There are three new areas in the Bad Seed DLC for Dead Cells — the Dilapidated Arboretum, the Morass of the Banished, and the Nest. All three feature totally unique challenges, and giving you another alternate path through the castle. There’s a lot of good stuff to find here, and reaching these areas isn’t 100% straightforward. Like other areas, they connect (and interconnect) in multiple ways.
If you’re looking to find your way to the big boss of the DLC, located in the Nest, here’s how you reach her from beginning to end. If you’re looking to access the Bad Seed DLC, you’ll need the Teleportation Rune and the Vine Rune. Both are fairly early, so you don’t have to be the best players to get them. We’ve got everything you need to know about getting started in the Bad Seed DLC here.
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
Dilapidated Arboretum
Accessible from the Prisoner’s Quarters. Use the Teleportation Rune exit and then jump off the snapper plants to reach the top of the spike passage.
The first time you travel to the Dilapidated Arboretum, you’ll need to acquire the Old Arboretum Key. Search for a dead body after using the Teleportation Rune — it will drop the key you need at the top of the snapper plant path.
The Dilapidated Arboretum is connected to three areas — Ramparts (Normal Exit), Prison Depths (Spider Rune), and the Morass of the Banished (Normal Exit).
The Morass of the Banished
The fastest access is through the Dilapidated Arboretum exit. If you didn’t find it on one side of the map, check the opposite side of the starting door.
An optional door in the standard exit to the Prison Depths leads to this zone. The Prison Depths is connected to the Ossuary / Morass of the Banished, and the new DLC area is just an additional exit door. No special key or rune path required.
The Morass of the Banished has exits leading to the Ramparts and the Prison Depths (Spider Rune).
The Nest
Connected to the Morass of the Banished. This is the only exit, and you’ll find it at the far end — after three mini-boss battles, and after the strange altar.
The nest is where you’ll encounter the Mama Tick boss. Defeataing the boss unlocks passages to The Stilt Village and The Graveyard. You’ll also earn another Boss Cell if you manage to win.