north to discover Abandoned Ailing Village and defeat the field boss: Ghostflame Dragon
- Take the Larval Tear south of Abandoned Ailing Village in an illuminated gravesite (nighttime only)
- Explore Belurat Gaol and Defeat the Side Boss: Demi-Human Swordmaster Onze
While in this area, be on the lookout for a Curseblade, this is an enemy with two blades that will attack you. After defeating it, head south this time and follow the dirt path. You can summon Torrent here so you can cover more distance. You can also pick up items along the way to help with crafting like Redflesh Mushroom, Whiteflesh Mushroom, and Rada Fruit on the ground. You will also encounter shadow enemies here that can attack you while riding your mount. Stay on this dirt path and continue up until you see the thick woods to the south.
Stray from the dirt path for a bit and go into the woods. Listen and follow the bird sounds while in this area. You will come across a hostile NPC called Logur the Beast Claw in the middle of the woods. This NPC drops the Beast Claw (Weapon) upon defeating it.
Return to the dirt path and continue until you see a broken cart and dead bodies. Take a moment here to pick up the following items: Glass Shard, Black Pyrefly, and x10 Arrow. Then, continue following the dirt path until you reach the area outside the Church of Consolation. You can pick up Dewgem on top of the stones surrounding the church and in the area close to the nearby waterfall. You can follow the cliff wall going north, in which you will find a corpse containing a Blessing of Marika surrounded by Messmer Soldiers. Go back to the church, and you will find a Black Pyrefly behind it.
Inside the church, you will find a Black Knight patrolling the aisle. It's up to you if you want to kill it or you can go around the church, stay crouched, and sneak in front of the altar to pick up x2 Scadutree Fragment. However, if you opt to defeat the enemy, you can obtain Black Steel Greathammer, Black Knight Helm, and Smithing Stone [6] as a reward. Then, take the Scadutree Fragment in front of the altar. You can use this to level up your Scadutree Blessing while resting on a Site of Grace. Outside the church, there's a small camp of Messmer Soldiers to the east. You can eliminate these soldiers for a chance to loot a piece of their armor and then go inside the round tent to pick up x2 Fire Coil from a corpse. This is your last stop in the southern area.
Return to the dirt path and head north this time. Stay close to the right side where you can pick up a Larval Tear at the edge of the cliff here. See Shadow of the Erdtree Map. This item can only be picked up at night and can be found in the center of a small illuminated gravesite.
When you're done here, scale the edge and proceed to the northeastern cliff where you see the waterfall. Go to the small altar and pick up the Revered Spirit Ash, this is also a new item that lets you boost Spirit Ashes beyond +10 and increase the durability and damage dealt by Torrent within the realm of shadow. From the small altar, continue exploring Gravesite Plain by sticking to the edge of the map. You will come across a small gravesite area with Shadow Undead enemies. Make sure to eliminate the glimmering Shadowpot to get the Scadutree Fragment drop See it on the SOTE Map and other crafting materials. You can also pick up a Spiritgrave Stone from one of the stone heads and x3 Black Pyrefly on the ground.
After that, head west to reach Scorched Ruins. This is a small area where you can fight some enemies and pick up important items and the first thing you will do is to activate the Site of Grace found north of the building. If you have been following this Walkthrough, take the time to use the Revered Spirit Ash and Scadutree Fragment you collected while resting on the Site of Grace.
From the Scorched Ruins - Site of Grace, walk beneath the building and go over to the southern side. Turn around and climb the stairs to your left, and take the Hefty Cracked Pot from the corpse. This is a material that can be used for crafting cracked pot items. You can also loot other crafting items on the ground here. Continue to your right and take the stairs to the destroyed room. Then, pick up the Greater Potentate's Cookbook [1] from a corpse on the stairs here. Next, go inside the broken building and look for the corpse hidden within jars by destroying it. You can pick up the Shadow Realm Rune here. Go to the second floor and walk towards the enemies attacking you from the opposite building. Cross the roof to the other side and pick up Black Pyrefly behind this room. Then, go back to the front of this room and open the door to reveal a chest containing the Blade of Mercy (Talisman). After that, drop down to the balcony below it. Jump to the next platform and pick up the Bone Dart from a corpse. This is the quick coverage of Scorched Ruins.
The next location is an optional dungeon where you can fight a boss for a reward. Head west where you see white withered trees in the distance. As you get near a tall gravestone, 2 Gravebirds will swoop down to attack you. Continue traveling west and go past the glowing Blue Worm creatures. Continue riding Torrent until you reach the Western Nameless Mausoleum. You can go inside this building to defeat the Blackgaol Knight and earn the Greatsword of Solitude and Solitude Set as a reward.
After fighting the Blackgaol Knight, return to Scorched Ruins - Site of Grace and then continue exploring the northeastern side by scaling the edge of the plain. Keep an eye out for a cave here with a glowing light. Go inside the cave and interact with The Sacred Tower Painting. See the location on Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree Map. As you head back outside, you will come across Inquisitor enemies who use Fire and Magic. Go toward the small altar with 4 pillars located behind this pack of enemies to pick up the Backhand Blade. Continue along the cliff and take the Grave Glovewort from the corpse on the stone. You might come across a Gravebird here again.
Back to the dirt path along Scorched Ruins, you will encounter the Furnace Golem, an elite enemy that drops runes, Deflecting Hardtear, and Furnace Visage upon death. You will also see more of this enemy in other locations, but each of them has a unique tear drop. This enemy will also start throwing projectiles at you if you get too close.
- The Furnace Golem can be tough to beat because of the wide AoE attacks that it can do. It will take some time to get used to but the movement is slow and can be dodged by timing it with a jump before its foot hits the ground. If you're having a hard time, you can ride Torrent while fighting this boss and then focus on attacking the legs. You can take advantage of Torrent's double jump so you can have more air time.
Proceed north by tracing the dirt path and stop where you see a trace of light glowing from the ground, and some figures are gathered near it. Head towards them and make sure to activate the Three-Path Cross Site of Grace here. Talk to the NPCs, who you will come to know as followers of Miquella. Just like Needle Knight Leda said, these followers will offer help in your journey in tracing Miquella's footsteps. You can pick up an Empyrean-Blood Burgeon and a Scadutree Fragment on the ground next to the cross. Interact with the NPCs here and make sure to exhaust the dialogues of Hornsent to receive the Cross Map from him. The other NPC is Redmane Freyja who you can speak with to get more info about Hornsent. Exhaust her dialogues before you continue exploring the northernmost area.
From the Three-Path Cross Site of Grace, head to the area below the greatbridge. Look for a path on the left side and carefully jump down. Stick to the wall and take the Ash of War: Savage Lion's Claw from a small camp here. Then, face the east direction toward the bridge to find a way to the lower area here. While going down, at night, you can see the blue glow of a Larval Tear. You can also go to the Run-Down Traveler's Rest, which is directly below the bridge and you can pick up the Greater Potentate's Cookbook [2] inside. When you're done here, you can travel north to reach your next destination, which is the Abandoned Ailing Village.
To reach Abandoned Ailing Village, stick to the edge of the cliff here and travel north. Continue until you reach a dead-end where you will find a small altar with the Revered Spirit Ash. Eliminate the nearby giant moths so you can safely take this item. Then, circle back and go to the ramp so you can activate the Greatbridge, North - Site of Grace.
You will see a ghost facedown on the ground ahead of you. Interact with it before you proceed to Abandoned Ailing Village. Go to the edge of the cliff behind the ghost and pick up the Human Bone Shard from a corpse. Continue walking at the edge and you will find another corpse on the wooden platform where you can obtain the Ailment Talisman. Before leaving this area, go to the other side of the houses (across the ghost) and you will find a Broken Rune from a corpse.
You can now travel west toward the lake and you will see a Ghostflame Dragon in the distance. There's a summoning pool that you can activate if you want to use it. Defeating this boss will reward you with x1 Dragon Heart and x1 Somber Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone. See the Ghostflame Dragon for information and strategies to defeating this boss. You can also pick up a Great Katana from a corpse next to the dragon. After this fight, continue exploring north where you will find a small shack below the Abandoned Ailing Village. There's a corpse outside at roof level where you can pick up Fly Mold, then, you can jump on top of the house and drop down through the hole in the roof to pick up the Greater Potentate's Cookbook [10].
Next, head west into an area in Gravebird statues. You can pick up the Gravebird Armor from the altar in the middle here. Then, follow the body of water leading to metal barricades scattered on the ground. This will lead to an entrance to Belurat Gaol where you can defeat an optional boss called Demi-Human Swordmaster Onze to earn Demi-Human Swordsman Yosh (Spirit Ash) as a reward.
The Belurat Gaol is an optional dungeon situated under the Belurat Tower Settlement. The entrance can be accessed by heading west from the Abandoned Ailing Village or the Greatbridge, North Site of Grace. You will follow the body of water here and you'll know that you are at the right location when you reach the part where you see metal barricades and prison cages. As you enter the dungeon, you will find the Belurat Gaol Site of Grace and a Summoning Pool on the right side of the entrance.
This area has enemies such as Revered Spirits, large and small variations of the Living Jar, and Mutated Prisoners. This area is also a good place to farm or find Frozen Maggots. The objective is to reach the bottom-most section of the gaol where a mini-boss is waiting.
As you formally set foot in the location, head down the steps on the left and be ready to block or dodge, a Shadow Undead will ambush you as soon as you approach a doorway along the steps. Head inside the room on the left and you'll find a body you can loot to find x6 Frozen Maggot. Go back outside, and continue going down the steps until you reach the end where the ground collapses. Kill more of the Revered Spirits, and if you look to your left, you'll find another doorway. Be ready again for another spirit who will try to ambush you, kill the enemies, and loot the body lying on the ground to find x1 Silver Horn Tender.
Go back outside and cross the narrow path to reach the other end. But tread carefully since enemies are roaming around and blocking your path. Kill the two spirits and before you go through the doorway ahead, there is another body you can loot by the edge of the cliff. Loot it to find x4 Frozen Maggot. Go through the doorway and look to your right to see a hole that you can jump through. Proceed to this path, and then jump through the hole on the left side to continue your descent.
Enter the room that looks like a storeroom that is filled with crates, cages, and tables. Kill the enemies and loot the body next to the shelf with barrels on the left side to find x1 Broken Rune. Exit the room, but before you enter the next room on the left, break the crates on the right to find another corpse lying by the edge of a cliff to find x1 Thawfrost Boluses. As you pass through the connecting room, you'll see a Ghost Prisoner NPC that you can speak to who begs for forgiveness and fears the jar.
Upon exiting, you'll come across a section of the prison where you'll see large jars chained together and onto the ceiling. Before you make your descent by using the jars as platforms, look ahead to find another doorway that leads to a room with jars and crates. There is a body here that you can loot to find x1 Shadow Realm Rune [3], but at the same time, you'll fight against a Mutated Prisoner, humanoids that have mutated and erupted from their jars. Once you've cleared the room, return to the hanging jars to start descending to the bottom area (there's a body on top of the hanging jar that has x1 Glass Shard). As indicated in the image above, you'll want to try and make your way down towards the side of the room that has a wooden platform. There is a chest there that contains x1 Hefty Cracked Pot.
After getting the item, continue to the bottom and proceed west. Clear the enemies along the way and pass through the doorway where you'll enter a shrine-looking section of the gaol. Drop onto the bridge and fight your way against more enemies. When you reach the opposite end, as you approach the altar, the ground beneath you will collapse and you'll fall into a mini-labyrinth that's filled with small and large jars. Take caution here as both Living Jar and Mutated Prisoners are hiding in corners, waiting to ambush you.
Take the time here to explore the section with pots since there are some items that you can loot: x1 Lost Ashes of War, x2 Smithing Stone [6], x1 Greater Potentate's Cookbook (11). There are also x1 Hefty Cracked Pot, and x1 Innard Meat looted off the bodies that are on top of the large jars. Once you're done clearing the room, proceed east to find the exit leading to the next section. Kill the Living Jar and loot the body sitting on a prison cage to find x2 Smithing Stone [3].
Before advancing the dungeon further, head west on your compass, and you will find a jar that is slightly at a lower level than your position. Jump on it and it will take you up high. Once it stops, jump towards the following platforms and continue forward. You will find Greatjar on a pedestal. Move forward and drop down to find yourself again in the Jar Labyrinth. Resume your previous way, to continue advancing in the dungeon.
Next, jump across to reach the opposite side of the area to find a golden mist door, and fight the Mutated Prisoners. Position your compass towards the South, and you'll see a chained jar that you can jump on. Use it as a platform to jump across a broken pillar, and continue jumping down until you reach the end, where you'll find a gold mist door. Before you enter, make preparations, as you'll fight against the Demi-Human Swordmaster Onze upon passing through the mist.
The Demi-Human Swordmaster Onze boss is an agile boss capable of leaping into the air, using lunge attacks, and executing deadly combos similar to a samurai. In our playthrough, our character's build focuses on melee and we had a shield equipped to mitigate attacks as much as possible. As soon as you enter prepare to dodge or block as the boss will teleport to you and follow up with a swinging attack. Since we were facing the boss without the help of other players, we decided to summon the Black Knife Tiche to keep things in check.
The Black Knife Tiche in our opinion is good against this boss since it also moves fast and is capable of attacking its target in close or mid-range. As soon as the boss switched its attention towards our summoned spirit, we took the opportunity to land some attacks before it switched its attention to the character. Play it safe and keep an eye out for its movements since the boss moves quickly. Defeating it rewards the spirit ash Demi-Human Swordsman Yosh.
To return to the entrance, use the pool of energy at the center of the boss arena to teleport to the entrance of this dungeon, or simply return to the Three-Path Cross - Site of Grace to continue your progression.
Gravesite Plain (Western)
Recommended Scadutree Blessing Rank: 1-3~ Revered Spirit Ash Blessing: 1-3~
- From the Three-Path Cross - Site of Grace: Reach Cliffroad Terminus Site of Grace
- Explore Prospect Town
- Head to the gravesite to get Larval Tear and Scadutree Fragment
- Look for the Forager Brood who will give you the Forager Brood Cookbook (2). This NPC can be found next to the illuminated gravesite at night, which surrounds a Larval Tear at night. NOTE: Harming the Forager Brood will cause Moore to appear and invade your world. If Moore dies, this will also cause the Forager Brood to disappear permanently.
- Get the Incursion Painting in Artist's Shack
- Explore the Church of Benediction
Stick to the wall on your left and turn left as you see the opening. After scaling the cliff here, the first thing you will be doing is to activate the Cliffroad Terminus and the path here can be split into three:
- First: Explore the gravesite to southwest. This is where you will look for the glimmering Shadowpot.
- Second: Explore Prospect Town directly south of the grace; there's a chest at the top of this building that contains the Outer God Heirloom and a number of items that you can pick up from the ground. Past this area, you will find the Forager Brood and the Larval Tear at night at the center of a small illuminated gravesite.
- Third: Go past the lake to the east and explore the southern area towards the Artist's Shack and Church of Benediction. You will pick up the Incursion Painting from the shack. Once you reach the church, there's an area on the cliffside where you can loot Pata (a weapon) and the Oathseeker Knight Set.
From here, follow the dirt path and head southwest. This will lead you to a gravesite with more Shadow enemies. Go near the edge and look for an item on the ground near the gravestone heads to obtain the following items:
There's also a Grave Glovewort that you can collect from one of the corpses here. After this area, head to the opposite side of the cliff and go toward the pond. You will encounter Hounds and Bloodfiend enemies here along the way.
At the edge of the pond, you will see a small altar where you can pick up a Revered Spirit Ash. Then, head south of the pond where a hound and Bloodfiends are gathered. You can pick up Great Arrow and a Smithing Stone from their gathering spot. Continue exploring until you reach the edge south of the pond. You will find a non-hostile servant here who will give you the Forager Brood Cookbook [2] when interacted with. There's also a nearby illuminated grave where you can pick up a Larval Tear from the center. (This area can only be spotted at night.)
Continue navigating this area and go toward the cave where you will encounter a Giant Rat and another Curseblade. You're heading toward where you interacted with the first Site of Grace in the Shadow of Realm but in the area above it. As you reach the edge of the cliff, you will see the "Incursion" Painting inside the Artist's Shack. See the location on Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree Map After going here, explore the southern area to reach the Church of Benediction. Go toward the center and pick up the Blessed Blue Dew Talisman from the altar. Then, face north and exit the tall and slim archway toward the cliff. Pick up Pata and the Oathseeker Knight Set here.
You can go down here and scale the wall while riding Torrent. This gives you access back to the Gravesite Plain without going back to the Site of Grace in Crossroad Terminus.
Belurat Tower Settlement
Recommended Scadutree Blessing Rank: 4~ Revered Spirit Ash Blessing: 4~
- Activate the Site of Grace and the Summoning Pool
- Meet Moore and Sir Ansbach
- Defeat the NPC Invader Fire Knight Queelign.
- Take the Storeroom Key and unlock the door near the Small Private Altar Site of Grace
See Shadow of the Erdtree Map to meet Hornsent Grandam
- Take the Well Depths Key and head to the Sewers
- Navigate the Stagefront section of Belurat Tower Settlement
- Defeat the Divine Beast Dancing Lion
- After defeating the boss, pick up the Tower of Shadow Message
- Equip the Divine Beast Head armor piece and return to Hornsent Grandam to receive Watchful Spirit (Incantation)
- After exploring Belurat Tower Settlement, you must speak with Ansbach at the Three-Path Cross Site of Grace to progress his questline
Once you are done speaking to the NPCs or resting at the site of grace, climb to the top of the tall stairs and open the double doors to enter the legacy dungeon. As you approach the first set of stairs, a large Spider Scorpion ahead will drop from the ceiling and start to attack you. Be ready to dodge as it will jump in the air. The large creature is easy to kill since you can block its attacks with your shield or dodge it at the right time. After killing it, climb to the top and enter the large room.
Head up to the second floor and you'll fight against another large Spider Scorpion, kill it, and near it, you can find another body on the ground. Loot it to find x1 Fireproof Dried Liver. Proceed to the next section and head up the stairs where you'll encounter another large Spider Scorpion. As you exit, you'll find another body by the stairs, loot it to find x5 Black Pyrefly. Exit through the door at the top of the steps to formally arrive at the Belurat Tower Settlement, you can find the Belurat Tower Settlement Site of Grace and a Summoning Pool at the top of the stone steps, near the double doors, on the left side.
Inside, you'll find a statue in the middle of the room. Tread carefully as you approach it since there are multiple Spider Scorpion enemies around the statue. Killing the enemies will have a chance to drop Scorpion Liver. Approach the statue after clearing the room to find x2 Revered Spirit Ash. Behind the statue, on the right side, there is a body sitting by the wall, you can pillage its remains to find x1 Shadow Realm Rune [1].
Head up to the second floor and you'll fight against another large Spider Scorpion, kill it, and near it, you can find another body on the ground. Loot it to find x1 Fireproof Dried Liver. Proceed to the next section and head up the stairs where you'll encounter another large Spider Scorpion. As you exit, you'll find another body by the stairs, loot it to find x5 Black Pyrefly. Exit through the door at the top of the steps to formally arrive at the Belurat Tower Settlement, you can find the Belurat Tower Settlement Site of Grace and a Summoning Pool at the top of the stone steps, near the double doors, on the left side.
Next to the site of grace, there is a room you can enter (Ignore the large stone door since this is locked). Defeat the two Revered Spirit enemies and on the right side of the locked door, there is a body on the ground you can loot to find x1 Neutralizing Boluses. Go back outside, and head east towards an open section where you'll find a fountain and a waterfall. Around the fountain, there are hostile spirits that are praying to the statue sitting on the fountain. Kill them and you'll also find another body that you can loot to acquire x1 Stimulating Boluses. On the left side, you'll see a stream of water coming from above, approach it to find another body that can be looted to find x3 Knot Resin.
On the right-hand side of the fountain, there is a short set of stairs that goes up. Head towards that direction and then make a right where you'll find another fountain with a group of spirits praying. You can kill the enemies easily and find x1 Somber Smithing Stone [3] on the ground. By the fountain where you got the smithing tone, if you look to the left, you'll see a ladder that goes down to the sewer or well depths. The door there is locked and you need to find the Well Depths Key to unlock it. However, you can go ahead and check the area to find x1 Messmerfire Grease on the pile of dead bodies. Climb back up the ladder and explore the east section of the area.
As you walk towards the path, be ready to dodge the magical attacks from the enemies positioned above. Be ready to dash towards the slope that goes up where you'll encounter more Revered Spirits. As you run forward, go right to find an alleyway where you'll find a body. Loot it to find x1 Messmerfire Grease. Go back to the main path and head up the stairs. There are about three of these enemies that wield a melee weapon. Kill the enemies and you loot the nearby corpse to find x3 Black Pyrefly. Turn your camera facing north and you'll find an entrance to a kitchen room. There are three spirit enemies inside the kitchen room. Kill the one standing near the vases and break the objects to find x1 Silver Horn Tender on the ground.
Head up the stairs and be ready to dodge the mage spirit from its magical attack. Kill it and just next to the arched doorway is the Small Private Altar site of grace. See Shadow of the Erdtree Map Go through the doorway after activating the site of grace and you'll find a Summoning Pool by the wall. You can explore the rooftops area through the doorway that faces the Summoning Pool to find some items there but tread carefully as there are enemies around.
On the rooftops, there's a body tucked by a corner that holds x1 Somber Smithing Stone [4]. To find it, go straight until you reach the end towards the locked door of the storeroom, jump over the broken railings on the right, then immediately turn right again. At the end, drop onto the roof, walk straight, and jump onto the narrow beam on the left to reach the rooftop across. Still, on the rooftop section, you can find a body hanging by the edge of one of the roofs. Loot it to find x1 Silver Horn Tender.
Return to the Small Private Altar site of grace and proceed to the doorway on the right. At the top of the stairs, be ready to fight against an elite enemy, a dual sword-wielding Horned Warrior. After killing the enemy, proceed east towards the rubble of destroyed buildings where you'll encounter more Revered Spirits, there's a body you can loot to find x2 Black Pyrefly, and another body by a corner, loot it to find x4 Thin Beast Bones. Continue going straight until you enter a large section that has an altar and a tree in the center. As you approach the altar, an NPC invader, Fire Knight Queelign (NPC), will appear and fight you. This NPC invader uses fire-based attacks. (Assuming that this is your first encounter against Fire Knight Queelign), successfully killing Fire Knight Queelign, drops the Crusade Insignia talisman.
- NOTE: If this is your first time encountering the NPC Invader, Fire Knight Queelign, defeating him drops the Crusade Insignia talisman. However, if it's your second encounter, he drops the Prayer Room Key and Ash of War: Flame Skewer. For added information, the other location where Fire Knight Queelign appears as an NPC Invader is at the Church of the Crusade.
Investigate the altar to find a body that you can pillage to find the Ash of War: Shriek of Sorrow, as well as other bodies around the area to find items such as x10 Arrow looted off a body that's hanging by the edge of some rubble, x3 Black Pyrefly from a body sitting on a bench. Return to the entrance of the altar and navigate to the upper area of the rubble. Proceed north of your compass where you'll find an area where a stream of water is flowing, there's a body next to the steel grate that you can loot to obtain x5 Redflesh Mushroom, and x4 String you can loot by the edge of the stream of water.
Proceed through the doorway on the right to find a storeroom. Climb up the ladder and you'll see a body sitting against a wall next to another arched doorway. Loot it to find the Storeroom Key. The Storeroom Key can be used to unlock the door near the Small Private Altar Site of Grace. Inside that room, you can find an NPC Hornsent Grandam.
Exit through the doorway and turn left. By the steps, jump on the narrow side of the tiled roof and walk around it. But before you do that, go down the stairs until you reach a dead-end, there's a body hanging by the edge that you can loot to find x3 Throwing Dagger. Now, (refer to the image above) jump across the passageway and enter the room facing east. You should also find a body sitting against the railings, loot it to find x6 Whiteflesh Mushrooms. Enter the room ahead where you'll fight another spirit enemy and loot the body in the room to find the Well Depths Key. This key can be used to open the locked door down at the sewers of the well.
The area ahead is polluted with poison, so be ready to have Neutralizing Boluses consumable items to alleviate the build-up of poison or to cure yourself from the effect. This section of the dungeon is also swarming with another type of enemy, the Man-Fly. They can easily be killed but are deadly if they attack you in a group. To find and unlock a shortcut to the Belurat Tower Settlement site of grace, look southeast of the compass to find a tower with a tall ladder. At the top, you can unlock the door to open the shortcut leading to the Belurat Tower Settlement Site of Grace.
An elite enemy, a toxic variant of the Lesser Ulcerated Tree Spirit, can also be found south of the poison-filled area. You must kill the elite enemy to continue further, and eliminating it drops the Immunizing Horn Charm +2. Make sure that you loot the area of this Spirit Tree to find bodies you can pillage to find the following items: x1 Broken Rune, x2 Sliver of Meat, x8 Thin Beast Bones, x1 Smithing Stone [3], and x8 Poisonbone Dart.
You can also find the following items at the sewer level, so make sure not to leave this section until you find the following items we've listed. These items are looted from dead bodies. x4 Whiteflesh Mushroom near the section leading to the shortcut, x5 Knot Resin on the ruins where you'll find a group of Man-Fly enemies, x3 Beast Liver on the island where you fight the dual sword-wielding Horned Warrior. x1 Poisoned Hand is located east, next to a church. x8 Serpent Arrow on top of the roof of a sunken building. x1 Neutralizing Boluses behind one of the buildings in the south section, as well as x2 Smithing Stone from a corpse hanging by the edge of a building roof.
Return to the Small Private Altar Site of Grace and retrace your steps where you found the Storeroom Key, exit the doorway, and go up the steps on the right. Make a left and you should see another arched doorway that's guarded by a swarm of Spider Scorpion. Clear the path and head straight towards the arched doorway, and into a room that's a dead end. Defeat the two large Spider Scorpion enemies inside this room and pick up the Bone Bow on the ground. Facing the opposite side of the arched doorway, you will see another set of stairs that goes down. At the end of the path, you can find a lift that you can ride to reach a shortcut to the Belurat Tower Settlement Site of Grace.
From where you got the Bone Bow, as you exit the doorway, make a hard left and you'll see a pile of rubble that you can jump on and you'll see there's a secret room tucked behind it. Go inside a large storeroom where you can find the following items: x5 Thin Beast Bones, x1 Scadutree Fragment, and x1 Dried Bouquet. You can click on the images above to enlarge them.
After unlocking the shortcut, take the lift back up and continue exploring the rooftop area where you'll encounter some Gravebird enemies. Walk along the rooftops while fighting against the Gravebird enemies, you should find a body that you can loot to acquire x4 Flight Pinion and x3 Smithing Stone [2] on the other body. Cross to the other side and you should see a Revered Spirit carrying a pot over its head, quickly run towards it, and kill it to acquire x1 Revered Spirit Ash and x1 Golden Horn Tender. Look to your right to find a body by a dead-end, and loot it to find x3 Black Pyrefly. Continue towards the bridge pathway and you'll encounter a heavy sword-wielding Horned Warrior.
Past the bridge pathway after defeating the knight enemy, you can go east to a small sewage area infested with Man-Fly enemies, in this section you can find items to loot from dead bodies such as x1 Broken Rune. x8 Redflesh Mushroom, x1 Stanching Boluses, and x1 Glass Shard. The path you need to take is on the west side to progress. Head straight towards the stairs, before climbing up, look to the left to find a body hanging by the edge of a broken parapet wall. Loot the body to find x4 Black Pyrefly.
Next, head up the steps, and you'll find a group of Revered Spirits gathered around a large tree. Kill the enemies and on the left side of the tree, you'll find a broken statue that has an item. Loot the item to acquire x1 Revered Spirit Ash. Continue west and head inside a tower building.
As you enter, go right and walk down the stairs. At the end, is a dead-end and a body hanging by the edge of the broken stairs. Loot the body to find x1 Somber Smithing Stone [1]. Go back and this time climb up the stairs where you'll encounter an elite enemy wielding two circular blades, this enemy is the Curseblade. This enemy is quite agile and hits hard, so be cautious when fighting against it as it loves to jump around and move quickly as it attacks. Defeat it and continue climbing to the top where you'll find the Stagefront site of grace. At this point, you should prepare your gear as the next room leads to the arena of a legacy dungeon boss, the Divine Beast Dancing Lion. Redmane Freyja can be summoned here to assist in battle.
The main boss for this legacy dungeon is the Divine Beast Dancing Lion. Just as its name implies, the towering creature is aggressive, agile, and capable of dancing around to confuse and overwhelm its target. The beast also has a resemblance to a Chinese dragon where individuals move in harmony to perform a dragon dance. Besides its attacks that consist of leaping, jumping, and thrusting, the Divine Beast Dancing Lion will try to catch the player with an unblockable attack where it chomps its prey in the air and forcefully throws the player on the ground. This divine beast is known to be a messenger of the heavens, capable of unleashing storms as their rage sparks. For more guides on how to defeat the boss, please visit the Divine Beast Dancing Lion page.
Defeating the Divine Beast Dancing Lion rewards the player with the Remembrance of the Dancing Lion and drops the head armor piece, the Divine Beast Head. Upon killing the Dancing Lion, you can activate the Theatre of the Divine Beast Site of Grace. Go east through an arched doorway to find a room that has a lift, step on it to reach an upper floor. Open the large door and you'll find a revered spirit altar on the right, approach it and pick up the x1 Revered Spirit Ash. Next, make your way to the top of the stairs on the left to find a note, the Tower of Shadow Message, near the shadow that's sealed and obscuring the path ahead.
At this point, you've completed the area, but before leaving, fast travel to the Small Private Altar Site of Grace and proceed to the storeroom where the old hag NPC, Hornsent Grandam, can be found. Equip the Divine Beast Head armor piece, speak to her, and exhaust her dialogue lines to obtain the Watchful Spirit spell. Leave the room and rest at the Small Private Altar site of grace, then return to the NPC and speak to her again to obtain x1 Scorpion Stew. You can give this to Hornsent at the Three-Path Cross Site of Grace to get x3 Furnace Visage.
Gravesite Plain (Eastern)
Recommended Scadutree Blessing Rank: 4~ Revered Spirit Ash Blessing: 4~
- From the Three-Path Cross - Site of Grace. Speak with the NPCs, then cross the Greatbridge
- Get the Scadutree Fragment in front of the Marika Statue
- Use the Castle Front - Site of Grace
- Explore Fog Rift Catacombs
- Clear the Ruined Forge Lava Intake to reach the Altar of the Forge
- Reach Pillar Path Cross - Site of Grace
- Find Igon and Thiollier. Exhaust their dialogues. (NOTE: Speak with Moore after talking to Thiollier. You will receive Black Syrup from Moore and you will take it to Thiollier to receive Thiollier's Concoction. This item can be used to unlock an alternate ending for the Dragon Communion Priestess's quest to receive Dragonbolt of Florissax (Incantation) and Ancient Dragon Florissax (Ash Spirits).
- Discover the Alternate Path to Rivermouth Cave from the Pillar Path Waypoint
- Unlock the Site of Grace in Dragon's Pit
- Reach Suppressing Pillar
You can pick up a Scadutree Fragment in the middle of the camp right in front of the Marika Statue, near the short wall separating the dirt path from the tents. You can also see the nearby Castle Front - Site of Grace behind another tent. Walk towards it to activate it. To continue exploring, you will head to Fog Rift Catacombs. You can reach this place by heading west from the Castle Front - Site of Grace (front of Castle Ensis). You will pass through a small group of army here under a wooden scaffolding. Keep heading west and follow the trail here behind them. You will see gravestones along the way here and make sure to stay on the middle path so you don't come up a cliff. As you head further you will see 2 Ghostflame lanterns in the nearby north direction marking the door to the catacombs.
The entrance of the catacombs leads to an elevator that goes down. You'll immediately find the Fog Rift Catacombs Site of Grace and a tunnel path straight ahead. Head through the tunnel entrance and prepare yourself for a Lion Head Goblin that will ambush you. At the upper right side of the room is a corpse holding a Grave Glovewort [1].
After retrieving that item, turn left through another tunnel entrance which leads to a large open room. Upon exiting the tunnel, immediately turn left towards a safe spot because half of the room is rigged with a spike trap that descends from above. Wait for it to come down, and once it goes up, immediately run to the other side where a Lion Head Goblin is waiting for you. Take out the Goblin and head straight to the next tunnel entrance leading to a large hallway. Turn right and head straight towards the stairs going down, but before heading down, pick up the Yellow Fulgurbloom to your left.
After collecting the plant, head down the stairs and turn right into another tunnel in the catacombs. You'll see a that give you the Ancient Dragon Knight's Cookbook [1] along with a Yellow Fulgurbloom plant. Head back to where you turned right earlier, and this time, turn left down another set of stairs. This will lead you to what looks like a dead-end ledge but wait a few seconds for the spike trap from earlier to fall down. Once it falls, hop on top of it, and it will lead you to a secret platform with a Lionhead Imp, a corpse that gives you Knot Resin, and a Yellow Fulgurbloom plant.
After looting the platform, hop on the spike trap again, but don't go back yet. Instead, wait for the spike trap to take you back up again, and this time, look for a tunnel entrance to the left that you can drop onto. Once you enter the tunnel and the room, turn left again until you cross a bridge and a set of stairs going up. Here, you'll encounter Messmer Soldiers guarding a room. Head inside the room after defeating the Messmer Soldiers, and you'll face a Black Knight. Defeat the Black Knight, then pick up the Great Ghost Glovewort. Go outside the room, then turn left to jump on top of a spiked platform, then go through a hallway. Follow the pathway and you will find the Black Knight Commander Andreas summon at the end.
Make your way back to where you first saw the spike area from a ledge. Instead of hopping back on, wait for it to drop and go up. Then immediately drop down and enter the tunnel entrance behind you. The small room here contains a Yellow Fulgurbloom. Inside the room on the left side is a ladder going up. Head up the ladder and follow the tunnel path with three Yellow Fulgurblooms.
After looting the plants, walk to the right and drop down to the area from earlier where you saw the spike trap. Drop down again and stand at the tunnel entrance behind you from earlier. Wait for the spike trap to drop, then immediately run to the other side where a set of stairs goes down. Here, you'll find a corpse that gives you x2 Dragonbolt Grease.
Head down the stairs to find another elevator that goes further down. Upon reaching the ground, head straight towards a room with two Lionhead Imps and loot the corpse and plant under the stairs to get x4 Rada Fruit and a Yellow Fulgurbloom. From under the stairs, head straight towards the tunnel entrance on the other side of the room, but loot two more Yellow Fulgurbloom plants to the left.
Inside the small room, clear out the two enemies and loot the corpse on the upper right for a Grave Glovewort [2]. After looting the corpse, head out of the room and turn right towards another tunnel entrance with stairs going further down. This leads to an open hallway with spike traps covering half of the hallway. Just as before, run to the left towards a safe space and wait for the spike trap to drop. Once it drops, hug the wall and run straight until you see a hole to the left where you can drop down into what appears to be a sewage area. Once you land in the sewage, head straight for the tunnel entrance ahead and loot the corpse for a Ghost Glovewort [4].
On the left side of the first sewage room is an entrance to another room. Enter and turn left towards another room containing three Yellow Fulgurbloom plants and a corpse that drops an Electrocharge. Exit that room, turn left towards a ladder going up. Climb the ladder and drop down from the platform to find yourself near the hallway spike trap from earlier. Wait for the spike trap to drop, and once it does, run towards the other end of the hallway. Get to the second safe spot to the left, past the hole you dropped into earlier, and loot the corpse there to get a Glass Shard. Wait for the spike trap to drop again, then run towards the stairs leading to a casket above that you can loot for a Shadow Realm Rune [3].
Once you're done looting, stay on the ledge of the platform you're standing on in front. Wait for the spike trap to drop, and you'll see a small square space on the side of the spike trap that you can hop onto. Hop onto the square platform and let the spike trap raise you to a secret platform above with a chest containing the Ash of War: Blinkbolt. After looting, hop on top of the spike trap again and run to the other side until you see a small platform to the right to drop onto. You'll see an altar that changes the Stone-Sheathed Sword to the Sword of Darkness.
To the left is a ladder going down. This ladder leads to a secret room with a corpse that gives you a Ghost Glovewort [5]. Loot it, then immediately look to the left to see another hole to drop into. This hole will drop you back to a safe spot from the hallway spike trap from earlier. Wait for the spike trap to drop, and once it does, run to the other side this time instead of the platform from earlier. Be careful in the safe area here as it connects to another spike trap area.
Wait for the spike trap on the other side to drop, then cross towards a tunnel entrance. Loot the corpse in the middle first for a Broken Rune. Head through the tunnel entrance to find another elevator that goes down. Drop here and head straight until you reach the yellow mist that leads to the Death Knight boss.
After clearing Fog Rift Catacombs, return to the Castle Front - Site of Grace and head southeast towards a gravesite where you will see Bloodfiends fighting Messmer soldiers. Continue riding ahead until you see the toppled pillars with lit lanterns. You will see a small entrance that will lead to Ruined Forge Lava Intake. By the entrance is where you'll find the Ruined Lava Forge Intake Site of Grace.
Head down the stairs, turn right, and then climb down the ladder (or jump down). Go forward and turn left into a dead-end room where you'll encounter a Stone Golem enemy. Kill the enemy and then check the floor of this room to find items such as x1 Gas Stone, x1 Smithing Stone [4], and x1 Smithing Stone [1]. There is also a corpse in this room, sitting against the wall from where the Golem was standing. You can loot the body to obtain x4 Smithing Stone [5]. Proceed to the opposite side where you'll encounter a Fire Blob.
Continue going straight until you enter another room where you'll spot a body lying on the ground, near the railings. Loot the body to find x7 Smithing Stone [2] and also x1 Smithing Stone [1], x1 Smithing Stone [3] on the floor, near the corpse. Proceed to the next section on the left side of the body, then walk to the end, and climb down the ladder. On this floor, you'll encounter more enemies, some smithing stones, and x2 Gas Stone that you can pick up. From the ladder, if you look to your right, you'll see some shabby stairs. If you check below, you'll find a corpse that can be looted to obtain x1 Somber Smithing Stone [2].
Head up the stairs and you'll find more smithing stones that you can pick up on the ground, including another body that you can loot to acquire Greater Potentate's Cookbook (13). Around the cookbook item, you can also pick up x1 Smithing Stone [3] on the ground. If you look behind, you'll find a broken pillar that you can use to walk on. Reach the other side and walk around the narrow pathway where you should find x3 Smithing Stone [7] that you can pick up from the floor.
Turn around, and jump across to reach the narrow sides of the platform. You should spot another corpse sitting by the edge of the narrow sides. Loot it to acquire x2 Smithing Stone [4].
Go back to the narrow platform and approach the broken pillar that you used to cross, you should find a path that leads to a ladder that you can climb down. On this section, you'll find more smithing stones you can loot, x1 Glass Shard from a body, and a lever that you can pull. Pulling the lever will bring down a large pillar that you can use to cross and reach an upper section of the forge. Next, climb back up the ladder to go back to the previous room, jump down, and proceed west towards a doorway. But before you go through that doorway, look to the left and you'll find another path leading to a dead end. You should find another Golem sitting in front of a corpse that can be looted. This body holds x1 Somber Smithing Stone [6]. Retrace your steps and head to the doorway, towards the next section.
As you enter the next section, you'll spot another body ahead, next to another Golem, and on the right, is another ladder you can climb down. Before climbing down the ladder, kill the Golem enemy and pillage the body nearby to acquire the Smithscript Dagger and a Smithing Stone [4] near it.
Now, jump onto the large pipe and walk to the end. Be wary of the Fire Blob that will drop from the ceiling when you're about midway to the top. Look to your right and you'll find a small room with an altar inside. Jump across and interact with the altar to receive x1 Anvil Hammer and x1 Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone. You can fast travel to the entrance by interacting with the white teleporter that appears next to the altar on the right. Outside, you will continue exploring the Eastern Gravesite Plain by heading further southeast.
When you're done exploring Ruined Forge Lava Intake, you will head back outside, then take the path leading south, or teleport to Castle Front - Site of Grace and follow the path. You will encounter some soldiers here on the way gathered at a small camp. Eliminate this small group and then pick up the Swift Spear from a corpse next to the wooden barricade.
After this area, stick to the left side and scale the cliff. There's a Site of Grace that you need to activate so you can come back to it later. This is the Pillar Path Cross - Site of Grace where you can speak with an NPC. You can also pick up a Scadutree Fragment, 2x Empyrean-Blood Burgeon here next to the cross. You will find Thiollier here seated near the ledge. Speak with him and exhaust his dialogues. NOTE: Speak with Moore after meeting Thiollier to receive the Black Syrup. You can still get this even after you get the notification that the great rune has been broken. Just make sure to exhaust all his dialogues.
- The Rivermouth Cave may also be accessed from the Gravesite Plain, however, it is recommended to access this area from Scadu Altus, travel to Rauh Base, and after Temple Town Ruins.
ALTERNATE: From the Pillar Path Cross - Site of Grace, carefully jump down the rocks behind Thiollier's initial location. Head towards the river and then follow the river going north. This will take you to Ellac River Cave - Site of Grace. Then, continue traveling north to reach the entrance to Rivermouth Cave. This alternate path is recommended if you haven't reached Scadu Altus yet and want to get your hands on Bloodfiend Hexer's Ashes, a unique ash dropped by the dungeon boss.
Whether or not you choose to clear Rivermouth Cave, you will return to the Pillar Path Cross - Site of Grace and then return to the main path. Keep an eye out for the Pillar Path Waypoint - Site of Grace, and then, continue southwest until you hear a screaming man. This is Igon, a Drake warrior who is screaming in pain. Make sure to talk to him until you exhaust his dialogues and you will find out that the cause of his pain is a powerful boss. NOTE: Do not kill this NPC. It is important to keep him alive because he will play an important role against a boss later on.
After this interaction, continue going south, following the path where you found Igon. Players have reported that a hostile NPC version of Ancient Dragon-Man appeared here. Keep going until you see a cave to your left with a campfire outside of it's entrance. Go inside and activate the Dragon's Pit - Site of Grace. For now, we don't recommend exploring this dungeon yet. Instead, come back here much later after exploring Cerulean Coast, which is when you're going to Charo's Hidden Grave from the Dragon's Pit.
Head back outside to continue to the Suppressing Pillar. You can reach the pillar by teleporting to the Pillar Path Waypoint - Site of Grace and heading up the ramp that connects it to the higher plain in the eastern Gravesite Plain See Shadow of the Erdtree Map. Upon arriving, simply enter the pillar to find a lift, ride it to the top, and you'll spot a treasure chest that contains x1 Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone. There's nothing much else to do here but you can also find a headstone to read a message that says:
"The very center of the Lands Between.
All manners of Death wash up here, only to be suppressed."
On clear weather, the top of the Suppressing Pillar provides the best preview of all of the regions of the Realm of Shadow. After reaching the Suppressing Pillar, you will again return to the Castle Front - Site of Grace, use up all your Scadutree Fragment and Revered Spirit Ash to get ready to enter Castle Ensis.
Castle Ensis
Recommended Scadutree Blessing Rank: 6~ Revered Spirit Ash Blessing: 6~
- Crossing the Greatbridge
- Clear the army camp in Castle Front
- Activate the Castle Front - Site of Grace
- Look for a way inside the Castle
- Defeat Moonrithyll, Carian Knight
- Pick up Rellana's Cameo from the altar inside the chapel
- Obtain Wolf Crest Shield
- Defeat Rellana, Twin Moon Knight (Optional Summons: Needle Knight Leda and Dryleaf Dane)
- Loot the Carian Sorcery Sword from a chest found at the edge of the castle
Once you cross the bridge, there is a body on the left side of the bridge that contains x3 Black Pyrefly. Across the bridge, you will encounter a Troll Knight guarding the area. Be ready for combat, as this can be a tough enemy to defeat. After killing the Troll Knight, you will see an entrance to a room on the right. Once you enter it, you will encounter a Lazuli Sorcerer. Once you have dealt with the enemy, there will be a body in the immediate left corner of the room containing a Shadow Realm Rune [4]. Behind the building of the room is a ramp with a body on it that has x1 Somber Smithing Stone [3] when picked up.
After clearing the building, follow the path opposite the building leading to a stairway heading deeper into the castle. On the western side by the cliff before the walls, you can loot a dead body that has x1 Somber Smithing Stone [1]. Then, in the middle of the stairs, you can climb up a cliff with a corpse that has x1 Broken Rune on it. Keep following the stairs going up, and you will encounter an Exile Soldier along with a Rotten Stray to your right, and another of the same set of enemies on the left side. Head up the stairs that the Exile Soldier and Rotten Stray were guarding on the left side, and you'll find yourself in an area with a ladder. Climb up the ladder to find a chest containing the Milady See Elden Ring Map, a light greatsword.
Find your way back down the ladder and the stairs to a small cavern directly facing the stairs. Keep following the cavern, and you will find a body containing an item that you cannot reach yet. Once you exit the small cavern, you will see a body in front of you that contains x2 Flight Pinion. Follow the first ramp heading up, and you will see two Messmer Foot Soldiers gathering around a bonfire and a Lesser Black Knight nearby, so be prepared to engage them in combat. After dealing with the enemies, if you look down by the cliff before the bonfire area, you can drop safely into an area below. You will find remains resting right on the ledge containing x10 Bolt. Behind the remains will be the cavern that you went through earlier, and you will get to loot the body you saw earlier, containing x3 Glintslab Firefly.
Backtrack your way to the ramps. You'll encounter a Black Knight near the first ramp. On the first ramp, you'll find a room to the left that has a chest containing the Loyal Knight's Cookbook See Elden Ring Map. Head back outside, then go up the second ramp. In the middle of the second ramp, you'll find a pathway leading to a body with an item. A Rotten Stray is hiding around the corner, so be careful as you approach to loot the body. After dealing with the Rotten Stray, loot the body to receive a Silver-Pickled Fowl Foot. Go back to the ramp and keep following it. At the top of the ramp, you will find a closed gate. Look over to the left of the gate, and you will pick up x1 Castle Cross Message. You will also find a cross, and 1x Scadutree Fragment. Near the Scadutree Fragment drop, you will find the Castle Ensis Checkpoint Site of Grace See Elden Ring Map. Northwest of the Site of Grace, you can pick up a Somber Smithing Stone [1] on a corpse sitting against the wall.
On the right side of the locked gate, there will be an Messmer Soldier looking towards an area below. Dispose of the soldier, then jump down the area. You'll find a body immediately after the first jump which contains x3 Knot Resin. You'll notice a hole leading to a cavern in the ground. You can jump safely below, and you will deal with three Rotten Strays immediately after dropping down. You can loot a body for x10 Arrow beside where you dropped. Follow the path of the cavern. You will find yourself on a cliffside path. The path to your right leads to the rooftop of the structure that you looted near the Troll Knight. Be careful as you're traversing the path, as there is a small gap that you need to jump right before the rooftop. As you get to the rooftop, you will find an eagle in front of a body on the other end. Loot the body to find x1 Starlight Shards.
Head back to the junction of the cliffside path, then follow the left path leading to a waterfall. Jump on the rocks of the waterfall to get on top of it. You will see two turtles on the left side, and an archway leading to an area with a ladder on the left side leading to a room and a cavern behind a waterfall. There is a dead body on the left side before the cavern entrance which contains x3 Drawstring Royal Magic Grease. At the end of the cavern, you will find a dead body which you can loot for x4 Knot Resin. Head back outside the cavern, then climb up the ladder. As you enter the room, you'll encounter two Messmer Soldiers. Deal with the enemies, then head through the doorway in the far-left corner of the room.
The area outside will be the locked gate you encountered earlier, which you can open by pushing the lever inside the room directly across from where you came from. Head up the stairs, and you end up on a bridge with four Messmer Soldiers. The fourth soldier uses a heavy crossbow if you are not in melee-range, so be cautious of that. On the left side of the other end of the bridge, you can loot a body to receive x3 String. Follow the path leading south right after the bridge. Be careful here, as there is a Rotten Stray hiding in the bushes on the right just as the path gets tighter. You will end up on a cliffside path.
Follow the path on the right, and you will face two Noble Sorcerers right before a staircase. There will also be a dead body on the left that you can loot for x2 Glintslab Firefly. You can easily deal with the first Noble Sorcerer as you can attack it easily. However, to deal with the second Noble Sorcerer, you can follow a path on the right of the stairs that leads to a ladder that you can climb to get on top of a fort. At the top of the fort, you will face a Page. You can pick up x1 Somber Smithing Stone [6] on a dead body just beside the Page. After dealing with the Page, you can then go to the cliff where the second Noble Sorcerer by jumping off of an opening of the fort. You can also access the area by jumping on the cliff from where the ladder is located.
After dealing with the enemies before the staircase, you can then proceed by going up the stairs. You will then end up right outside of a structure being guarded by an NPC Invader, Moonrithyll, Carian Knight. Moonrithyll uses attacks similar to the moveset of the colossal sword. She can use jumping attacks, thrusts, and wide attacks when fighting. You can easily dispose of Moonrithyll by staggering her, which can be easy if you're using a build that deals a lot of Poise damage. After defeating Moonrithyll, she will drop Moonrithyll's Knight Sword, a Colossal Swords.
In the first room, you will find two rooms connecting to it. The room on the west side is just another way inside the structure. The room on the south side is a chapel with a Spirit NPC praying to Queen Marika. On the podium of the chapel, you can pick up the talisman Rellana's Cameo.
After clearing the chapel, head to the hallway near the entrance of the chapel, in which you'll encounter a Lazuli Sorcerer. You can obtain x1 Shadow Realm Rune [2] from a dead body in the hallway. Across the dead body, there is a room that another Lazuli Sorcerer is hiding in. You can deal with it now so you will not be overwhelmed with enemies as you progress through the hallway. You will encounter another Lazuli Sorcerer right around the corner of the hallway just after the dead body. If you did not clear the previous room, the enemy will come out right as you fight the other Lazuli Sorcerer in the hallway.
After killing the Lazuli Sorcerers, continue following the hallway, which leads to an area outside. There will be a dead body ahead which you can loot for x1 Glintslab Firefly. A Noble Sorcerer will be attacking you on top of a structure. If you have ranged attacks, you can easily dispose of this enemy. At the landing of the stairs, there will be a gate on the south side that you can open. On the left immediate of the gate you opened, there will be an area below that you can jump down to. You can pick up x3 Dewgem from a dead body sitting by the cliff. You will find a ladder beside the dead body that you can climb to get on the rooftop of the structure that the Noble Sorcerer was attacking you from. You can dispose of the Page along with the Noble Sorcerer here in this area. On the western side of the rooftop, you can pick up x1 Somber Smithing Stone [2] off of a dead body. There is an area that you can jump down to, before the dead body on the west to find a corpse containing the Glintblade Trio sorcery. Jump down, then enter the room to your right. You can open a chest containing the Wolf Crest Shield See Elden Ring Map.
Backtrack your way to the gate that you opened and traverse the path. You will encounter an Exile Soldier that you can get a jump on as it is facing the other way. Continue following the path, and head down the stairs to fight three Messmer Soldiers along with two Rotten Strays. The other path, which is the one above the stairs leading down, also has an Exile Soldier that you can easily deal with. After dealing with the enemies, you can loot two dead bodies, one containing x1 Somber Smithing Stone [6] and x1 Somber Smithing Stone [5].
Continue following the path until you find a staircase on the side of a tower, in which you will encounter an Exile Soldier as you turn on the corner of the stairs. Once you arrive at the top of the stairs, you can find a chest in the room to your left containing the Imbued Sword Key. Across the bridge, you will encounter a Lesser Black Knight guarding the passage to a lift. After defeating the knight, ride the lift to go up the structure. After using the lift, you can follow the path on your right to discover the Castle-Lord's Chamber Site of Grace See Elden Ring Map. On the eastern side of the room, you can head to the balcony outside to loot a dead body containing a Somber Smithing Stone [4]. You can find an area that you can drop down to if you look by the railings of the balcony. You will find a tower near a graveyard, and on top of it, you can obtain Ash of War: Wing Stance inside a chest. Travel back to the Castle-Lord's Chamber Site of Grace. You can follow the stairs up to the west of the Site of Grace which leads to an entrance that can only be entered by going through the fog. Near the boss fog, you can touch the summon sign for Needle Knight Leda to help you during the boss fight. Make sure to do the necessary preparations that you need.
The boss that you will be fighting in this area is Rellana, Twin Moon Knight. She uses dual light greatswords that she can enchant with magic and fire. Her melee attacks consist of sweeping and slashing movement, which you should be patient in dealing with. She also uses a spell similar to the Glintblade Phalanx to attack you from afar. For an in-depth guide for defeating Rellana, you can go to this page for more information.
After you have defeated Rellana, Twin Moon Knight, you will receive the Remembrance of the Twin Moon Knight and you will unlock the Ensis Moongazing Grounds Site of Grace See Elden Ring Map. You can exchange the Remembrance of the Twin Moon Knight with Enia at the Roundtable Hold to receive Rellana's Twinblade and the sorcery Rellana's Twin Moons.
You can access a section behind Castle Ensis from the Ensis Moongazing Grounds by going through the archway on the northern side of the room. Follow the path but traverse it near the cliffside on the left. Drop down the cliff, then follow the stream going back to Castle Ensis. You will eventually arrive at a rampart in Castle Ensis in which you will find a chest. Open the chest, and you will receive the Carian Sorcery Sword.
Scadu Altus
Recommended Scadutree Blessing Rank: 8~ Revered Spirit Ash Blessing: 6~
- Activate Site of Grace after eliminating Rellana, Twin Moon Knight, and exit through the newly-opened gate
- Head North and follow the dirt path to activate Highroad Cross - Site of Grace
- Exhaust dialogue of nearby NPCs: Leda and Hornsent. Accept Monk's Missive and Cross Map.
- Pick up Map: Scadu Altus to reveal nearby locations
- Defeat Furnace Golem
- Take the Larval Tear east of the army camp in front of the Shadow Keep Main Gate. This is located east of the camp in the illuminated gravesite (nighttime only)
- Head to Church of the Crusade: Defeat Fire Knight Queelign and obtain the Prayer Room Key
- Look for the injured Forager Brood north of the Church of the Crusade. Help the pest by dropping a Warming Stone or Sunwarmth Stone next to it. (NOTE: The Forager Broods are important to Moore and if you harm one of them, Moore will appear as an invader. If Moore dies, all Forager Brood will permanently disappear from your current world and prevents you from collecting the rest of the Cookbooks)
- Locate and explore Fog Rift Fort
- Reach Moorth Ruins and do Dryleaf Dane's quest there.
- Explore Moorth Ruins to reach the well that leads to Bonny Village and Bonny Gaol
- Obtain O Mother (Gesture) - Important item to be used later in Hinterlands
- Discover the Spiritspring near Fort Reprimand and reach Scaduview Cross - Site of Grace
- Clear Fort of Reprimand
- Complete Ruined Forge of Starfall Past
- Visit Whipping Hut and Rabbath's Rise
- Cross the Bridge to Eastern Scadu Altus: Take note that you will receive a loud notification here about a rune breaking. NOTE: You may have received this notification earlier if you traveled close to the Main Gate of Shadow Keep. It is important to speak with all NPCs before you formally enter Shadow Keep to progress their individual questlines.
- Get the Larval Tear west of Rabbath's Rise, you can see the illuminated gravesite (nighttime only) before you formally enter the Cathedral of Manus Metyr
- Reach the Cathedral of Manus Metyr and speak to Count Ymir and Jolan
Head north to pick up the Map: Scadu Altus to navigate easily. Eliminate the Furnace Golem that you will come across outside the Shadow Keep, which is the tall and dark building that you can see nearby. The Furnace Golem mostly roams the army campsite found in front of the Shadow Keep's main entrance. It drops x1 Crimsonburst Dried Tear and x1 Furnace Visage. When you're done, head east from the army camp and look for the Larval Tear in the center of the illuminated gravesite (nighttime only).
From the solider camp and Larval Tear location, head east-southeast into a wooded area with Lesser Runebear enemies and a nearby pond. In the wooded area, you will find a summoning pool and next to that, the Highland Warrior Set. Continue into the pond to fight Ralva the Great Red Bear. This is an optional field boss and you can return here at any time if you prefer. Upon defeat you will be rewarded with the Pelt of Ralva helm.
Once you're ready, travel west to reach the Church of the Crusade. Go inside and walk down the aisle where you will be invaded by the Fire Knight Queelign NPC. Upon defeating him, you will receive the Prayer Room Key and Ash of War: Flame Skewer. (NOTE: You will only get the Ash of War if this is your 2nd encounter with him. You will first find him if you fully explore Belurat Tower Settlement.
On the altar behind the burning pot, make sure to pick up the x2 Scadutree Fragment in front of the tall statue of Marika. On your way out, look to your right and pick up Rune Arc next to the toppled pillars. Outside the church, head northeast and go to the very edge. You will find an injured Forager Brood here who is unable to move. To help it, drop a Warming Stone next to it then wait for it to get up. Rest at a nearby Site of Grace, come back to the location to receive Forager Brood Cookbook [4] and x3 Shadow Sunflower from it. If you helped the injured Forager Brood, the next time you speak with Moore you will receive Forager Brood Cookbook [7].
After this location, head southwest and look to drop to the lower area where you will find Fog Rift Fort.
IMPORTANT: While you're in this area, you may get a loud notification if you get too close to Shadow Keep about a great rune breaking. This event signifies NPC quests progressions, and you need to speak to them at their respective Sites of Grace. This will also undo the seal preventing entry to Stone Coffin Fissure. (THIS STILL NEEDS TO BE CONFIRMED BUT SOME PLAYERS HAVE REPORTED THAT YOU WILL NOT GET LOCKED OUT OF ANY QUESTLINE AFTER GETTING THIS NOTIFICATION BUT WILL PROMPT MOVEMENTS FROM DIFFERENT NPCS AFTER YOU TALK TO THEM. However, some of these NPCs will enter Shadow Keep as part of their questlines so it's important to talk to them before you enter Shadow Keep. You're not going to enter Shadow Keep YET, but make sure you talk to them when you're done with the current Scadu Altus exploration.
- Main Gate Cross - Site of Grace: Ansbach and Moore
- Three-Path Cross - Site of Grace: Redmane Freyja
- Highroad Cross - Site of Grace: Needle Knight Leda and Hornsent
- Pillar Path Cross - Site of Grace: Thiollier
Walk to the southern edge of the Church of the Crusade and look for the walls enveloping the Fog Rift Fort. Carefully scale down this path and drop down the rocky platforms to land on one of the fort's towers. Drop down from the tower by jumping or using the ladder, and you'll encounter Messmer Soldiers on top of the fort's walls. Once you take them out, look to your left and you'll see a corpse that you can loot, which has x10 Fire Arrow.
Afterward, follow the path until you reach the second wall tower of the fort. Here, you'll encounter a wooden bridge to your right guarded by six Messmer Soldiers. The wooden bridge leads to a rocky platform with another corpse that you can loot for the Greater Potentate's Cookbook [3].
After looting the corpse on the rocky platform, head back to the wall of the fort by crossing the bridge again and continuing on the path. Turn left to another bridge that leads to a small stone house on the other side, where you'll encounter a boss. For a complete guide on how to beat the boss, check out Black Knight Garrew. This boss drops the Black Steel Greatshield. After slaying the boss, head inside the stone house he emerged from and open the chest, which contains a Smithing Stone [7].
Next, head towards the small opening between the cliff and the left side of the stone house. Drop down on a ledge. Follow the stairs, then climb two sets of ladders to reach the top of a tower with a treasure chest containing the Arrow's Soaring Sting Talisman. Drop back down the ladder and jump on the cliff in front of it, then jump down to return to where the boss was.
Now, head to the right of the stone house and access a small part of the wall path. You'll encounter two more Messmer Soldiers and find another corpse holding x1 Somber Smithing Stone [2]. Once you've cleared out the walls of the fort, head back to the bridge that connected the wall path and the boss area, then turn left to a wooden platform with a ladder going down. This will lead you to the grounds of the fort where more Messmer Soldiers await you. The first three soldiers you'll encounter are stationed to the left of the ladder near a spike barricade. After taking them out, you'll find a corpse in the middle of the barricade that holds the Messmerfire Grease.
After looting the corpse, be careful when combatting the rest of the soldiers on the ground. Luckily, they are spread out and in the open, so you can take them out one by one using a ranged weapon. These soldiers are also stationed next to fire turrets. There are two fire turrets in front, two on the opposite side of where you are, and one on the right.
Once you've cleared out the ground, head to the opposite side of the ground where you'll find some tents. One of these tents contains a chest with the Serpent Flail. This is your last stop before heading southeast to travel to Moorth Ruins.
Return to Highroad Cross - Site of Grace and read the Monk's Missive. From here, head to the path leading to the southeast to Moorth Ruins. You will find Dryleaf Dane here who you will challenge to a fight. He is standing near the Site of Grace and next to Miquella's Cross. To prompt this, use the Gesture: May the Best Win while facing him. He will drop Dryleaf Arts and Dane's Hat upon defeating him. After this encounter, start exploring Moorth Ruins by crossing the dirt path west of Moorth Ruins to locate a camp. Look for the Marika statue and take the Scadutree Fragment in front of it.
Continue to Moorth Ruins where you will be fighting phantom enemies, which can be difficult to see at night. Locate the single withered tree at the center of the ruins. This will serve as the marker for this location filled with debris and remains of war-ravaged buildings. Look for the toppled arch to the southeast and head towards it. Once you reach the arch, align yourself directly east and head towards the withered tree in front of you. Behind this tree, you will find an altar where you can pick up x1 Revered Spirit Ash. Return to the toppled arch and look southeast toward the collapsed building. This is your entrance to Moorth Ruins and will be explored vertically to reach the underground. Before going in, head behind the collapsed building and jump on the ledges behind. Look for the Shadowpot, a shadow enemy carrying a jar near the grassy area. Eliminate this enemy to obtain a Scadutree Fragment.
Then, head back in front of the collapsed building and go through the door. Then, exit towards the broken wall and stand on top of the roof. Carefully turn left here and pick up a Shattered Stone Talisman from a corpse here. Continue navigating to the area below you by jumping down the ledges of the broken wall. You can summon Torrent here to negate some of the fall damage. At the bottom, you will be fighting 3 Mage enemies, and you can take the Golden Arcs from the chest inside the small building. Walk towards the northwest where you see a slanted piece of structure. Jump down the balcony near it and to the ground. You can pick up a Shadow Sunflower from a corpse below the balcony. Then, head to the small cave opening here with a faint ghostflame. At the end of this cave, you will see a ladder that you can use to reach Bonny Village, and eventually, a path to the Eastern Scadu Altus.
Use the Site of Grace after exiting the well. Look around and you will see multiple jars in the area. This area appears to be filled with them in every corner, but they are not alive. You will be fighting shadow enemies here and encounter a Greater Potentate. You will find Redflesh Mushroom in the area or pick them up after defeating shadow enemies. Keep heading down the path in the village and look at the houses on the left side and pick up the Kukri under a small roof. When you see the broken bridge in front of you, turn around and look at the area to your right. You can pick up the Bonny Butchering Knife from a corpse here.
Make your way to the broken bridge and try to take out the ghost hounds here. You can also see the loot that they are guarding here. When it's safe, jump down the area and take Human Bone Shard and 2 Living Jar Shard from the corpses. Now, follow the path to the northwest until a figure comes into view. Don't worry, this area is safe. You can pick up the Revered Spirit Ash from this small altar. Now, teleport to the Bonny Village - Site of Grace and jump to the other side of the bridge. Head north past the orange trees here and you can see a corpse in the middle of the open ground. Pick up the O Mother Gesture here. After doing so, go to the bridge south of Bonny Village.
You will find spiked barricades and broken cages on either side of the path. Continue following this path and be careful of the 2 Giant Scorpions that will attack you from either side. Keep an eye out for an opening to the right side of the wall. When you see it, enter the cave to go to Bonny Gaol.
Inside the Gaol, you will find jars suspended in the air with chains holding them up. You will be fighting Living Jars and other types of enemies down here. Take the path to your right and defeat the first enemy here. Look behind you and enter the small room. Watch out for the hiding enemy to your right here. Then, pick up the Frozen Maggot from the corpse. Exit this room and then go to the area across the room you just entered. You can ignore the room to your right as you can't go to the item right now. Inside the second room, you will see an item on a corpse in the corner. Be careful as you approach this chair because 3 Shadow enemies will attack you. After defeating them, take the Bolt from the corpse.
Open the door to your right and eliminate the single enemy sitting here. Then, go down the hole next to the flaming lantern. You can pick up a Broken Rune as soon as you jump here. As you Walk towards the eastern area and enter the small cave. You will be fighting rats and giant rats in this section. After that, go past the wide area and enter through another narrow cave to your right to take the Smithing Stone from a corpse. Return to the path and use the ladder at the end of this narrow cave and as you exit, watch out for the living jar that will attack you. It can extend its innards to shoot a projectile but you can stagger this enemy with a heavy attack. Inside this room, take the Stalwart Horn Charm +2. Then, jump back to the room where you first saw this unreachable item.
Return to the sewer area where you jumped down. You will see an unreachable item in the western area because of the grills blocking the way. Look for the narrow area here and watch out for the slug-like enemies down here. They can be difficult to spot because of their color so listen closely to their sounds. This path will lead to a Broken Rune that you can pick up from a corpse. Then, look behind you to reveal another pathway where you can pick up the Invigorating Cured Meat to your left. Then, go to the right path to jump down to the lower levels of the gaol.
The river will serve as the path here, so follow the stream. To your right, you will fight a Living Jar here. There's also a Broken Rune, the one that you saw from when you first entered Broken Gaol. Fight the next cluster of enemies here near the water and pick up the Warming Stone next to the pillar behind them. Continue following the stream of water until you see an opening at the end. Watch out for hiding enemies here and make sure that you are ready for them. They will come out as soon as you step near an item. Take the Innard Meat on the ground here. Next, defeat the Living Jar next to the door, then look behind you to see a broken jar. An enemy is hiding here and will reveal a Raw Meat Dumpling under them. Go to the next room and exit through the tall archway. This will reveal just how big the Bonny Gaol is.
When you reach the area where you can see broken jails on the wall to your right, you need to watch out for an enemy that will jump at you in the next room. They can drain a chunk of your HP so you need to be ready for them or dodge early to avoid getting damaged. Then, exit through the closed door to the left corner of the room. This will take you to the jar used as a lift that will take you to the depths of the gaol. Jump on top of it and jump to the bridge. Before crossing the bridge, you need to activate the switch on the bridge and then jump on top of the jar again.
Doing this will take you to the top level of Bonny Gaol and you can pick up the Night Set from a corpse. Then, go up the stairs and defeat the Living Jar here blocking the door. Behind it, you can pick up the Shield of Night on the ledge. This time, you can now jump down the lift and cross the bridge. As you reach the other side, watch out for the 2 hiding Living Jars. Take them out as fast as you can and use heavy attacks to stagger them. Then, jump down on the left side of the bridge. Follow the path ahead and get ready for the boss fight.
You will be fighting Curseblade Labirith here, a boss that wields dual blades and can turn himself invisible. You will receive Curseblade Meera upon defeating this boss. You can visit his page for a strategy on how to beat him. After exploring this dungeon, you will teleport to Moorth Highway - Site of Grace to explore Fort of Reprimand. For now, we recommend on clearing the rest of the dungeons on the western side before we cross to the other bridge.
NOTE: Going past the bridge to the Eastern Scadu Altus will trigger NPCs questline progression where a great rune breaks. This event prompts the advancement of NPCs' questline and will require you to speak with them by teleporting to various Site of Graces. To minimize backtracking, head to the Moorth Ruins grace and clear the remaining areas near it.
From Moorth Ruins - Site of Grace, head southwest past the main path. Then, head to Ruined Forge of Starfall Past; this is an optional location but a good place to earn a number of Smithing Stones and you can also get the Ancient Meteoric Ore Greatsword from there.
Return to Moorth Ruins and travel southwest to the Ruined Forge of Starfall Past. Before entering, look for the Forager Brood located just west-northwest of the Ruined Forge of Starfall Site of Grace, along the cliffside. Interact with the pest to receive Forager Brood Cookbook [1]. Enter the dungeon where its entrance is a broken-down structure with a small tunnel entrance on the west side. Enter the tunnel and follow it until you reach a ladder that descends further underground. Climb down the ladder to find an abandoned shelter, where the Ruined Forge of Starfall Past - Site of Grace is located.
After setting up the Site of Grace, head immediately to the doorway and you'll find a Smithing Stone [6] on the ground. Additionally, on the left corner of the area, there are x5 Smithing Stone [3]. In the first area, you'll encounter two Misbegotten enemies. One is below the small bridge that connects to the other side of the room, and the other is on the far side of the bridge. Eliminate these enemies and pull the lever on the other side of the bridge, which will open an iron door below the bridge on the left side. Before heading down to the iron door, go to the opposite side of the lever to find x1 Smithing Stone [2] and a Smithscript Spear. Drop down from the bridge to take out the Misbegotten below. There's another Smithing Stone [3] opposite the iron door. Just beside the iron door on the left, you'll find another Smithing Stone [2] and Smithing Stone [3]. Enter the iron door and immediately hide in a small space to the right. You'll need to take cover here for a few seconds because a Fire Blob will shoot fire projectiles from the other side of the passage
You can pull the lever in your hiding spot to close the iron door again. Once another projectile crosses, run toward the Fire Blob and take it out. In the next area, there are two levels and another passage to the right leading to another area. From the entrance of the iron passage, go left to grab the Smithing Stone [6] and Smithing Stone [3] on the ground. A Golem Smith is lurking behind some rubble, so be alert and take it out. To the left of the golem are x2 Smithing Stone [2].
Once you've looted the first level of the second area, go to the other passage on the right. As before, another Fire Blob will be shooting projectiles from the far side. Run to the nearest cover on the right, but be ready to fight, as another Fire Blob will be waiting to ambush you there. Take out the hiding Fire Blob and wait in cover. There's also a Smithing Stone [3] in the cover area. Wait for a projectile to cross, then run toward the Fire Blob and take it out. Through the second passage, you'll come across a ladder going up to the right. Before heading up, go straight a bit to a small dead-end area and prepare to fight a Golem Smith hiding on the left. This small room contains a Somber Smithing Stone [7] by a skeleton and a Smithing Stone [3].
Afterward, head up the ladder to reach the second level of this area. Follow the path to a room filled with three Fire Blobs and a Golem Smith. There's a Somber Smithing Stone [8] by a corpse on the ground, so pick it up. Head up the broken-down rubble to the left to reach the third level and enter the passage to the right. This will lead you back to the second area you encountered earlier, and you can drop to the second level. Before jumping to the second level, look to the left to see a small dead-end room with a corpse holding the Smithing Talisman. Enter this dead-end room, and a group of Fire Blobs will drop from the ceiling, which you need to take out
There's a Golem Smith on the right side of the area near the bridge and a Fire Blob on a small platform once you drop down. Once you take out the golem, you can loot the second level of the second area. There's a Smithing Stone [8] by a sitting corpse on the small platform. Crossing the bridge to the other side, you can pick up a Smithing Stone [6] and a Glass Shard. Once you've looted the second level, pull the lever to open another iron door on the left side. Enter the iron door and follow the path to a mid-sized room with two Golem Smiths ready to ambush you—one to the right and one to the left. Once you clear the room, you can loot it to find a Smithing Stone [6] and a Smithscript Cirque by a corpse next to the sewage waterfall.
Do not drop down the sewage waterfall as it will kill you. Instead, head back to the passage that connects the second area and the room with the sewage waterfall. Pull the lever to the left to activate the iron door. Before the iron door rises to close, immediately jump above the iron door. Once it stops, go to the platform on the right to find an entrance to a small room. This room contains an altar that you can interact with to receive the Ancient Meteoric Ore Greatsword and an Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone.
You will notice that there's an area above Fort of Reprimand and you can access this by going to the edge of the cliff to the east. You will find a Spiritspring here but you can't use it right away. You need to look for the stack of stones by going to the edge of the cliff here. Then, summon Torrent to ride up the plain above you. From there, head southeast to reach the edge and you will find the Scaduview Cross and Site of Grace. You can pick up x1 Scadutree Fragment here next to Miquella's Cross. When you're done here, you can either jump down the Spiritspring to begin exploring the Ruined Forge of Starfall Past.
Return to the path and use the Moorth Highway, South Site of Grace. See Elden Ring Map near the entrance of Fort of Reprimand. You will first arrive at the Courtyard where the execution platform is located. There will be an Omenkiller patrolling the courtyard, so be prepared for combat. After defeating the Omenkiller, you are free to explore and loot the area. You can pick up numerous items in the courtyard, such as Throwing Dagger, Broken Rune, Grace Mimic, Furlcalling Finger Remedy, and Blessed Bone Shard. In the northeastern part of the courtyard, you will find a spot you can jump on to access its basement.
Down in the basement, you can pick up x1 Shadow Realm Rune [4], x4 Knot Resin, x1 Broken Rune, and x10 Kukri. As you head deeper into the basement, you will find an exit leading to a section behind the fort. You'll find x1 Messmer Soldier Ashes by a gravestone. You'll also find a ladder going up the fort, so use that to go back inside the fort.
After climbing the ladder, you will end up on top of the fort walls. Follow the path to the right, then head left, looting a dead body by the stairs containing x3 Dewgem. To the northwest of the body, you can activate the Fort of Reprimand Site of Grace See Elden Ring Map. An Omenkiller will be on top of the wall on your right, so be prepared to fight it. After defeating the Omenkiller, you can explore the western side of the Site of Grace, finding x1 Blessed Bone Shard on a dead body on a scaffolding.
Go back to the staircase near the Site of Grace, then head south, where you dropped earlier. You'll find a room in which you will encounter Black Knight Edreed, who uses a twinblade in combat. He can also use flying attacks to close the distance to you, so be cautious of those attacks. After you have defeated Black Knight Edreed, he will drop the Ash of War: Aspects of the Crucible: Wings.
Head up the stairs, then climb up the ladder, which leads to the outside. On the southwestern part of the area, climb up the stairs. On top of the tower, you can open a chest to acquire x1 Battlefield Priest's Cookbook [2]. Backtrack your way to the Fort of Reprimand Site of Grace. You will find a path going down near where you dropped. Go down the stairs and keep following the path. You will encounter numerous Common Soldiers in this area, which you can easily kill in a few attacks. In the room, as you enter the area, you can pick up x2 Festive Grease from a dead body right beside where two soldiers are. Go through the cages east of the dead body, leading you to a chest that contains x1 Flamedrake Talisman +3. Head west, then southwest to explore the area, entering another room.
In this room, you will find a ladder going down right across the door you just entered. When you go down, you will find four Common Soldiers gathering at the southwestern corner of the room. You can find pick up 7x Smithing Stone [5] on a dead body at the corner where the soldiers were gathering. There will be a chest containing x1 Furnace Visage. On the southeastern part of the room, you can pick up x3 Spiritgrave Stone from a dead body.
Climb back up the stairs, then go through the doorway on the southwest. In this room, you can find x1 Fireproof Pickled Liver near the path going to the execution platform in the middle of the fort. This is your last stop before exploring the rest of Scadu Altus. When you're done here, you will now teleport to Bonny Village - Site of Grace to cross the bridge that will let you access Eastern Scadu Altus.
From the Site of Grace, cross the bridge to the east and go to the Whipping Hut found at the edge of this isolated plain. Pick up the Tooth Whip from the corpse inside the hut. You can also interact with the ghost here just outside the hut.
ADDITIONAL INFO: You will notice that if you look at our Shadow of the Erdtree Map, you will see 2 locations beneath this area: Eastern Nameless Mausoleum and Darklight Catacombs. While these 2 are both part of Scadu Altus, their entrances can only be accessed after exploring an area beneath Shadow Keep. Read Part 1 of Shadow Keep to know the full details of draining the water in the Shadow Keep - Church District and how to reach both optional dungeons and a new area after that.
Going back to Scadu Altus Eastern Region, cross the bridge to the other side and activate the Bridge Leading to the Village - Site of Grace to the right. it was in this location past the bridge when we heard a loud audio cue followed by a notification that a great rune had broken. This significantly adds interactions you will have with NPCs. It is recommended to travel to the various sites of graces to speak with the following NPCs:
- Main Gate Cross - Site of Grace: Ansbach and Moore
- Three-Path Cross - Site of Grace: Redmane Freyja
- Highroad Cross - Site of Grace: Needle Knight Leda and Hornsent
- Pillar Path Cross - Site of Grace: Thiollier
Talking to Moore
Moore will ask you "Must we be sad forever?" Your answer here will affect his questline. You have 3 options:
- Put it behind you
- Remain sad forever
- I don't know
If you choose the first one, he will move on from this location and you will encounter him later as an enemy. The second one will prompt him to move to a different location and all the Forager Broods will disappear. Don't choose this if you haven't collected all 7 cookbooks from them. The safest choice if you're still doing his quest is the third option which allows you to come back and talk to him later, however, you can also make this your final choice if you progress too far in the game. This will make him stay at the same location and give you a chance to collect all the cookbooks.
The other NPC that you need to make a choice with is Needle Knight Leda, she will ask your opinion on who she should go after. During this conversation, we recommend Hornsent so that once you enter Shadow Keep through the Main Gate, you will assist Hornsent to defeat Leda together, and you will get additional rewards. For the rest of the conversations with other NPCs, you will not have any choices but you need to exhaust all of their dialogues. The others will tell you how they're now beginning to question their choices, and if their decisions were earnest.
You can do this after exploring the Cathedral of Manus Metyr and will not cancel any questlines. So for now, follow the path towards the north where you will reach an area with Wolves and a Furnace Golem. Defeating the Furnace Golem here will drop Cerulean-Sapping Cracked Tear and a Furnace Visage. Continue the path ahead until you pass through Rabbath's Rise. Activate the Church District Highroad - Site of Grace before continuing. Head east to formally enter Rabbath's Rise here. This is a tower building with some of its steps destroyed. You will also see some glowing crystals on the ground floor.
Go through the door to your left and climb the spiral stairs. When you reach the study room with tall bookshelves lined on the walls, make sure to hit the wall with 2 arches. This is a secret wall hiding the key to the sealed spiritspring. Destroy it to reveal a nearby Spiritspring outside Rabbath's Rise. You can't use the elevator yet, so you need to go outside the tower and look for the spirit spring. Summon Torrent and ride up the wind to reach the top of the tower. Open the chest to get Rabbath's Cannon. On your way down, you can now use the elevator that was previously stuck.
When you're finished exploring Rabbath's Rise, return to the Church District Highroad - Site of Grace and pass the time until nightfall. From here, ride directly west to find glowing gravestones surrounding a Larval Tear. Southwest from here, past multiple groups of wolves, you will find a small cave opening on your left along the cliff face. Inside you will find a teardrop scarab on the ceiling containing the Ash of War: Carian Sovereignty.
Once you've finished exploring you can now head to the Cathedral of Manus Metyr, which is just across from Rabbath's Rise. From the Site of Grace, stay on the path starting west and follow it south up the hill. Enter the cathedral in front of you and activate the Site of Grace. Open the closed gates and walk in the middle towards the seated man. This is Count Ymir, the head of Manus Metyr. During your interaction with Count Ymir, he will give you 2 items:
While here, be sure to speak with Swordnight Jolan, who is leaning against a pillar nearby. NOTE: If you can't find her here, try resting at a site of grace and reload the location. She is a servant to Count Ymir and is fiercely loyal to him. For now, there's not much that you can do to progress their quest, except to roam around the area. Head outside through the arch near Jolan which will take you to the grave area. Summon Torrent and jump over the fence to your left to explore the edges of the Cathedral. Beware of skeleton enemies here and make sure to pick up a Glinting Nail on the ground. Continue going around the cathedral and eliminate skeleton enemies as you go. These enemies also drop a piece of their armor and Cuckoo Glintstone.
In the pond area south of the cathedral, you can pick up a Greater Potentate's Cookbook [2] from a corpse. Then, head southeast where you see a broken stone chalice to pick up the Starlight Shards. This is your last stop in Scadu Altus, and your next step is to teleport to the NPC locations and to their respective Site of Graces to learn from them since a powerful charm had been broken.
Your next stop is Rauh Base in Rauh Ruins. You will get there from Moorth Ruins and you can continue reading the next section to find out how to reach the next location. NOTE: Make sure to speak with NPCs after this area by teleporting to their respective Sites of Grace.
Rauh Base
Recommended Scadutree Blessing Rank: 9~ Revered Spirit Ash Blessing: 6~
- Travel to Rauh Base from the lake in Moorth Ruins
- Obtain the Map: Rauh Ruins
- Find the spiritspring path to Northern Nameless Mausoleum
- Go to Temple Town Ruins
- Find the way to Rivermouth Cave (This dungeon is part of Gravesite Plain but the optimal path is from Rauh Base)
- Complete Scorpion River Catacombs
- Explore the plain north of the catacomb
- Take the Larval Tear found northwest of the Ravine North Site of Grace. Found between the glowing gravestones (nighttime only)
- Defeat Rugalea the Great Red Bear and get the Highland Warrior Set
- Explore Taylew's Ruined Forge
- Take a few items outside of the forge
Exit to the right as you reach the small Golden Tree here, and then head outside. Once you reach the poisonous swamp outside the golden tree, look for the Forager Brood (Lesser Kindred of Rot) along the right cliff edge. You will find it near the Deathbird-infested swamp. Interact with it to receive the Forager Brood Cookbook [5]. Then, head west west and exit through the opening on the wall until you get the Rauh Base flash on your screen. Activate the Site of Grace as you formally enter this new location. Taylew's Ruined Forge is just northeast of this Site of Grace but the first thing you need to do is to get the Map: Rauh Ruins so you can navigate easily. You can come back to this grace and explore this dungeon later on.
To get the map, travel southwest where you see 2 Golem Warriors ahead. One is using a bow, while the other one is using an axe. It is recommended to eliminate them before you take the map since they can still attack you from a very long distance. Get rid of the archer first as it's easier to deal with them in close combat. Then, you can take on the other golem warrior. The map is just ahead, next to stone heads past the golem warriors. After acquiring the map, head west and follow the river to the right side to use the Temple Town Ruins - Site of Grace. Then, return to where you picked up the map and look for the sealed spiritspring which gives access to the Northern Nameless Mausoleum.
You can find the sealed Spiritspring by the base of a sheer cliff to the southeast of where the Rauh Ruins map was found; the corresponding stacks of stones for the Spiritspring can be found to the south of it up a ramp by the side of the cliff Elden Ring Map, break it to unlock the Spiritspring. Jump up the Spiritspring to land on a terrace with another Spiritspring, and use it to reach the very top of the plateau where the Mausoleum is.
Just like any other mausoleum in the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, the location is an arena for a mini-boss encounter against the Red Bear. By the entrance, there is a Summoning Pool or effigy for players to use for co-op. There is also a Stake of Marika that you can use to respawn by the entrance of the mausoleum in case you die. As mentioned, the location is where you'll fight against a mini-boss, so make preparations before you pass through the mist. For guides and strategies on how to defeat the boss, please visit the Red Bear page.
Defeating this mini-boss rewards the player with the following items:
After defeating the boss, return to the Temple Town Ruins - Site of Grace See Elden Ring Map, and follow the river going east. You will be by the ruins area with Shadow Pothead enemies scattered around the ruins. Explore the ruins area, and you'll find x4 Rada Fruit on a dead body on top of a collapsed roof. You can also find x1 Revered Spirit Ash on the southern part of the ruins. Afterwards, you can head west through the archway to find the graveyard section of the ruins. You can pick up x1 Grave Glovewort [8] on a dead body. A Spiritgrave Stone can also be picked up on the western side of the graveyard, by the gravestones on the corner.
To get inside the ruins' structure, you can find a small opening on the southern part of the wall of the enclosed structure. You will encounter numerous Shadow Undead, Shadow Pothead and Rotten Strays, so be prepared to face numerous enemies. On the southeastern corner of the ruins, you can find x3 Beast Blood by a collapsed roof, along with x1 Golden Rune [1]. Continue heading north, and you can pick up a Somber Smithing Stone [3] by a wall on the west side beside a Shadow Undead.
Head up the stairs on the east side, then go south to find a Shadow Pothead. Continue heading up the stairs covered by tattered cloth. Go on the northwestern edge of the collapsed roof, then drop down carefully to get to the area under the roof. Once you have successfully dropped down, you'll be in a small room with pots and a Shadow Undead. Go past the archway, and you'll encounter another Shadow Pothead. In this area, you can loot the dead body to obtain a Scadutree Fragment. Exit the structure through where you dropped earlier, then head northwest.
Traverse through the bridge on the northwestern side, picking up x2 Furlcalling Finger Remedy along the way. You will encounter a Horned Warrior going down the stairs. After defeating the Horned Warrior, go up the stairs where it was coming down from. A structure will be at the top of the stairs containing a chest. Open the chest to find the Two-Handed Sword Talisman. When you're done with Temple Town Ruins, you will now head to Rivermouth Cave south of Temple Town Ruins. Go to the edge of the cliff near the mosquito to see tombstones to descend all the way down.
Once you land at the bottom, grab the Two-Headed Turtle Talisman in the small cave to the left of the Giant Crab. Continue navigating southwest and stick to the wall on your right side. You will see the entrance to the cave a few meters from the platform. As you enter, you will immediately discover the Rivermouth Cave Site of Grace See Elden Ring Map. If you go to the cavern going east, you will encounter 4 wolves in an area. In the northeast side of the room, you can pillage a body for x2 Hefty Beast Bone.
As you head deeper, the path will fork. The path on the right will have two hostile wolves along with a dead body that you can loot for x3 Sliver of Meat. This leads to a dead-end, so return to the path and follow the other path. This path will lead you to an area with an upper-level and three wolves.
If you climb up the opening on the east side of the area, you will find a body containing loot. When you get closer to loot the body, the ground will collapse, making you fall. You can then loot the body to pick up a Shadow Realm Rune [1]. The path going northwest will be a dead-end, so go down the path east. As you are traversing the eastern path, you can gather x1 Sanguine Amaryllis along the way.
The path will lead you to an area full of Bloodfiends. If you want to go back up, go to the path on your right, and you will encounter a Bloodfiend. After disposing of the enemy, follow the path west going up, in which you will encounter two wolves. Keep following the path, encountering two more wolves along with a dead body that you can loot for x1 Sacred Bloody Flesh. Keep following the path, which is going north, and you will be back in the area before you fall.
If you wish to continue, you can clear the area by sneaking up on the ogres and backstabbing them. They are also easy to deal with, as you can kill them in around two hits. If you aggro them all at the same time, you can fight one of them at a time by dragging the enemies away from the area. After clearing them, you can gather a few Sanguine Amaryllis around the edges of the blood pool. On the altar, you can pick up x3 Sacred Bloody Flesh. In the northern corner of the area, near the ramp where you came from, you can pick up x6 Sanguine Amaryllis. There will be a boss fog nearby.
When you enter the boss room, you will be facing the Chief Bloodfiend. It is a more aggressive version of the Bloodfiends that you encountered earlier. It can jump towards you from afar, while also using its club more effectively than the ones you encountered earlier. For a more in-depth guide on how to defeat the Chief Bloodfiend, you can go refer to this page. Once you have defeated the Chief Bloodfiend, it will drop x1 Bloodfiend Hexer's Ashes. You can find the exit on the southeastern side of the room. When you're done here, head back out so you can continue to Scorpion River Catacombs.
The Scorpion River Catacombs is located on the far western section of Rauh Base. You can get here by traveling west past Temple Town Ruins where you will come across scarlet-inflicted pest enemies. The path here is dangerous because these enemies can stagger you while riding Torrent. From the Temple Town Ruins - Site of Grace, follow the river heading north and hug the cliff face on your right. Past the red servants of rot, there is a small cave. Inside it, you will find a Shadowpot enemy. Beware of the poison traps littered around. Defeating this enemy drops x3 Fire Spritestone, and Antiquity Scholar's Cookbook [1]. From here, continue northwest until you reach the Ravine North - Site of Grace as the river comes to a bend. This is found on an upper section to the right side of the water.
From the site of grace, jump down on the river below you. You will find a Horned Warrior standing in the middle of the water. You can fight it to get its armor, then, stick to the wall on your left side until you see gravestones come into view. As you reach the end here, you will see a door with 2 Ghostflame lanterns. This is your entrance to the Scorpion River Catacombs.
From the Site of Grace, head straight through the catacombs. In the first room, an Imp enemy will ambush you. Afterward, head left down a short set of stairs towards a large hallway, and turn left into a small room. Inside, you'll find a corpse holding x3 Rejuvenating Boluses and two Imps guarding it. Take them out.
Exit the small room and cross the bridge in the middle of the large hallway until you find another set of stairs going down. Follow the path until you reach another large room with two Imp enemies inside. Eliminate them and head down the stairs of the large room. Just below the stairs is a corpse holding a Grave Glovewort [3]. Proceed through the tunnel entrance on the same level to find another room with an Imp guarding a plant on the left that gives you Yellow Fulgurbloom. At the other end of the room is another tunnel, but before proceeding, loot the corpse beside the tunnel to get x5 Redflesh Mushrooms.
Head down the tunnel and go straight through the tight path, turning right towards another short set of stairs going down. Do not immediately exit the tunnel after turning right. There's a large spike trap that launches from above. Wait for the spike to go down, then immediately run to the right to a small space that keeps you safe from the spike trap. From here, you can either run to the right to get out of the spike area or go to the corpse on the other side that has the Ghost Glovewort and then run to safety after looting it.
Once you're out of the spike trap area, turn left and drop down to another level, but be careful, as there are three Basilisks waiting to attack you. After killing the Basilisks, head through the tunnel on this level to find another corpse on the left, giving you the Shadow Realm Runes [4]. Exit the tunnel, and just to the left, you'll see another Yellow Fulgurbloom.
To the right, you'll find a ladder going up. Head up the ladder and take out an Imp enemy on the edge of the tunnel enjoying the view of the next room. Drop down into the room and loot the corpse on the right for another Ghost Glovewort [5].
Then, head to the left side of the room and up a short set of stairs. Turn left to find yourself back at the spike trap area. Cross the spike trap area again, but instead of dropping down to the Basilisk area, turn right. This leads to an open hallway with Messmer Soldiers inside. Before proceeding toward the Messmer Soldiers, run to a safe space on the right as the first half of the hallway is another spike trap. Once you cross the hallway, take out the two Messmer Soldiers and then the Black Knight with its back turned. After clearing the hallway, loot the corpse on the right near where you fought the Messmer Soldiers to get a Smithing Stone [5]. In the middle of the hallway, where the Black Knight stood, loot the altar to receive the Black Knight Captain Huw.
Afterward, head back to the safe area of the second spike trap and climb the ladder going up. Once you reach the top, wait for the spike trap to go down. Before it goes back up, hop on top of it to reach a secret platform above. Loot the corpse there to get a Ghost Glovewort [6]. Hop on the spike trap again to go back to the level above the ladder.
Cross the bridge to the right, and before heading straight through the other tunnel, turn left and cross the ledge. Hop on the spike trap that goes down on the left to reach another secret platform and loot a corpse for the Imp Head (Lion).
Return to the ledge, but before going back, turn left first to the tunnel here and enter the small room at the end. Kill two Imps guarding a corpse that gives you the Knight's Lightning Spear. Afterward, head back through the tunnel. Before exiting to the ledge area, turn left and go up the stairs to a small area with two Imps. Loot the corpse on the left to get x6 Yellow Fulgurbloom.
Once done looting, drop down near the corpse to find yourself back at the crossing point of the ledge where you crossed the bridge earlier. Go through the tunnel now and take the elevator down. Once you reach the bottom, head straight through the catacomb tunnels until you reach an intersection. Turn right and wait a few seconds for a shadow fireball trap to cross. When the shadow fireball passes and goes back, tail it down a set of stairs. There's climbable rubble up ahead, but first, check if the shadow fireball has crossed. If it has, climb up the rubble and turn right to the first path.
Follow the path until you reach a giant Imp guarding a short set of stairs. Loot the corpse to the right for a Grave Glovewort [4] before taking out the giant Imp. Head down the stairs after defeating the giant Imp and you'll find yourself in another large room. Head straight and loot the corpse and plant for a Yellow Fulgurbloom and Ghost Glovewort [8]. Then, go down the ladder to the right of the plant and corpse. Once you reach the bottom, loot the corpse to the left for a Great Ghost Glovewort.
Head back up the ladder and turn left through another tunnel, and head up the stairs. At the top, peek first because there are two Shadow Fireballs that will cross. Wait for them to pass above you and then run across the bridge. You can stop in the middle of the bridge and drop down to the left onto a small area to get a Yellow Fulgurbloom plant.
At the other end of this place, where you dropped down, is a ladder going up. Climb up to find a small room with some Imps and a chest containing the Ancient Dragon Knight's Cookbook [2]. Afterward, from the ladder, turn left through a tight tunnel that leads to the second level of a previous area. Loot the corpse on the right for x2 Rejuvenating Boluses.
Turn left towards another tunnel with a Yellow Fulgurbloom plant on the right. To the left of the tunnel is a drop-down path back to where the Shadow Fireball trap of the bridge you dropped down from earlier was. Cross the bridge completely and turn right at the end. There's another elevator here that goes down. At the bottom, walk straight to find a yellow mist that leads to the Death Knight boss battle. This boss drops the Death Knight's Longhaft Axe and Cerulean Amber Medallion +3. Teleport to the entrance and then head north to the area in front of you.
Follow the path and look at the area to your right side. If it's nighttime, you will spot a small illuminated gravesite here and you can pick up a Larval Tear in the center. Then, turn left and scale the edge of this small section and look for an item found on a heap of soil. Interact with it to pick up the Greater Potentate's Cookbook [8]. Return to the path and head north and continue past Rugalea the Great Red Bear here. Turn right as you climb up the higher plain and then pick up the Highland Warrior Set. Then, jump back down and fight the field boss here. Defeating it will give you the Roar of Rugalea.
After clearing the area north of Scorpion River Catacombs, return to Ancient Ruins Base - Site of Grace and head north. You will quickly happen upon a silver scarab holding a Somber Smithing Stone [7]. Continue on, encountering misbegotten enemies on your path. You will spot another silver scarab, this time hanging on some ruins above a misbegotten, earning you the Scattershot Throw Ash of War. Continue up the hill approaching the dungeon entrance, dealing with more misbegotten. Before entering the dungeon, head around the back of the entrance to the right to find yet another silver scarab sitting upon the structure's northeasternmost column. This one drops a Somber Smithing Stone [9]. Head inside and touch the Taylew's Ruined Forge site of grace.
To proceed, follow the hallway and find a stone golem. Note that this enemy is resilient to physical attacks and has a lot of health. However, it is rather slow so plan your attacks and stance and break the said golem until it dies. After beating the Stone Golem, get the nearest loot which is the Smithscript Axe. Continue progressing in the dungeon by exiting back from where you came from and this time, access the lower parts by jumping into the broken part of the hallway.
Follow the hallway and you will eventually reach a long stone pillar that extends to the lava area underneath you and also extends to the upper part of the area. But first, access the adjacent area from where you are. You will come across another lava slime. Defeat and behind it, there is loot near the broken statue which contains the Smithscript Greathammer. Proceed by heading back to the stone pillar and this time head to the upper area by accessing the upper part of the stone pillar.
You will eventually notice that there are two platforms that you can jump off to. Access the one on the left and you will come to access two Stone Golems. This encounter will be challenging as both so proceed with caution. One thing to note is, that there's a red stone located at the back of these golems and these are the weak spots of these entities.
After defeating both of the golems, head to the nearest balcony where a dead body lies. Loot the body and get an Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone. Head back to the area where you fought the two Stone Golem, loot another dead body, and receive x5 Smithing Stone [4].
To proceed, head back to the stone pillar and use it to get across to the adjacent platform. There are three directions that you can head from here. However, we suggest heading to the lower area by jumping from the platform you are in right now.
You are in the correct area if you landed in Lava Slimes. Follow the hallway and there's a nearby dead body that you can loot. It contains a x3 Smithing Stone [8]. Proceed by heading to the other hallway near the location where a ladder that you can access. Use the ladder to proceed.
After the ladder, you will be greeted with Lava Slimes. Take them out and notice that there's another area or platform where you can jump off too. However, a Lava Slime and another Stone Golem are waiting on the other side.
Take these enemies out and there is another dead body which you can loot. Loot it and get a x1 Somber Smithing Stone [3]. Head to the other hallway near the ladder and find yourself on another balcony. There's a nearby lever that you can interact with. Pull the lever and notice that the stone pillar will change its position so you can access the other side of the area.
To proceed, notice that there's another chained ironed platform that you can jump off to be able to return and access the pillar. But before heading to the stone pillar, notice that there's another hallway near which leads to a dead end.
There's another dead body that you can loot which contains x1 Somber Smithing Stone [8]. Head back to the previous hallway and this time, head to the other hallway which leads to a room filled with Stone Golems and Lava Slimes. You are in the right area if you notice the Elite Stone Golem that has some kind of burning ember on its head.
Deal with this enemy first and try to lure it from the pack. Be careful though as it can throw lavas at you by using the said ember. After dealing with all the enemies around this area, notice that there is debris that you can use to reach the upper area. Once you reach the upper area, notice that there's an important item to loot.
Loot the said item and receive a x1 Smithscript Shield. We are about to reach the end of this dungeon and proceed by heading back to the Stone Pillar and you will notice there's another area that you can reach on the left while climbing the stone pillar.
Reach the said area and notice that there's a ladder that you can take to proceed. Do so and you will find an altar near your location. Interact with this Altar and you will receive the following, x1 Taylew the Golem Smith and x1 Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone. This is the end of the dungeon exploration. Access the teleporter so you can exit. This was the last dungeon to explore in Rauh Base, and you have one more armament to gather nearby.
You'll see on the map that there's a small pond in the same wooded area. It will be populated by several Bloodfiends. The item they're guarding in the middle of the pond is Bloodfiend's Sacred Spear See it on the Map here and the talisman nearby. From the pond, head west, and then south at the last bridge support pillar. You will come upon a small camp; a tent, carts, and a few Messmer's soldiers. Deal with the enemies, then break the barrels inside the tent to reveal a chest containing the Pearl Shield Talisman. Head there to pick up the item. Then, if you have been following this walkthrough, you will now be heading to Shadow Keep to clear the Church District and Scadutree Base. You can teleport to the Church District Highroad - Site of Grace near the Cathedral of Manus Metyr.
IMPORTANT: This is another reminder to speak with all NPCs before you enter Shadow Keep, after you receive the loud notification that a rune has been broken, and a powerful charm too. (See NPC choices and interactions after rune breaks). Some of them will move to Shadow Keep as part of their questlines.
Shadow Keep (Church District and Scadutree Base)
Recommended Scadutree Blessing Rank: 9+ Revered Spirit Ash Blessing: 6+
- Teleport to Church District Highroad - Site of Grace (West of Rabbath's Rise)
- Look for the Forager Brood just outside the entrance of the Church District
- IMPORTANT: Talk to all NPCs and travel to their respective Site of Graces before you enter the Church District
- Enter Shadow Keep through the Church District Entrance
- Use the Prayer Room Key (from Church of the Crusade) to speak with Fire Knight Queelign: Give him Iris of Grace or Iris of Occultation.
- Drain the water using the lever
- Reach Sunken Chapel
- Fight the lesser Ulcerated Tree Spirit to activate the elevator and unlock the shortcut back to Church District Entrance - Site of Grace
- Reach Tree Worship Passage - Site of Grace and then, reach Tree Worship Sanctum - Site of Grace
- Defeat Scadutree Avatar (Blessing 10 by this point)
- Activate Scadutree Base - Site of Grace after defeating Scadutree Avatar
- Teleport back to Storehouse, Back Section - Site of Grace
- Take the big, round elevator in Specimen Storehouse
- Make your way to the Storehouse, Loft - Site of Grace
- Reach Shadow Keep, Back Gate - Site of Grace (you will use this later to progress a questline and to explore Scaduview (Hinterlands).
IMPORTANT: To avoid breaking NPC questlines, make sure to follow this walkthrough and avoid triggering Shadow Keep main boss. Accidentally entering its room will lead to the cancellation of the Hornsent-Leda questline. Before entering Shadow Keep, make sure to speak with all NPCs. (See NPC choices and interactions after rune breaks).
Shadow Keep acts as a hub for the main story progression and major NPC questlines. You will be coming and going here and the sections are separated into 3, each with different objectives every time you go in:
- Shadow Keep (Church District and Scadutree Base): Drain the water to access the lower area. You will progress Fire Knight Queelign (NPC) questline inside, and defeat the Scadutree Avatar. You will also need to reach the Shadow Keep, Back Gate - Site of Grace in preparation for the Count Ymir and Jolan quests.
- Shadow Keep Depths (Recluse River): This is an area that can be accessed through an illusory wall and reveals access to Eastern Nameless Mausoleum and Darklight Catacombs. This is also how you will gain entry to the Abyssal Woods. As you discover the secret access here, you will also stop by the area above Main Plaza to take part in the Needle Knight Leda and Hornsent fight.
- Shadow Keep (Main): This is the third and final exploration of Shadow Keep and ends with defeating the main boss of this legacy dungeon. This section is also where you will progress Sir Ansbach and Redmane Freyja's quests.
From the Church District Highroad - Site of Grace, travel west-northwest towards the keep entrance and look for the pest found above the tunnel road. Follow the western cliff edge and seek the pest near the outer wall of the keep. Interact with it to receive the Forager Brood Cookbook [6]. The main entrance of the Church District of the Shadow Keep is located on the east side of the Shadow Keep. The direct path to finding it is to travel from the Church District High Road Site of Grace [[[Shadow of the Erdtree Map|See Shadow of the Erdtree Map]]]. You'll know you'll arrive when you enter a large doorway and pass through a long hallway. At the end of the hallway is where you'll formally arrive at the church district and discover the Church District Entrance checkpoint [[[Shadow of the Erdtree Map|See Shadow of the Erdtree Map]]].
The Church District is a flooded area, and the goal is to traverse the area by using high ground and finding a mechanism that drains the water. Please take note that falling into the water will result in death. Ignore the path on the left since you won't be able to use the lift until you drain the flood. Instead, jump across (using a running jump) to land on the roof of a building, then check the right side to find a small Crab and a body next to it that can be looted to acquire x2 Crab Eggs. Continue walking around the roof to find another body that's being eaten by a Crab. Loot the body to obtain x4 Thin Beast Bones. Continue south and you'll find another body being eaten by a Crab, check the body to find x2 Strip of White Flesh.
Next, jump on the floating tree trunk to reach a large broken-up circular platform. The path here is fairly straightforward, try to reach the opposite end by using the floating tree trunks and wooden platforms, and make sure to loot the body on the circular platform to find x1 Great Grave Glovewort. Retrace your steps to the rooftop of the building where you looted bodies and killed the small Crabs, and this time, head west where you can jump across to progress.
Once you're across, walk around the sides to reach the platform and loot the body that is guarded by Ignited Putrid Corpse enemies to obtain x1 Fireproof Pickled Liver. Jump back onto the sides of this building so you can walk to the top and proceed west where you'll have to do a running jump to safely land on top of another roof of a building. On the roof of the building, you should encounter a Fire Knight enemy walking around. Kill it and then loot the body that's near the spot where the Fire Knight enemy was walking to obtain x3 Ember of Messmer. Keep going straight until you reach a wall, then turn around to find a body sitting against one of the roof's structures. Loot it to acquire x1 Slumbering Egg [[[Shadow of the Erdtree Map|See Shadow of the Erdtree Map]]].
Next, face the east side of the compass and you should see a narrow ramp structure of one of the churches. Do a running jump to land on it safely, then walk to the top where you'll find two large openings or holes on the big roof. Slowly drop down onto the narrow structure that's on the right side, then you can walk down so you can safely run onto the other structure that is on the left so you can loot the body that holds x3 Stormhawk Feathers [[[Shadow of the Erdtree Map|See Shadow of the Erdtree Map]]]. Go back and then drop down onto the opening of a ceiling.
Below, you should immediately see yet another corpse next to a small Crab. Loot the body to find x1 Lightningproof Pickled Liver. Go around, northeast, and you'll locate a locked door, this is the Prayer Room that requires the Prayer Room Key, a key that drops upon defeating the NPC Invader Fire Knight Queelign, encountered for the second time at the Church of the Crusade [[[Shadow of the Erdtree Map|See Shadow of the Erdtree Map]]]. If you have the key, you can unlock the door and find Fire Knight Queelign (NPC) in the flesh. Now, if you have an item called the Iris of Occultation, you can give it to the NPC, and after Queelign's dialogue, the NPC will drop a weapon you can loot. This weapon is Queelign's Greatsword. NOTE: If you give the Iris of Grace to Queelign, you'll receive the Spirit Ash "Fire Knight Queelign". The Iris of Occultation can be acquired in many ways, one way is by obtaining it as an item drop from defeating a Lesser Ulcerated Tree Spirit located in this area after you drain the flood. IMPORTANT: You may only give him one iris, either the Iris of Occultation or the Iris of Grace, to obtain only one reward.
Exit the prayer room and proceed to the northwest doorway, but before proceeding further, be sure to enter the armory room on the left to find a body sitting against the wall. Loot the body to find x1 Rune of an Unsung Hero
. Enter the hallway and kill the first Fire Knight enemy that you see, on the left side of the hallway, loot the body resting against the wall to find an Ember of Messmer and continue straight down the hallway where you'll encounter another Fire Knight. The room ahead is not accessible at the moment and the doorway to the right where you'll notice Marika's statue that has a glowing item in its hand is unreachable, so exit through the first doorway on the left side of the hallway.
NOTE: In the same hallway, there are two doorways on the left, the far most or second doorway will lead you to a lift that takes you to the Specimen Storehouse section of the Shadow Keep. You're free to roam here, but we highly recommend returning to the Specimen Storehouse after clearing the Main Plaza and Church District of the Shadow Keep. What you can do is enter the Specimen Storehouse, and activate the nearby Site of Grace (Storehouse, Back Section) so you can just fast travel here after exploring the Church District.
Cross the pathway where you'll encounter two Giant Bat enemies, then walk up to the short steps where you'll encounter another Giant Bat ahead. Jump over the gap, and kill the creature. Now before going straight, walk up a bit and you'll find a corner on the right. It's a dead end but there's a body that you can loot that's being protected by another Giant Bat hanging from the ceiling. Kill the enemy and loot the body to acquire x3 Hefty Beast Bone [[[Shadow of the Erdtree Map|See Shadow of the Erdtree Map]]]. Next, climb the ladder next to a doorway to find a lever that you can interact with to drain the water and trigger a cutscene.
You can also return to the hallway to get the item sitting on the hand of Marika's statue. You can get the item by jumping on the hand, it may require a few tries as the platform that you need to stand on is quite narrow. Loot the item to acquire x1 Scadutree Fragment, then prepare to fight a group of Ignited Putrid Corpse as you jump down. Behind the same statue, you can find the Fire Knight's Seal weapon [[[Shadow of the Erdtree Map|See Shadow of the Erdtree Map]]]
For some clarity, we recommend that you start by fast-traveling to the Church District Entrance checkpoint [[[Shadow of the Erdtree Map|See Shadow of the Erdtree Map]]] since you can now use the lift near the Site of Grace. From the checkpoint, go left, use the lever to call the lift, then step on the center to ride it down. You'll now be able to explore the open area of the Sunken Chapel. At the center, you will see a large tree, only approach the tree if you're prepared to fight because a Lesser Ulcerated Tree Spirit will emerge beneath the ground. Killing it will drop the Mantle of Thorns, and resting against the tree is a corpse holding x1 Somber Smithing Stone [5].
The second Lesser Ulcerated Tree Spirit is located around the east area of the sunken chapel. Defeating it will drop x1 Iris of Occultation which (if you don't have it yet) you can give to Fire Knight Queelign in the Prayer Room to obtain Queelign's Greatsword. Also in the east area, you can find open buildings. One building houses two bodies that you can loot to find x4 Smithing Stone [4] and x6 Kukri [[[Shadow of the Erdtree Map|See Shadow of the Erdtree Map]]].
There is also building another where you'll find a pack of Crabs and Giant Crab enemies, one roaming around, and the other next to another body that you can loot to find x1 Shadow Realm Rune [5]. [[[Shadow of the Erdtree Map|See Shadow of the Erdtree Map]]]. If you continue to go around this area, you'll reach the west side where you'll find the Sunken Chapel Site of Grace [[[Shadow of the Erdtree Map|See Shadow of the Erdtree Map]]]
Head north towards the entrance of the main church then immediately turn left to find a corpse by a corner. Loot the body to find x3 Shadow Sunflower. Clear out the enemies then approach the small room that has Marika's statue (the same statue where you got the Scadutree Fragment and the Fire Knight's Seal weapon. Make a right and you'll enter a large room. Straight ahead, you'll see some stairs on both ends, walk up to the upper platform and investigate the railings to discover a body hanging on top of it.
Loot the body to obtain the Battlefield Priest's Cookbook [1], [[[Shadow of the Erdtree Map|See Shadow of the Erdtree Map]]]. Walk back down the stairs and check under the upper platform to find a door. Open that door and you'll find another lift that takes you underground. Ride it to find and activate the Tree-Worship Passage - Site of Grace.
Proceed to the tunnel straight ahead and activate the effigy on your right. On the exit, you will see a wooden bridge connecting the two areas. Cross to the other side and walk towards the altar. Pick up the Iris of Grace right at the foot of the statue. Go down the stairs to the left while facing the statue and then activate the site of grace before exiting this room.
If you head to the outdoor area, you will be fighting the Scadutree Avatar here. Please see the boss page to know more about how to defeat it. Upon defeating the Scadutree Avatar, you will receive the Remembrance of the Shadow Sunflower along with Miquella's Great Rune. From here, (if you followed the tip earlier by activating the Storehouse, Back Section checkpoint in the Specimen Storehouse) you can fast travel to the Storehouse, Back Section Site of Grace to start exploring the Back Section of the Specimen Storehouse.
Upon entering, look to the right immediately to see a noble corpse against the wall. Loot it to obtain x1 Somber Smithing Stone [9]. Proceed to the left side, through the doorway, where you'll find the Storehouse, Back Section checkpoint. Continue moving straight until you walk past a ladder. Do not climb the ladder first, instead, keep going straight to find some items. First, look to your left to see another noble corpse sitting against a desk, loot it to obtain x3 Glintslab Firefly. Then at the end, you'll see a Fire Knight and three Shadow Undead standing next to another corpse, kill the enemies then loot the body to acquire x1 Carian Thrusting Shield.
Go back and climb the ladder to the top where you'll encounter another Fire Knight and two Shadow Undead reading a book. You can sneak behind the enemies to backstab them. Continue to the right side and walk carefully up the stairs to avoid aggravating the Fire Knight, roaming the floor above. At the top of the stairs, turn to the corner on the right to find a corpse to loot x3 Fire Coil. Kill the enemies on this floor, then continue moving straight. You'll discover another noble corpse sitting against a small table, loot it to obtain Ghost Glovewort (3), and go straight towards the balcony to find another noble corpse that holds the Fire Serpent incantation. Go back, and look behind the bookcase to find an opening on the wall.
Through the opening, turn right and you'll find another noble corpse sitting by the edge of the narrow scaffolding. Loot the body to acquire x6 Shadow Sunflower. Continue going up, and by the ramp, you should find another noble corpse that you can loot to obtain x1 Blessed Bone Shard. Continue going up and you'll arrive at the loft section of the storehouse. Activate the Storehouse, Loft Site of Grace before you proceed to explore.
Once you have activated the Storehouse, Loft Site of Grace, proceed to the lift north of the Site of Grace to go up. You will end up on beams above the Specimen Storehouse. This level will be filled with Giant Bats roaming the area. The only path you can follow will be the one going west, so keep following it. There will be a lot of ways you can walk on the beams, but the only way you can progress through this area is through the ladder. Pick up x7 Thin Beast Bones from a body at the edge of a beam, then go up the ladder that you walked past just before picking up the loot.
After climbing the ladder, you will arrive in a new level. If you go to the southeast section of the level, you can find x4 Smithing Stone [7] from a dead body. Following the path from the south side will lead you to a pillar blocking your way. If you look down, you can find a platform that you can jump off of, and it will contain the Wrath from Afar incantation. Next, jump on the beam to the north, then climb up the nearby ladder to the west of where you landed. You will end up on the beam that a pillar was blocking earlier. You can aggro the bats here, so be careful when attacking as you might fall off of the beams.
You can find a lift in the middle of the beam going west with an item above it, along with a Fire Knight on a nearby beam which will be hostile if you approach the lift.
If you use the lift to go down, you will end up in an area with a Fire Knight facing the other way around. You can easily dispose of the Fire Knight by backstabbing it and staggering it continuously. After dealing with the Fire Knight, you can pick up x1 Rune of an Unsung Hero on the southwestern corner of the area. The area will be clear, and you can head back up the beams using the lift. If you want to get the item above, you can ride the lift, then exit it before going down. A second lift will arrive just beside it, then do it again. Jump on the roof of the first lift just as it is arriving, and you will be able to reach the item, which is a Fire Knight Hilde summon.
If you walk across the beam going west, you can climb down a ladder. On your left, just around the corner, you can loot a body for a Somber Smithing Stone (8). Directly northeast of the ladder you descended on, you will find another ladder you can use to descend. You will reach an area similar to the Site of Grace.
If you head outside the archway on the northwestern side of the area, you will find a lift directly on your right. Take the lift going down, then keep following the scaffolding until you reach an area with a door and a lift. You cannot open the door yet, so use the lift nearby to go down. The lift will then lead you to the Shadow Keep, Back Gate Site of Grace See Elden Ring Map.
This area leads you into two areas. There is a room on the east, just beside the Site of Grace. In this room, you can pick up x1 Scadutree Fragment. After that, you will see an archway heading outside on the north-northeast side of the room. This is a boss area in which you will be fighting Commander Gaius and explore the area behind him. To minimize backtracking, we don't recommend on fighting him now. You will come back here later after you have progressed some NPC questlines related to Scaduview so you can continuously roam here.
If you want to keep following this guide, you will return to Castle Front - Site of Grace, in front of Castle Ensis. You will travel through the river and head to the Southern Shore to discover the path to St. Trina now that the rune sealing her location has been broken.
Cerulean Coast (Southern Shore)
Recommended Scadutree Blessing Rank: 10~ Revered Spirit Ash Blessing: 7~
- Travel from Ellac River Downstream - Site of Grace in Gravesite Plain and navigate the path to Cerulean Coast
- Look for the Forager Brood to receive an item. This one is located Northeast of the Cerulean Coast - Site of Grace
- Reach Cerulean Coast
- Reach Southern Shore
- Fight Ghostflame Dragon
- Pick up Map: Southern Shore
- Explore Stone Coffin Fissure
- Go to Cerulean Coast - Site of Grace
- Summon Thiollier to fight the Putrescent Knight
- Defeat Putrescent Knight
- Reach Garden of Deep Purple
- Progress Thiollier and St. Trina's Questline
- Reach Southern Nameless Mausoleum and defeat Dancer of Ranah
Moving south towards the Giant Miranda Sprout, you will see a narrow entryway to proceed through the cliff. Once inside the cave, continue southwest until you reach an altar with a Revered Spirit Ash. In the next room, activate the Ellac River Cave - Site of Grace before proceeding so you have a checkpoint. Next, head outside to the south near the waterfall and make your way down the rock pillars. Be careful here as it is easy to fall off, resulting in an instant death. On your way down you will find a body with Greater Potentate's Cookbook [12] on top of one of the rocks.
Once you reach the lower level, as you head south, you will find three Gravebird enemies on top of pillars and a body containing x1 Somber Smithing Stone [4]. Defeat these enemies or ride through them with Torrent. Continuing forward, you will see another stone path leading down to the next area. As you reach the lower area, you can activate another Site of Grace, the Ellac River Downstream.
Continue heading south and jump down the rocks on the right side. As you reach the lower level, you will see a giant stone slab on your left that can be used as a bridge. While crossing the stone, look left towards a rock pillar to find a pot hanging from a rope containing the Mushroom-Seller's Bell Bearing [2]. Move down the stone bridge into the stream to collect the bell bearing and then continue riding south. As the Furnace Golem comes into view, move to the right of the stream and hug the rock wall. It's up to you if you want to fight this Furnace Golem, but we recommend on getting the Site of Grace first, then backtrack here to fight it later. Continue forward until you come across a large opening in the wall. Go through it and you will enter an area with blue flowers. You can now activate the Cerulean Coast - Site of Grace directly ahead of you. Then, you can backtrack to the location where you saw the Furnace Golem. East from the Golem you will find lightning rams surrounding a pond with a body containing the Lightning Perfume Bottle. Directly north from here, you will also locate a Forager Brood near the cliff edge. Interact with the pest to receive the Forager Brood Cookbook [3]. This should be the final book. Verify you have collected all 7 Forager Brood Cookbooks and return to Moore at the Main Gate Cross - Site of Grace to advance his questline. Visit the Moore NPC page for help with any dialogue decisions.
Return to the Cerulean Coast - Site of Grace. Your first stop here is obtaining the Map: Southern Shore. Head south and go past the 3 small patches of land. A Ghostflame Dragon will come swooping down here but you can just outrun it if you don't want to fight it. Head south and go past the glowing worm creatures. You will spot the map to your right just as you reach the top of the hill.
After obtaining the map, continue up the hill then make a left to travel southeast. You will reach Miquella's Cross here next to a Site of Grace. Pick up the Scadutree Fragment and interact with the Cerulean Coast - Site of Grace. This time, travel west and stick to the cliff on your left. Go past the glowing worm-like creatures and at the very end, a giant Troll enemy will throw boulders at you here. Defeat the Troll to receive x1 Hefty Cracked Pot and continue traveling south until you reach a large opening in the ground. Before dropping, head east to the top of the cliff to find a body with St. Trina Disciple's Cookbook [2]. Return to the large opening and carefully navigate to the bottom by jumping down the rock path.
You can minimize fall damage by riding Torrent as you go down and at the bottom, you will reach The Fissure - Site of Grace. Head east through the tunnel to reach the Stone Coffin Fissure - Site of Grace.
To begin exploring the Stone Coffin Fissure, from the Site of Grace, head south and jump between the platforms until you see an enemy slime on the ground. Go past it and climb the ramp behind it and pick up the Congealed Putrescence at the edge.
Then, face the north direction and jump down in this thick pillar ahead of you. Make a right and take x10 St. Trina's Arrow from the corpse on the ground. Make a U-turn and watch out for a Bloodfiend here as you go down. It will come from the edge of the pillar. You can eliminate this enemy or just run away from it.
On the edge of this area, you will see this floor at the cliff. This is a collapsing ground and you can stand on it so you can reach the lower level. There are multiple bloodfiends here and you can eliminate them for a chance to get their items like Bloodfiend's Fork, String, or Runes. Head north towards the cliff where you see a corpse on the ground. Pick up the Deep-Purple Lily from this corpse. Then, face the southeast and find the way to the center of the dungeon. You will see 2 more Cursed Bloodfiends here sitting on the upper deck. Go towards them and defeat them. You can pick up the Shadow Realm Rune [3] behind them.
Moving east, you find Miquella's Cross and a Site of Grace. Pick up the Scadutree Fragment and be sure to activate the Fissure Cross - Site of Grace. From here, face northwest where you see a large chunk of collapsed stone. Looking over the edge of the cliff here, you will find a platform allowing you to drop down to a lower section.
After dropping, face east and head to the bottom level. Straight ahead, you can pick up the Velvet Sword of St. Trina tucked away at the end of this short cave. Beware of the slimes that will fall from the ceiling. Now take the southern tunnel, exiting to a single Gravebird. Deal with the enemy and pick up the Nectarblood Burgeon from where it was sitting. Drop down and you will find a Grave Glovewort [3] nearby.
Face north and go up the path until you reach another Gravebird. Looking southwest you will see another enemy on top of a stone structure. Moving up, you can collect a Grave Glovewort [2] from a corpse. Moving down to the north you will find Abnormal Stone Cluster enemies along your path. Be careful here as they will shoot out laser-like projectiles. You can try to move past these enemies or clear them out so it's safer to navigate later on.
Continue forward to the toppled buildings on the other side. To the west, you'll find more stone cluster enemies surrounding a Grave Glovewort [8]. Return to the toppled buildings and follow the path up to the east. Be careful of the Graverbird and Abnormal Stone Cluster enemies here. Once you've dealt with them, jump down on the left side to pick up Nectarblood Burgeon and x2 Smithing Stone [6].
To continue your progress, face northeast where you see another Abnormal Stone Cluster enemy. Ideally, you want to get rid of this so it will not bother you later. Then, jump down behind the Abnormal Stone Cluster, and jump past another group of cluster enemies. When you see this Site of Grace come into view, go to the right side first. Pick up the Grave Glovewort [7] from a corpse on the edge. Activate the next Site of Grace. While facing northeast, jump to the other platform and then jump down to the lower level.
Cross the bridge and pick up the Mass of Putrescence on the other side. To continue your progress, face northeast and go up the ramp. Watch out for the fire-throwing enemies. When you get to the upper area, you can pick up Nectarblood Burgeon and Congealed Putrescence. You can just ignore these enemies after getting the item and continue going up the ramp. At the top, you will find an archway next to a Skeleton Archer.
Jump down the archway but watch out for the giant slime here. Take the path to your left and you will be fighting the spirit of the Misbegotten Crusader. It will drop the Multilayered Ring of Light upon defeating it. Then, jump on the platform to the southeast and cross the bridge to your left. You can pick up 3 Nectarblood Burgeon here. Then, face southeast and follow the faint glimmer of the Site of Grace. Activate it and walk up the ramp.
Go towards the horned statue and jump down. At the bottom, you will reach a boss arena. You will be fighting the Putrescent Knight here, a skeleton riding a horse. It wields a massive weapon that behaves like a boomerang and can be thrown in an arc projectile. This boss can deal a good amount of damage and you can check out our Putrescent Knight page to see more info on how to defeat this boss. This boss will drop Remembrance of Putrescence upon defeating it.
A new Site of Grace will be revealed after the fight and it will also unlock the entrance to the Garden of Deep Purple. Go inside the cave and pick up the items inside. There are Nectarblood Burgeons on the ground and a St. Trina Disciple's Cookbook [3] here. Talk to St. Trina by interacting with the bright purple flower here. This marks the beginning of Thiollier's quest which requires you to return to Pillar Path Cross - Site of Grace and speak with him there. You can also view Thiollier and St. Trina's page to know more about their questline. For now, you are done in this dungeon and you will return to Cerulean Coast - Site of Grace to continue exploring this region.
From the Cerulean Coast - Site of Grace, Head west-southwest towards the edge of a cliff and near a withered tree. Leaning against the tree is a corpse containing Grave Keeper's Cookbook [1]. From there, go northwest to a slightly lower area and past a few trees until you find the Cerulean Coast West - Site of Grace. Starting at the Site of Grace, head northeast around the fallen structure, and through the large opening in the cliff. As you approach the large gravestone ahead, you will find a strong demi-human enemy wielding aStar-LinedSword. Defeating this enemy will drop x1 Starlight Shards. After defeating this enemy, head east past a few blue worms until you reach a cluster of gravestones surrounded by demi-humans. At the base of the tall gravestone, you will find the Spirit Sword weapon.
Return to the large gravestone where you fought the demi-human with the Star-Lined Sword. This time, head northwest, hugging the cliff on your left. After a short distance, you will come across a small cave to your right. Inside is a Scadutree Fragment protected by a lesser demi-human chief. Continue following the path northwest where you will soon reach a summoning pool and a Stake of Marika. Over this hill, you'll find Demi-Human Queen Marigga, an optional field boss surrounded by multiple demi-human enemies. You may use Torrent during this fight, and upon defeat, you will receive the Star-Lined Sword. At the top of the structure behind Demi-Human Queen Marigga, you can pick up a Great Grave Glovewort. You are now finished with this area and can return to the Cerulean Coast West - Site of Grace.
From the grace, head southeast towards the withered tree from earlier, as you approach you will notice a narrow path to your right leading below the tree to a hole you can drop to enter a cave. When you reach the bottom, going east will lead you past multiple Blue Worm enemies, and eventually, you will exit to a stone structure with a Great Grave Glovewort on the altar in front of you. Backtrack into the tunnel and continue west until you exit the cave. You can ride your mount while in the tunnel to avoid the fight with the Giant Crayfish.
As you exit, you should find yourself on the small island across from the withered tree. Looking up to your southeast you will see the Southern Nameless Mausoleum behind a few Blue Worms. This is where you will fight Dancer of Ranah. Before proceeding to this boss fight, move left around the rock behind you and follow the path up the rocks. At the top, you will find a corpse containing the Perfumed Oil of Ranah tool. From here, drop down or jump across and make your way toward the mausoleum.
By the mausoleum entrance, there is a Summoning Pool or effigy for players to use for co-op. There is also a Stake of Marika that you can use to respawn by the entrance of the mausoleum in case you die. As mentioned, the location is where you'll fight against a mini-boss, so make preparations before you pass through the mist. For guides and strategies on how to defeat the boss, please visit the Dancer of Ranah page.
Defeating this mini-boss rewards the player with the following items:
When you're done here, your next location is to travel to Finger Ruins of Rhia. You can go there from Cerulean Coast and you can read on the next section to find out how to get there.
Finger Ruins of Rhia
Recommended Scadutree Blessing Rank: 11~ Revered Spirit Ash Blessing: 7~
- Make your way to the Finger Ruins of Rhia from Cerulean Coast
- Travel to Cathedral of Manus Metyr to speak with Count Ymir and Jolan
- Progress their questline
NOTE: Before going to the next location, make sure you have initiated Count Ymir and Jolan's questlines at the Cathedral of Manus Metyr. Make sure that you have traveled there, exhausted their dialogues, and received the Ruins Map and the Hole-Laden Necklace from Count Ymir before proceeding to the next location to minimize backtracking.
IMPORTANT: This game progress only covers Finger Ruins of Rhia where the questlines of Count Ymir and Jolan Begin. You can reach the first finger ruins from Cerulean Coast, and the second one will require you to travel to Shadow Keep, Back Gate, and the third one will be discovered as you progress Count Ymir's questline. To minimize backtracking, you need to complete Shadow Keep - Church District first.
This section will only focus on the Finger Ruins of Rhia, a location you can access from Cerulean Coast.
From the Cerulean Coast Cross - Site of Grace, head directly north past a few large tombstones and look over the cliff edge to find a path leading east to the beach below. Drop down and follow the path to the shore. Continue past the Fingercreepers and follow the shoreline northeast. On your left, you will see a stone ramp structure with an altar containing a Great Ghost Glovewort at the top. Continue east until you reach another ramp-like structure. This time, proceed up the ramp to find a Grave Glovewort (9) and follow the path to the right, leading to the Ruins of Rhia - Site of Grace.
In this area, you will be fighting Fingercreepers and the Man-Serpents. From the Site of Grace, follow the trail and make your way towards the end of the path. On your right, you will notice another pathway branching up. This leads to a Remembrance Duplication Coffin. Continue down the main path until you get to the bottom of the hill. From here, head straight, past the Man-Serpents, until you reach a hanging bell, interact with it and you will receive the Crimson Seed Talisman +1. Before leaving this area, explore the southwestern part of the ruins for a path with cerulean blossoms. Follow the path west until you reach Finger-Weaver's Hovel, where you can obtain Finger-Weaver's Cookbook [1]. This is the end of the exploration of Finger Ruins of Rhia.
When you're done here, return to the Cathedral of Manus Metyr and speak with Count Ymir again. He will grant you the Ruins Map (2nd) and Beloved Stardust. The questlines of Count Ymir and Jolan will be put on hold while make your way to Charo's Hidden Grave. You are going there to meet the NPC named Dragon Communion Priestess, but before that, you will explore Dragon's Pit and defeat the dungeon's boss to unlock the path to Charo's Hidden Grave and Jagged Peak.
Charo's Hidden Grave
Recommended Scadutree Blessing Rank: 11~ Revered Spirit Ash Blessing: 7~
- Explore Dragon's Pit
- Reach the Grand Altar of Dragon Communion and speak with Dragon Communion Priestess
- Find your way to Charo's Hidden Grave
- Fight Death Rite Bird
- Defeat Furnace Golem
- Clear Lamenter's Gaol
ADDITIONAL INFO: Charo's Hidden Grave is a sub-area located in the Southern Shore, it's the field covered with red flowers north of Cerulean Coast. You can go to this location after defeating the boss in Dragon's Pit. On your way to this location, you will also meet the Dragon Communion Priestess at the Grand Altar of Dragon Communion.
NOTE: If you have been following this walkthrough, you would have unlocked Dragon's Pit - Site of Grace. All you need to do is teleport there and skip the bullet guide on how to reach Dragon's Pit. If you haven't unlocked Dragon's Pit, read below:
- Teleport to Castle Front - Site of Grace
- Head southeast and follow the dirt path
- Go past the small army camp here
- If this is your first time in the area, make sure to speak with Igon, the screaming man lying on the path
- Stay on the dirt path (you may encounter a hostile NPC called Ancient Dragon-Man here)
- Continue following this path and you will see Dragon's Pit Entrance on the left side marked by lit torches
Its entrance is a tight cave marked by torches outside. Once you enter the cave, you can use the Dragon's Pit - Site of Grace. Continuing through the cave, you will enter a more spacious part that resembles a ritual room. There are skeleton enemies here that you need to take out. Afterward, loot the corpse at the back of the ritual area inside a mini cave to obtain a Smithing Stone [1].
Exit the mini cave and turn left, following another tight path until you reach a cliff with a ledge path to the left. Follow the ledge and drop onto the platform below where a skeleton enemy is waiting. After defeating the enemy, go to the altar on the left and loot the corpse to find the Shadow Realm Rune [2].
Turn left from the altar and navigate another tight part of the cave until you enter a room with multiple skeleton enemies and a staircase leading up. Clear the area, then head up the staircase to find a corpse on the left holding x4 Knot Resin. On the right, you will encounter a Lesser Magma Wyrm. You will obtain a Dragon Heart and Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone after slaying the dragon. Next, loot the corpse near a hole to obtain x2 Smithing Stone [5].
Return to the staircase and head downstairs until you see another tight part of the cave. After passing through, you will enter a larger section with small structures and torches. Proceed straight ahead and drop down the cliff. Though it’s a long fall, it won't kill you. Upon landing, you will immediately see a yellow mist indicating a boss ahead. Before proceeding through the mist, look back to find a corpse holding x2 Smithing Stone [4]. The boss in this area is the Ancient Dragon-Man. For a detailed guide on how to defeat this boss, refer to the Ancient Dragon-Man page. This boss drops the Dragon-Hunter's Great Katana.
After defeating the Ancient Dragon-Man, look to the other side where you'll find a large double door. Loot the boss and proceed through this door to reach the Dragon's Pit Terminus Site of Grace, which is also the path leading to the Jagged Peak Region where all the dragons reside. This indicates that defeating the Ancient Dragon-Man unlocks the path to the Jagged Peak Region.
From the Dragon's Pit Terminus - Site of Grace, head towards the east where you will encounter Jagged Peak Drake, this is a dragon resting in the middle of the open ground. It's up to you if you want to fight this dragon but you can just skip it and head west so you can avoid it. If you decide to fight it, the Jagged Peak Drake can breathe fire and stomp you with its massive legs and wings. When defeated, it drops a Dragon Heart and Dragonscale Flesh. Then, head towards the south where the path narrows. You will encounter skeletons and some fire-breathing enemies here. After a while, you will reach an open area with a broken tower to the right. Inside the tower is a corpse containing Igon's Cookbook [1]. South from here is a new location named Grand Altar of Dragon Communion.
Activate the Site of Grace and speak with the Dragon Communion Priestess NPC to receive Ancient Dragon's Blessing. Make sure to exhaust all her dialogue here before leaving. This is your last stop before heading to Charo's Hidden Grave.
From the Priestess, head southwest up the dragon's body. Climb to the top and then drop down to the red flowers below. Continue southwest, following the path between the two rocks to formally enter Charo's Hidden Grave. This area is filled with various gravesite locations and is guarded by mostly skeleton enemies.
Drop down into the water near a few turtles to find a corpse containing Grave Keeper's Cookbook [2]. Northwest from here you will see a Tibia Mariner on the water. Defeat this enemy to obtain Tibia's Cookbook. Then, continue riding northwest and activate the Site of Grace before a small archway near the cliff edge. Facing east from the Site of Grace you will see a rock path leading to an area above you. This area has multiple Gravebird enemies and a large Gravebird statue with a corpse containing the Rings of Spectral Light sorcery.
Beyond this area, through the stone archway, you will find more Gravebird enemies as well as a Death Rite Bird. This is an optional boss found in the middle of the lake here. Defeating this boss will reward you with the Ash of War: Ghostflame Call. Southwest from the Death Rite Bird boss is a Giant Miranda Sprout guarding a corpse containing the Greater Potentate's Cookbook [14]. Directly above the cookbook is a pond with a Hippopotamus. Defeat this enemy to receive x1 Scadutree Fragment. From the pond, go northeast, and follow the ridge going through an area lined with grave bird statues to find Spirit Glaive. Return to the pond with the Death Rite Bird when you are finished exploring. Continuing west from the boss fight, you will also encounter a Furnace Golem with armored legs. Defeat it to obtain x1 Glovewort Crystal Tear and x1 Furnace Visage. Take the spiritspring to the area above the Furnace Golem. This area provides a good vantage point for the fight, and you will also find the Gravebird Ashes nearby.
When you are finished, return to the pond area for a final time and follow the water west. You will soon see metal barricades and broken prison cages. Stick to the wall on your right and you will find the entrance to Lamenter's Gaol with red flowers leading up to it.
At the Lamenter's Gaol - Site of Grace See Elden Ring Map, keep following the path going southeast until you arrive near a locked gate. Before the locked gate, there will be an opening on the left side of the wall. Go through the path on your left, then keep following the path. You'll find two rooms with an open gate on the right side as you are traversing the path. The first room will only contain a Putrid Corpse. In the second room, you will encounter two Putrid Corpses. After dealing with the enemies in this room, open the chest to receive x1 Gaol Upper Level Key, which will be used to open the locked gate that you encountered earlier. Return to the path then keep following it until you cross a bridge. Enter the room across the bridge, in which you will encounter a Living Jar along with a Putrid Corpse. The room will be filled with numerous cages. On the northern side of the room, you'll find another room with three cages. On a dead body by the middle cage, you can pick up x1 Prattling Pate Lamentation.
Open the locked gate to get inside a room with a ladder and x1 Frozen Maggot that you can pick up. Climb down the ladder, and you will arrive in an area covered in ice. Living Jars will be running around the place, which you can easily deal with as they die in a few hits. You can also pick up numerous Frozen Maggots in the area, as they are scattered all around the area.
There are four rooms in the area that you can enter. In the room closest to the entrance, on the eastern side, you can pick up x1 Chilling Perfume Bottle. The second room will be the initially closed, but you can open the gate without any key. The room will contain a ladder going down, which will be useful later on. The third room will be the only room that is located a bit higher than the other rooms, requiring you to make a few small jumps. Lastly, in the northernmost room, you will find Living Jars around the room along with a locked gate on the northwestern corner of the room. There will also be a hole near the entrance that leads to loot.
Near the entrance of the third room, you will encounter a Living Jar along with a Putrid Corpse patrolling the nearby room. Head inside the area that seems to be a jail area, onto another room on the eastern side. The cells couldn't be opened, so keep heading east. In the second room, the floor will collapse, making you fall into an area in which you will be surrounded by Putrid Corpses.
Go through the doorway, then keep following the path. You'll see a Putrid Corpse sitting on a cliff along the way. Head up the stairs to proceed further into Lamenter's Gaol. In the middle of the stairs, there will be a room on its landing. Enter the room then keep following its path, leading you to a room containing two Putrid Corpses and a dead body that you can loot for x1 Call of Tibia. Head back out the room, then continue walking up the stairs. There will be another landing with a Putrid Corpse hiding behind the corner. A room will be on the northern side of the landing. The room leads to an area overlooking the room filled with Living Jars.
Go down the slope, then defeat all the Living Jars in the area to freely explore it. On a structure made out of piled up remains, you can pick up x6 Living Jar Shard on top of it. You can follow a path going southwest of the room, revealing just how big the whole area is. You can pick up x1 Hefty Cracked Pot from a body on the southwestern corner of the area. A chest will be in the middle of the southwestern section part of the room, and you can acquire the Gaol Lower Level Key when opening it. After acquiring the key, return to the stairs, then keep going up.
When you get to the top of the stairs, enter the room. A Living Jar is hiding on the left side which can attack you by surprise if you aren't aware of it. Keep following the path, going through the doorway on the west side. If you jump down to the room, it will lead you back to the northernmost room. Head out of the room, then keep exploring the area containing many rooms if you haven't done that.
If you want to clear the area, jump down the hole near the entrance of the frozen room. After jumping, you'll find x2 Innard Meat from a dead body nearby. Follow the path going west. You will arrive in a dark area containing two Giant Rats. It's a dark area, so it is advisable to use a torch for this part. After dealing with the rats, follow the path going west, heading deeper into Lamenter's Gaol. You will encounter more Giant Rats in this area, which you deal with easily. In this room, there will be two paths that you can take. The path on the right will have a ladder going up, but two giant rats will be in the area. The ladder going up will lead you back to the frozen area with many rooms. The left path heads deeper into Lamenter's Gaol, leading you into a room with Giant Rats. You can also pick up the Clarifying Horn Charm +2 from a body near the blocked-off path. The area being blocked is the one where you retrieved the Gaol Lower Level Key earlier.
To make your way back, go back to the tunnel where you came from. The path will then fork, a left and a right path. The right path leads to where you came from. The left path will be the one that leads back to the frozen room, as it leads you back to the ladder room you found earlier.
Make your way back to the frozen room by following the path, then head to the northernmost room filled with jars. You can use the Gaol Lower Level Key to open the locked door. Once you have unlocked the door, go down the ladder. You will see a boss fog directly in front of you. Prepare yourself for combat, as you will be facing the boss of this area, the Lamenter.
The Lamenter is a boss that is smaller than the usual bosses you encounter in this game. The Lamenter is an agile boss that relies on the use of its clones to deceive and confuse the player. Its clones will die in one hit, but hitting the clones will not damage the real Lamenter. Here is an in-depth guide for defeating the Lamenter.
After defeating the Lamenter, you will receive the Lamenter's Mask helm. The exit will be located on the southeastern side of the room. To view the full walkthrough with images, please see Lamenter's Gaol page. It is recommended to stop exploring Charo's Hidden Grave here, and go to Scaduview to progress Count Ymir and Jolan's (Finger Ruins) questlines. You will need some upgrades before you take on the dragon boss in Jagged Peak. You will go there after you doing the full Finger Ruins questline.
Scaduview
Recommended Scadutree Blessing Rank: 12~ Revered Spirit Ash Blessing: 8~
- Teleport to Shadow Keep, Back Gate - Site of Grace
- Defeat Commander Gaius to access Scaduview
- Use the Scaduview - Site of Grace after defeating the boss
- Go to Albinauric's Shack
- Head north to Scadutree Chalice and get the x5 Scadutree Fragment
NOTE: This area is only accessible after you have completed the Shadow Keep - Church District exploration. Which should not be a problem if you are following this guide. Please refer to the Shadow Keep - Church District section of Shadow Lands Game Progress Route if you have not already.
After exploring Charo's Hidden Grave and clearing Lamenter's Gaol, you will now teleport to Shadow Keep, Back Gate - Site of Grace to advance your game. Face north and go through the archway to fight Commander Gaius. You can view this page to read a comprehensive guide on how to defeat the boss. Use the newly-spawned Scaduview - Site of Grace and from here, head through the archway on the north. Keep following the path north until you see a broken-down house on the west of the path. Approach it, and you will be at the Albinauric's Shack.
An Albinauric Wolfback Archer will be stationed in the Albinauric Shack. Once you have defeated the Albinauric Wolfback Archer, you can loot it to receive Gaius's Greaves.
Head inside the shack to obtain the only item there, a Sharpshot Talisman. Return to the path going north, and you will see a big wall structure with an archway in the middle. Go through the archway in the middle, and you will be in Scadutree Chalice.
In Scadutree Chalice, there will be 6 items on the ground that you can pick up. There are x5 Scadutree Fragments and a Blessed Bone Shard by the giant chalice. That's all there is in Scaduview for this tab. Continue reading the next one to enter Hinterlands in Scaduview (located east of where you fought Commander Gaius.
Hinterlands
Recommended Scadutree Blessing Rank: 13~ Revered Spirit Ash Blessing: 6~
- Reveal the entrance to Hinterlands through the Statue of Marika in Shadow Keep, Back Gate (This is part of the Finger Ruins Questline that includes Count Ymir and Jolan)
- Defeat Tree Sentinel
- Explore Shaman Village
- Cross the bridge and activate Hinterland Bridge and Fingerstone Hill - Sites of Grace
- Defeat the Fallingstar Beast
- Reach Finger Ruins of Dheo
- NOTE: The following steps here will take place outside of Hinterlands but this location is related to Count Ymir and Jolan's questline. To make the guide simpler, the remaining section here will indicate their full questline.
Make your way to the Finger Ruins of Miyr - Fight the boss
- Return to Cathedral of Manus Metyr to speak with Jolan
- Speak with Jolan: Give her Iris of Grace or Iris of Occultation (the second choice ends her questline and you will get Sword of Night)
- If you gave her the Iris of Grace: You will get Swordhand of Night Jolan. Once you have this item, travel to Shaman Village and obtain Jolan and Anna (Spirit Summon)
NOTE: You can only enter this area after you have obtained the O Mother (Gesture) near Bonny Village in Scadu Altus (Click here if you haven't found this gesture). This exploration picks up from the Shadow Keep (Church District exploration) and will continue from the Shadow Keep, Back Gate - Site of Grace. Teleport there and follow this guide to help you explore Scaduview and reach the Hinterlands while progressing the quests related to Finger Ruins, Count Ymir, and Jolan.
With the second map, fast travel to the Shadow Keep, Back Gate Site of Grace, facing the entrance of the structure, go left and you will find a Summoning Pool that you can activate and a room you can go into. Head into the room, on the left is a message that reads "Have mercy, For the spirited-away shamans." and straight ahead you can pick up the Scadutree Fragment at the altar. At the altar, you will need to perform the O Mother Gesture in front of the altar to trigger it to move.
Go through the hidden tunnel and you will find yourself at the Hinterlands. You can activate the Site of Grace as soon as you exit the tunnel and go down the steps. From here, head east to make your way to the Hinterland Bridge. You will follow the path here and you can activate the next Site of Grace on the other side of the bridge. To begin exploring Hinterlands, you will head to Shaman Village. This is a beautiful garden area with leaves falling around.
From the Site of Grace, follow the main path on your right and as you turn here, near the ramp, you will encounter a Tree Sentinel. This is a field boss that you can run away from if you can get far enough. You can ride Torrent inside this location so take advantage of that if you don't want to defeat this boss. Head up the ramp to the east and keep going until the Shaman Village flashes on your screen.
Head straight through the garden of flowers, and you'll find a Minor Erdtree plant in the middle of the garden, specifically illuminated by sunlight. After looting the Minor Erdtree, head up the hill to the left where there are abandoned structures, and turn right towards the cliff overlooking an abandoned house below. By the edge of the cliff, you'll find Marika's Rune. Afterward, continue up the hill to see more abandoned structures. On the right side of the area, you'll find a large tree with an open trunk. Inside this tree trunk, you can loot a corpse to obtain the Golden Braid.
When you're done here, head back down the ramp where you encountered the Tree Sentinel. This time, head northeast and turn right as you go down the ramp. There's another Tree Sentinel here that you can choose to fight or run away from. Continue ahead and go past the bridge. Use the Hinterlands Bridge - Site of Grace before proceeding.
Head east and continue the path facing the withered tree. After a short while of riding, you will see the Fingerstone Hill - Site of Grace. Use the Site of Grace before continuing up the northeast hill where you will find the optional boss, the Fallingstar Beast, in the glowing crater. Map Link You will get the Gravitational Missile upon defeating this boss. From here, continue traveling in the eastern direction and the Finger Ruins of Dheo will come into view. This area is covered with thick fog and can become difficult to navigate at night. You can pass the time to make navigating easier.
South-east of the Fallingstar Beast, north of the ruins proper, you can find a hold in the ground, leading to Fingercreeper Ashes, guarded by a Colossal Fingercreeper. Map link
Head southeast until you reach the end. You can interact with the bell and you will be granted the Cerulean Seed Talisman +1. When you're done here, you will return to the Cathedral of Manus Metyr and speak to Count Ymir and he will give you the Ruins Map (3rd).
IMPORTANT: The remaining section of this guide will tell you how to complete the questline of Count Ymir and Jolan, which takes place in the Finger Ruins of Miyr. Read below to find out more so you can get the best results of their quests.
With the third map, make sure to rest at a grace somewhere else and then fast-travel to the Cathedral of Manus Metyr so Count Ymir will not be there. Make your way over to the throne you once met Count Ymir on, this time you can examine the throne. Interact with it to see it slide back and reveal a rope ladder, take the ladder down to reach the Finger Ruins of Miyr.
Once you head down, an NPC invader Swordhand of Night Anna will appear, defeat her and you will be granted the Claws of Night. You will be able to find a few Finger Mimics scattered around the area, other than that, you can find the Finger-Weaver's Cookbook (2) on a body on the lower left walkway of the path. Nearing the bell, you can interact with the Summoning Pool to activate it and then interact with the hanging bell to teleport you to the Metyr, Mother of Fingers arena.
Once you Defeat Metyr, Mother of Fingers you will be granted 420,000 Runes, and the Remembrance of the Mother of Fingers. You can then fast-travel back to the Cathedral of Manus Metyr and head back to the throne and interact with it once more to encounter another NPC invader named Swordhand of Night Jolan, defeat her and you will have to face Count Ymir, Mother of Fingers. This is when Count Ymir borrows the powers of Metyr to fight you. Defeat her and you will be granted the High Priest Armor Set that comes with the High Priest Hat, High Priest Robe, High Priest Gloves, and High Priest Undergarments, as well as Ymir's Bell Bearing and the Maternal Staff.
Once you've successfully defeated both, rest at the Site of Grace and return to Jolan's initial spot to find her sitting on the ground against the pillar. As you approach Jolan, she will tell you she's losing her vision, and can't see the sky or the stars. You have 2 options for what item you want to give:
- Iris of Grace: Giving this item will turn Jolan into Swordhand of Night Jolan.
- Iris of Occultation: Giving this item will make Jolan pass quietly and they will drop the Sword of Night, thus ending her questline.
IMPORTANT: Giving her the Iris of Grace will continue her questline where you can combine the ash with another to make it more powerful. You may only give her either the Iris of Occultation or the Iris of Grace to obtain only one reward per playthrough.
To continue Jolan's questline, you need to return to Hinterlands, go to Shaman Village, and go to the very top of Rabbath's Rise. Look for a pathway at the back of the village, and travel down the cliffside, leading to a secret top part of Rabbath's Rise. Here you will find her puppet body, where you will be asked to combine the spirits together, claiming the Jolan and Anna Spirit Summon.
NOTE: If you don't have these required items yet, read below if you want to find out where you can get Iris of Occultation and Iris of Grace.
Iris of Occultation locations:
- Acquired as an item drop from defeating a Lesser Ulcerated Tree Spirit located in this area after you drain the flood in the Church District.
- Acquired as an item drop from a Lesser Omenkiller. Drop down the well in the main arena of Fort of Reprimand. The enemy will ambush you there among some items.
See Shadow of the Erdtree Map Iris of Grace locations:
- Can be looted at the Specimen Storehouse of the Shadow Keep.
- Can be found at the base of the headless statue of Marika in the building west of the Sunken Chapel. Drain the water in the church district, and follow the path of the Tree-Worship Passage to find the statue there.
Jagged Peak
Recommended Scadutree Blessing Rank: 13~ Revered Spirit Ash Blessing: 6~
- From the Dragon's Pit Terminus - Site of Grace, travel to Foot of Jagged Peak - Site of Grace and defeat the 2 Jagged Peak Drake
- Talk to Igon and receive Igon's Furled Finger
- Fight Ancient Dragon's Senessax
- Summon Igon to defeat Bayle The Dread
- Return to Igon's location near Foot of the Jagged Peak where you fought the 2 Dragons
- Return to Dragon Communion Priestess
Use the Spiritspring at the end of this path, then veer right and cross the bridge. Activate the Foot of the Jagged Peak site of grace here before proceeding. This is very important because you will be fighting a boss in the next area. This is where you will respawn if you die during the fight.
Next, continue up ahead until you reach the boss arena. You will be fighting another Jagged Peak Drake, but this time, there will be two of them. After this fight, you will hear the voice of Igon nearby. Locate him towards the east and head towards the area where the red smoke is thick. Talk to him there and exhaust his dialogues. He will ask you to summon him and let him join you in the fight against Bayle The Dread. You will receive Igon's Furled Finger.
From here, take the Spiritspring behind him, and another one at the next level. On the third level, you will see the entrance to the cave of the next dragon. Go inside the cave and watch out for the rolling boulders here. You can avoid it by going to the right area of the cave, and then crossing right after the boulder rolls down. Before crossing, you also need to pay attention to an item on your right at the end and pick up the Scadutree Fragment here. Once you make it to the left side of the room, you will reach the arena of another boss.
You will be fighting Ancient Dragon Senessax. After defeating this boss, go up the north exit where you will see the remains of other dragons on the ground. This serves as your guide that you are headed to the right place.
Outside this area, activate the Jagged Peak Mountainside - Site of Grace. Then, head to the top of the mountain by heading southwest. You will see the dragon remains here and keep following it. There are also lightning effects that will occasionally strike. Then, use the Spiritspring and continue going to the south.
Stick to the wall here to your left and use another Spiritspring. You will find yourself at a level with multiple dragon remains and a small cave entrance in front of you. Go inside and pick up the Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone on the right side, then walk over to your left and use another Spiritspring at the end.
Use the Site of Grace at the top and this is the one that you will be using in case you die during the boss fight. DO NOT enter the boss arena yet.
IMPORTANT: There are two paths to NPC quests and killing Bayle. Either way, you can go to the Dragon Communion Priestess to receive the Ancient Dragon's Blessing (buff) before the fight.
Option 1: Just kill Bayle. After killing him, go to the Grand Altar of Dragon Communion Site of Grace. The Dragon Communion Priestess has vanished and will leave the following items behind:
Option 2: The alternate ending for this NPC quest have some requirements to meet before your fight with Bayle:
- Meet Thiollier before Moore leaves the Main Gate Cross Site of Grace
- Speak to Moore and receive the Black Syrup from Thiollier
- Give Thiollier the Black Syrup in exchange for Thiollier's Concoction.
At the Grand Altar of Dragon Communion Grace, talk with the Dragon Communion Priestess, exhaust her dialogue, and accept her request to receive Ancient Dragon's Blessing.
After you have met all these requirements, you will need to see the Dragon Communion Priestess at night. She will be seen speaking with Lord Placidusax. You can speak to her and give her Thiollier's Concoction.
- If given the Concoction, she will NOT drop the Priestess Heart or the Flowerstone Gavel.
- If given Thiollier's Concoction she will fall asleep, wait 1 full day and she will wake up and express disappointment that she had succumbed to slumber.
- Note: In a different quest line you can get the Rock Heart, which can serve as an alternative to the Priestess Heart.
- After defeating Bayle, return to her and she will give you the Dragonbolt of Florissax Incantation.
- If you confess that it was you that put her to sleep she will pledge to follow you and you will be given the Ancient Dragon Florissax Spirit Ashes.
When you have decided on which path to choose, go towards the small opening to enter the arena. Bayle the Dread will land once you are inside. Summon Igon from his summon sign just to the left of the entrance. He can't be summoned from the outside, so you need to locate his summon sign inside the arena after this boss fight is triggered.
After defeating this boss, either with Option 1 or Option 2, return to Igon's last location where you fought the two Jagged Peak Drake. See the SOTE Elden Ring DLC Map He will drop his items that you can loot:
From the Grand Altar of Dragon Communion Grace, go to the location of the Dragon Communion Priestess to receive your rewards based on your earlier choice. If you gave her Thiollier's Concoction, you must confess what you did to receive all of your rewards.
Shadow Keep Depths (Main Gate to Recluse River)
Recommended Scadutree Blessing Rank: 14~ Revered Spirit Ash Blessing: 7~
- Teleport to Highroad Cross - Site of Grace
- Head north and enter Shadow Keep through the Main Gate (defeat the Furnace Golem if you haven't)
- Fight Golden Hippopotamus
- Exit through the northeast and make your way around this section to unlock the shortcut back to the Main Gate Plaza - Site of Grace (NOTE: We recommend reading both Hornsent and Leda's NPC pages to help decide which rewards to receive and which to be locked out of. You can earn additional rewards if you assist Hornsent to defeat Leda: Ash of War: Swift Slash and Leda's Rune.)
- Head back out through the southeast and do the Hornsent vs Leda fight
- Get Domain of Dragons Painting
- Reveal the Illusory Wall and ride the coffin
- Use the Castle Watering Hole - Site of Grace (explore here later)
- Eliminate the Furnace Golem
- Explore the Ruins of Unte
- Make your way to Eastern Nameless Mausoleum and defeat Rakshasa
- Reach Village of Flies
- Complete Darklight Catacombs
- Defeat Jori, Elder Inquisitor, and go through the new area
IMPORTANT: Needle Knight Leda and Hornsent questline may get bricked if you accidentally enter the main boss in Shadow Keep. Make sure to read this guide to avoid canceling quests unintentionally.
Shadow Keep acts as a hub for the main story progression and major NPC questlines. You will be coming and going here and the sections are separated into 3, each with different objectives every time you go in:
- Shadow Keep (Church District and Scadutree Base): Drain the water to access the lower area. You will progress Fire Knight Queelign (NPC) questline inside, and defeat the Scadutree Avatar You will also need to reach the Shadow Keep, Back Gate - Site of Grace in preparation for the Count Ymir and Jolan quests.
- Shadow Keep Depths (Recluse River): This is an area that can be accessed through an illusory wall and reveals access to Eastern Nameless Mausoleum and Darklight Catacombs. This is also how you will gain entry to the Abyssal Woods. As you discover the secret access here, you will also stop by the area above Main Plaza to take part in the Needle Knight Leda and Hornsent fight.
- Shadow Keep (Main): This is the third and final exploration of Shadow Keep and ends with defeating the main boss of this legacy dungeon. This section is also where you will progress Sir Ansbach and Redmane Freyja's quests.
The main entrance of the Shadow Keep is pretty linear, as you can follow the path directly from Castle Ensis leading to the main entrance of the Shadow Keep. Along the path, you will encounter Messmer Soldiers in encampments, so tread carefully. By the eastern section of the keep's outer walls, you can loot a fallen Furnace Golem for x1 Furnace Visage. Nearby, you can find a tent containing a corpse with x1 Furnace Keeper's Note. Return to the path, and you will find a big archway to a room containing a lift. This will take you to the Shadow Keep Main Gate Site of Grace [[[Shadow of the Erdtree Map|See Elden Ring Map]]].
When you arrive at the top of the lift, activate the Site of Grace. The area ahead of it is a boss room. Once you are ready to fight it, enter the room and you will encounter the Golden Hippopotamus. Its attacks have a deceptively big hit box, using mostly its head to attack. For more guides and strategies on how to defeat the boss, you can visit this page. After defeating the Golden Hippopotamus, it will drop x2 Scadutree Fragment and the Aspects of the Crucible: Thorns Incantation. Defeating the Golden Hippopotamus will give you access to the Main Plaza of the Shadow Keep, allowing you to explore the whole area. The Main Gate Plaza Site of Grace [[[Shadow of the Erdtree Map|See Elden Ring Map]]] will be unlocked after the boss fight, so you can activate it now.
After defeating the Golden Hippopotamus, you can head to the western archway to continue heading deeper into the Shadow Keep. Follow the path, and you will encounter two Messmer Soldiers overlooking the ledge on your left. After defeating them, pick up the Festive Grease from a corpse, and you'll encounter another Messmer Soldier going down the stairs.
In the middle of the stairs, you can find a room with two more Messmer Soldiers along with a corpse that you can loot for x6 Smithing Stone [1]. You can find another room connected to this room on the right side, which contains two more Messmer Soldiers along with a Black Knight. On the dead body by the south side of the room, you can pick up the dagger Main-gauche. Afterward, head back out the stairs on the west, then keep going up.
You will encounter two Messmer Soldiers looking over the ledge on the left with a corpse that you can loot for x7 Redflesh Mushrooms, and two more Messmer Soldiers on the right. After defeating the Messmer Soldiers, head up the stairs again to find another room. There will be three Black Knights inside the room; one wielding a hammer and greatshield, the second one using a greatbow, and the third one wielding a twinblade. You can deal with the first Black Knight by dragging him outside of the room to where you came from, then you can deal with the other two easily inside the room. On the opening on the south wall of the room, you can pick up x1 Golden Vow from corpse hanging by the ledge and x1 Shadow Realm Rune [6] from a body near the archway on the east.
As you head out of the room, you can drop down from the bridge on the left side, and you'll find x5 Smithing Stone [5] from a dead body. Continue heading south, and you will see a golden tree. Directly beside it, you can pick up the Talisman of Lord's Bestowal. In the room south of the tree, you can pick up x2 Smithing Stone [8] from a dead body on the ledge northwest of the room. Northwest of the plaza, you can find a Black Knight facing a dead body with an item. Defeat the Black Knight, then pick up the x3 Golden Vow on the dead body. You can get back up by entering the room east of the corpse, which will contain a Messmer Soldier and a Black Knight. A ladder room will be on the eastern side, which leads you back to the room with the three Black Knights that you just fought.
After opening the door back to the room, head east again through the archway to continue progressing through the Shadow Keep. On the northeastern side, which is a dead-end, you can loot a body for x1 Holyproof Pickled Liver. Keep following the path going to the southeast, and you'll encounter Shadow Militiamen by the boats. By the stairs heading up, you can pick up x1 Messmerfire Grease from the dead body lying on the stairs. South of it, you can find a ramp going down, in which you will encounter more Shadow Militiamen. Open the double door, which leads you back to the Main Gate Plaza Site of Grace.
Head back up the ramp, and you'll notice two summon signs on the right side. NOTE: You can only interact with one summon sign, so choose which reward you want to receive. Your choice will also lock you out of certain future rewards.
If you interact with the red sign, you will be summoned to assist Needle Knight Leda in defeating Hornsent - This will reward you with the Hornsent Set along with the curved sword Falx. If you interact with the yellow sign, you will be summoned to assist Hornsent in defeating Needle Knight Leda - This will reward you with the Ash of War: Swift Slash and Leda's Rune. We recommend reading both Hornsent and Leda's NPC pages to help decide which rewards to receive and which to be locked out of.
After doing the summon signs, you can head east to explore the area. You'll find x1 Rada Fruit on a dead body sitting against a boat right next to the summon signs. You can also pick up the Silver-Pickled Fowl Foot from a body nearby. Lastly, on the southeastern wall, you'll find another corpse which has x3 Smithing Stone [8]. Go back to the body where you picked up the Silver-Pickled Fowl Foot, then climb down the ladder by the opening of the railing nearby.
After you have arrived at the bottom of the ladder, follow the path going northwest until you come across with a dead body that has x1 Somber Smithing Stone [8]. Go back to the waterfall you passed through earlier, then go inside of the passageway behind it. Follow the path, then go down the ladder. Once you are at the bottom, go east to find a room with a painting. Pick it up, and you will receive the Domain of Dragons Painting.
Then pay attention to the wall behind you. This blank wall is a secret passage, and you can attack it to reveal a new area. To continue, go through the secret room and follow the stream of water. Go down the steps and turn left. You will see a coffin at the edge here. Rest in the coffin to travel to a new location. After the short cutscene plays you will arrive at a new location. Go through the door then activate the Castle Watering Hole Site of Grace See Elden Ring Map left of the doorway. Then, summon Torrent and ride southeast here. You will come across a Furnace Golem here and it's up to you if you want to defeat it.
Defeating this Furnace Golem drops the Oil-Soaked Tear crystal tear and a Furnace Visage. Defeat it and head toward the ruins and you'll notice one "dead" or "unlit" Furnace Golem blocking the entrance to Ruins of Unte. Head to the east side and use your mount to jump over the rubble and remains of the buildings until you reach the balcony overlooking the "dead" Furnace Golem. To wake up the Golem, you need to have a Hefty Furnace Pot in your inventory, equip it, and throw it on its head.
A Hefty Furnace Pot can be crafted with the following materials: x1 Redflesh Mushroom, x1 Ember of Messmer, and x1 Furnace Visage. The recipe to learn how to craft this item requires the player to acquire the Greater Potentate's Cookbook (2) item which can be looted from a dead body at the Run-Down Traveler's Rest in Gravesite Plain See Shadow of the Erdtree Map. Defeating this awakened Furnace Golem drops the x1 Bloodsucking Cracked Tear and x1 Furnace Visage. After clearing this area, return to the Castle Watering Hole to explore the river under Eastern Scadu Altus.
From the Castle Watering Hole - Site of Grace, travel south and stick to the mountainside on your left. As you reach the waterfall you will find the Recluses' River Upstream - Site of Grace. Activate this and continue following the rock path to the south. Make sure to pay attention to the open gaps along the path. Once the path to the left side ends, jump over to the other side. This time, you will stick to the mountainside to the right. Take note of the gravesites on your left, we will return here shortly. When you reach the end of the rock path, you can safely drop down to the Site of Grace.
From this Recluses' River Downstream Site of Grace See Elden Ring Map, head back up to the north and follow the path going northeast until you can cross to the gravesite area. Be careful here as multiple Gravebird enemies will try to attack you. After dealing with the Gravebirds, drop down to the platform below the gravesite. Here you can pick up the Dryleaf Seal. Continue dropping until you reach the top of the waterfall here. From the top of the waterfall, follow the river going northwest past a few Miranda Sprout enemies until you reach a dead end. Here you will find a stone coffin with x1 Scadutree Fragment inside. Return to where you originally dropped down and make your way down to the water below.
At the bottom, first go underneath the waterfall to pick up the rest of Dane's Set, then head east, and continue to the end where you'll find the entrance to the Eastern Nameless Mausoleum.
There is a Summoning Pool or effigy by the entrance for players to use for co-op. There is also a Stake of Marika that you can use to respawn by the entrance of the mausoleum in case you die. As mentioned, the location is where you'll fight against a mini-boss, so make preparations before you pass through the mist. For guides and strategies on how to defeat the boss, please visit the Rakshasa boss page. Defeating this mini-boss rewards the player with the following items:
After this fight, return to Recluses' River Downstream - Site of Grace to pass by Village of Flies before you travel to Darklight Catacombs. From the grace, jump down and continue navigating ahead. You will know that you are in the right area if there are Giant Flies on your path. As you reach the ground level, a Curseblade will attack you. Watch out because this fight can be difficult because the other Giant Flies will also attack you here.
After the fight, explore the western direction and you will find a Revered Spirit Ash on the small altar. Then, go around it and jump up the stones to reach the small elevated area. You can pick up a Silver Horn Tender here found next to destroyed pots and corpses. Climb the top part of the village and look for a corpse here. You can pick up the Man-Fly Ashes here but it is being guarded by two shadow casters and multiple man-fly enemies. Behind the altar, you can loot a Golden Horn Tender from a corpse. That wraps up the quick exploration of Village of Flies and you will now go back to the area before you turned to Village of Flies. Jump down to another level below you. Continue traversing below.
Stick to this ledge and you will be facing east. Keep going until the path ends and you start to see gravesites in the level below you. Jump down next to the tombs and face northeast. By going in this direction, you will stumble upon the door leading to the Darklight Catacombs. Open the door to gain access inside the catacombs.
Once you are inside the Darklight Catacombs, follow the path leading to a lift. After arriving at the bottom, you can activate the Darklight Catacombs Site of Grace See Elden Ring Map. After activating the Site of Grace, head north to pick up x1 Grave Glovewort [5]. A lionhead Imp will jump on you as you approach the item, so take caution. Once you have picked up the Grave Glovewort, go to the eastern hall right before picking up the loot. Grab x1 Yellow Fulgurbloom right as you head down the path. Turn left, and you'll find another path going down, with x1 Yellow Fulgurbloom in the middle of the stairs.
You will arrive on a ledge area with two Fanged Imps. Defeat the enemies, then drop down the ledge or walk down the ramp. Immediately on the west of where you dropped is a passageway leading to a lever that will turn on the lights when pulled. Go back to where you dropped, then head southeast, passing through the archway. As you turn the corner to the archway, a Bigmouth Imp will attack you.
In the room overlooking the lit area, you can drop from the railings onto a ledge, then drop from the broken section of the ledge to a room with a chest containing the Viridian Amber Medallion +3. Afterwards, drop down to a bridge. The room on the south connecting to the bridge contains x1 Grave Glovewort [1] on the east side, and x2 Yellow Fulgurbloom right by the western wall. After clearing the area, follow the path going north leading to another lift. Use the lift to go down.
Follow the path north, going through the ramp on the right side to progress. A Fanged Imp will be waiting for you at the bottom of the ramp. Keep heading north, and you'll find x1 Yellow Fulgurbloom along with a bigmouth Imp opposite of it. After dealing with the imp, go back a few steps and you'll see a ladder going up. Climb the ladder, then turn right through the tight passageway, dropping to a room with a lever. Pull the lever, and you will activate the lights in another area. By the lever, you can drop down safely into a staircase below containing x4 Thin Beast Bones. Follow the path going up the stairs.
Once you have arrived at the top of the second set of stairs, look down by the opening, then drop down to the ledge. Follow the ledge going west, then climb up the ladder in the corner. In front of you, you can pick up x1 Shadow Realm Rune [5] from a corpse, and you will encounter an Inquisitor. You can safely drop to the room below with a body that has x1 Ghost Glovewort [2]. A Fanged Imp will attack you from behind after dropping. You can exit through the archway to the east. You'll be back in the area where you climbed up a ladder to the lever room.
You'll find a broken section of the railings. Drop down to the ledge below it, and you'll find a hallway with an Inquisitor on the southeastern corner. In this hallway, you can obtain the Death Knight Set from a dead body by the ledge on the north. South of the hallway, you can find an opening with a ladder going down. Climb down the ladder then head east through the archway. On your left, you'll find x1 Ghost Glovewort [9]. On your right, an Inquisitor will be attacking you. Defeat the Inquisitor, then drop down the ledge.
After dropping down, you can pick up x1 Yellow Fulgurbloom just where you dropped. Go east, then go through the archway going down, leading you to another lift. After arriving at the bottom of the lift, keep heading east. You will encounter a giant Bigmouth Imp which shoots fireballs towards you. Run through it, then turn left to head north. There will be a section here that has a pillar that can serve as a safe spot for you. As you are in the safe spot, a Fanged Imp will approach you. After dealing with the Fanged Imp, sprint to the area where it came from, then pull the lever in the room. Afterwards, kill the giant Bigmouth Imp, then defeat the Fanged Imp that spawns after it.
NOTE: Do not kill the Giant Bigmouth Imp before pulling the lever, or else the Great Ghost Glovewort that it drops will be stuck on the platform.
Go back to where you dropped, and you can pick up x2 Yellow Fulgurbloom and x1 Ghost Glovewort [8]. Afterwards, head to the pathway that the giant Bigmouth imp was blocking, then enter the room to loot a chest containing x1 Bigmouth Imp Ashes. Head up the stairs on the eastern wall, then keep heading east through the hall. You will encounter a Fanged Imp at the end of the hallway. You can safely drop, then head north. In the northernmost wall, you can pick up x1 Grave Glovewort [4] from a dead body. Head back south going down the ramps, and you'll find another lift which leads you to a boss fog.
Once you head inside the boss fog, you will encounter Jori, Elder Inquisitor. For a more detailed guide on how to defeat Jori, Elder Inquisitor, you can visit this page. After defeating Jori, Elder Inquisitor, you will obtain the Barbed Staff-Spear and the Forsaken Graveyard Site of Grace See Elden Ring Map will be unlocked.
Abyssal Woods
Recommended Scadutree Blessing Rank: 12~ Revered Spirit Ash Blessing: 8~
- Activate Woodlands Trail - Site of Grace
- Obtain Map: Abyss
- Reach Abandoned Church
- Return to Woodlands Trail, then make your way to Abyssal Woods - Site of Grace
- Explore Midra's Manse
NOTE: The Abyssal Woods can be accessed after defeating the boss of the Darklight Catacombs. You can follow the path going south to get to the Abyssal Woods region. If you haven't reached this location, you can follow the #15 of the Game Progress Route or Shadow Keep Underground (Main Gate and Recluse River) and follow the guide to clear Darklight Catacombs.
After defeating Jori, Elder Inquisitor, you will unlock an entrance to the Abyssal Woods. First, activate the Forsaken Graveyard - Site of Grace that spawned after the fight then head through the archway and head south. NOTE: Down here, Torrent can't be summoned because it is terrified, and you will be walking on foot. Continue heading south until you see another Site of Grace as soon as you formally enter the region. You can see it right in front of the thick tree. Use the Woodlands Trail - Site of Grace.
From there, head south and follow the dirt path. You will pass through some creatures here and skeleton enemies. As soon as you see the elevated thick tree, turn left and you will be heading east this time. You know that you are in the right place if you can spot the church-like structure from a distance. Along the trail, you will encounter a hostile NPC, the Madding Hand (NPC) who drops the Madding Hand weapon if you kill the NPC. Continue along the path until you reach the pillar and the Abandoned Church. The map is right in front of this building so make sure to pick up Map: Abyss first. This will help you navigate the area easily.
The Abandoned Church is just a small location that lets you pick up the following items:
- Inside the abandoned church, you can find x2 Scadutree Fragment in front of the altar.
- Check the north side interior of the church to find a body sitting against the wall. Loot the corpse to acquire x1 Frenzyflame Perfume Bottle.
To continue exploring Abyssal Woods, you will now head to Midra's Manse. To do this, teleport to the Woodland Trail Site of Grace See Elden Ring Map and then face the west direction. Jump down the platform and follow the river here. Keep walking towards the west until you reach the Abyssal Woods Site of Grace See Elden Ring Map. Head north and go towards the tall archway at the far end. After the archway, face the western direction and keep walking. Watch out for the enemies patrolling here. At the end, you will see a waterfall and Divided Falls - Site of Grace.
Backtrack a little and go under the bridge to the southeast. You can see 2 enemies here, but you can try to fight them or outrun them. Then, jump down and turn right. Look for a ramp to your left and climb it by jumping between the stones. Stick to the right wall and then jump down again.
You will see a building in the distance to the south and this is the Midra's Manse. You will find the door here directly on your south if you stick to the right wall. As you enter the room, a voice can be heard asking you to leave.
In this room, you can turn right to find a room with a dead body containing x1 Swollen Grape. The stairs going up will lead you to the Manse Hall Site of Grace See Elden Ring Map. The door on the west side of the hall will be locked, so hit the painting opposite of it to reveal a hidden hallway.
Proceed through the hallway, and you will find a room on your left. Enter the room, then pick up x1 Torn Diary Page on a dead body. The room will be filled with Shadow Undead, which you can easily deal with as they die in one or two hits. Head back out the hallway through either of the two doorways in the room.
After heading out, you will encounter a Horned Warrior patrolling around the hallway. Once you have dealt with the Horned Warrior, you can follow the hallway going east, then going around the corner to find another room. Enter the room filled with Shadow Undead, along with a Shadow Undead above using the incantation The Flame of Frenzy on you.
Head to the archway leading to another room, and you will encounter another Horned Warrior patrolling the room. You can sneak past the Horned Warrior as its pathing will only be in the direction it is facing. Follow the room going southwest, and a Shadow Undead will be waiting for you around the corner. The Shadow Undead will try to get a jump on you, so attack it right as you are going around the corner. After dealing with the Shadow Undead, head to the room opposite of it, then pull the lever.
After pulling the lever, follow the room on the east, hugging the wall, and you will find a ladder going up. You'll end up in a room with Shadow Undead scattered around. You can pick up x1 Shadow Realm Rune [6] from a dead body hanging by a beam. Head to the next room, which will be the balcony that the Shadow Undead using Flame of Frenzy on you is located. x1 Swollen Grape will be on the southwestern section of the balcony. Next, head up the ladder on the northern wall of the room.
At the upper level, you will be walking across beams. As you traverse through the beams, there will be Frenzied Giant Rats on the right archway that might attack you. If you enter the dark room the rats are in, you can loot x1 Mad Craftsman's Cookbook [3]. Keep heading west, and you will arrive at the Midra's Library Site of Grace See Elden Ring Map.
Head west of the Site of Grace, and you will be in the library. You will encounter frenzied enemies throughout the library. On your left, you can cross a beam to get on top of the library shelves. On the shelf in the middle, you can grab x1 Golden Horn Tender from a dead body. You can drop down to another shelf, which contains x1 Shadow Realm Rune [7]. Drop down the shelf, then go to the eastern side to find a door.
Open the door to gain access to a shortcut to Manse Hall. After opening the door, look at the southern wall with the painting just before the previously closed door. Attack it to reveal another hidden path. This leads to a lever that you can pull to move a bookshelf, opening up another path.
Backtrack your way to the bookshelf where you obtained a Golden Horn Tender. Instead of dropping down again, jump on the ledge north of it. Follow the path, crossing the run-down path. Make the jump to get to a balcony with a dead body, in which you can loot x1 Nanaya's Torch
On the recently opened path, head up the stairs. You can pick up x2 Swollen Grape from a dead body just before the path. You will be in a room on the upper level of the library, along with a Greater Inquisitor in the area which drops a Revered Spirit Ash. After defeating the shaman, head up another set of stairs on the east. Keep following the path, clearing the room of the Cursed Priests, and you will discover the Second Floor Chamber Site of Grace See Elden Ring Map.
Head north of the Site of Grace, and you will see a chandelier along with a ladder going down. Jump to the chandelier to obtain x1 Revered Spirit Ash. You can drop down safely to the ground without receiving any damage.
Backtrack your way up to the Second Floor Chamber Site of Grace, then go directly east of it through the archway. You will hear a person wailing in the room nearby. Approach the wailing man, and it will be hostile towards you. Defeat the enemy, and it will trigger a cutscene.
After defeating the wailing man, it will then be revealed in the cutscene that he is Midra, Lord of Frenzied Flame. You will then fight the true form of Midra, the embodiment of the Frenzied Flame. He will be using a spear made out of the weapon that was formerly impaling him. For a more detailed guide on how to defeat Midra, Lord of Frenzied Flame, you can refer to this guide.
After defeating Midra, you will receive the Remembrance of the Lord of Frenzied Flame and the Discussion Chamber Site of Grace See Elden Ring Map will be unlocked.
Shadow Keep (From Main Plaza)
Recommended Scadutree Blessing Rank: 13-14 Revered Spirit Ash Blessing: 8~
- Return to Main Gate Plaza - Site of Grace
- Head back out through the southeast doorway and go inside the main building in the northern direction
- Use Storehouse, First Floor - Site of Grace
- Find your way to West Rampart - Site of Grace then return to the first floor of Storehouse (you will use this later after defeating the main boss of Shadow Keep)
- Speak with Sir Ansbach
- Obtain Secret Rite Scroll
- Use Storehouse, Seventh Floor - Site of Grace
- Speak with Redmane Freyja
- Progress both NPC questlines by giving the scroll to Sir Ansbach, informing him about Redmane Freyja and give the Letter to Freyja to Redmane. (Use teleporter and exhaust both of their dialogues to receive the Golden Lion Shield from Freyja)
- Use the switch found on the 6th floor to switch the ceiling statues
- Return to the first floor and jump between the newly moved statues to reach an upper area
- Use the Dark Chamber Entrance - Site of Grace NOTE: Before going inside, make sure you have progressed Needle Knight Leda and Hornsent questline. Hornsent's quest can get bricked if you trigger Messmer's cutscene by going inside his room. In our playthrough, we progressed this after entering through the Main Gate for the first time. See #15 of the Game Progress or Shadow Keep Underground (Main Gate and Recluse River).
- Fight Messmer the Impaler (It's important to summon Hornsent during the fight for his questline)
- Return to Hornsent Grandam in Belurat Tower Settlement (You will receive one final item from her)
- Teleport to West Rampart - Site of Grace
- Cross the bridge to reach the Ancient Ruins of Rauh
- Shadow Keep (Church District and Scadutree Base): Drain the water to access the lower area. You will progress Fire Knight Queelign (NPC) questline inside, and defeat the Scadutree Avatar You will also need to reach the Shadow Keep, Back Gate - Site of Grace in preparation for the Count Ymir and Jolan quests.
- Shadow Keep Depths (Recluse River): This is an area that can be accessed through an illusory wall and reveals access to Eastern Nameless Mausoleum and Darklight Catacombs. This is also how you will gain entry to the Abyssal Woods. As you discover the secret access here, you will also stop by the area above Main Plaza to take part in the Needle Knight Leda and Hornsent fight.
- Shadow Keep (Main): This is the third and final exploration of Shadow Keep and ends with defeating the main boss of this legacy dungeon. This section is also where you will progress Sir Ansbach and Redmane Freyja's quests.
After exploring Abyssal Woods, teleport to the Main Gate Plaza and head to the path you opened facing the southeast direction. Go up the ramp, in which you'll be surrounded by four Shadow Militiamen. After arriving at the top of the ramp, you can head up the stairs. You can pick up x8 Bone Dart from a corpse by the stairs. A Fire Knight will be waiting across the bridge. As you are walking to the Fire Knight, pick up the x8 Smithing Stone [2] from the dead body. The Fire Knight uses slow wide swings when attacking, so you can attack or even stagger it after dodging one attack.
After defeating the Fire Knight, you can go through the big archway it was previously patrolling, which leads to a lift. Use the lift to go up, and you will end up in the Storehouse, First Floor Site of Grace [[[Shadow of the Erdtree Map|See Elden Ring Map]]].
On the west side of the First Floor Site of Grace, you'll find a room filled with Shadow Undead, along with a dead body sitting against the stone tablets containing x1 Rune Arc. Head inside the room, and you will find a lift which you can ride going down.
After arriving at the bottom of the lift, you will be in a room connecting two other rooms. In the room west, you will find a corpse that you can loot for x1 Gold-Pickled Fowl Foot along with a Living Jar hiding by the entrance of the room. The second room is a hallway, which also connects two more rooms. The room on the left will have a Living Jar by the door along with a corpse sitting by the railing containing the Ash of War: Wall of Sparks.
In the northern room, you'll find a Living Jar running up the stairs. Defeat the Living Jar, but don't go down the stairs yet. Go to the hallway beside the stairs, then hit the Illusory Wall to reveal a hidden room. You can obtain x1 Battlefield Priest's Cookbook (4). After obtaining the cookbook, you can now head down the stairs.
You will find yourself in a room filled with Living Jars. After dealing with the Living Jars, go west to find a corpse containing x5 Hefty Beast Bone behind a jar. Head south to get into another room filled with more Living Jars. On the eastern side, you'll find a Living Jar standing in front of an item. Defeat the Living Jar and two more small Living Jars, then loot the item to receive the Iris of Grace - an item you can hand over to an NPC later. You'll also find a dead corpse lying on a bed southwest of the Iris of Grace which contains x1 Hefty Cracked Pot.
After clearing the room, head west to enter a room. Be cautious as you are entering the room, as a Living Jar will attack you on the right side. Head down either staircase, as they both lead to the same area. This room leads outside to the West Rampart Site of Grace [[[Shadow of the Erdtree Map|See Elden Ring Map]]], which leads to another region. Travel back to the Storehouse, First Floor Site of Grace to resume exploring the Shadow Keep.
As soon as you arrive on the first floor, head east to find a dead corpse containing x1 Fireproof Pickled Liver. Afterwards, head west, passing by the archway instead of going inside the room. You'll find a path by the base of the specimen in the middle of the room going northeast. You will encounter numerous Shadow Undead and Shadow Militiamen on the first floor of the Specimen Storehouse. Keep following the path, and you'll find a staircase going to the left, along with an Undead Shadow in the middle of it.
Go up the stairs, and you'll find yourself in a big room filled with bookcases. The northern side will be a dead-end, but it will have a corpse that you can loot for x1 Fire Coil.
Head northwest of it, and you will find a room that has x3 Hefty Beast Bone on a corpse lying against a table with a specimen. In this room, you will find Ansbach on the northeastern corner of the room reading a scripture. Talk to him, and exhaust all of Ansbach's dialogues. Head back out of the room, then follow the path going northwest. Turn right on the first one, and you'll find two Shadow Undead reading books, along with a hostile Shadow Undead and a Vulgar Militiaman at the base of a staircase.
After dealing with the enemies, you can keep exploring the west side of the first floor wherein you'll find a Fire Knight patrolling around a big bookcase. You can get a jump on the Fire Knight as you can easily backstab it. On the southern side of the bookcase, you'll find a corpse containing x5 Smithing Stone [8]. After looting the corpse, you can now head up the stairs.
After getting on top of the stairs, go up the smaller set of steps on the left side. On the west side, you'll find a corpse containing x4 Black Pyrefly sitting against a table. Head down the small set of steps, then follow the path. Once the path forks out, follow the path on the right. At the end of the path, you can find x3 Smithing Stone [5] on a dead body by the railing on the right.
Once you have picked up the smithing stone, you can drop down the railing opposite of it. You'll be in a room with a corpse containing the Boltdrake Talisman +3. On the northwestern wall, you can pull a lever that opens a hidden path back to the first floor near the Site of Grace. You'll find x2 Ember of Messmer on the dead body you'll find immediately after the path opens. Backtrack your way to the stairs going up, then head left again.
Before going up the stairs going to the third floor, you can find a Fire Knight on the section underneath it. Defeat the Fire Knight, then pick up x4 Beast Horn on the dead body next to it. You can then head up the stairs going to the third floor.
Once you go up the stairs, you'll find a Fire Knight by the southwestern side looking over the ledge. Defeat the Fire Knight first to make it easier to explore the third floor. NOTE: Take note of this location, as you'll have to backtrack to this location after a certain event. Afterwards, you are free to explore the floor as it is only filled with numerous Shadow Undead. On the south side of the third floor, you can loot x1 Blessed Bone Shard on a dead body sitting against books.
On the western side of the third floor, you'll find a room filled with Shadow Undead reading scriptures. You'll also find a Fire Knight on the southwestern side of the room. After defeating the Fire Knight, you can loot a corpse near the Fire Knight's position for x1 Beast Horn.
Head back out of the room, then go up the area with railings. Cross the bridge on the south side. Along the bridge, you can loot a dead body for x1 Furlcalling Finger Remedy. Two Shadow Militiamen will attack you as you approach the end of the bridge. Look east near the end of the bridge, and you will find an area you can jump onto from the railings. On the southern wall, you'll find x1 Dueling Shield on a dead body by the wall. Return to the path, then go southwest.
You'll find a room containing more Shadow Undead. In the first room, you'll find x2 Lump of Flesh on a dead body by the wall on the northern side. Head to the second room, and you'll find another Fire Knight patrolling around a bookcase. Backstab the Fire Knight, then finish it off. On the eastern side of the room, you can find a dead body containing x4 Beast Horn sitting against the railing.
Return to the bridge, then jump up to the feet of the hanging specimen. If you want to find more loot, you can jump down to the specimen below to get x1 Revered Spirit Ash. If you jumped down, make your way back up to the bridge, then jump up again on the feet of the hanging specimen. This time, make your way up to the head of the specimen, then jump to the fourth floor.
After jumping onto the fourth floor, you can loot x1 Scadutree Fragment and a Storehouse Cross Message in the middle of the room. Activate the Storehouse, Fourth Floor Site of Grace See Elden Ring Map, then you can resume your exploration of the Shadow Keep.
After activating the Site of Grace, head west to go outside. On the right side, you can find x3 Stormhawk Feather on a dead body near the ledge. Afterwards, head south, then go up the stairs. On the next set of stairs, a Fire Knight will be aggressive towards you, casting spells from afar. Before going up the stairs, you can loot a corpse on the right side of the stairs for x4 Black Pyrefly. After defeating the Fire Knight, follow the path until you find a staircase going down. Defeat the Giant Bats near the top of the stairs, then go down the stairs. On the ledge by the stairs, you can find a corpse with x1 Shadow Realm Rune [5].
After looting the dead body, head inside the room, which is another section of the fourth floor. On the northeastern side, behind the bookshelf, you can find x1 Secret Rite Scroll - an item that you need for a quest later involving Ansbach and Redmane Freyja. On the south side of the room near the entrance, you can loot a corpse for x1 Holyproof Pickled Liver. Head back out of the room, then continue following the path. Near the end of the path, you'll find a room on the left side. Before entering it, defeat the Giant Bat at the end of the path, then loot the dead body by the ledge for x3 Ember of Messmer. After looting the corpse, you can head inside the room, which will be the fifth floor of the Specimen Storehouse.
On the western partition of the fifth floor, you will encounter three Shadow Undead in the area. Defeat the enemies, then loot the body on the western wall for x2 Smithing Stone [6].
Afterwards, keep going in the northeast direction, clearing the path of the Shadow Undead that you encounter. You can find x2 Fire Coil on a corpse by a lectern between a bookshelf along the way. Keep following the path, eventually going north, and you will encounter another Fire Knight. Near the Fire Knight, you can find x3 Smithing Stone [7] on a corpse resting by the wall on the right. Continue following the path, and you will eventually get to the stairs leading to the sixth floor. Head up the stairs, and you'll find x1 Silver-Pickled Fowl Foot on a corpse near the top of the stairs.
After arriving at the sixth floor, go to the room on the south. In this room, you will encounter three Shadow Undead along with a Fire Knight with its back turned against you. After defeating the enemies, you can loot a dead body near the Fire Knight for x1 Spirit Calculus. Head back out of the room, and another Fire Knight patrolling the area will approach you. Deal with the Fire Knight, then head up the stairs to get to the seventh floor.
On the seventh floor, you can find a corpse containing x2 Sliver of Meat sitting by the rail near the stairs. Go to the room on the southwest, then activate the Storehouse, Seventh Floor Site of Grace [[[Shadow of the Erdtree Map|See Elden Ring Map]]]. In this room, you can find Redmane Freyja on the other end reading a stone tablet. Talk to her, and exhaust all of her dialogues - this is part of a quest. After talking to Redmane Freyja, go back to the Storehouse, First Floor Site of Grace.
After arriving at the first floor, backtrack your way to Ansbach. Talk to him, then hand over the Secret Rite Scroll you found earlier to him. Keep talking to him until you get the prompt to tell him about Freyja's decision. Click on it, then Ansbach will give you the Letter for Freyja after talking to him. Go to the seventh floor, then give the Letter for Freyja to Redmane Freyja. She will then give you the Golden Lion Shield after talking to her one more time.
Head out of the room, then head to the northeastern section of the seventh floor. Defeat the Fire Knight in this section, then head southeast to find a specimen that you can jump on to by the railing. You can find x1 Revered Spirit Ash on the back of the specimen.
Afterwards, head to the eastern room on the sixth floor. You will encounter numerous Shadow Undead in this area, along with a corpse that you can loot for x1 Shadow Realm Rune [5]. On the southern wall, you can find a lever on a platform. Pull the lever, and the mechanism in the middle will move up, also moving up the specimens hanging on it.
After the specimens have moved, make your way back to the area with the Fire Knight on the third floor (See note here). On the western side of the railing, you can find the Pearldrake Talisman +3 on a specimen that has moved up.
Go back to the Storehouse, Seventh Floor Site of Grace, then go down to the sixth floor. Go to the lever room on the east, then jump on to the beam in the middle. Make your way up the specimens, climbing onto the one with the horn. Cross it, then jump to a balcony across the horn on the west side. You will be in a room full of creatures and Shadow Undead.
Head out the room by going through the archway west of the room, then follow the path going north. Head up the stairs, and you'll find a room on the right, and a Fire Knight on the left guarding a door. Head inside the room first. In the room, you will encounter three Shadow Undead here, along with a corpse that you can loot for x3 Ember of Messmer. After clearing the room, head out then defeat the Fire Knight across the bridge. This Fire Knight is different than the rest of the Fire Knights you have found throughout exploring the Shadow Keep, as its attacks are more aggressive compared to the normal Fire Knights. Defeating this Fire Knight will give you the Winged Serpent Helm and Ash of War: Flame Spear.
Open the door across the bridge, then pick up the Scadutree Fragment directly in front of you. Head up the stairs, then activate the Dark Chamber Entrance Site of Grace [[[Shadow of the Erdtree Map|See Elden Ring Map]]] at the top. Be prepared for a boss fight, as opening the door next to the Site of Grace will lead you to the boss of the Shadow Keep.
After activating the Dark Chamber Entrance Site of Grace, you'll want to retrace your steps as to obtain the Impenetrable Thorns sorcery. Return to the bridge where you fought Kood, Captain of the Fire Knights, then cross it to the other side. Head down the first set of staircases, where you will encounter two Shadow Undead patrolling as you explore the area. You will then find a Shadow Undead overlooking the ledge. Defeat the Shadow Undead, then look down the ledge to see a platform wherein you can safely drop. After you drop to the platform, defeat the Giant Bat that you will encounter immediately after dropping. You will then see a dead body sitting against the wall nearby which you can then loot for the Impenetrable Thorns sorcery. You can then return to the Dark Chamber Entrance Site of Grace to progress through the Shadow Keep.
Near the Dark Chamber Entrance Site of Grace will be a door. Opening it will lead you to the boss, who is then revealed to be Messmer the Impaler. Messmer the Impaler uses a spear as a weapon, so be mindful of the range of his attacks. His spear and attacks will be imbued with fire, so having fire resistance would be a good idea for this boss fight. For a more in-depth guide on how to defeat Messmer the Impaler, you can go to this page for more information.
After defeating Messmer the Impaler, you will receive Messmer's Kindling along with the Remembrance of the Impaler. Messmer's Kindling will be used to gain access to a legacy dungeon, Enir-Ilim See Elden Ring Map. After this fight, travel to Hornsent Grandam in Belurat, Tower Settlement by teleporting near her site of grace. Speak with her (Divine Beast Head must be equipped) and you will receive a Gourmet Scorpion Stew.
If you have been following the tip of unlocking the West Rampart - Site of Grace in Shadow Keep, all you have to do now is to teleport there so you can begin exploring Ancient Ruins of Rauh and continue reading the next section.
Ancient Ruins of Rauh
Recommended Scadutree Blessing Rank: 14~17 Revered Spirit Ash Blessing: 8~
- Activate Viaduct Minor Tower - Site of Grace
- Navigate the Eastern Section
- Fight Devonia, Crucible Knight
- Eliminate Furnace Golem
- Continue to the Western Section
- Reach the Grand Stairway Section
- Return to Rauh Ancient Ruins, West - Site of Grace and head up to the higher levels
- Locate the sealed spiritspring and destroy the stacked stones to break the seal
- Head up the ramp and fight this NPC invader
- Fight Romina, Saint of the Bud
From the Shadow Keep, West Rampart - Site of Grace, head west and enter through the small archway on the right side of the bridge. It is recommended to ride Torrent here as you cross the bridge so you can move faster and loot as you travel. There will be giant bats on this bridge but you will move fast enough and they shouldn't be able to reach you. You will find corpses with loot here; the first one to the left is a Smithing Stone [3]. Up ahead, you can loot more 3x Beast Liver, 3x Beast Blood, Smithing Stone [4], 5x Redflesh Mushroom, 8x Thin Beast Bones, and a Somber Smithing Stone [2].
At the other end of this bridge, you will encounter a Fire Knight wearing a red cloak. It wields dual daggers and can cast fire magic and will drop Salza's Hood and Rain of Fire upon defeating it.
Go inside the building behind the enemy you just defeated and take the Somber Smithing Stone [9] from the corpse on the corner. Go up the spiral stairs next to it and you will reach an elevator at the top. This will take you to a new gate and then, interact with the Viaduct Minor Tower - Site of Grace here.
- The southern area of the Ancient Ruins of Rauh covers exploring the parts near the Site of Grace. This includes the area below you that is accessible via the elevator in the small pond with small creatures.
Head out the archway and go to the right side. Stick to the wall and ride past the thick greenery here. You will go around this building and at the back, you can pick up the Golden Horn Tender. Go back the same way you came from, return to the entrance side, and head southeast past the small pond. You can see some boar creatures hanging out here and go behind the tree next to a stone pillar. Look for the corpse lying on top of a stone slab and pick up the Spirit Calculus. Then, use the elevator to reach the lower level.
As you go down, face the southwest direction so you are ready for the Bloodfiend waiting here. Then, follow the path behind it where a group of Bloodfiends is gathered. This can be difficult since you are outnumbered, but if you have a magic build, you can use Adula's Moonblade to effectively take out the group. After fighting them, you can pick up Somber Smithing Stone [8] from the corpse being defended by the group. From here, face the southwest direction and exit through the small square hole.
Go to the right side and go past the Bloodfiend. There's a corpse near the edge and you can pick up 8x Thin Beast Bones from it. Now face southeast here and go towards the edge and jump down on the steps below you. Look to your right and fight the Hippopotamus.
This looks just like the boss at the Main Entrance of Shadow Keep but this one has a smaller health pool. It can also pull off the same moves just like the boss version. Upon defeating it, it will drop a Scadutree Fragment. You are now done with this section. Return to the Site of Grace and continue exploring the eastern area through the felled tree.
Upon exiting the archway, face the western direction and go through the collapsed tree this time. Follow the path ahead where you will see small creatures and turn right to enter the building marked by these 2 standing lanterns. This area is filled with Shadow Undead enemies and there are variations of them. Others are hunched on the ground, while there are some walking around carrying a jar (Shadowpot). Take note that some of these enemies carry an important item. If you see them glimmering in the dark, eliminate them to take their item.
As you enter, go to your immediate right and climb up the overgrown roots. Head towards the northeast and turn left behind the pillar to pick up the Somber Smithing Stone [9] from the edge of this root. Go around this area and return to the entrance side and eliminate the Shadowpot here. This one is carrying a Revered Spirit Ash and a Silver Horn Tender. Pick it up later after you fight the Curseblade. This enemy type behaves similarly to the boss but has a smaller health pool. After defeating these enemies, face the northeast where you see the tall closed door.
Don't enter through the door yet, instead turn left and you will see a burning cauldron in the distance. You can pick up the Fire Spritestone on the right side of this cauldron. Then, return to the door but make sure to defeat the nearby enemies here so they can't interrupt you. Open up the door and head down the steps. You will be fighting a Spider Scorpion here, then turn left where you will fight more of these scorpions. You can pick up the Shadow Realm Rune [5] just past the lit brazier.
After picking up this item, look behind you and attack the illusory wall with 2 lit braziers on each side. Go inside and pick up the Bondstone and Antiquity Scholar's Cookbook (2). Head back out to the room where you came from and head to the right side to progress. Go down the steps where a group of Shadow Undead enemies are gathered. Pay attention to the glimmering one carrying a jar and make sure to eliminate the Shadowpot to get 3x Spirit Calculus from them. You can also pick up a Broken Rune in front of this square hole to the southeast. (Take note of this location because you will be coming back here later)
Go through this square hole and once you reach the other side, you will be fighting more Giant Scorpions. Watch out for the ones hiding and sleeping on the ceiling. They will attack you as you approach this loot on the corner. Go up the stones and take the Somber Smithing Stone (6) from the corpse here. Exit this area and turn right. Look for this glimmering enemy carrying a jar and defeat it. It will drop a Scadutree Fragment and Golden Horn Tender.
Then, look behind you and face the northeast direction. You will be able to see the Curseblade waiting on the top section of the second pillar. This one refuses to go down unless you go near it so you can just use range attacks to defeat it without getting damaged. After killing it, walk in front of you and pick up the 5x Throwing Dagger on the next alcove.
From the last alcove, turn right, then left. You will be facing a group of shadow enemies and a giant scorpion here. Make sure to take them out before you continue exploring here. Loot the corpse here to get Glass Shard. Continue up ahead and turn right to this room where you see a scorpion suspended in the air. You can see multiple corpses on the ground with loot on them but you need to eliminate this enemy first. Try not to the aggro of the Giant Scorpion on the other by doing ranged attacks. After doing so, pick up the x2 Sliver of Meat, x3 Scorpion Liver, and Spider Scorpion Ashes.
Head to the next area filled with white flowers and defeat the Spider Scorpions here. You can also pick up 2x Dewgem from the corpse here. Then, return to the other side of the square hole that you entered earlier. Trace your steps and return to the area where the shadow enemies are gathered. Open the door here facing southwest, then, take the 5x Rauh Burrow from the corpse to your right.
Follow this path until you reach the Spiritspring with surrounding nails. You can jump down here while riding Torrent and you will not be damaged. Face the southeast direction and go to the very end of this path. Pick up the Shadow Realm Rune (6) behind the Spiritspring. Don't go up the spiritspring and head back towards the area where you came from.
Turn right behind the 3rd pillar, and then go up the thick roots to pick up the Fine Crucible Feather Talisman. Then, head southwest and exit through the small archway at the end. Turn left and you will see an item on the top of the first archway to your left. Behind it, you can use the overgrown branch to climb this arch and then pick up the Shadow Realm Rune (7) from the corpse. Continue riding southeast and you will reach the outdoor area.
When an enemy with a great hammer comes into view, don't try to take its aggro right away. You want to be able to reach the nearby Site of Grace here by walking only on the right side. Stick to the edge on your right and you will see Miquella's Cross here near the edge. The Rauh Ancient Ruins, East - Site of Grace is on your right and you can pick up an Ancient Ruins Cross Message and Scadutree Fragment on the ground near the cross.
Avoid the elite enemy first and from the Site of Grace, face northeast, and go towards the pillar at the edge. Walk over to the side to find an item near the waterfall. Pick up the Ash of War: Dryleaf Whirlwind here. Then, return to the enemy that you saw earlier. This is Devonia, Crucible Knight, they will drop Devonia's Hammer and Crucible Hammer-Helm upon defeating them.
After defeating this enemy, cross the bridge facing southwest. There's a Furnace Golem at the other end of this bridge and it will start attacking you as you jump down. There are also Shadow Undead enemies along the way and you can pick up 4x Dewgem and 2x Flight Pinion. Then, jump down to the right side here. Ride up ahead but make sure to sprint so you can safely reach the covered area here. Then, go past the Furnace Golem, and don't fight it for now. The Rauh Ancient Ruins, West - Site of Grace is in the area behind it so you want to get the checkpoint first, just in case you die.
From the Rauh Ancient Ruins, West - Site of Grace, go down the ramp and fight the Furnace Golem. It will drop the Crimson-Sapping Cracked Tear and a Furnace Visage upon defeating it.
After fighting the Furnace Golem, teleport to the Site that you had just activated. Face the southwest direction and go toward the double archway. There are different shadow enemies here, like shadow mage and shadow hound. Eliminate them as you go, and then go up the stairs to the right. You can pick up a 6x Kukri on the steps and Redflesh Mushroom from the enemies.
Go up the steps, then, go to the right side and eliminate the glimmering Shadowpot. It will drop x3 Spirit Calculus and a Rauh Burrow. Then, defeat the 2 Shadow Mages here. At the center of this map, there's a Curseblade. This one uses death spells and is just as dangerous as the boss version. On the northwest side, there's an altar where shadow enemies are worshipping. Go towards it and pick up the Scadutree Fragment.
Then, explore towards the south and then turn right. Make sure to pick up the Rauh Burrow and 2x Spiritgrave Stone along the way. Then, use the elevator at the end of this path that will take you to the stone pillar section. Go to the left then carefully examine the area below you. You will notice some gaps in between platforms and while you're here, you want to make sure that you aim for the widest part to avoid dying.
To begin, jump down on the stone pillar below you. Then, walk forward to the edge, then jump to the lower level. This should take you to the level where if you look behind you, you will see a corpse slumped against the pillar. You can go towards it and pick up the Four-Toed Fowl Foot from the corpse.
From here, face southeast and take the longer path but safer on your right. Follow the stone pathway towards the building on the far left. Be careful of the gaps as you jump to the other side. Once you reach the area to your left, eliminate the 2 enemies holding a candlestick standing in front of the steps here. Face the building and go towards the square hole, turn left, then turn left again to reach the chest. You can get the Talisman of All Crucibles inside.
While facing the chest, exit through the square hole to your right. Use the elevator to go up, and you can already see the Ancient Ruins, Grand Stairway - Site of Grace from the top. Walk towards it and activate it.
Face the northwest direction, jump down the stairs, and then turn right to get loot. Stick to the wall to your right and then go to the very edge here to pick up a Spirit Calculus from a corpse. Then, return to the grand stairway where you see the archer version of the Golem Warrior. You can go up the ramp behind it and take it out. This enemy is weak to heavy attacks so make sure to take full advantage of its weakness.
Go down the broken bridge here and cross towards the northeast. Near the end of this bridge, you will find a corpse in the middle and you can take a Shadow Realm Rune (7) from it. Then, jump down on the right side where you see a small temple-like location. There's a Divine Beast Dancing Lion field boss here, and it's up to you if you want to fight it but you can run away from it by jumping down on the northeastern platform. This disables the fight and the boss will not chase you.
There's an elite enemy in the middle of the pool. This one wields a dual curved sword and will drop the Divine Bird Warrior Gauntlets upon defeating it. Go up the ramp on the left side to pick up 2x Beast Bones. Then, go to the area behind the boss to pick up Verdigris Discus. Continue exploring the southern area here to pick up a Redflesh Mushroom from a corpse next to a pillar. This is your last stop in the Grand Stairway section, and you will now return to the Rauh Ancient Ruins, West - Site of Grace.
- This covers the rest of the exploration of the western section where you will be invaded by an NPC.
From the Rauh Ancient Ruins, West - Site of Grace, face the southwest section and climb up the stairs to the left. This is the same area that you explored earlier but instead of going to the left section, you will head northwest towards the outdoor area. Head straight into the gazebo in front of you and you can pick up the Revered Spirit Ash on this altar. Watch out for the enemy nearby but since you are riding Torrent, you can just outrun them.
Continue exploring the path behind this gazebo and make sure to pick up the Rauh Burrow on the wall. Take note of the location on your left with two lit braziers on the walls of the archway because you will be returning here later. For now, continue ahead and jump down on the platform behind the destroyed pillar.
Go to the bottom of the steps and head northeast. You will find hounds inflicted with Scarlet Rot here and you can pick up Golden Horn Tender from the corpse in the middle. There's also Bloodfiend here in the same area but it's up to you if you want to fight it. Continue traveling north where you will encounter another Bloodfiend, then turn left where more enemies are waiting. Take out the hounds and bloodfiends here for a chance to get Beast Blood and a piece of the Bloodfiend's gear, like Bloodfiend's Fork.
While facing northwest, look at the enemy above you and you will see this glimmering Shadowpot. To go there, you need to head to area below it by jumping down. Summon Torrent and try to land on the highest part here to minimize your fall damage. The elevator is right here when you go down, but before that, make sure to head to the open area on the northeast. This area is protected by giant flies so you need to eliminate them first.
Take the Somber Smithing Stone (1) from the corpse lying on the stone. After doing so, head east where you see the Miranda Sprout. Go towards it and then pick up the Aspects of the Crucible: Bloom. Now, return to where you jumped down and take the elevator to go up. On the top level, you will reach the Shadowpot enemy. You can pick up a Revered Spirit Ash from it, and you can eliminate the nearby enemies to get a Redflesh Mushroom and Silver Horn Tender.
This is your last stop in this area, and you will now be returning to the area that we mentioned that you will be coming back to. (The arch with lit braziers on each side). Jump down on the same ledge that you are facing as you approached the loot, then look at the pillar on your path and you will see a corpse here. Take the 3x Knot Resin from it then go up the stairs.
Turn right where you will be facing scarlet rot-inflicted enemies. There's a scarlet version of Lesser Kindred of Rot (Pests) here, be careful of them because they can deal a high amount of damage when you get struck by them.
Go to the northwest arch and pick up the Dappled White Cured Meat. To your right, there are more pest enemies here. There's a large group of them in the next section and try to cheese them as much as you can. If you have any ranged or magic attacks, make use of them to eliminate them before they get near you. You can obtain these items from the ground here: x3 Immunizing Cured Meat, x4 Fly Mold, and Smithing Stone (2).
After fighting them, exit through the archway on the left side. You will reach a balcony-like area. Then, look on the stack of stones to your right and you will see a corpse here. You can pick up the Greater Potentate's Cookbook (9) from it. Face the tower to the northeast and walk straight towards it. This is the Unseen Bridge that connects the main building to this tower. Cross to the other side and interact with the altar. If you have the Stone-Sheathed Sword, you can use it on this altar to turn it into the Sword of Light.
Go back to the main building the same way you got here and then continue exploring by going to the left past the room. Then, turn right to use the elevator that will take you to the upper level. There are more pest enemies here at the top and you will see the stairs in the middle. Just take note of these areas for now because you will be returning here later.
First, turn your attention to the nearest enemy standing next to the archway then go out to the outdoor area. Go past the gazebo and look at the corpse in the middle of the water. Go towards it and then pick up the Divine Bird Feathers.
The elite enemy here will be aggro-ed upon picking up the item. Take your time as you deal with it and use the pillars of the gazebo to defend yourself against some of its attacks. After fighting it, go northeast past the gazebo to the upper area past the pond. Near the top, you will find a cluster of stones to destroy to unlock the Spiritspring below you.
Jump towards the Spiritspring, then use it to reach the area on the other side. Go to the path on your right and walk to the area behind the thick pillar. Go around it to pick up x2 Beast Horn from the corpse. Then, go up the stairs that you saw earlier and open the chest at the top to get Mottled Necklace +2. Use the Spiritspring again to return to the main building. Head back inside where you used the elevator and then turn left to the area behind the stairs.
Fight the pests that you will come across here and then turn right at the end. You can pick up the Pest-Thread Spears next to the wall on your right side. Go around this area and get ready for a fight before you head up the stairs. As you approach the top section, Hornsent will invade you if you previously summoned him for your fight against Messmer. This is potentially a long walk back if you die here and you didn't activate the Spiritspring beforehand, but if you have been following this walkthrough, you will have a faster way of reaching this area in case you die in this fight.
Defeating Hornsent here will reward you with the following items:
All that's left to do is to fight Romina, Saint of the Bud then you're done in this location. Defeating Romina Saint of the Bud will reward you 280,000 Runes and Remembrance of the Saint of the Bud. This fight will also let you access the Sealing Tree behind the arena, for which you will need Messmer's Kindling to burn the Sealing Tree to gain access to the final legacy dungeon. After the short cutscene, the real Enir-Ilim will be revealed, and you will be transported to the base of Enir-Ilim.
Enir-Ilim
Recommended Scadutree Blessing Rank: 17~20 Revered Spirit Ash Blessing: 8~10
- Fight Needle Knight Leda and her allies.
- Loot Euporia in Belurat Tower Settlement (this can only be accessed from Enir-Ilim)
- Defeat the final boss.
All NPC Encounters and Fight: When youreach Needle Knight Leda's location in Enir-Ilim, you will be fighting some of Miquella's followers here. Depending on the choices that you have made so far, those who will be siding with Leda will vary. See the progression below:
- Needle Knight Leda attacks you no matter what your choices have been.
- Redmane Freyja: She will attack you if you hand the letter from Sir Ansbach in Shadow Keep. Defeating her here will drop her items. Otherwise, she will stay in the Storehouse and will disappear to leave behind her items (Need further checking on which items she will drop and where)
- Hornsent: Hornsent will go after you if you didn't summon him during the fight against Messmer.
- Moore: The merchant will attack you in this arena if you choose the dialogue to "Put it behind you"
- Thiollier: If you progress his quest and pass the message of St. Trina, he can be summoned as a cooperator.
- Dryleaf Dane: Just like Leda, he will attack you, no matter what your choices have been.
See Elden Ring Map. After defeating Romina, you will unlock the Church of the Bud Site of Grace in the Ancient Ruins of Rauh, which is a few steps away from the entrance to Enir-Ilim. Head to the archway south of the Church of Bud Site of Grace, and you will find a sealing tree. When you interact with the sealing tree, it states that it cannot be burned without Messmer's kindling. This means that you have to defeat Messmer the Impaler, located in the Specimen Storehouse See Elden Ring Map, who will then drop Messmer's Kindling along with the Remembrance of the Impaler.
Once you have Messmer's Kindling, you can head to the sealing tree to burn it, triggering a cutscene wherein Enir-Ilim's true form is revealed. After the cutscene, you will then be teleported to Enir-Ilim.
Once you arrive in Enir-Ilim, look behind you to find a body containing x1 Somber Smithing Stone [9]. You will then discover the Enir-Ilim: Outer Wall Site of Grace See Elden Ring Map, which is right next to the spot where you were teleported.
Follow the path going east, up the stairs, in which you will see the Erdtree on the northeastern side. Keep following the path, then head up the stairs. Once you head up the stairs, a hostile Gravebird Knight will be approaching you. This enemy can fly, so watch out for its attacks. The staircase on the right is destroyed, so it leads to a dead-end. After dealing with the Gravebird Knight, head up the stairs on your left which leads to the First Rise Site of Grace See Elden Ring Map.
If you go to the stairs heading up on the south side of First Rise, you will find a body that you can loot for x1 Somber Smithing Stone [5]. The staircase is destroyed, so it leads to a dead-end.
Return to the bottom of the stairs, then head to the hallway heading east-southeast of the First Rise Site of Grace. You can loot a body containing x1 Messmerfire Grease just before the archway. Enter the room to find a lift, which you will ride going down. Once at the bottom, head down the stairs, leading to Belurat, Tower Settlement See Elden Ring Map. At the bottom, you will find a Revered Spirit Ash.
Return to the First Rise Site of Grace, looking southwest, you will see an archway that leads to a staircase going up. Go up the stairs, and you will end up in a courtyard. There will be a corpse on your right that you can loot for x1 Broken Rune. Left of the corpse is a room where you will find two Tree Shamans, one will attack you and the other will be praying near the tree. After dealing with these enemies you will find a doorway to a staircase in the southwestern corner of the room. Follow the stairs to reach another Tree Shaman with x1 Rune Arc on the ground.
Below you to the east, a Greater Tree Shaman will be roaming around with regular Tree Shaman enemies praying in different corners of the courtyard. The Greater Shaman will drop a Revered Spirit Ash on defeat. In the corner where shamans are praying, you will find up x4 Budding Horn. On the east side of the courtyard, you can pick up x2 Lightningproof Pickled Liver from a corpse.
Head down the stairs beside the body to reach the base of a tree with two hostile Humanoid Flies. Once you have killed the two enemies, you can pick up x8 Thin Beast Bones from the corpse nearby. Northeast of the tree roots is a body that you can loot for x3 Whiteflesh Mushroom along with two more Humanoid Flies that will try to land on you.
Traverse through the path on the west side of the giant tree roots. Be careful here, as a Humanoid Fly will be hiding to your right, waiting to attack you. You can also find x4 Redflesh Mushroom on top of a root nearby. Straight ahead will be three Humanoid Flies praying. After clearing the enemies, you can pick up x2 Revered Spirit Ash lying nearby. Return to the courtyard to head deeper into Enir-Ilim.
Once you have found yourself back in the courtyard, head up the stairs to the southeast. You will encounter a Tree Shaman on top of the stairs. After killing the Tree Shaman, continue following the path until you encounter a Horned Warrior.
After dealing with the Horned Warrior, you will see a platform to your north with a tree shaman and an item. You can use the tree branches to your east to reach the platform. Immediately after dropping down, you can loot x3 Furlcalling Finger Remedy behind you. Cross the branches to the platform and deal with the tree shaman. You can pick up the incantation Spira on the altar and drop to the courtyard below. Return to where you fought the Horned Warrior and continue from there.
Follow the path and take the stairs leading up. You can pick up x1 Dragonbolt Grease on the ground, but there will be a magic attack that seems to be coming from above. Sprint up the stairs, then kill Tree Mage responsible for the flurry of magic attacks. On the platform to the left, you will find x1 Drawstring Golden Grease.
Up the stairs, a Tree Shaman will be patrolling the area. You will also notice another Tree Mage on the rooftop of the structure in front of you which you can deal with by using ranged attacks or by sprinting past its spell attacks. After clearing the two enemies, head up the stairs. You can loot two corpses for x10 Fire Arrow and x10 Golden Bolt along the way.
Open the door at the top of the stairs to discover the Spiral Rise Site of Grace See Elden Ring Map and x1 Scadutree Fragment.
The area just before the Spiral Rise Site of Grace See Elden Ring Map has a lot of loot that you shouldn't miss. From the Site of Grace, backtrack your way down the stairs, then turn left to find a set of steps going down. As you go through the archway, there will be a room on your right containing x1 Inquisitor Ashes. Go to the other archway just before the room, and you will see a staircase that you can drop down to that has an item.
Drop down to the stairs, and you can pick up x2 Fireproof Pickled Liver from the body. Head up the stairs, then look below the broken railings to find a ledge that you can drop down to. Look down on the southeastern section of the ledge, and you will find another area that you can drop down to.
Drop down to it, then follow the ledge going south. You'll come across a broken section going to an item. Jump to get to the other side, and you can pick up x1 Holyproof Pickled Liver. After looting it, drop down from the broken section of the ledge, then pick up the nearby item, which is x2 Smithing Stone [8].
Follow the ledge going south. Be careful as there are pillars blocking off some parts of the ledge, making it tough to navigate. Keep hugging the wall just to be safe. When you go around the corner, you will find another area that you can jump down to. Jump down the area, then traverse the ledge going southwest.
Keep following it, and you will acquire x10 Lordsworn's Bolt from a dead body at the end of it. After looting the body, follow the ledge in the other direction going down, and you'll be at a broken section of the ledge. Drop down it, and you will land near a hostile Shadow Undead. Kill it, then pick up x1 Somber Smithing Stone [5] nearby. Go down the stairs, and you'll find x10 Golem's Great Arrow from a dead body.
To progress further, sprint jump down the window south of the dead body containing x10 Golem's Great Arrow.
Once you have successfully jumped on the window, head inside the structure. The section you are in will be inside Belurat, Tower Settlement. Head out of the room, and you will end up in a courtyard. Pick up the x1 Scadutree Fragment by the covered statue. There are two other rooms that you can enter from the courtyard. The room on the east has a lift that you can take to return to Enir-Ilim, while the room on the south has a lift going down Belurat, Tower Settlement. Ride down the lift in the southern room.
After taking the lift, head outside by going through the archway on the southeastern side of the room. Follow the path by going down a staircase which leads you to a room containing three Tree Shamans. After clearing the room, follow the path going southwest. Head down the stairs, and you'll encounter a Horned Warrior patrolling the area. You can either fight it head-on, or you can sneak around as the Horned Warrior is patrolling in a way that you can sneak around it.
After dealing with the Horned Warrior with whichever method you choose, head inside the structure then go down the stairs on the western side. Go down the lift, and you will arrive in the area with a bridge crossing to a door. Cross the bridge, then open the door. You'll find a dead body by the altar, which you can loot for the Euporia twinblade.
Return to Spiral Rise - Site of Grace, then head north of the room to climb up the stairs. There will be an opening on the left side of the stairs which lets you attack the Tree Mage earlier on the rooftop if you didn't get the chance to kill it. If you go back to the staircase, it will lead to a dead-end, so your only choice would be to traverse through the rooftop. Keep following the rooftop path by turning right as you exit through the opening. You'll encounter hostile large birds around the rooftop area, which you can easily dispose of. One of the birds will be hiding behind a corner, so be cautious of it. You can find x1 Smithing Stone [8] atop the roof near the part where the bird was hiding.
Keep going west until you get into an opening of a walkway. There will be another large bird guarding a room and a tree shaman patrolling the stairs. You can sneak up on the bird to easily dispose of it. Enter the room that the large bird was blocking to pick up x1 Revered Spirit Ash. Continue heading up, and if you didn't deal with the Tree Shaman earlier, it will be in this room along with another Tree Shaman. Deal with the shamans, then continue through the archway on the western side of the room and keep climbing the stairs.
As you get to the top of the stairs, you will find a room that contains x1 Scadutree Fragment lying on an altar. Keep exploring the rooftops, in which you will encounter a Horned Warrior. You can sneak up on it and try to do a backstab to make the fight easier. It will use frost magic along with the greatsword they are wielding, so be cautious of those attacks. On the northeast side of the rooftop, you can loot a body to pickup x2 Sunwarmth Stone.
If you want to find more loot, go back to where you picked up the Revered Spirit Ash. In the middle of the stairs going up, you can drop down to a set of stairs. You can find x1 Silver Horn Tender on the edge of the staircase going down. Head up the staircase, and you will end up in a room containing x1 Horned Warrior Ashes, x2 Neutralizing Boluses, and x1 Stanching Boluses. Backtrack your way up by climbing a ladder inside the room southwest. Head out of the ladder room, and you will find a body by the ledge containing x1 Golden Horn Tender. Climb up another ladder to get to the top floor of the structure, then jump off of it back into the rooftop where you fought a Horned Warrior using ice spells.
Keep going by jumping up on the rooftop, and you'll find your way back to the structure of the First Rise Site of Grace, bypassing the destroyed part of the staircase. If you head down the staircase, you will find x1 Somber Smithing Stone [6] lying on the ground near the part where the staircase cuts off. If you look down the destroyed part of the stairs, you will see a platform containing an item. You can go there by jumping off the stairs. You will get to pick up x1 Gravebird Helm if you choose to go to the platform.
After looting the platform, you can jump on a staircase on the east side of the platform. Head down the stairs, and you will find an area with a lever that when pulled down, will bring a lift to where you currently are. There will also be a doorway leading down to an empty room with a Curseblade hiding out of sight by the other doorway. Defeat the Curseblade, then proceed down the broken staircase when you go through the archway leading outside. At the end of the staircase, you can pick up x1 Somber Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone from a dead body.
Make your way back to where you pulled the lever then ride the lift going up. You will end up in a room with two Tree Shamans that you can easily dispose of. After clearing the room, head to the archway on the south of the room leading to a stairway going up. You will encounter a Horned Warrior patrolling near the area, which is different from the one you encountered earlier. It uses wind attacks to complement its greatsword, and it can also swing its greatsword successively. Wait for your turn to attack it. You can even stagger it if you have enough Poise damage with your build. After defeating it, you will obtain the Horned Warrior's Greatsword.
After you have slain the Horned Warrior, enter the structure to discover the Cleansing Chamber Anteroom Site of Grace See Elden Ring Map. Southeast of the Site of Grace, you can pick up a Scadutree Fragment.
Go through the archway on the east side of the Site of Grace, going up the stairs. Keep following the path, and you will encounter Needle Knight Leda who will invite you to challenge her and her allies. You can summon Pureblood Knight Ansbach to help you in this fight just beside Leda's summon sign. Redmane Freyja will be summoned first, followed by Moore, then Dryleaf Dane. You will then fight Needle Knight Leda after all the NPC invaders have been summoned.
Once you have defeated Needle Knight Leda, you can pick up the equipment of her and her allies right after returning to your world. The bodies of her allies will be lying around the place, which you can then loot. You can pick up Moore's equipment - Moore's Bell Bearing, Verdigris Greatshield, and the Verdigris Armor Set. From Freyja, you can receive Freyja's Greatsword and Freyja's Armor Set. Lastly, you can receive the Dane's Set and Dane's Footwork from Dryleaf.
Head east through the archway, and you will find Needle Knight Leda's body containing Leda's Armor. After you have looted the place, head north of Needle Knight Leda's body and go up the stairs, leading you to a lift. Ride the lift going up. Once you arrive at the top of the place, you will see Ansbach right beside the lift. Go through the archway and up the stairs directly in front of you, and you will discover the Divine Gate Front Staircase See Elden Ring Map.
As you reach the top of the stairs, you will find a boss fog that you can pass through. If you go through it, a cutscene will trigger, showing a familiar character that you have once fought. It is then revealed that the boss that you are going to face is Promised Consort Radahn. Radahn will be using the Starscourge Greatsword once again, even using an attack similar to the Starcaller Cry. He will also be using gravity orbs from afar, guaranteeing that you won't feel safe even if you are very far from him. He can also pull you or push you away from him using gravity. For a more detailed guide on how to defeat Promised Consort Radahn, you can go to this page.
After you have defeated Radahn, you will receive the Remembrance of a God and a Lord. The Gate of Divinity Site of Grace [See Elden Ring Map] will also be unlocked. If you look around the area, southeast of the Site of Grace, you can pick up the equipment of those who assisted you in the fight. You can pick up Thiollier's Armor Set along with his weapon, Thiollier's Hidden Needle, from his body. You can also pick up Ansbach's Set, his weapon Obsidian Lamina, and the incantation Furious Blade of Ansbach.
In the middle of the arena, you can obtain the emote Let Us Go Together. You can play a memory, triggering a cutscene. After the cutscene, you will obtain the Circlet of Light.
Game Progress Route Quick Summary
There are 5 Map Fragments for Realm of Shadow:
NOTE: This is a summarized version of the full Game Progress Route which covers only the important story-related events. This gives you a quick read of the game's progress from start to finish, objectives per region, important locations, and spares exploration details.
Gravesite Plain
- Meet all NPCs: Redmane Freyja, Hornsent, Moore, Sir Ansbach, Hornsent Grandam
- Go to Belurat Tower Settlement to progress Hornsent Grandam and Redmane Freyja's questlines
- Encounter Fire Knight Queelign inside Belurat Tower Settlement
- Cross the bridge to Eastern Gravesite Plain and meet Igon and Thiollier
After arriving at the Realm of Shadow, go up the stairs to formally enter Gravesite Plain and then, use the Site of Grace. Remember to take the map fragment every time you arrive at a new region to help you navigate easily. Head north and go past the building, this is Scorched Ruins. You can stop by here to get crafting materials. Head over to the Three-Path Cross Site of Grace and speak to the NPCs. You will find Redmane Freyja and Hornsent there. Make sure to exhaust their dialogues to receive the Cross Map from Hornsent, this is a key item that will map out Miquella's Cross locations where he abandons a piece of his godhood. Note that you can find important items like the Empyrean-Blood Burgeon and Scadutree Fragment at these locations. This doesn't affect your story progression, but will boost your stats while in Shadow Realm.
From here, go northwest to enter Belurat Tower Settlement. Outside this dungeon, you will also meet Sir Ansbach and Moore. Sir Ansbach was once a follower of Mohg, while Moore is a merchant in the Shadow Realm. Make sure to buy the Note: Sealed Spiritsprings from him and exhaust his dialogues. For Sir Ansbach, he will ask you to locate Miquella's Crosses during your conversation with him. Proceed to the dungeon where you will fight the Divine Beast Dancing Lion. You can summon Redmane Freyja for this fight but isn't vital to her story progression.
NOTE: We recommend looking for Fire Knight Queelign (NPC) and let him invade you here so you can get an additional reward once you meet him again at the Church of the Crusade in Scadu Altus.
After defeating the dungeon's boss, speak with Hornsent Grandam while wearing the Divine Beast Head to receive Watchful Spirit Incantation. Then, return to the Three-Path Cross Site of Grace, talk to the Redmane Freyja about her armor, and then cross the Greatbridge to the eastern side. You're right outside the gates of Castle Ensis but before you go in, travel to Pillar Path Waypoint to meet Igon and Thiollier. It is also recommended to reach the Dragon's Pit Site of Grace so you can come back here later when needed.
Castle Ensis
- Fight Rellana to reach Scadu Altus
- NOTE: You can also reach Scadu Altus through a sealed spiritspring behind Fort of Reprimand if you want to skip Castle Ensis entirely. However, we recommend the Castle Ensis progression as this is the most straightforward path and more rewarding than skipping this dungeon.
- Take the loot behind Castle Ensis Moongazing Grounds through an archway
When you're ready, explore Castle Ensis and eliminate Rellana, Twin Moon Knight. Defeating this boss will open the gate to the next region, Scadu Altus. Before leaving the castle, through the archway on the northern side of the room. Follow the path but traverse it near the cliffside on the left. Drop down the cliff, then follow the stream going back to Castle Ensis. You will eventually arrive at a rampart in Castle Ensis in which you will find a chest. Open the chest, and you will receive the Carian Sorcery Sword.
Scadu Altus
- Reunite with Needle Knight Leda and Hornsent at the Highroad Cross - Site of Grace
- Travel to the Church of the Crusade and fight Fire Knight Queelign there to obtain the Prayer Room Key (you will use this later at Shadow Keep)
- Head to Moorth Ruins and explore the tunnel connecting the location to Bonny Village
- Take the O Mother Gesture in an area near the Bonny Village
- Cross the eastern bridge to Scadu Altus plain
- Go to the Cathedral of Manus Metyr to speak with Count Ymir and Jolan (This interaction will initiate their questlines)
Exit through the newly opened gate after defeating Rellana in Castle Ensis. Travel north by following the main path and you will come across Needle Knight Leda and Hornsent at the Highroad Cross - Site of Grace. Make sure to pick up the Monk's Missive and the gesture in this location. After this meeting, head north to pick up the Map: Scadu Altus, then head west to the Church of the Crusade and fight Fire Knight Queelign (NPC) there. If you went to Belurat Tower Settlement and fought him there, you could pick up an Ash of War: Flame Skewer from him. This only drops during the second encounter, and you can still get it later on at Shadow Keep.
After this, head south and explore Moorth Ruins which contains a tunnel access to Bonny Village. You could also head north from Moorth Ruins to reach Rauh Base, but since there are no NPC interactions there, we can skip the entire location. For now, you will explore the area underneath Moorth Ruins and locate the tunnel connecting it to Bonny Village.
Once you reach the Site of Grace in Bonny Village, use it and look for the O Mother (Gesture) See it on the map here. This is an important item that you will need later on to progress questlines. To continue your exploration, cross the bridge to the eastern side and head to the Cathedral of Manus Metyr.
As you head north following the path here, you will receive a notification saying that a great rune has been broken, and a charm as well (This event opens up the path to St. Trina and you can now head to Cerulean Coast in Southern Shore to progress her questline after Scadu Altus. This event also marks changes with NPCs and it is recommended to travel to their respective Site of Graces to talk to them.
Continue traveling north until you reach the Cathedral of Manus Metyr, go inside and speak with Count Ymir and Jolan. Exhaust all their dialogues to initiate their quests. When you're done, you will now head to Shadow Keep - Church District. The reason that we're skipping Rauh Base in the summarized version is because there are no NPC interactions there, and is a location that doesn't play a role in NPC progression. You can still explore Rauh Base if you wish before entering Shadow Keep.
Shadow Keep - Church District
- NOTE: Speak with all NPCs before entering Shadow Keep, especially after you get the loud notification that a great rune has been broken.
- The Church District is a location that's inaccessible from the Main Gate because this area is flooded and you need to drain the water first.
- Use the Prayer Room Key (from Church of the Crusade) and speak with Fire Knight Queelign (decide if you want to give Iris of Grace or Iris of Occultation)
- Defeat the Scadutree Avatar
- Find a way to reach Shadow Keep, Back Gate - Site of Grace (area before Commander Gaius fight and the entrance point to Hinterlands in Scaduview)
Your goal in this location is to fully explore the back section of Shadow Keep, drain the water to access the lower area, and an optional fight against the Scadutree Avatar. You can skip it too if you like, but you can earn good rewards from defeating it, like its remembrance. The important NPC interaction here is to find Fire Knight Queelign's room and use the Prayer Room Key that you obtained at the Church of the Crusade and use it here. Inside this room, you will decide if you want to get his greatsword or his spirit ashes which you will do by giving him either an Iris of Grace or Iris of Occultation.
After this interaction, you need to look for the way to Shadow Keep, Back Gate, and use the site of grace so you can come back here later to explore Scaduview and Hinterlands. For now, you will return to Castle Front - Site of Grace (outside Castle Ensis to progress Thiollier and St. Trina's questlines). You will do this by navigating the path to St. Trina, and at this point, you have broken Miquella's Charm and revealed the access to Stone Coffin Fissure where you will meet St. Trina later on.
Cerulean Coast (Southern Shore)
- Teleport to Castle Front - Site of Grace
- Follow the river to Southern Shore
- Explore Stone Coffin Fissure
- Reach the Garden of Deep Purple
- Speak with St. Trina
- Progress Thiollier's questline (teleport to Pillar Path Waypoint)
Teleport to the Site of Grace outside Castle Ensis and follow the path leading to the Ellac River (under the bridge) to make your way to Southern Shore. You can refer to the guide above to see the full details of how to get there. You will know that you're on Cerulean Coast when you see the fields full of blue flowers. Your main objective here is to reach the bottom of Stone Coffin Fissure and defeat the Putrescent Knight. This encounter will reveal the entrance to St. Trina's location and will also initiate her questline related to Miquella's story.
After speaking with St. Trina and exhausting all of her dialogues, make sure to speak with Moore first, then return to Thiollier. You have an opportunity to receive the Black Syrup from Moore if you tell him about Thiollier. Then, bring this item to Thiollier and he will give you Thiollier's Concoction (you can use this item for an alternate ending for Dragon Communion Priestess questline if you want to receive the Dragonbolt of Florissax and Ancient Dragon Florissax (more on that if you visit her page).
To progress Thiollier's questline, return to his location at the Pillar Path Cross - Site of Grace and let him know of your discovery about St. Trina's location. This will prompt him to move if you rest at a grace, so if you're trying to get the incantation and the spirit ashes from the dragon priestess, make sure to exchange the Thiollier's Concoction now. You will find him next at the Garden of Deep Purple, teleport there using the site of grace, and exhaust his dialogues. Imbibe the nectar 4 times. On the 4th one, you will begin to hear St. Trina's voice, and you can pass on St. Trina's words to Thiollier. Doing this will anger him and will prompt him to attack you in your world. Defeat Thiollier to receive St. Trina's Smile and after the fight, exhaust his dialogues again. Leave him be for now, and imbibe the nectar again before leaving this area.
Continuing your story progress, head back up to Cerulean Coast and make your way to Finger Ruins of Rhia. Your goal here is to progress the questline of Count Ymir and Jolan, and you need to reach the finger and sound the bell using the item Count Ymir gave you and you can also refer to the map given by him as well.
After this area, head to the Cathedral of Manus Metyr to speak with Count Ymir again. Report to him about your discovery at the Finger Ruins of Rhia and you will receive the second map from him.
Charo's Hidden Grave (Entrance from Dragon's Pit)
Now that you have progressed the questline of Count Ymir and Jolan and Thiollier and St. Trina, you will head next to Grand Altar of Dragon Communion (near Charo's Hidden Grave) to meet another NPC. This is the area above Cerulean Coast, where the field is filled with red flowers. You can reach this area by exploring Dragon's Pit in Scadu Altus. At the very end of this dungeon, you will fight the Ancient Dragon-Man to reveal the path to the dragon area.
This will also let you access various areas like Charo's Hidden Grave, the Grand Altar of Dragon Communion, and the Jagged Peak. Make sure to meet the Dragon Communion Priestess and accept the Ancient Dragon's Blessing offer from her. The rest of the area here is optional, but will give you great rewards. For now, you can end the exploration after meeting the priestess.
Scaduview (Hinterlands)
- Teleport to Shadow Keep, Back Gate - Site of Grace
- Defeat Commander Gaius
- Go to Scadutree Chalice and take 5x Scadutree Fragment
- Reveal the entrance to Hinterlands by performing the O Mother Gesture while facing the altar at the back gate
To continue the progression of NPC questlines, you will now teleport back to Shadow Keep, Back Gate - Site of Grace and fight Commander Gaius. This is a field boss that guards the area north of Shadow Keep. Beyond him, you can go to Albinauric's Shack and Scadutree Chalice where you can get 5x Scadutree Fragment. This boss is optional but the area behind him will provide items to boost your stats. Then, return to the Site of Grace and enter the other room where you see an altar in the middle.
Inside this room, you will perform the O Mother (Gesture) while facing the altar to reveal the steps leading to Hinterlands. Inside this new area, you will be able to progress Count Ymir and Jolan's questlines. Head inside and travel to Finger Ruins of Dheo and sound the bell. When you're done here, return once again to Count Ymir to finish up his questline. You may go to this page to see the full details.
Jagged Peak
- Defeat Jagged Peak (two dragons)
- Speak with Igon and accept Igon's Furled Finger
- Defeat Ancient Dragon Senessax
- Climb up the mountain and enter Bayle the Dread's arena
- Summon Igon during the fight (look for his summon sign inside the arena)
- Defeat Bayle The Dread
Before proceeding here, make sure you have met Igon in Scadu Altus. To begin, head towards the Jagged Peak and defeat the two dragons. After the fight, you will find Igon sitting nearby and praises you for your bravery and for defeating the dragons. He will hand Igon's Furled Finger and will ask you to summon him when battling Bayle The Dread.
Locate the Spiritspring behind him and use it to climb the area above you. Make your way to the arena of the Ancient Dragon Senessax, defeat it, and head up the mountain again. Keep going up here until you eventually reach Bayle the Dread's arena.
While this boss is completely optional, we are including it in the game progression as it plays a role in progressing Igon and Dragon Communion Priestess' questlines. Head inside the arena, and look for Igon's summon sign. Beckon him into the fight and defeat Bayle the Dread. After the fight, you will be able to loot Igon's items (if you summoned him) and then return to the Grand Altar of Dragon Communion where her quest will be concluded.
Shadow Keep (Main Gate)
- Enter Shadow Keep through Main Gate
- Defeat Golden Hippopotamus
- Do the Hornsent vs Leda fight (We recommend on taking Hornsent's side to defeat Leda together; use the golden summon sign)
- Make your way to West Rampart - Site of Grace
- Speak with Sir Ansbach
- Obtain Secret Rite Scroll
- Go to Storehouse, Seventh Floor and speak with Redmane Freyja exhaust her dialogues
- Return to Sir Ansbach, tell her about Freyja, exhaust his dialogues
- Give the Secret Rite Scroll to Sir Ansbach and accept Letter for Freyja
- Take the letter to Freyja and get the Golden Lion Shield from her
- Defeat Messmer the Impaler (skips Eastern Nameless Mausoleum, Dark Rift Catacombs, and Abyssal Woods)
- Choose to summon Hornsent during the Messmer fight or not
- Return to Hornsent Grandam to receive final item from her.
Go through the Main Gate and ride the elevator going up. Enter the plaza and defeat the Golden Hippopotamus here. Your exploration will begin by locating the shortcut access around the area, and back to the Main Plaza. After that, you will take part in the Hornsent and Leda fight. Then, look for the West Rampart - Site of Grace, which you will use later.
Another NPC progression here is locating Sir Ansbach at the Storehouse, First Floor and Redmane Freyja at the Seventh Floor. You can visit their pages for the full details but the important thing to remember here is to make sure that you get the Letter for Freyja first before you give the Secret Rite Scroll to Sir Ansbach. If you happen to give him the scroll and leave his area without getting the letter, he will leave the area, and stall Freyja's questline and prevent you from taking all of her items.
Make sure that you deliver the Letter for Freyja so you can receive the Golden Lion Shield. This action will also prompt her to show up in the fight later in Enir-Ilim so you can take her armor and weapon. When you're done with important NPC quests, you will now fight Messmer the Impaler, this is the legacy dungeon boss and you can summon Hornsent during this fight to progress his questline. This also prompts him to show up again in Ancient Ruins of Rauh so you can get the rest of his items earlier. Not summoning him in Messmer fight will prompt him to take revenge against you and will show up as an ally to Needle Knight Leda later.
Ancient Ruins of Rauh
- Fight the NPC invader
- Fight Romina, Saint of the Bud
Cross the bridge past West Rampart - Site of Grace to formally enter Ancient Ruins of Rauh, where your goal is to eliminate Romina, Saint of the Bud. Right before you come up the steps to her location, you will get invaded by this NPC if you progressed their questline, allowing you to get their items earlier. Defeat Romina in her arena and her death will reveal a Sealing Tree that blocks the way to the final legacy dungeon.
When you get there, you can use Messmer's Kindling to burn it and trigger a cutscene that shows the true form of Enir-Ilim. (The kindling is an item that you can get from defeating Messmer the Impaler in Shadow Keep.)
Enir-Ilim
- Defeat Needle Knight Leda and her allies
- Defeat the final boss
BONUS: The Euporia is a brand new Twinblade that can be obtained by accessing a secret room before the Spiral Rise - Site of Grace. You can read the guide on this page to learn the full details (the guide is long but the weapon is totally worth it!)
Once you reach a certain area here, you will be fighting the followers of Miquella the Kind. Different hostile NPCs will get in your way. The enemies who will show up here will largely depend on the choices you have made so far. After eliminating them, you will head up to fight the last boss. Continue to go to the top of the dungeon where you will meet a familiar boss, the Promised Consort Radahn and Miquella will also appear here.
If you progressed Thiollier's questline, he can be summoned to fight the final boss, and then you can pick up his items within the arena after the fight. Then, travel to the Garden of Deep Purple and take the St. Trina's Blossom from her last position.
