Elden Ring is full of exotic locations, deadly enemies, and powerful artifacts. Along the unforgettable journey through the Lands Between, you’ll visit some amazing places–some are encountered while following the Guidance of Grace, while others can only be discovered by exploring off the beaten path.
There are plenty of hidden locations you might stumble across in the game. While there are quite a few hidden locations, some stand well above the rest. Read on to find out which locations you probably missed during in your first Elden Ring playthrough.
10/10 Nokron, Eternal City
This area is pretty missable—unless you’re working on completing Ranni’s long questline—despite the fact that the entrance leaves quite the impact (literally). After defeating Starscourge Radahn, a massive meteor crashes into the Lands Between. Specifically, the meteor crashes into southern Mistwood, on the western edge of Limgrave. You’ll see the impact immediately after traveling to a nearby site of grace. Chunks of the earth are floating in the sky, leading down to the huge crater. Following that path eventually leads to Nokron, Eternal City—a hauntingly beautiful location that can be seen from the Siofra River.
9/10 Subterranean Shunning-Grounds
Leyndell, Capital City can be a bit of a maze. You’re constantly navigating the cramped streets, finding shortcuts and passageways along the path toward the Erdtree itself. You’ll wander in and out of some sewers as you explore, but it’s very easy to completely miss the entrance to the Subterranean Shunning-Grounds, which go deep underground. This area is home to the loathsome Dungeater NPC along with the Mohg, the Omen boss fight. Without a guide, this area is next to impossible to navigate: it involves winding through a labyrinth of broken pipes, dead-ends, and deadly ends. You’ll encounter Basilisks, Giant Rats, Giant Crayfish, killer plants, and the most dangerous Omens you’ll encounter in the game.
8/10 Consecrated Snowfield
This location requires a bit of legwork to access, following Latenna’s Questline and acquiring the Haligtree Secret Medallion pieces. It’s incredibly easy to blow through this game and never finish acquiring both pieces of the medallion, but you are given plenty of hints from Gideon and Latenna as to the importance of gaining these medallion pieces.
The area itself is pretty large, though somewhat barren compared some the more dense locations in the game, and it offers another beautiful snow-covered area with several tough minor dungeons to find.
7/10 Miquella’s Haligtree/Elphael, Brace of the Haligtree
A hidden location within a hidden location, Miquella’s Haligtree can only be accessed after exploring Consecrated Snowfield. By completing the deadly puzzle in Ordina, Liturgial Town at the north end of Consecrated Snowfield, you can gain access to Miquella’s Haligtree. This location is one of the most unique in the game, feeling like a corrupted version of Rivendell from Lord of the Rings with the beautiful structures built into the Haligtree. Miquella’s Haligtree leads into Elphael, Brace of the Haligtree, an even more corrupted area further down the Haligtree. Each of these areas have their own distinct tone and features, and they offer some of the most challenging content in the game.
6/10 Mohgwyn Palace
Mohgwyn Palace is visible early on from Siofra River—that temple high to the east in the underground area—but reaching the location itself is quite tricky. You can actually arrive here fairly early in the game by following White-Faced Varre’s convoluted questline. Otherwise, you’ll need to wait until later in the game, after gaining access to Consecrated Snowfield. You’ll need to be invaded a few times and find a specific teleporter hidden behind some rocks at the western edge of the Snowfield. You might come across the teleporter before it’s even activated, which can make it even easier to miss out on the cool and creepy blood-soaked location which is home to Mohg, Lord of Blood.
5/10 Deeproot Depths
Another hidden location found beneath the ground, the entrance to Deeproot Depths is extremely easy to miss. While exploring Nokron, Eternal City, you can veer off the path and end up in the Siofra Aqueducts. At the end of the aqueducts, you’ll battle a tough double boss: two Valiant Gargoyles. After defeating these bosses, you might think this is simply the end of the area, but if you explore the boss arena more, you’ll find a single coffin, lid off, beneath the waterfall.
Climbing inside, you’ll be treated to a bizarre cutscene wherein the coffin travels up the waterfall and dumps you out in Deeproot Depths. In this area, you’ll encounter Giant Ants, Basilisks, knights, a walking mausoleum, and even an optional boss in Lichdragon Fortissax—though it requires finishing Fia’s questline.
4/10 Hidden Path To The Haligtree – Secret Catacombs
In order to reach Consecrated Snowfield, you’ll have to run through the Hidden Path to the Haligtree, but many players miss the Secret Catacombs hidden beneath this small area. While running through the relatively short path, you’ll come across a break in a platform’s railing. If you walk over the edge, you’ll actually land on an invisible walkway. There are a series of invisible walkways winding their way down, below the Hidden Path to the Haligtree area. Even after discovering these invisible pathways, you might still need a guide in order to navigate the treacherous drops, but the rewards are worth it. You’ll find several upgrade materials, the powerful Spelldrake Talisman +2, and one of only 9 Deathroot items found throughout the game.
3/10 Abandoned Cave In Dragonbarrow
The Abandoned Cave is incredibly difficult to find. The cave entrance itself is high above the trench running north from the Aeonia Swamp. If you don’t know what you’re looking for, it’s very easy to simply pass it by. High above the trench, you’ll find twisting tree roots that make a precarious ‘bridge’ across the trench. If you follow these tree roots, they’ll lead to a small ledge and the entrance to the Abandoned Cave. Inside, you’ll find more Scarlet Rot (surprise, surprise) and the Gold Scarab, a Talisman which grants a 20% boost in Rune acquisition.
2/10 Sellia Hideaway
This location is required as part of Sorceress Sellen’s questline, but it’s otherwise just a minor dungeon located in Caelid. The entrance is hidden behind an illusory wall just north of the Church of the Plague, which you’ll visit as part of Millicent’s Questline. The entrance doesn’t really have any identifying qualities, so it’s very easy to simply not know of its existence outside of looking up a guide. Once inside, you’ll be treated to some treacherous walkways along huge crystal growths as you carefully make your way deeper and deeper into the cave. You’ll eventually come upon a Crystallian Trio. With the right weapon, this boss isn’t much of a problem, but unless you’re dealing strike damage, they feel next to impossible.
1/10 Jarburg
Easily the most hidden away location found in Elden Ring, Jarburg can be discovered only by leaping over the eastern edge of Liurnia of the Lakes, dropping down a series of gravestones to reach the small settlement below. Jarburg is an unusually peaceful settlement, occupied entirely by friendly Living Jars (until Diallos arrives later on if you’ve been keeping up with his questline). They live in small huts and houses, tending their gardens and generally having a happy time. You’ll meet a charming little one named Jar Bairn who wishes to someday grow up to be a great Jar Warrior like Iron Fist Alexander. Jarburg is a nice place to retreat from the chaos of the world, and it’s also a great place to collect any flower materials you’re looking for, as many grow and respawn in the small gardens.
