Elden Ring: All Locations in the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, Ranked

#6 Ancient Ruins of Rauh

The best way I can describe the Ancient Ruins of Rauh is that it’s enchanting but kind of bland (with a little bit of rot thrown in at the end). For the most part, this area consists of ruins of old buildings, beautiful wildlife, and a fair amount of Knights determined to take you out. As you get toward the end it does shift into something more similar to the Haligtree (beautiful but very ominous, with some rot), but nowhere near that annoying or difficult.

The first boss, Divine Beast Dancing Lion, is similar to the boss of the same name from Belurat, Tower Settlement. If you’re familiar with the typical From Software style of giving you a boss then making you fight the same thing later with one or two new moves, it’s basically that. It can inflict Death Blight in phase 2 during this encounter though, so that’s something new you’ll have to watch out for. After this boss and some more wandering around, you’ll get to fight a boss which is basically a big scorpion with some moves similar to Malenia’s diving attacks. It makes for a cool fight, but not necessarily one to remember forever.

This area just feels very forgettable to me, but maybe it’ll grow on me over time. And it’s not like there’s anything wrong with one or two “mediocre” areas, especially when none are bad.

#5 Cerulean Coast

Cerulean Coast has a lot of things going for it. First off, I absolutely love the glowing, blue aesthetic of the whole location. It’s gorgeous in every way, and all the water and wildlife just add to it. This area is at its best in the shallow puddles and open coasts where you can really just appreciate how beautiful it is.

That being said, there isn’t really a lot to do in the Cerulean Coast. There are plenty of enemies to hunt down and some world bosses to kill, but nothing essential. The Cerulean Coast is really more of a path to other things, but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. Despite not being all that relevant to the game’s story, the Cerulean Coast stands out to me anyway because of how beautiful it is.

#4 Gravesite Plain

Gravesite Plain is the starting location for the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. It gives you a nice introduction for what is to come, with a fairly standard mix of gorgeous open worlds and castles to clear out. Honestly, it’s really a bit of everything you expect from Elden Ring at this point, without too much new to overwhelm you right from the start. In terms of aesthetic, I’d say it’s most reminiscent of the outer limits of the Capital in the main game.

Within the Gravesite Plain area, you’ll find a handful of smaller areas (dungeons), such as Belurat Tower Settlement, Castle Ensis, the Western Nameless Mausoleum, and more. The first boss I came across in this area was the Divine Beast Dancing Lion, which I liked a lot as an introduction to the DLC. After not playing the game for a while, it was a good way to get back into it. This whole area fills the role of the “introductory” section to the DLC really well, allowing players to get warmed up for what’s to come.

The main boss of this area is Rellana, Twin Moon Knight, located deep within Castle Ensis. Rellana is a fun fight and a great one to encapsulate this area, and Castle Ensis as a whole is one of the best smaller areas in the DLC. All of this comes together to make Gravesite Plains one of the better areas of the DLC, even if it doesn’t do a ton to stand out.

#3 Abyssal Woods

The Abyssal Woods might just be the most cryptic location to find in Elden Ring’s DLC, but it’s worth the trip. First off, you’ll have to locate a hidden illusory wall within Shadow Keep, then take a long trip southeast to another coffin ride. Once in the Abyssal Woods, it becomes clear that it’s not an area to be taken lightly. Madness is present everywhere within the Abyssal Woods, as are ominous warnings via messages such as “Don’t let it see you.”

I think Abyssal Woods is arguably the best location in Elden Ring if you’re looking for a “horror” aesthetic. Along with madness comes a variety of frightening enemies to keep you on your toes, as well as some of the most dangerous enemies in the DLC so you don’t forget how much damage everything does. Once you make your way through most of the Abyssal Woods, you’ll come to the Midra’s Manse area and one of the coolest bosses visually from the whole DLC.

Midra, Lord of Frenzied Flame is certainly a boss worth seeking out. Not only is it another legend to defeat, it’s also extremely relevant to the lore of the overall game. The Frenzied Flame storylines and content in Elden Ring are some of the most interesting in my opinion, so it’s nice to see that brought back like this in the DLC.

In terms of how this location fits into the DLC and overall game, I can’t imagine it working much better. It feels very similar to the madness areas in the main game, but has a darker atmosphere that leans into the more brutal nature of the DLC. Is it perfect? No. Honestly, you could argue it’s a bit bland. But I think that’s a part of what makes it so fittingly bleak and ominous, so I don’t think I’d change it at all.

#2 Scadu Atlas

Scadu Atlas is very similar to Gravesite Plains in many of its open world areas, but takes on its own personality thanks to its excellent dungeons. Scadu Atlas is home to one of the best bosses in the DLC within the Shadow Keep area, Messmer the Impaler. Messmer and all of the other amazing aspects of Shadow Keep are the centerpiece of Scadu Atlas, and it makes it all the more memorable. By the time you make it out of Shadow Keep, back out into the open world of Scadu Atlas, you’ll be more than prepared for whatever direction you choose to take next. And since so many of the areas are accessible from here, it really works well as a “halfway point” without really pushing you too much in one direction.

Scadu Atlas is, without a doubt, one of the most important areas in the DLC. From incredible bosses to generally great aesthetics, there’s not much to dislike about Scadu Atlas.

#1 Jagged Peak

Jagged Peak is easily my favorite area in the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. Everything about this area is just perfect. Elden Ring routinely does a great job of making locations feel more and more “majestic” as you scale upwards, and no place does that better than Jagged Peak.

As you climb the mountain, the winds increase and dragons become more and more frequent. Most of them are just corpses, but there are a fair amount of living dragons to slay while you make your way up. Along the way, you can also complete the Igon side-quests, which unlocks him as an NPC helper during the area’s boss fight. And speaking of that boss, Bayle, the Dragon is one of the best dragon fights in Elden Ring or the Souls series in my opinion.

There couldn’t have been a better boss for this kind of area, and personally I just want to acknowledge how much From Software has improved at designing dragon fights over the years. It used to be where every time I saw a dragon, I knew I was in for a horrible experience all around. But somewhere around Dark Souls 3 they started to figure it out, and after all this time they’ve really nailed it. From Dragonlord Placidusax to Bayle, Elden Ring is truly the ultimate game for people who love fighting dragons.