10 Biggest Secrets in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree

Half the fun of playing a FromSoftware game lies in exploring every nook and cranny and trying to uncover the many hidden bosses, locations, rewards, secrets, and what have you. It was no surprise when, upon its launch in 2022, Elden Ring delivered all of that in spades, and just as predictably, its recently released expansion, Shadow of the Erdtree, has followed in its footsteps. Its new map, set in the Realm of Shadow, is just as massive as it is dense and vertical, and across its vast offerings, it holds more than its fair share of secrets, just waiting to be found. Several of those have, of course, been found already, and here, we’re going to be talking about some of the ones that have stood out to us the most.

ABYSSAL WOODS AND MIDRA

Midra, Lord of the Frenzied Flame is one of several secret bosses that can be found in Shadow of the Erdtree, though getting to him is no easy task. First, you have to find your way to the Abyssal Woods if you haven’t already- that involves finding a hidden pathway inside Shadow Keep, heading to the Ruins of Unte, finding the Darklight Catacombs, and then defeating the boss Jori, Elder Inquisitor. Following that, once you’ve reached the Abyssal Woods, you’ll need to find the Legacy Dungeon called Midra’s Manse, where, you guessed it, you’ll find Midra, Lord of the Frenzied Flame. This is one of the more challenging bosses you’re going to find in Shadow of the Erdtree, so beware.

METYR, MOTHER OF FINGERS

Elden Ring’s obsession with hand and finger-shaped monstrosities led to some of its most memorable foes, and Shadow of the Erdtree has some of that going on as well. For instance, there’s Metyr, Mother of Fingers, one of the expansion’s any secret bosses who, as her moniker suggests, is one for all the finger-lovers out there, if that’s an actual thing. Made out of nothing but twisted fingers and arms, she’s found in the Finger Ruins of Miyr, an optional area that you’ll find in the Scadu Altus region. All you need to do is enter the Cathedral of Manus Metyr, interact with the throne to reveal the hidden entrance underneath it, and then follow the path that that opens up until it takes you to a bell. Interact with the bell to summon Metyr and begin the boss fight.

SCADUTREE AVATAR

Remember the Erdtree Avatar bosses in Elden Ring? Right, the one you usually found in close proximity to Minor Erdtrees. Scadutree Avatar is essentially its counterpart for the Realm of Shadow, only here, there’s just one of it to fight, and it’s an entirely optional encounter. And how exactly do you find it? Well, it’s easy to miss. You need to completely drain the water in a certain section of the Shadow Keep, where a long elevator ride down into the depths will take you to an area called Scadutree Base, which is where you’ll find the Scadutree Avatar.

COMMANDER GAIUS AND SCADUTREE CHALICE

There’s a good chance that you play through the entirety of Shadow of the Erdtree and don’t come across the Scadutree Chalice, given the fact that it’s essentially a hidden area in a hidden area. Once again, you find it inside Shadow Keep, where you’re going to have to do some rather precise platforming across some rafters to get to an elevator that will take you down into a bright, vast field. Here, you’ll fight Commander Gaius, who is one of the game’s toughest bosses by far- and also an optional one, which means you can miss him entirely. Defeat him, and you’ll be able to get to Scadutree Chalice, where you can find as many as five Scadutree Fragments, which is quite a meaty reward.

DANCER OF RANAH

Dancer of Ranah is a secret boss in Shadow of the Erdtree, and though she isn’t particularly difficult to beat (especially compared to some of the other foes we’ve mentioned in this feature), it’s getting to her that provides most of the fun. She’s found on a remote island in the Southern Shore region. Go to the Site of Grace in the Cerulean Coast West region, where you’ll find the entrance to a keep hidden below an imposing tree husk. Keep heading deeper into the cave, and it’ll eventually lead out onto the island, where you’ll be able to fight the Dancer of Ranah.

BAYLE THE DREAD

A colossal, terrifying dragon is exactly the sort of boss fight you want to be part of in a Soulslike, but finding your way to Bayle the Dread in Shadow of the Erdtree is no easy task. You’ll need to make your way to the summit of Jagged Peak, an area in the southeast section of the map, and getting to it will be a long, winding road, even involving boss fights against an Ancient Dragon Man and dragons on the mountain itself. Bayle the Dread itself is, as you might imagine, quite an exhilerating fight, and well worth seeking out.

CHARO’S HIDDEN GRAVE

Uncovering the map is a big part of the fun in Shadow of the Erdtree, as is the exercise of figuring out how to get to certain sections that you just cannot seem to reach. One of those rather elusive areas in the expansion is Charo’s Hidden Grave, which can be a bit tricky to find, but ultimately not that complicated, once you know what to look for. The entrance to Charo’s Hidden Grave can be found by the Grand Altar of Dragon Communion (not far from the path that takes you to the aforementioned Bayle the Dread, in fact). In this hidden area, you can take on a number of different optional bosses and field bosses, from a Death Rite Bird to Demi-Human Queen Marigga.

PUTRESCENT KNIGHT

A giant, skeletal knight riding a pale, deathly horse- truly one of the more chilling designs for a boss in Shadow of the Erdtree, making it a fight that’s well worth seeking out, even if it is optional. Not far from the Cerulean Coast, you’ll find the entrance to Stone Coffin Fissure, where, after taking a couple of long falls, you’ll find yourself in a large arena, facing down the Putrescent Knight. This one is another tough fight, so make sure you come prepared.

FALLINGSTAR BEAST

Shadow of the Erdtree has no shortage of new enemies and bosses to defeat, but at the same time, it also brings back some familiar faces from the base game. For instance, remember the Fallingstar Beasts? Yeah, those monstrosities. There’s one of them to be found in the Hinterlands in the Realm of Shadow as well, and though obviously there are far tougher fights in the expansion than this one, there’s just something oddly satisfying about taking on this familiar yet formidable foe in an entirely new location.

GHOSTFLAME DRAGON

Ghostflame Dragons are a new undead dragon enemy type that breathe ghostly flames, and just as you might imagine, they’re a ton of fun to take on in battle. There’s three of them to be found in Shadow of the Erdtree in total, with one in the Souther Shore region close to the Cerulean Coast, one in Gravesite Plane close to an abandoned village, and one in the Scadu Atlus region. These are completely optional fights, but if more dragon bosses is what you’re looking for, keep these three in your mind.