Elden Ring Guide – Subterranean Shunning – Grounds

A vast dungeon known as the Subterranean Shunning-Grounds can be found buried beneath the Legacy Dungeon of Leyndell, Royal Capital, which can be found in the Altus Plateau region of the Elden Ring continent. Although its structure operates in a manner that is analogous to that of the Legacy Dungeon described earlier, entering it is not necessary in order to advance through the royal capital. However, it does house important characters and events that are required in order to obtain certain endings. This page contains information on the location, a walkthrough, and a guide to traverse this area, locate all of its treasure, and find out how to defeat the enemies that are located within it.

How to Get to the Subterranean Shunning-Grounds

The Subterranean Shunning-Grounds are an optional high-level area that can be found below the Legacy Dungeon in Lenydell, the Royal Capital. Even though you can access it at any time while exploring the capital, you may find the enemies within to be much tougher than those above ground. For this reason, we recommend that you delay exploring it until you have completed the Royal Capital, and possibly even the Giant’s Forge if you are still having trouble with the enemies in these sewers. Even though you can access it at any time while exploring the capital, you may find the enemies within to be much tougher than those above ground. To be able to deal an adequate amount of damage, it is strongly recommended that you have a weapon with a +22 or a special weapon with a +9 rating.

Head to the Avenue Balcony Site of Grace in the middle of the capital city, just off the main road that runs through it, in order to get to the sewers beneath Leyndell sooner. This location is just off the main road that runs through the city. After descending the stairs to reach the lower, northern part of the city that has been destroyed, keep to the left side of the path as you move forward to eliminate the three Leyndell Knights.

When you have dealt with them, look over the balcony on the left hand side of the street that leads off to the northwest corner of the destroyed city. You should be able to locate a solitary well in the shadow of the large dragon wing that is hidden among the rubble. This well is guarded by the same quick-crawling foes that were in the Volcano Manor. Utilize the ladder to descend into the well, and then continue.

As soon as you reach the bottom of the well, you should turn on any lanterns you brought with you so that you can see better. Gather the valuables from the dead body that is holding a Rune Arc, and then open the gate to the left.

Be prepared to block or dodge their lunging attacks, even though the majority of the Giant Rats won’t attack too quickly. Keep moving down the corridors and down the ladders and stairs until you reach a long tunnel full of Giant Rats. The passageway under the stairs leads to bars that you are unable to pass through; therefore, proceed forward until you find six Poisonbone Dart on a body that is surrounded by rats; after that, open the door on the opposite side of the room to enter this new area.

Subterranean Shunning – Grounds Walkthrough

You will find yourself standing on a high ledge overlooking a main pathway below as you make your way into these long-forgotten sewers. The good news is that a Site of Grace is located just below you, but the bad news is that one of the three Omen that are patrolling this long hall is also located there.

Melee attackers have two options: they can either drop down to the right and sneak up, or they can perform a jumping attack from above. This is because the Omen is watching the ladder come down from your vantage point. Ranged builds may want to begin attacking the Omen from the high point.

You may have faced Omen in the past, but you should not be fooled: these foes are of an extremely high level and will inflict a significant amount of damage on you if their blows land successfully. They can be stunned by certain heavier weapons, but their kicks and raised fist attacks absorb the majority of recoil. Because of this, you should be prepared to dodge or block their attacks rather than engage in a blow-for-blow fight with them. They are also capable of spitting out cones of holy fire, which have an impressive reach but a narrow width; therefore, manoeuvring around them in order to attack is essential. Be prepared to evade their running grab attack if they raise their arms wide, as this attack can be heavily delayed for an extremely fast grab animation. If they do this, you should move out of the way.

After you have interacted with the site of grace located in the small room to the north-west, the door directly across from you will be locked, as will the two large gates located on either side of the hallway.

Two more Omen can be seen on the opposite side of the room. One of them will patrol from side to side close to a Golden Rune 11 and a body holding Bloodsoaked Manchettes and Bloodsoaked Mask, while the other patrols the length of the hall slowly, giving you time to take them on individually and hopefully get off some backstabs to start the fight.

When all of the Omen in the hall have been eliminated, you will be faced with the challenge of eliminating two sections of the sewer that are connected to the large gates: the northeast tunnels and the large pipe room in the southwest. We suggest beginning by cleaning up the area to the southwest.

Look along the east wall past the locked door and site of grace for a ladder in a break that you can slide down to arrive in a very large sewer pipe room. This room has pipes crisscrossing the large area that is crawling with Fanged Imps, and it has a long drop to the sewer floor where Giant Crayfish roam around.

You should immediately grab the Freezing Grease that is located to the left of the entrance to the room, and then proceed through it with extreme caution, as Fanged Imps are waiting along the pipes to either crawl up or jump down to ambush you from all sides. While one patrols the pipe in front of you, wait for it to head away before jumping to the pipe and getting ready to defend yourself against an attack coming from above. These Fanged Imps hit hard and fast with bleed, but they are highly susceptible to recoiling from a shield block, which allows you to follow up with a quick guard counter if you engage them one at a time and fight them individually.

Grab the 10 Serpent Arrows that are located on a body, and then look for one that is hanging from a pipe above you. Use a ranged attack to bring it down. Once it is dead, proceed up the pipe with extreme caution in order to engage the imp that is patrolling. Another will ascend the pipe by the bend to the left just before reaching the large platform.

You’ll want to proceed with caution as you make your way to the large platform; one Imp will emerge from behind some boxes, two more will wait to crawl up on either side, and a third will hang from the pipes above in the middle of the platform. You can either attempt to trigger them one at a time with ranged attacks or rush them while they are climbing because they will be locked in that animation until they are safely on the ground.

If you move to the right along the pipes after grabbing the five fire grease that are located in the middle of the large platform, you will most likely come across an imp along the far wall who will throw daggers at you. It is important not to become sidetracked because another Imp may fall from the platform at the end of the pipe path off to the right. Defeat this Imp first, then collect the Somber Smithing Stone 6 that is located on the platform at the end of the pipe path, and finally head south to reach the side of the room that contains the final Fanged Imp.

Before continuing onward through the tunnel, you should first retrieve the Smithing Stone 7 that is located to the right of the entrance. The next room contains a lever that can be used to open one of the large gates in the main hallway; however, you must also be wary of an ambush set up by another Omen on the left side of the room.

This Omen is a more powerful version of the others you will face, as evidenced by the additional growths and horns it possesses. It is possible for it to charge up during combat in order to explode in more holy fire, sending several orbs that will track in the direction of your position. This is in addition to blasting you with holy fire cones. Even after this attack, it will continue to be bathed in holy fire, which increases its attack power; therefore, you should be cautious and try not to get too greedy in getting your hits in. Try to throw it off balance whenever it isn’t punching or kicking you by dodging around its larger attacks and following up with attacks of your own.

As soon as you have eliminated this Omen, check that the gate has been raised, and then retrieve the Shadow Bait Incantation from in front of the statue. There is one more thing for you to do in the room before you focus your attention on the tunnels to the northeast.

You need to return to the room with the large pipes and look below the exit to find another large pipe running down below. Jump down to it, and then drop down to the floor far below (you will take some damage from falling unless you use Soft Cotton).

When you get down here, there are only two foes protecting a large number of treasures, but the Giant Crayfish are a real pain to deal with, especially since you don’t have Torrent to outpace them on. You can take on each of them one at a time, but you might find a more effective strategy if you make them compete against one another.

Run to the side past a small pipe that is only partially buried to make one of the Giant Crayfish rise to its feet, and then run to the left to attract the attention of the other Giant Crayfish. Stick around the back where there’s less space to move and use the half-buried pipe to block their path to you from here on out. However, don’t go inside the pipe because they can and will skewer you through it if you do. Instead, use it as a barrier to prevent them from getting closer to you. If done correctly, running back and forth towards them will cause their slams and swipes, which will damage the other crayfish. However, it is likely that they will deal a significantly greater amount of damage per hit than you will. Maintain your mobility and be prepared to flee between open sections if the two of them come around to one side. Eventually, one of them should perish at the hands of the other. This will give you the opportunity to fight a crayfish that you have hopefully already weakened and eliminate it before it can grab you and skewer you.

After you have successfully eliminated both Giant Crayfish, you should search the area for loot and retrieve 5 Glass Shard, 4 Smithing Stone 7, and the incredibly useful Mohg’s Shackle. You can find an additional Somber Smithing Stone 7 by locating a Scarab that is hiding in the other pipe that is buried.

Find a way around the south-most corner of the room to find a hole in the wall. This will allow you to escape the dungeon. This splits off into two separate routes, one of which, rather unexpectedly, leads to its very own little dungeon, known as the Lenydell Catacombs (see the walkthrough for it here).

The alternative route will bring you to a lift that will take you back up, where you will find a band of ghostly Foot Soldiers armed with crossbows who just don’t seem to give up. Look quickly to the right of the stairs leading up for a section of wall that you can roll into to reveal an illusory wall that is hiding yet another spectral soldier; however, this is not all that is hidden behind the wall.

You’ll find the offender, a Spirit-Calling Snail, if you roll into the corner on the left of the screen. It’s the one who’s been calling in all of these foes. Killing it will put an end to them once and for all, and it will also allow you to obtain the Haligdrake Talisman +1 that it guards.

You can find a Golden Rune 11 and a lever that opens a backdoor leading to the gate you opened earlier by taking the path that leads down from the upper level into the hall.

Now it is time to clear a path to the other main gate through the northeast tunnel. You can find the northeast tunnel by looking for an open floor section in front of the far gate.

Pass through the floor grate and you will find yourself in a small tunnel inhabited by Giant Rats. The other path leads to a pipe tunnel entrance on the right and another hallway on the left, while the first path leads to a dead end with a few hostile rats and Preserving Boluses. The other path also has more rats that aren’t too hostile and ends in a hallway.

Turn around and go back to the hall where the rats are, then take the pipe tunnel that’s on the northeast wall. These cramped quarters are crawling with slugs, but thankfully the vast majority of them are docile and can be easily removed with a swat of the hand.

Because there are a few obstacles to avoid, you should make sure your lantern is lit at all times. You should probably take this path first, as it leads down to a small section of a larger chamber where three Revenants guard a Stonesword Key, and you can unlock a door from this side that leads back to the pipe tunnels leading back up. The hole in the floor that leads to the lower pipe is immediately after the first group of slugs.

After passing the first hole, there is a side path that leads down to the chamber that was discussed earlier; however, you should instead take the main path to obtain a Glass Shard and then follow the pipe tunnel to the right; however, you should be wary of the next hole, as it will drop you into the larger portion of the chamber that was discovered earlier, which is surrounded by foes. Instead, you should vault over the gap to retrieve the 10 Rainbow Stone Arrow, and then take the left fork when you reach the fork in the tunnel to enter the large room.

After killing the two Revenants that are closest to you, keep to the left wall of the large room and leap over the dung mounds to quickly eliminate the other two Revenants in the room. There is a Revenant Lord about to appear in the middle of the room, and engaging in close quarters combat with this foe can be very challenging due to the nature of the conflict. Make use of holy magic if you can, and launch a devastating assault on it while it is still slithering its way up from the depths. You should make every effort to strafe around it, as its frontal assaults are difficult to withstand even if you have a lot of stamina. You will obtain a Ghost Glovewort 6′ if you are successful in defeating it, and if you search the chamber, you will also find a Smithing Stone 7 and 5 Grave Violet.

When you are back in the pipe tunnel, take the path through the open gate door to find a path that is littered with slugs. Some of the slugs will try to ambush you from a small alcove on the right that holds Fireproof Driven Liver.

You are going to run into some trouble as you move further down the tunnel and leave the pipes behind. The next room has a small ladder with an Omen at the top who will bellyflop down to meet you, and shortly after that, another Omen will come wandering this way.

You will need to immediately engage this Omen (who can also supercharge with holy fire) before his friend can back him up, and if it seems like backup is arriving, you may need to retreat into the tunnels and sprint away from holy fire blasts in order to run and gun until you can defeat both of the Omen, as engaging them both head on will typically result in a disastrous situation for you.

After the enemy has been vanquished, sneak into the room behind it and take the Somber Smithing Stone 8 that is located in the middle of the room before climbing up. Once inside, you will find a third Omen standing by a statue as well as the lever for the second large gate leading to the main hallway. It is imperative that you first open the gate in the event that things do not go as planned; after that, engage the final Omen and take the Smithing Stone 7 that he was guarding.

Now that both gates are open, it is time to head through a new passage past the gate on the east side of the hallway to the right of the statue. This passage can be accessed by going through the gate on the east side of the hallway. To access the balcony of a large circular cistern, open the door that’s been provided for you. It might look like an impossible drop down, and the path to the right might only have a few putrid zombies and a dead body holding a Grace Mimic, but you shouldn’t be concerned about either of those things.

When you first enter the cistern, look to your left and follow the shimmering sound to drop down the ledge near you. Below you will find another path, as well as a Scarab that you can kill to obtain a Somber Smithing Stone 6. Proceed downward until you reach the end of the path, where you will find some String near another zombie. After that, take a right turn into the passageway to exit the cistern.

Obtain the Warming Stone that is close by, and after that, proceed down the corridor that is infested with Putrid Zombies until you reach a longer room that has stairs leading down to some poison plants.

Look behind a body that is holding two containers of fire grease to find a Blighted Bloom Miranda plant. This plant is guarded by three Basilisks that are hiding behind it. Check the path under the stairs only after you have found this plant. It is easy to get Death Blighted if you are not quick enough, so you may want to consider sniping them from above first, or dropping down and taking the poison damage to focus on killing the basilisks first. Because of the close confines, it is easy to get Death Blighted if you are not quick enough.

Before continuing down the hall, check the corner for 8 Poisoned Stone and be wary of the additional basilisks that can be found on a lower balcony in the cistern, which is also where you can find Nomad Ashes.

Return to the top of the ladder and search for a passage under the stairs that contains some Preserving Boluses, for a tunnel that contains even more Basilisks, and for a Commoner who is standing next to a door that is locked.

You will emerge from the tunnel into the bottom of another pipe room, and an Omen will be waiting for you on the other side of the room. It will turn to face the left, giving you an opportunity to sneak around to the right and deliver a backstab; however, you should be prepared for it to explode with holy fire if you do so. Take your time and don’t rush through this fight because you have plenty of room to move around and there aren’t any other foes to worry about.

After you have vanquished this Omen, you will be given a unique Omen Bairn item as a reward. Additionally, there are several bodies strewn about the floor where you can find Dappled White Cured Meat, Golden Centipedes, and Glass Shards.

After ascending the ladder on the opposite side, you won’t be able to make the jump to the raised pipe in the middle of the room. Instead, leave through the other doorway to find yourself back in the main pipe room, which is infested with Fanged Imps. You will find yourself on a higher platform alongside a body that is holding three Poisoned Stones. The door that is located on the other side of the bridge will take you back to the main entrance hall and the site of grace.

From this elevated area in the large pipe room, look for another sloped pipe, but be wary of additional Fanged Imps that may be trying to climb up the sides of the pipes.

The road leads to a long pipe that is inhabited by Fanged Imps on all sides; therefore, you should attempt to lure them towards you one at a time so that you are not overrun by them. When you reach the end of the pipe, jump down to the lower platform from either side, but be prepared for more imps to come after you. Be wary of tripping over the lower pipe here, as more imps will be waiting to ambush you as you make your way up to the door on the right, which contains a Golden Rune 10.

The door that is just ahead of you leads to the pipe room that you visited previously. This room has a ladder that you can kick down on the side, and there is a hole in the middle of the pipe that you can enter.

These pipes can be very difficult to navigate due to the complex network of different passages and different teardrop scarabs that they contain. You only need to pursue the giant rat down the path to the southeast in order to proceed, but if you want to explore the pipe maze, you can find a Golden Rune 8, 4 Smithing Stone 7, a Warming Stone, and an Eye of Yelough there.

If you pursue the Giant Rat through the tunnel, you will come to a fork that contains a Golden Rune 11. However, you should not continue straight ahead because there is a hole in the ground just ahead. Follow the path to the left to locate the smaller rat, then make your way across the next hole to locate the larger rat hiding in front of the hole.

The next step is to go in the opposite direction, to the earlier hole, and descend until you find yourself on the other side of the door where the Commoner was standing.

Follow the path leading in the opposite direction to emerge from the tunnels into a room containing multiple Living Jars. After you have defeated the largest one in the corner before it has a chance to wake up and spin at you, you should take care of the smaller ones and then loot a Ritual Pot.

You can take a long lift down to the bottom of the cistern, which is where the Forsaken Depths Site of Grace is located. There is also a boss fight that lies in wait for you there.

Boss Fight – Mohg the Omen

It’s possible that Mohg is an Omen in the same way that Margit or Margott is, but their attacks are very different from one another. In addition, the difficulty of this area means that getting hit can take a significant toll on your health. It is strongly suggested that you bring into battle with you a +8 or +9 Spirit Summon that can divert Mohg’s attention. It is even better if the summon can dish out heavy attacks such as the Mimic Tear, the Kaiden Sellsword, or some of the legendary knight summons.

It is also highly recommended that you craft some Stanching Boluses in order to deal with the large amount of blood loss that you may experience during this fight. This is especially the case if you haven’t put a lot of points into your Vigor stat and have less health than average.

Even if you successfully block most of Mohg’s attacks, you will still take fire damage and experience bleed buildup from them. Bloodflame damage is Mohg’s primary attack type, and it means that many of his attacks cause bleed buildup. It is possible that some of his attacks will leave pools of flaming blood on the ground, which will cause you to take damage if you walk through them after they have been executed. In this fight, mobility is essential because staying in one place will only cause you to become saturated, and you will likely start to burn or haemorrhage before too long.

Even though Mohg wields a large trident, the majority of the attacks that you will need to watch out for are of a more magical nature. He is able to conjure a blood portal that he can reach into and draw a great deal of magic from. If he reaches up into a portal in front of him, he will release a large swath of bloodflame in front of him that will saturate the surrounding area. If you are already in close proximity to him, he may simply pour blood from a portal above him into the area immediately in front of him, turning it into a sea of bloodflame.

If he tears the very air apart with his claws to create a flame trail, you must immediately retreat or you will be subject to an explosion of flame magic directly in front of him. After he has planted his trident, he is also able to finish his rend with a quick explosion that has less delay than the other attack.

Aside from that, you can anticipate that Mogh will switch up these bloodflame attacks by using more standard swings, sweeps, and frontal slams with his trident. These attacks are all extremely sluggish and can be seen coming, but thankfully they do not delay strikes in the same way that Margit and Morgott do. Because of this, you should be able to block or dodge these blows head-on and then follow them up with some quick hits in between his two or three consecutive combo attacks.

If you have Mogh’s Shackle, you will discover that it functions in the exact same way as Margit’s Shackle does. When you use it, it will bind him to the spot for a considerable amount of time, allowing you and your spirit summon to launch your most powerful attacks, which he will not be able to avoid. You can follow up your sustained hits with a few more powerful attacks to possibly stagger him, which will allow you to land a critical strike just after he regains his movement if you time it correctly. It is possible to use the item twice during the battle, after which it will no longer have any effect.

You should have plenty of opportunities to unleash powerful attacks and stagger Mohg in between stunning him if you use the shackle and have your spirit summon direct his sweeping attacks and bloodflame away from your direction. This should allow you to deal more damage to Mohg overall.

You will receive the Bloodflame Talons Incantation if you are successful in defeating his boss, but that is not all. The Erdtree’s Favor +1 is stored in a chest that is located in front of the main altar. If you strike the altar with your weapon, it will move back into a recess, revealing a secret path that can only be travelled after you have vanquished Morgott in Leyndell, the Royal Capital. This path can only be travelled after you have vanquished Morgott.

Exploring the Forsaken Depths

You will be able to return to the altar that is located past Mohg once Morgott has been vanquished. You will find that the seal has been removed, and in its place is a large open crypt with a very long shaft surrounded by the bodies of Nomads. These Nomads are similar to the ones that you have been buying items from throughout the entirety of the game. There are some Yellow Embers hidden among these dead bodies; however, you should proceed with caution as you make your way across the slender wooden plank to the other side, as not all Nomads have passed on.

When you get to the other platform, you’ll probably be able to hear some of them playing their strange instruments. However, the ones that are sitting down and blending in with the dead won’t attack unless they are provoked; however, the one that is wandering up from the nearby stairs will.

These nomads appear to have lost all of their eyes because of their halting attacks and their extremely slow movement. While their strange instruments don’t do much damage, the Frenzied Flame attacks they use are extremely lethal due to the fact that they are so fast. Once they begin casting them to shoot beams of madness-inducing fire in large arcs around them, it is difficult to stop or stagger them. Because of this, you will need to be quick and decisive in your strikes, or you will need to fight at a long distance.

Be sure to let the first Nomad hit the ruined structure against the far wall, as this is where you’ll find the Nomadic Merchant’s Chapeau, Nomadic Merchant’s Finery, and Nomadic Merchant’s Trousers in the corner, in addition to 5 Grace Mimic Nearby that are not trapped under any structures.

Carefully make your way down the stairs on the opposite side to find another wandering Nomad among the dead, as well as a structure against the left wall that the Nomad can bring down with his raging flames. Another Nomad can be heard playing music along the ledge, but he won’t participate in the battle unless you strike him first. You should get the five Eye of Yelough that are hiding behind the structure, and if this Nomad is giving you trouble, you should try to sneak up behind him.

The path comes to an end here, but things are about to get more difficult in terms of platforming. There is another narrow beam crossing the pit here that you can take down to a ledge filled with rubble and a Golden Rune 11, and then drop down to another perpendicular beam below to find the Frenzied’s Cookbook 2 on one end, and a music-playing Nomad on the other end, near a body holding 3 Hefty Beast Bone.

It will be necessary for you to descend the shaft in a cautious manner utilising the teeny-tiny platforms that can be discovered within the stone coffins that are protruding along the rim of the pit. You can attempt this task in a variety of ways, some of which are simpler than others; however, using items that lessen or eliminate the damage caused by falls will not be of any assistance if you end up falling to the ground.

It is recommended that you begin by jumping to the set of coffins located to the west and then drop down among the group towards the southeast corner. As soon as you reach the corner, you should immediately turn to the northeast corner, after which you should double back and jump down to the northwest corner.

You can see three sets of coffins stacked atop one another in the middle of the east wall. The coffin at the bottom of the stack contains a body that is holding an item, which is your ultimate destination. This is the most difficult part of the puzzle.

If you try to aim for the middle coffin, you will most likely end up bouncing off the edge of the top coffin and falling to your death. Instead, perform a running jump to reach the top middle coffin, and then look for another one lower down in the southeast corner of the room. If you are successful, you will be able to bypass the middle coffin and jump down to the coffin that is holding the Inescapable Frenzy Incantation. After that, you will locate a path that is safe to walk on once more.

Turning around will reveal a small dark hallway that leads to a sitting Nomad who is guarding a Fingerprint Stone Shield. This is the second structure in this area that is concealing an item.

If you give the sleeping Nomad one hit, he will get up, and if you let him chase you back to the tent and burn it down with his raging flames, you will find a note and Miquella’s Needle tucked away underneath it.

You have no choice but to go to the bottom of the pit as you make your way down to the lowest point next to a music-playing Nomad; there is nowhere else to go. However, the good news is that this time you won’t die from fall damage. In its place, dropping down will cause the floor to shatter, which in turn will lead you all the way down to the Frenzied Flame Proscription. Because the floor is now broken, it is possible to jump all the way down from the top of the shaft without taking any damage from the fall. This is an interesting development.

You’ll find the spooky burned door that leads to the Three Fingers of the Frenzied Flame right here; however, the door won’t just open for anyone who walks up to it. If you assisted the young woman Hyetta on her journey through Liurnia by giving her Shabriri Grapes, she will be here now to the side, and she will provide you with the clue you need to meet with the Three Fingers. She will tell you to rid yourself of your possessions, and the Three Fingers will undoubtedly welcome you.

Even though the flames are raging out of control, if your character interacts with the door while naked, they will be able to force it open. After watching the cutscene inside, your character will be permanently marked by the Frenzied Flame. When you return to Hyetta, you will have to complete your pact by giving Hyetta the flame of chaos that is currently contained within you. After you have concluded your conversation with her, she will give you the Frenzied Flame Seal and five Frenzyflame Stone as parting gifts.

When you go to rest at the nearby site of Grace, Melina will disavow you and will part ways with you for good, giving you a dire warning as she does so. This will happen when you go to rest there.