Summary

  • Like Dark Souls, Elden Ring is full of illusory walls, but these are often found in catacombs and caves.
  • Shadow of the Erdtree peppers them through the world itself far more often, so you'll need to keep an eye out.
  • Otherwise, you'll end up like me, mindlessly backtracking through the entire expansion, trying to find secret passages.

The Dark Souls series is chock full of illusory walls, i.e. walls that aren't actually real - they're just magical projections. You roll into or hit them to make them disappear, often finding hidden treasure troves or even entirely new areas.

Elden Ring brought them back, but almost exclusively in caves and catacombs. Shadow of the Erdtree is more traditional, peppering them throughout the world itself. Yep, get ready to blindly trust every single message and hit every single wall that looks slightly off. Odds are, one of them is.

I won't spoil where they are (you'll have to find them yourself or uncover a few handy messages left behind by reviewers), but I nearly missed out on some incredible areas from not realising that Shadow of the Erdtree was more liberal in its placement of illusory walls. That meant a lot of backtracking, a lot of aimless hitting, and a lot of messages written in despair. I'm saving you that headache.

There Are Other Ways To Reveal Illusory Walls

You don't have to swing your sword (or cast a spell) at every single wall that looks dodgy (odds are, if you're in a cave and find a flat square space, it's a secret passage), you can use a few items instead.

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Elden Ring PSA: Don't Play Shadow Of The Erdtree On NG+

Elden Ring!, are you ready?

Posts

Margit and Mohg's shackles don't just trap their namesake bosses, they also reveal illusory walls (thanks, Fextralife). Chances are if you're entering the DLC -- which requires you to have beaten Radahn and Mohg -- you'll have these items already, so instead of mindlessly attacking everything, you can just hotbar a shackle and use it when suspicions arise.

I wish I had known this tactic before playing Shadow of the Erdtree, but we move. A character called Bonk the Bonkest going ham on a few brick wall with his big wooden stick feels in character, anyway.

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Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree

Released June 21, 2024 ESRB M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence Base Game Elden Ring Developer(s) FromSoftware Publisher(s) Bandai Namco Entertainment, FromSoftware Multiplayer Online Co-Op, Online Multiplayer Engine Proprietary
Where to play Close

WHERE TO PLAY

DIGITAL

Shadow of the Erdtree is the first and only DLC expansion for FromSoftware's groundbreaking Elden Ring. It takes players to a whole new region, the Land of Shadow, where a new story awaits the Tarnished.

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