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How to get to Abyssal Woods in Shadow of The Erdtree

Here's how to reach the Abyssal Woods in the Elden Ring DLC

An establishing shot of the landscape of the Abyssal Woods region in Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree. The words "Abyssal Woods" are superimposed over the top.
Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Bandai Namco
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Guide by Ollie Toms Guides Editor
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Want to know how to reach the Abyssal Woods in Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree? Possibly the scariest and most intimidating area in the entire Shadow Of The Erdtree DLC is the Abyssal Woods region, a dark, madness-dominated forest filled with enemies that, for the first time in the history of Elden Ring, simply cannot be beaten. A place where Torrent is too scared to assist you, and you must make your way on foot. Intrigued yet?

The path to reach the Abyssal Woods is both well-hidden and extremely convoluted, so if you're having trouble making your way there, don't feel bad - so is half the Elden Ring playerbase. Below, we'll make the job easy for you with our walkthrough of how to get to the Abyssal Woods in Shadow Of The Erdtree, so you can at long last pick up that final map fragment.

How to get to the Abyssal Woods

The Abyssal Woods are located to the east of the Gravesite Plain and south of Scadu Altus. To enter the Abyssal Woods, you must pass through the Darklight Catacombs in Recluses' River, and defeat the boss there: Jori, Elder Inquisitor. Once this boss is defeated, you can exit through the other side of the Darklight Catacombs and emerge in the Abyssal Woods.

If you're not sure where the Darklight Catacombs are, we'll guide you to its exact location below. Once you're there, the dungeon involves turning several pitch black areas light again using levers. Otherwise, it's a fairly straightforward dungeon until the end, when you'll face a pretty challenging boss: Jori, Elder Inquisitor, who makes liberal use of summons and teleports to keep you from attacking him head-on.

However, once you defeat Jori, you can follow the path ahead out of the Darklight Catacombs and into the Abyssal Woods, where the first Site Of Grace - the Forsaken Graveyard - will be waiting.

How to reach the Darklight Catacombs

Part of the Elden Ring map of Shadow Of The Erdtree, with the path from the Shadow Keep to the Abyssal Woods highlighted in yellow.
Use this map to chart a course from Shadow Keep all the way to the Abyssal Forest via the Darklight Catacombs. | Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Bandai Namco

The Darklight Catacombs are found at the very southern end of the Recluses' River which cuts through Scadu Altus. To reach it, you must use a secret passage in the Shadow Keep which allows you to reach the Castle Watering Hole Site Of Grace, and head south down the river from there.

This secret passage in the Shadow Keep is located just below the steps in front of the Specimen Storehouse tower. At the base of these steps, turn right, and go down the ladder on the left-hand side just after the second boat.

The player in Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree stands in front of the entrance to the Specimen Storehouse. A yellow arrows points in the direction of the path to the Castle Watering Hole.
The player in Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree stands in front of a ladder down to the Castle Watering Hole in Shadow Keep.
The player in Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree descends a ladder next to a waterfall in Shadow Keep. A yellow arrows points to a hidden doorway through the waterfall.
The player in Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree stands in front of a painting in Shadow Keep. A yellow arrow points towards a hidden doorway on the right-hand side wall.
The player in Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree stands in front of a coffin at the top of a waterfall below Shadow Keep.
The player in Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree stands next to the Castle Watering Hole Site Of Grace. A yellow arrow points in the direction of the path to the Abyssal Woods.
Follow the arrows from Shadow Keep to reach the Castle Watering Hole, which then leads onto the Darklight Catacombs and the Abyssal Forest. | Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Bandai Namco

Go through the doorway hidden behind the waterfall next to you, and descend the ladder. Once you get to the room with the painting, turn right and attack the wall to reveal a secret passage within the secret passage. Thanks for that, FromSoftware.

At the end of this passage, interact with the stone coffin to get inside it. This will transport you to the Castle Watering Hole Site Of Grace. From there, head south and follow the river all the way south. Just past the Recluses' River Downstream Site Of Grace, you can use the platforms jutting out from the cliffside to parkour down to the lake below which is guarded by two Hippopotamus enemies.

At the far end of the lake, by the waterfall, you can parkour down another section of platforms in the cliff wall to reach the area below. Once you're down there, turn left and hug the cliff wall you just descended, and you'll soon see the entrance to the Darklight Catacombs which bridges Scadu Altus and the Abyssal Woods.

That's all you need to know in order to at long last reach the Abyssal Woods region in Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree. We highly recommend you stock up on your Scadutree Fragments and Revered Spirit Ashes before you attempt to take on the Abyssal Woods, because this place is not for the faint of heart. If you're struggling to fill in the rest of the map, check out our similar guide on how to reach the Cerulean Coast, the Cathedral Of Manus Metyr, and the Hinterland.

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