Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree: All areas & how to reach them
There are lots of areas to explore in Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, with a few that are hidden and far harder to reach than you might expect.
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While there are only five Map Fragments to find in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree, there are countless more areas to explore - some of which remain rather hidden.
All areas on the map
- Gravesite Plain
- Scadu Altus
- Hinterland/Scadutree Base/Scaduview
- Ancient Ruins of Rauh
- Abyssal Woods
- Jagged Peak
- Charo's Hidden Grave
- Stone Coffin Fissure
Gravesite Plain
Key points of interest
- Church of Consolation
- Church of Benediction
- Western Nameless Mausoleum
- Dragon's Pit
- Belurat, Tower Settlement
- Enir-Ilim
- Castle Ensis
How to reach
Gravesite Plain is the first area of Shadow of the Erdtree, so all you need to do to reach it is enter the DLC through Mohg's boss arena.
Scadu Altus
Key points of interest
- Moorth Ruins
- Ruined Forge of Starfall Past
- Bonny Village
- Bonny Gaol
- Darklight Catacombs
- Cathedral of Manus Metyr
- Rabbath's Rise
- Ruins of Unte
- Shadow Keep
- Shadow Keep Church District
- Church of the Crusade
- Taylew's Ruined Forge
- Fort of Reprimand
How to reach
You can reach Scadu Altus in two different ways. The first and most likely is by defeating Rellana, Twin Moon Knight - the boss of Castle Ensis. The path after her boss arena leads to Highroad Cross and the southwest side of Scadu Altus.
Alternatively, you can head into it via the Fort of Reprimand, which can be accessed by heading east of the Pillar Path Cross Site of Grace, where you meet Thiollier for the first time. Continue through the poison swamp until you reach a sealed spiritspring. Unseal it, then use it to jump up into the Fort of Reprimand, which will then lead you to the southern edge of Scadu Altus when completed.
Reaching Bonny Village & Cathedral of Manus Metyr
To get to the eastern side of Scadu Altus you'll need to drop down a hole to the south of Moorth Ruins. Don't be fooled by the larger hole as there's no way to drop down there - instead, you'll want to head to a smaller hole just north and drop safely down there.
From there, continue through the underground section until you come up again into Bonny Village. You'll then be able to either head south towards Bonny Gaol, or round the road north up to the Cathedral, Rabbath's Rise, or the Church District of the Shadow Keep.
Hinterland, Scadutree Base & Scaduview
Key points of interest
- Albinauric's Shack (Scaduview)
- Scadutree Chalice (Scaduview)
- Scadutree Base
- Shaman Village (Hinterland)
- Finger Ruins of Dheo (Hinterland)
How to get to Scadutree Base
To make your way down to Scadutree Base you'll first want to enter the Shadow Keep Church District, which you can do so via the Cathedral route in Scadu Altus. From there you'll need to have drained the water, which can be done by taking the route shown below.
This involves some rather tricky jumps - including one onto the Church's exterior supports just beyond the first Fire Knight.
From there, drop down the hole in the roof down into the Church, move past (or defeat) the Fire Knight inside, moving towards the circular room. Then, take the first left out onto the walkway and follow the path until you reach a lever that drains the water.
Then you'll want to head back to the circular room and jump down the hole where the large Marika statue sits. Once you land on the lower level, head out of that room and immediately turn left, and you should reach another room with a closed door at the end.
Open this door and use the elevator in order to reach the Tree-Worship Passage, and eventually Scadutree Base.
How to get to Hinterland & Scaduview
Both Hinterland and Scaduview start from the same place - Shadow Keep Back Gate - but each requires a different action in order to access the rest of their corresponding area, and you'll need to figure out how to get there first.
You need to head back to the Shadow Keep Church District and take the same route that you did to turn the water off, but instead of taking the first left, you'll want to head down the second left, taking you to an elevator. There is another Fire Knight roaming here, so be careful.
This lift will take you up to the Specimen Storehouse, Back Section. Progress through this area until you find a hole in the wall, which will lead you up to the Loft section of the Specimen Storehouse.
In this area, you'll find rafters which you can walk across. Use one of the ladders to climb up to the top level of the rafters, then drop down onto the large cog to the northwest, use that to jump over to the lower rafters, and finally drop down onto the platform with the door leading outside.
Once on this platform, take the lift and you'll end up at the Shadow Keep Back Gate.
Scaduview
To get to Scaduview you'll need to progress north onto the field and defeat Commander Gaius. Once you've done that, head to the northwest of his boss arena and continue up towards the Albinauric Shack and Scadutree Chalice.
Hinterland
Reaching the Hinterland is a bit more complicated, as you'll need to use the 'O Mother' gesture in front of the Statue of Marika next to the Back Gate Site of Grace in order to access the area in the first place.
This gesture can be found just to the north of the Bonny Village Site of Grace as an item dropped in the middle of some grass, so definitely head back there if you haven't picked it up already.
Once you've got the gesture, just use it in front of the statue and the Statue of Marika will move to the side, revealing a new path and the way into the Hinterland. This area is an essential part of Ymir's quest and reveals some key parts of the game's lore, so it's definitely worth visiting!
Ancient Ruins of Rauh
Key points of interest
- Scorpion River Catacombs
- Church of the Bud
- Temple Town Ruins
How to reach
Head northwest from the Specimen Storehouse, First Floor Site of Grace and take the elevator down. Progress through the area until you reach a big iron door - there should then be a small wooden door to the right which you'll be able to open.
Make your way down the bridge and take the lift after the Fire Knight at the end, which takes you up to the Ancient Ruins of Rauh.
Abyssal Woods
Key points of interest
- Abandoned Church
- Midra's Manse
How to reach
The Abyssal Woods is probably the toughest area to reach in Shadow of the Erdtree, but it all starts within the Shadow Keep.
Progress through the Shadow Keep until you reach the Specimen Storehouse, First Floor Site of Grace, then head back down the lift that took you there, onto the walkway with the burning boats. Head to the east and you should find a gap in the wall with a ladder.
Head down the ladder, then head west and into an arch through pouring water. Head down another ladder and that should take you to a room with a painting in it. To the right of the painting is an illusory wall, so roll through or hit the wall to reveal it.
After that should be a coffin, which you can enter to take you down to the Castle Watering Hole and Ruins of Unte. To the right of the Ruins of Unte is a waterfall - take the path on the left side.
Continue along that path, drop down to the lower section by the stone structure, and then head west. From here you'll want to jump down a set of coffins in the wall (indicated by the '1' in the below image), and then drop down a set of coffins again (indicated by the '2').
In this final lower section you will be able to locate the Darklight Catacombs - a dungeon that revolves around shadows so make sure to bring a torch of some kind. You'll need to make your way through this entire dungeon and beat Jori, Elder Inquisitor at the end.
Once you beat Jori you'll then have access to the Abyssal Woods, but don't underestimate the horrors of this area as they can take you out in an instant.
Midra's Manse is also the 'legacy dungeon' of the area, so make sure to head to the southwest of the Abyssal Woods as you won't want to miss what the mansion holds.
Jagged Peak
Key points of interest
- Finger Ruins of Rhia
- Grand Altar of Dragon Communion
- Jagged Peak Summit
How to reach
Progress through the Dragon's Pit dungeon in Gravesite Plain, and defeat Ancient Dragon-Man at the end.
Head north at the lake with the sleeping dragons, and continue along the path until you reach Jagged Peak. There are a few bosses and tougher enemies along the way, so definitely come prepared if you wish to survive.
Charo's Hidden Grave
Key points of interest
- Southern Nameless Mausoleum
- Finger Weaver's Hovel
- The Fissure
How to reach
There are multiple ways to reach Charo's Hidden Grave, but the route I took involved going through the Dragon's Pit dungeon mentioned within the Jagged Peak section.
Instead of heading north towards Jagged Peak at the sleeping dragon lake, head south towards the giant stone dragon. Use Torrent to jump up onto its wings, then ride across until you reach the eastern side of Charo's Hidden Grave.
Stone Coffin Fissure
Key points of interest
- Garden of Deep Purple
How to reach
On the southwestern coast of Charo's Hidden Grave is a big hole that takes you down to the Fissure. If you reach the bottom and there is a seal, you'll need to make your way to the Shadow Keep so that Miquella discards his Great Rune and his seal will be broken. You might also need a torch once the seal has been broken, as it's quite dark down there!
From there, just continue through the bottom of the hole and you'll reach the Stone Coffin Fissure. In order to reach the Garden of Deep Purple you'll need to drop down at the top of the stairs at the Fissure Depths Site of Grace. This is one of the instances where you won't take fall damage, so don't worry about the size of the drop.
About The Author
Harry Boulton
Harry is a Guides Writer at GGRecon, having completed a Masters of Research degree in Film Studies. Previously a freelance writer for PCGamesN, The Loadout, and Red Bull Gaming, he loves playing a wide variety of games from the Souls series to JRPGs, Counter-Strike, and EA FC. When not playing or writing about games and hardware, you're likely to find him watching football or listening to Madonna and Kate Bush.
This is part of the ‘Elden Ring’ directory
Directory contents