- Abyssal Woods in Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC terrifies Torrent, making it unable to be summoned.
- Illusory walls in the expansion lead to secret areas but can also kill players, adding a new level of challenge.
- The terrifying Winter Lantern-inspired monsters in the Abyssal Woods disappoint some players due to lackluster rewards.
Elden Ring players have come across a horrifying area in the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC named Abyssal Woods, and even Torrent is scared of coming out in the area. When players try to summon Torrent in this Elden Ring area, players are unable to and they get a corresponding prompt on the screen that the spectral seed is afraid.
The Soulsborne genre is well known for its secrets, with illusory walls and invisible bridges leading players to secret areas and items. Elden Ring already has a plethora of them, but the expansion takes them to the next level. Notably, there are certain illusory walls in the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion which end up killing the player instead. Amid that, another secret area has been found, and it is so terrifying that even the Tarnished’s dependable ally is scared of it.
In a new post on the Elden Ring subreddit user Maleficent_Home2869 highlights a experience they had while playing the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. While accessing the Abyssal Woods area of the DLC, the player tries to summon Torrent, but they get an on-screen message stating that “The Spectral Seed is frightened and cannot be summoned.” While there are numerous areas in the base game where Torrent cannot be summoned, this is the first instance of such a prompt being displayed on the screen.
The Elden Ring community sympathizes with Torrent in the comments, and at the same time, they acknowledge the fact that Torrent can’t be blamed considering how horrifying the area is. For players who haven’t visited it yet, the area consists of monsters which is inspired by one of the most terrifying overworld enemies in Soulsborne history, the Winter Lanterns. Players would recall them from Bloodborne, but in Elden Ring, they have become even deadlier and frustrating to deal with.
Elden Ring Fans Think Abyssal Woods Was A Huge Missed Opportunity
The fear-inducing aspects of the area aside, players have expressed mixed opinions about the area. While the Winter Lanterns are surely a pain to deal with, many have highlighted that the area feels like a gimmick as it is extremely huge without being equally rewarding as such. There is a pretty useful Elden Ring Talisman players get in the area, and there is a Remembrance boss towards the end, but that’s pretty much all there is to do in the region.
Considering the stellar atmosphere and how difficult it is to reach the area, fans were definitely expecting much more from it. Players have to first get past the Darklight Catacombs and then fight a difficult boss to reach Elden Ring‘s Abyssal Woods. Reaching the Darklight Catacombs itself isn’t straightforward as one needs to make their way past an illusory wall in Shadow Keep and then get inside a coffin.