Dead Cells: Bad Seed DLC – How To Access The First New Area & Unlock An Exclusive Skin

The Bad Seed DLC is the first paid expansion to Dead Cells, and thanks to a beautifully animated trailer, we know this new content is going to test all the skills you’ve acquired so far. There’s a titanic boss to fight, and two challenging areas with loads of new enemies to encounter. There’s also new weapon blueprints, new powers, and new costumes to collect (and wear) at the tailor.

If you’re like us, you want to leap into this content ASAP. Well, we’ve got everything you need to know to make getting started easy. This new content might be tough, but anyone should be able to reach it — you don’t need to boost your difficulty level with Boss Cells, and you don’t even need to defeat the Hand of the King. If you’ve got the Teleportation Rune, you’re good to go.

More Dead Cells guides:

How To Get The Vine, Teleportation, Ram & Spider Runes | How To Access Every Area | Hidden & Optional Areas Guide | All Secret Keys & Blueprints Locations | Gardener’s Keys, Architect’s Key & More

Before you can access the Bad Seed DLC, you’ll need to acquire the Teleportation Rune from the Toxic Sewers — you can access the Toxic Sewers from the Prisoner’s Quarters through the Vine Rune passage. The Vine Rune can be acquired from the Promenade of the Condemned, which is available right from the start of the game.

Basically, if you can complete the Toxic Sewers, you can access the new Bad Seed DLC content. There’s no need to be high BCS, or to even reach the end-game areas. Players of (almost) any skill level should be able to get started.

To access the new area and collect your new skin, explore the Prisoner’s Quarters fully until you locate a Teleportation Rune statue. Use it to teleport down a new path, and examine the dead body that spawns somewhere in the hallway. You’ll acquire the Dilapidated Arboretum Key and the Royal Gardener’s Outfit blueprint.

• NOTE: The Royal Gardener’s Outfit costs 150 cells to unlock, so start saving up for these fancy new duds. Once you unlock an outfit, you can swap costumes from the tailor. The tailor is found near the starting room.

In the hallway ahead, you’ll encounter strange new plants. This isn’t a new Rune — instead, stand on the plants, then jump before the jaws snap shut! If you land on the shut jaws, you’ll bounce high up into the air. It’s kind of a risk-reward mechanic.

At the top, use the Dilapidated Arboretum Key to unlock the door, and you’ll gain access to the first new zone — the Dilapidated Arboretum.

The Dilapidated Arboretum is filled with armored little mushrooms and heavy monsters, so be prepared with a weapon that can get through shields — the whip is perfect.

The Dilapidated Arboretum is connected to the Ramparts (Normal Exit), Prison Depths (Spider Rune), and the Morass of the Banished (Normal Exit). The Morass of the Banished is the second new area, and that leads to the big boss. So if you’re aiming to soak in most of the new content quick, that’s the fastest route.