Elden Ring gives you an entire open-world to explore, and even after playing the game for 100~ hours, there’s secret stuff we’re still finding in the Lands Between. To complete the game, you can skip almost everything and focus on progression only — and if you’re going to do that, you’re going to miss out on some of the most incredible sights of the entire series. There are hidden dungeons, secret levels, strange pit-stops to fully explore. Sometimes you’ll find incredible rewards. Sometimes they’re worth visiting just to see something extremely cool. There’s so much to discover, we’ve put together a list of 16 spots you really need to visit at least once. Don’t miss out on these Lands Between secrets.
More Elden Ring guides:
10 Tips You Need Early | 12 Useful Items To Get First | First Shardbearer | Walkthrought Pt. 1 | Unlock Raya Lucaria | Walkthrought Pt. 2 | Great Lift of Dectus | Walkthrough Pt. 3 | Margit, The Fell Omen Boss Guide | Godrick, The Grafted Boss Guide | Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon Boss Guide | Starscourge Radahn Boss Guide | Godfrey, First Elden Lord Boss Guide | Morgott, Omen King Boss Guide | How To Find Rykard, Lord of Blasphemy | How To Find Malenia, Blade of Miquella | Malenia, Blade of Miquella Boss Guide | How To Find Mohg, Lord of Blood | Frenzied Flame Ending Guide | Age of the Stars Ending Guide
#1. Prince of Death
From the Liftside Chamber site of grace in Stormveil Castle, drop down the nearby ledge to reach a deep underground chamber with a mysterious face. There’s an evil secret at the heart of this thing, and you’ll uncover more by talking to Rogier the Sorcerer.
#2. Jarburg
Down the cliff right near the Carian Study Hall, you’ll find a peaceful hidden village of Jars. There are Jar parents and Jar children hanging out in the secluded town that can only be accessed from above. Find lots of Relic Jars and a few dangerous Jars if you explore too closely.
#3. Frenzied Flame Village
A village of madness south of the Grand Lift of Dectus. From the lift, travel south to reach the easy-to-miss burg. There’s a tower with a madness-inducing light as you approach. The destroyed village is guarded by unique enemies that glow with an evil light in their eyes. Travel here if you wish to find the Lord of Frenzy and get clues to one of the darker endings of Elden Ring.
#4. Nokron, Eternal City
The underground city of Nokron is just one of several eternal cities in Elden Ring, but it might be the coolest. To unlock the entrance to Nokron, defeat Starscourge Radahn, one of the optional Shardbearers found in Redmane Castle in Caelid. After his defeat, a comet collides with the field south of Mistwood. Go explore and you’ll find a path to the hidden mysteries beneath the Lands Between. An amazing city with strange creatures and a glowing “sky” of twinkling stars, even when you’re underground.
#5. Chapel of Anticipation
Accessible only from the Four Belfries on the western mountain of Liurnia of the Lakes, you’ll need to crack open a chest to gain an Imbued Sword Key — then activate the Belfry Portal with “Precipice of Anticipation” in the note. This is the very first area of the game, and now you can get revenge against that impossible boss. You’ll also find a few unique goodies here.
#6. Deeproot Depths
Accessible once you enter Nokron, Eternal City — there’s a very easy-to-miss path in the Ancestral Woods that leads to a Gargoyle boss fight. Defeat the twin monsters to find a lonely coffin that you can ride straight to the Deeproot Depths, a cyclopean underground chamber filled with the roots of the Erdtree. There’s an entire city in the milky white water flowing from this spooky place.
#7. Inverted Carian Study Hall
The Carian Study Hall is a true mystery in the Liurnia of the Lakes region. Residing on the eastern coast, your first visit will only result in bafflement. There are bodies seemingly hanging upside-down from the rafters, and there’s no possible way to progress. Until you complete Ranni’s Quest — found in the far towers at the top of Caria Manor. She’ll give you the Inverted Statue, which when placed, completely reverses wth tower. You’ll “climb” by falling down, making this one of the strangest dungeons in any Souls game.
#8. Dominula, Windmill Village
On the way to Leyndell, you’ll most likely want to take a northern detour from the dangerous main gates. On the northern roads, don’t skip the strange sights of Dominula. This seemingly peaceful village is packed with flower arrangements and dancing villagers. Is there anything else in the game that seems this oddly festive? Of course, its all a facade for an evil Godskin Apostle. But this creepy village is still a sight worth seeing.
#9. Prison Town
A sinister torture chamber in the form of a city, all hidden in the blasphemous halls of Volcano Manor. The manor is located on Mt. Gelmir, west of Altus Plateau. The entire region is optional, and you’ll only find a calm (if creepy) mansion at the top of the mountain. Investigate further by following their quest, and you’ll find a hidden door leading to the bubbling-hot underbelly of evil residing here. Bizarre lizardmen and torture victims intermingle, leading up to one of the strangest boss fights in the game. A must-see spot.
#10. Lake of Rot
From one place of pure evil to another. The Lake of Rot is an underground chamber overflowing with Crimson Rot juice. To traverse, you’ll have to sprint from one save island to the next, activating switches until you can reach the ancient Grand Cloister, and face off against an astral boss that’s completely out-of-this-world. This is one optional area that’s worth checking out, even if it is the ultimate poison swamp.
#11. Subterranean Shunning-Grounds
Deep in the sewer-catacombs of Leyndell, Royal Capitol, your Tarnished can discover a terrible secret in a seemingly normal dungeon called the Shunning-Grounds. Once you reach a site of grace called the Cathedral of the Forsaken, attack the back wall to reveal a massive catacomb with thousands of dead bodies inside. The bodies aren’t just dead — they’re screaming in agony, hands on their heads in the throes of madness. The underground is so packed with the dead, you’ll have to walk over them. And not everyone is gone. Drop down to the bottom of this hellhole to find a strange door that unlocks an even darker ending.
#12. Forsaken Depths – Leyndell Catacombs
The most bizarre optional dungeon we’ve come across in the game so far. This mind-bending dungeon leads you through a series of repeated loops — after dropping down from a seemingly familiar place, you’ll rerun through the same halls infinitely, trapped and discovering strange alterations with each loop. This creepy puzzle box is the P.T. of Elden Ring underground catacombs, and shouldn’t be missed. You’ll find it deep underground Leyndell, Royal Capitol in the disgusting Shunning-Grounds.
#13. Consecrated Snowfield
This foggy field of snow gives access to two important additional secret areas, and to reach this place, you’ll need to find Secret Medallion parts. One is located in the Village of the Albinaurics — near the site of grace, try to smash the vase for a surprise. The other piece is at the end of Castle Sol on the Mountain of the Giants. If you manage to get both, you can use the Grand Lift of Rold to reach this special location.
It offers a frightening trek through a blinding blizzard, ending at the Ordina, Liturgical Town. In one of the most unique challenges in the game, you’ll have to enter an alternate world village and sneak past invisible assassins to clear the path forward.
#14. Mohgwyn Palace
A fetid ruin with knee deep blood, exploding corpses, and other disgusting crimson delights, the Palace of Blood is visible from your first visit to the deep underground of Siofra River. The hidden palace can only be accessed from the Consecrated Snowfield. Along the eastern ledge, you’ll find a single bloody portal that takes you to the dungeon. A difficult Shardbearer awaits.
#15. Haligtree Town
The source of the corruption. The massive dead tree is where a great castle resides, and by solving the puzzle of Ordina, Liturgical Village, you’ll arrive at the high branches of the impossibly huge Haligtree. Starting from the top, you’ll have to work your way down through the treetop village, all the way to the castle brace. Every section of this incredible area is gorgeous. And its all entirely optional. The Shardbearer at the very bottom might just be the hardest boss in the entire series. Even if you can’t beat the boss, you’ll have plenty of fond memories from this unbelievable location.
#16. Statue of Radagon
After defeating Godfrey in the Erdtree Sanctuary, backtrack down the stairs to find a black statue of Radagon, the founder of the Golden Order. At the base of the statue, you’ll find a mysterious message that says “Regression alone reveals secrets.” What does it all mean?
Talking to the Turtle Cleric at the Church of Vows, he’ll tell you that a sculptor hid the secret of Radagon inside the statue itself. To learn the secret, you’ll have to perform a very specific rite. We’re not sure if just one of these steps is required or both, but here’s what to do.
Get Law of Regression incantation from Miriel. Use the spell at the statue, and it will disappear revealing a hidden official message. The cryptic message reveals a huge Elden Ring lore spoiler. If you’re ready, click below.
“Radagon is Marika“.
Soak that revelation in. That’s 16 incredible locations you need to check out in Elden Ring, and there are so many more we didn’t put here. What do you think we missed? Let us know and we’ll tour the Lands Between a second time.
More Elden Ring guides:
How To Find Ancestor Spirit | How To Enter Nokron, Eternal City | How To Enter Lake Of Rot | How To Find Lichdragon Fortissax | How To Duplicate Remembrance | Stonesword Keys Locations | Regenerating HP Talisman Location | How To Customize Your Character | How To Respec | How To Unlock Ash Spirit Attunement | How To Transmogrify Into Objects | How To Reset NPC Aggression | How To Get The Clawmark Seal Talisman Early | How To Begin The Black Knife Secret Quest | How To Join Volcano Manor Covenant | How To Return To The Chapel of Anticipation | How To Get The Moonlight Greatsword | How To Farm Runes Fast
