How to reach and get through the Abyssal Woods in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree

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✓ At A Glance

Start from Castle Ensis and make your way to lower Scadu Altus
Press on south to the Darklight Catacombs and into the Abyssal Woods
Head east to the church, the west and south to Midra’s Manse

The Abyssal Woods is a large area in the east of the realm of shadows that’s shrouded over when you bring up the map. Unless you venture off the beaten story path, there’s a good chance you’ll miss it entirely. But, it’s well worth reaching, not just to scratch that complenist itch but also because it conjures up some major Bloodborne vibes and is one of the more inventive portions of Shadow of the Erdtree.

Given that the Abyss map fragment is located inside the Abyssal Woods, you’re effectively venturing in blind. We’ll walk you through how to reach the Abyssal Woods, but also how to get through them to reach the Midra’s Manse legacy dungeon and the area’s boss.

Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree Abyssal Woods: map of the realm of shadow. — Route to the Abyssal Woods. Captured by VideoGamer

Abyssal Woods location

Reaching the Abyssal Woods is right carry- on. To kick off, you’ll want to make your way to the Shadow Keep, defeat the Golden Hippo and make your way around to unlock the big door that shortcuts back to the Main Gate Plaza to make things easier in case you die. From the Main Gate Plaza site of grace, go through the now-unlocked door and head up the stairs on the left. At the top take a right towards the flaming viking boats and on the north side of the rampart you’ll spot a ladder down.

Take the ladder down, take a left, then go through the waterfall on your left and down the ladder. In the storeroom, hack the archway on the right to reveal a hidden door that leads to a coffin. Ride the coffin down to reach the lower portion of Scadu Altus and the Castle Watering Hole site of grace.

Make your way south to the Recluses’ River Upstream past the fire golem and the Ruins of Unte. Press on south down the cliffs until you reach the Recluses’ River Downstream site of grace. Use the platforms pinned into the cliff to go down even lower. Continue on southeast to another set of platforms to an even lower level. Head for the Darklight Catacombs in the southeast. Press on through the catacombs then take down Jori, Elder Inquisitor and finally reach the Abyssal Woods and the Forsaken Graveyard site of grace.

Getting through the Abyssal Woods

From the Forsaken Graveyard site of grace, head south until you hit the Woodland Trail site of grace. Note that Torrent is terrified so you won’t have the option to ride on horseback. It’s all on foot from here onward. Continue following the road, defeat the Madding Hand invader, then press on southeast until you hit the Church Ruins site of grace and Abandoned Church. Pick up the Abyss Map fragment to reveal the area and make progress a lot easier.

From there, you want to make your way east watching out for the madness-infused rats as you go. Before long you’ll encounter an area with lots of hidden bushes and enemies with shining suns for heads. If they spot you, you’ll go mad and die almost instantly. Move from bush to bush to avoid getting detected until you’re through.

Here, you can take a detour north to get the Divided Falls site of grace as a basecamp in case you die. But, your main goal is to head south following the river. However, you’ll need to scale the hill on your right as the passage is blocked then drop down. Watch out for the horned enemies as you go. Continue forward and you’ll eventually reach Midra’s Manse.