Elden Ring: How to reach the Shadow Keep Church District

One of the most impressive aspects of Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is how much the game world intertwines on itself, leading to areas connecting in ways you might not originally expect. One such example is the Church District of the Shadow Keep; the DLC’s largest and most expansive legacy dungeon. This section connects to multiple Remembrance bosses, making it especially important for players looking to make the most out of the new weapons, spells and incantations added with Shadow of the Erdtree; not to mention the upgrade materials such as Scadutree Fragments you can find as rewards for your efforts.

How to Access the Shadow Keep Church District

The good news is that while it’s a bit of a walk, getting to the Shadow Keep’s Church District is actually fairly straightforward once you’ve found the right path. That path starts at the Moorth Ruins, directly South-East of where players would normally enter the Shadow Keep. There’s an archway you’ll want to walk through, which leads to a pit that you’ll need to (carefully) navigate down, before finding a ladder that will lead you to the Bonny Village Site of Grace. From here, it’s a straight shot; follow the road as it curves north, dealing with enemies as you go. If it hasn’t already occured, once you cross the bridge leading out of the village you’ll be alerted to a notification that a great rune has broken, signifying that a certain legacy dungeon at the far south of the map has unlocked, and that most NPCs in the Land of Shadow now sport new dialogue.

At the end of the road curving North, you’ll find the Shadow Keep’s side entrance into the Church District. From here, you’ve got a few options, as draining the water levels gives players access to a number of new areas, including some tied to sidequests, or holding valuable items that are sure to help with your playthrough. Count Ymir’s quest, for example, requires you to access the Scaduview by draining the water level and solving a puzzle next to a statue of Marika. There’s also the Scadutree Base, complete with the Scadutree Avatar – yet another Remembrance that players might easily miss if they didn’t opt to take the time and explore the depths of the Shadow Keep. No matter where you choose to go next, more or less the entire North-Eastern corner of the map is now open to you; so have fun exploring it!