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Elden Ring’s massive DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree, takes players to the all-new Realm of Shadow and this area is packed with new content that will have you scouring the land for a while. Among all the new stuff, there is a returning type of puzzle that players of the base game will quickly recognize. Found around the new world are paintings depicting certain locations that will, just like the paintings in The Lands Between, provide exclusive rewards to those keen enough to track down these specific spots.
In Shadow of the Erdtree, there are a total of 3 unique paintings: The Sacred Tower Painting, the Incursion Painting, and the Domain of Dragons Painting. Some of them take you to faraway optional zones and others force you to take down some of the world’s most dominant bosses. For those players who want the rewards that the painters behind these images hold or even those who simply want to find a picturesque view of the Realm of Shadow, allow us to show you the way. This guide will show players where to find all 3 of the painting puzzles and how to solve them in Shadow of the Erdtree.
The Sacred Tower Painting
The Sacred Tower is going to likely be the first painting you’ll find while also being the one that will probably be the last one to be solved. This is because in order to recreate the image in the painting, you will need to defeat a major boss and progress to a specific point in the DLC’s story. But first, let us start with finding this painting which can be located in the very first area of the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion.
Upon entering the Realm of Shadow and leaving the starting cave, you will find yourself in the Gravesite Plains. From here, head to the north, go past the Scorched Ruins, and then head to the northeast from this area and the accompanying Site of Grace. As you head to the northeast, you will see a cliff ahead of you. Stick alongside the cliff to your right and you will eventually find a small cave. This is where you will find the Sacred Tower painting. Interact with the painting to add it to your inventory.
As we said earlier, the solution for this painting is a unique case because it doesn’t only require you to track down the location that is being depicted but also to progress far enough in the story to get the image to appear in full. This is because the Sacred Tower that the painting references is Enir-Ilim, which is the final location of the DLC. You can unlock this area by defeating Messmer the Impaler in the Shadow Keep’s Specimen Storehouse area and receiving the Messmer’s Kindling Key Item. Then, head into the Ancient Ruins of Rauh and make your way to the Church of Bud. This is where you will need to defeat Romina, Saint of the Bud. When both of these bosses are defeated, you will be able to burn the Sealing Tree and unlock Enir-Ilim and now allow the Sacred Tower puzzle to be solved.
With the tower now revealed, it’s time to head to the locations where the painting was created. Head to the Rauh Base area found under the Scadu Altus region in the northern part of the map. You can reach the Rauh Base by going through a cave found near a shallow lake near the Miquella’s Cross and the Highroad Cross Site of Grace. Head directly to the north of the Moorth Ruins to find the cave and then make your way through this interior and turn right at the golden tree. You will exit into an underground swamp. Stick to the left wall and just follow the wall until you reach the area where the text for the Rauh Base area appears on the screen.
From the nearby Ancient Ruins Base Site of Grace, head southwest past the two giant Golems. Once past the Golems, once again stick to the left cliffside and you will find a path heading up the side of this cliff. At the base of the path is a small pile of stones with what seems to be the air of a Spiritspring trapped inside. You will need to free it to get up the cliff that you are at the bottom of. Head up the path that goes up along the cliffside and at the end of the path you will find a slightly bigger version of the pile of stones that you can destroy by hitting. This will open the Spiritspring and allow you to use it to get up to the top of the cliff.
Once at the top of the cliff, you will find the Northern Nameless Mausoleum. Go to the west of the Mausoleum and look along the western edge that faces the Enir-Ilim tower. With the tower now revealed with the Sealing Tree burned, you should see the image from the painting and you will find the ghost of the painter pointing in the tower’s direction. When you get close to the painter’s ghost, it will disappear and leave behind your reward. From this painting, you will get the Spiraltree Seal, a Sacred Seal that you use for Incantations and scales well with Strength and Faith stats.
The Incursion Painting
The Incursion painting as well as its solution are both also found in the Gravesite Plains and can be found fairly easily without any additional steps besides simply heading to the right spots. The only real hurdle is that the location of the painting is one that can be very easy to miss. Returning to the Scorched Ruins, follow the dirt road to the north until you reach the Miquella’s Cross and the Three-Path Cross Site of Grace. Go to the west to reach the entrance of the Belurat, Tower Settlement Legacy Dungeon and find another Miquella’s Cross along with the Main Gate Cross Site of Grace. When at the Site of Grace, turn back to face the way you came and you will notice a path leading to the right. Take this path to reach the top of the cliff above the cave that you spawn in when you enter the DLC. Head to the south end of this area and up the small rock mountain to find the Artist’s Shack with the Incursion painting found inside.
With the painting now acquired, go back to the central area of the Gravesite Plains and go to the lake found to the north of the Three-Path Cross Site of Grace. Head to the southwest of the lake and head up the rocks just outside the water. From here, face the rock bridge where the Main Gate Cross Site of Grace is found. This is where you will be able to recreate the Incursion painting and get the reward from the painter’s ghost. For this painting, you will get the Serpent Crest Shield. This medium shield doesn’t have any built-in skill but does provide 100% physical attack negation, allowing you to block any non-magic attacks without worrying about taking damage.
The Domain of Dragons Painting
While the Incursion painting can be completely missed if you are not searching for it and the solution for the Sacred Tower takes story progression to complete, the Domain of Dragons is the best (or worst) of both worlds as the painting itself is tucked away in a hidden and extremely missable while the solution is found high up in the mountains behind numerous dragons. While the great Messmer the Impaler isn’t an obstacle for this painting, only the really great explorers will be able to claim victory over this puzzle. To find this painting, you will need to head into the Shadow Keep Legacy Dungeon in Scadu Altus and make your way through the enormous castle until you reach the area with the line of burning boats.
This is the area that is found at the bottom of the elevator that takes you up to the Specimen Storehouse section of the castle so if you have already been to this area, head to the Storehouse, First Floor Site of Grace and take the elevator down to the area below. When facing the elevator, take a right turn and you will find a ladder leading down to the water below. Right at the bottom of this ladder is a waterfall which is hiding a secret passage with a ladder that leads to another secret room. It is within this room that you will find the Domain of Dragons painting.
Now that you have collected the painting, You will need to head to the Jagged Peak region, a mountain zone that is filled with dragons and hidden far away from the DLC’s critical path. To reach this area, head back into the Gravesite Plains. Specifically, head to the Castle Front Site of Grace and head to the southeast. Follow the dirt path until you reach the Pillar Path Waypoint Site of Grace and then follow the southern path. As you follow this path, you will eventually be invaded by the Ancient Dragon-Man NPC. Either ride right past them or defeat the invader and make your way to the Dragon’s Pit cave. Make your way through this cave and jump down into the deep hole to find the dungeon’s boss fight. He will once again battle the Ancient Dragon-Man and upon defeating them, you will gain access to the Foot of the Jagged Peak region of the map.
When you take the exit for the cave that is right behind the Dragon-Man fight and find the Dragon’s Pit Terminus Site of Grace, you need to prepare to start running past a lot of dragons. From the entrance of the Foot of the Jagged Peak, head down into the water where a Jagged Peak Drake is resting. Take the path on the left and follow this path until you reach a Spiritspring. Use it to get up to the next cliff, cross a wood bridge to find the Foot of the Jagged Peak Site of Grace, and keep following the path forward. You will find a dragon fighting against another dragon. Go past them to enter Jagged Peak proper. Use another Spiritspring and then another one to reach an area with another small cave. You will need to dodge two rolling boulders and you will enter the arena of the Ancient Dragon Senessax.
Feel free to fight the dragon but we are here for the painting so just go right past it by going up the path on the left toward the north. Here, you will find the Jagged Peak Mountainside Site of Grace. From here, go up the pathway to the southwest and go past the numerous dragon corpses. Use one last Spiritspring and follow the right path. Follow this path until you can drop down to a rock cliff below you. Once you drop down, turn to the right and look towards the Erdtree. You should be able to find the painter’s ghost.
From this ghost, you will get the Rock Heart, a reusable item that turns your human form into a dragon form while providing a boost to your Dragon Communion abilities. It is important to note that to activate this item and turn into a dragon, you will first need to take off all of your armor. So if you find yourself confused about why the item isn’t working, go into your Equipment screen and unequip all of that pesky metal and clothes that you’re wearing to trade them out for some fashionable scales!
