The Shadow Keep in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is home to a surprising number of secrets, hidden areas, and difficult-to-find items, some of which are critical to some NPC quest lines, such as Hornsent. And while it may be the location of one of the DLC's main legendary bosses, Messmer the Impaler, the Tarnished will want to explore the area thoroughly to unveil Shadow of the Erdtree's best-kept secrets.

Some of these secrets require players to obtain unique quest items or piece together clues from across the Shadow Realm. The Shadow Keep also contains a hidden entrance to one of the DLC's most difficult-to-find areas. Keeping an eye out for the secrets of the Shadow Keep isn't always easy, but it can make for a more rewarding experience in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree.

10 Draining The Flooded Church District

Submerging the Sacred Site of Grace

Many players' first introduction to the Shadow Keep happens in the Church District, a flooded area with structures deep underwater that, on first appearance, seem to be inaccessible. However, after exploring the area thoroughly, a mechanism can be found to drain this water, opening up access to the Sunken Chapel, where players will find a very powerful Tree Spirits and some angry giant crabs as well as some crucial loot.

There are two Lesser Ulcerated Tree Spirits in the now-accessible Sunken Chapel, the second of which drops an item that will come in handy when talking with Fire Knight Queelign later on — the Iris of Occultation. Other noteworthy items found in the Sunken Chapel include the Fire Knight's Seal, the Battlefield Priest's Cookbook [1], and a Scadutree Fragment.

9 The Prayer Room & Fire Knight Queelign

A Secret Prayer and a Fiery Foe

As players search for the above mechanism to drain the flooded Church District, they will come upon a locked door to the Prayer Room that requires the challenging Fire Knight Queelign when he invades earlier in the Tarnished's journey, assuming they ed through the Church of the Crusade.

Inside this room is Fire Knight Queelign in the flesh, and the Tarnished will have the opportunity to make a choice about his fate. Assuming they've acquired both the Iris of Occultation and the Iris of Grace, a decision will need to be made depending on which piece of loot seems more desirable. The Iris of Occultation rewards the Tarnished with Queelign's Greatsword, a powerful Heavy Thrusting Sword, while the Iris of Grace gives players Fire Knight Queelign's Spirit Ash.

8 Wrath From Afar

A Distant Threat

The Wrath from Afar incantation can be found in a very tricky hidden area on the upper levels of the Storehouse in the Shadow Keep. The Tarnished will need to traverse some narrow beams, fight off a bat hanging from the ceiling, and eventually do some careful platforming before they loot the incantation from behind a gear column. Most players are likely to overlook this oddly placed incantation if they aren't keen on straying too far off the beaten path.

Wrath from Afar's location in the rafters is likely a hint as to an effective strategy for the incantation, which can blast enemies backward off ledges with a golden shockwave. It's a great addition to builds incorporating Holy damage, and is considered a charged spell, so the Godfrey Icon can be used to bolster its effects.

7 Summon Signs

A Summoner's Aid

While it may be difficult to overlook the two summon signs found on the ramp by the Main Gate Plaza, the choices here are deceptive. Using the red sign will assist fight alongside Hornsent against Leda. Players also have the option to choose neither, a decision that has interesting consequences for Leda's side quest.

If players start the legendary boss fight against Messmer the Impaler, the red and gold summon signs at the top of the ramp near the Main Gate Plaza site of grace will disappear.

If players take Leda's side, they will be rewarded with the Hornsent Set, a viable armor set for light builds that offers high focus, as well as the Falx curved sword. If they choose to aid the Hornsent instead, Leda drops the Ash of War: Swift Slash and Leda's Rune, which can be sold for 40K runes.

6 Domain Of Dragons Painting

A Dragon's Domain

Deep in the Shadow Keep, players may find a secret ageway behind a waterfall that eventually leads them to a somewhat random room with a lovely piece of art, the Domain of Dragons Painting. Elden Ring veterans will know that this sort of painting is often found around the Lands Between or the Shadow Realm and indicates a puzzle leading to a specific location with a unique loot item.

This particular painting hints at a location near the Jagged Peak Mountainside, where players will need to traverse some difficult terrain and hop a spiritspring to find the infamous ghost in a chair. Interacting with the ghost will reveal the Rock Heart item, one of the most unique consumable items of the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion. It literally transforms the player into an ancient dragon, boosting all Dragon Communion Incantations.

5 The Hidden age

A Hidden Path

Exploring the area to the southwest of the Domain of Dragons Painting will lead to a room with a hidden illusory wall between two torches. Interacting with the wall will reveal a path leading down a flight of stairs to one of Elden Ring's infamous "coffin teleporters." These coffins are often used in the Lands Between to transport the Tarnished to new secret areas that can't be reached using any other means.

The Tarnished will likely want to return to these newly available areas after they finish exploring the Shadow Keep, as each of these locations contains some useful loot for the journey ahead.

This coffin is no exception, and will take players down to the Castle Watering Hole, where they can explore the Ruins of Unte, the Darklight Catacombs, and the Eastern Nameless Mausoleum. The Tarnished will likely want to return to these newly available areas after they finish exploring the Shadow Keep, as each of these locations contains some useful loot for the journey ahead.

4 Waking The Furnace Golem At The Ruins Of Unte

Awakening a Giant Guardian

Once the Tarnished returns to these areas after using the Shadow Keep coffin, they will come across a "sleeping" Furnace Golem blocking the entryway to the Ruins of Unte. While it may seem that this area is inaccessible, a secret clue from an item found earlier while exploring the Shadow Keep, the Furnace Keeper's Note, gives the Tarnished a clue about how to wake up the Furnace Golem:

A note left presumably by a furnace keeper, containing onitions regarding the furnace's proper use. "Keep fire pots well clear when the golem's furnace is ablaze—and never let me catch you with pots that produce flaming whirlwinds, for goodness' sake."

These "flaming whirlwind pots" refer to the new used to combat these giant furnace golems. The Tarnished can find the necessary Furnace Visage items to craft the pots nearby, and can then throw one into the sleeping Furnace Golem's furnace crown, waking it and finally gaining access to the Ruins of Unte - after a tough battle of course.

3 The Darklight Catacombs & Eastern Nameless Mausoleum

A Catacomb's Depths and a Nameless Tomb

The coffin in the Shadow Keep is the only way to access the Darklight Catacombs and the Eastern Nameless Mausoleum. To find the Darklight Catacombs, the Tarnished will need to travel far downstream from the Ruins of Unte, jumping across platforms and cliffs, until they eventually find a secondary level to the river and spot two somewhat hard-to-see blue torches in a thick forest. Notable loot in these catacombs include the Death Knight Set and the Viridian Amber Medallion +3.

After finding the Recluses' River Downstream Site of Grace, the Tarnished will need to navigate to a narrow, barely visible pathway on the side of the cliffs. They will eventually see two braziers and a doorway in the side of the mountain marking the entrance to the Eastern Nameless Mausoleum, where they can find the Rakshasa Set.

2 Secret Rite Scroll

A Forbidden Ritual

The face Miquella and his consort Radahn.

More significantly, the Secret Rite Scroll can be given to Ansbach on the first floor of the Specimen Storehouse. This will advance Ansbach's quest, but players will want to be cautious about when they hand the item over, as doing so too early will lock them out from pursuing Freyja's quest lines.

1 O Mother Secret Entrance To Hinterland

A Mother's Secret

Of all the secrets in the Shadow Keep, this hidden entrance is one that many players simply would never know about unless they were really paying attention to what Ymir has to say. While exploring the Shadow Keep, Tarnished will come across a statue of Marika near the Back Gate Site of Grace with a message reading: "Have mercy, for the spirited-away shamans."

The Hinterland area is where the Tarnished can continue Ymir and Jolan’s quest lines and also find some very useful loot.

While this may seem like an average Marika statue, a specific emote, the O Mother gesture, will unveil a hidden entrance to Hinterland behind the statue. However, this emote is nowhere near the Shadow Keep, and the Tarnished will need to pick it up from the northeast section of Bonny Village if they haven't already. The Hinterland area is where the Tarnished can continue Ymir and Jolan’s quest lines and also find some very useful loot, making this area one of the biggest secrets of the Shadow Keep in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree.