In Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree, not only are there many new and challenging bosses, but the world that players can explore is also expanded through a brand new map - Land of Shadow. And in this land, there are many new areas for players to experience an unparalleled aesthetic feast.

In the eyes of players, the art direction of FromSoftware’s various games has always been the best in the industry. They often use their unique aesthetic insights to create very beautiful scenes, such as Anor Londo in the Souls series and Siofra River in Elden Ring.

In Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree, they have raised the aesthetic level to a new height, setting a new standard for themselves and the entire game industry, allowing players and game developers to deepen their attention to art direction.

This guide will introduce some places rich in various aesthetics in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree, so that you can get a full aesthetic experience for your eyes during the exciting game process.

Ancient Ruins Of Rauh

There are various castles in both the base game and DLC of Elden Ring, and they are ramshackle and look very dilapidated. But compared to those castles, Ancient Ruins of Rauh is more beautiful.

In this location, the walls are covered with greenery, and the entire location is shrouded in an eerie mist. When you face this scene, do you want to go in and take a look? I believe your answer must be yes!

Ancient Ruins of Rauh lead to the Church of Bud, where you can fight Romina and get a lot of Elden Ring Runes, which is also the way to kill the shadow from Enir-Ilim.

Cerulean Coast

Cerulean Coast is one of the most beautiful places in Land of Shadow, and it is unique. Compared with other areas of Gravesite Plain, it does not have a lot of content, but it does have a lot of surprise factors, including the blue hue that covers the ground and the unique color scheme of the horizon.

This area is also home to Stone Coffin Fissure, one of the remembrance bosses you’ll encounter here - Putrescent Knight, and the half of St. Trina that Miquella dropped.

Gravesite Plain

In DLC, Limgrave gives players the same magical feeling of first entering Lands Between dungeon. As a starting area, Gravesite Plain is pretty much the same as what you’d do the first time you enter the dungeon.

In the beautiful scenery of Scadutree, you’ll face Furnace Golem, and after defeating them, head to Belurat or Castle Ensis to continue your game. There are a lot of bosses to deal with in Gravesite Plain, and there are a lot of exploration points in this area, so you can spend a lot of time here.

Scaduview

Scaduview is another location that you can access in a variety of ways, but the main path is from Shadow Keep. After defeating Commander Gaius in Shadow Keep, you can enter this area.

Skaduview is unique because it is a secret location only revealed by a sign that opens the way into the Hinterland. It is a very beautiful and colorful area that is mostly empty. This area tells the story of Marika and her kind and provides you with a reason to clear Hornsent. This also makes this area one of the most important locations in DLC in terms of story.

Jagged Peak

Jagged Peak requires you to take a hard path and defeat a very powerful boss to reach this location. Here you can find Grand Altar of Dragon Communion and an NPC called Dragon Communion Priestess. Interact with her to start her quest line and receive a unique reward upon completion, including Elden Ring Runes and weapons.

Jagged Peak’s color scheme often impresses players who stumble into the area, so much so that players agree that it deserves an aesthetic award.

Once you’re done exploring Jagged Peak, you’ll realize that there’s nothing important to do in the area, except for one or two boss fights. But reaching the summit is one of the best experiences in FromSoftware games, and it’s a rewarding experience.

Castle Ensis

Castle Ensis is the second legacy dungeon leading to the main area of ​​the game, Scadu Altus. Design-wise, Castle Ensis is very similar to Raya Lucaria, giving you a sense of mystery and a bit of Lothric castle vibes from Dark Souls 3.

Because the supreme boss you fight here is Rennala’s sister Rellana, and she has a certain relationship with Carian Royalty, you’re visually similar to Raya Lucaria, but the content is completely different. As one of the coolest boss fights in the entire game, you’ll see a very spectacular fight scene and increase your immersion.

Belurat Tower Settlement

Belurat Tower Settlement is perhaps one of the best legacy dungeons in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree, and the first major area in Land of Shadow. Here you can experience the horror Marika inflicted on Hornsent, and fight Divine Beast Dancing Lion, one of FromSoftware’s more epic bosses for Elden Ring.

Like many other areas in the game, Belurat has a lot of verticality and secrets, which are revealed after defeating the ultimate bosses such as Messmer and Romina.

Abyssal Woods

Some locations just mentioned are mysterious or grand, but Abyssal Woods is a madness-themed area that perfectly sets the scene of horror, and even reminds you of Bloodborne.

You can’t summon Torrent in Abyssal Woods at all, because even Torrent himself is afraid of the atmosphere, especially when you face Aged Ones in this area. In Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree, Aged Ones are enemies that you can’t target when casting spells, and they run faster than you. So the best way to deal with them is to run!

As a developer of this type of game, FromSoftware really takes the golden rule of "less is more" in the horror atmosphere to the extreme. In Abyssal Woods, only a legacy dungeon and a remembrance boss are added, which really increases the player’s immersive exploration of this area.

Of course, this guide only introduces a small part of the locations in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree, and everyone has different opinions on beauty. I hope you can find your favorite beautiful location in the new DLC!